DrFermento.Net

01 07 2008

Hoist One For Me Up There, Mom!

Posted by: drfermento in Beer News

I had to run down to assist in burying my mother-in-law earlier this week. More extensive coverage on the subject will emerge in the Thursday, June 26th edition of the Anchorage Press. This wasn’t the time to be chasing beer. Still, there’s so much of it around in

Denver, it’s not tough to duck in here or there between all the stuff going on to find something new. Because Ms. Fermento and I were put in charge of obtaining beverages for the post-funeral reception, it was hard not to surf the beer aisles at Total Beverage. When I surf this huge store, I always check out the local offerings first. Having been to

Colorado many times over the past number of years, I’d had a lot of what was available and expanded my horizons.

The first thing I noted is that New Belgium Brewing Company’s Fat Tire Ale now comes in cans, in addition to bottles. This is not that it would matter to us since we don’t get New Belgium’s fabulous products up here. At last check, Alaska was something like account #500 on the list to receive the beer, after all of the thirsty accounts in

California. The point? Don’t expect to see the world class beers any time soon. Still, I’m encouraged to discover more and more great craft beers migrating to cans for the same tried and true reasons. Can’s have less head space so the incidence of oxidation is reduced and they’re impervious to light, so skunking is virtually nullified. Except it truly brutal product abuse, I think that a can of craft beer will deliver closer to what the brewer intended than a bottle could. I was flaying with carry on baggage only, so there was no chance of bringing any beer back to

Alaska with me, so although I got a half rack of cans, I didn’t dare to buy a bottle of the same to compare it with because I hate to leave good beer behind if I can’t take it with me.

Crabtree Brewing Company was the first microbrewery to be established in

Greely, Colorado. A number of their bottled wares were available and because the temperature in

Denver during my stay pushed 90 degrees, the Twisted Creek Wheat instantly appealed to me. I immediately liked the label which depicts a couple of antique-like red fan-back chairs sitting by a creek. The aroma was unassuming for a

wheat, but I noted early on during my stay that the altitude and a slight cold affected my perceptions, so I could be all washed up. The flavor brought on some nice Bavarian notes that were balanced to the phenol rather than ester side of the equation. The beer is sweetish overall with ample tart notes to provide the requisite wheat beer snap. The head retention is lower than would be appropriate, but this is common in bottled versions of all but the very best wheat beers. Just balancing bitterness rounds out the sweetness and low hop flavor doesn’t get in the way of the phenol/ester experience. The beer is a bit thin in the finish, but I’d easily drink more of this one.

There were plenty of other tempting choices that slowly filled the better part of a small plastic carry basket and begged for attention. I started with Summit Brewing Company’s Extra Pale Ale from

St. Paul, Minnesota. I was greeted with one of the freshest bouquets of hops I’ve experienced in a long time. The hops provided a mixture of pine-like and citrus elements. It balanced perfectly with the rich caramel and slightly toasty notes that followed in the aromatic rush. The flavor was just as fresh and hop-forward enough to almost edge into the IPA style, but not quite. It’s simply a big, well-done, fresh American pale ale with a lot of character and no extra baggage to drag it down. The beer centers sweet and clean with caramel and bread crust notes, and dries toward the finish. The alcohol content was not listed on my sample, but given the easy drinkability and lack of evidence to the contrary, I’d guess a middle of the road dose, allowing for more than one, given the beer’s stellar quality.

Just because of the history and hype, I had to pick up a copy of Linenkugel’s Original, “the pride of

Chippewa Falls,” “A northwoods favorite brewed in

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, by 73 people who care.” As I expected, a sweet, corn-like aroma hits the nose first with some alcohol notes. Yeast is also evident and there was some evidence of skunkiness in my sample. That’s the price I pay for pulling singles off well-lit and warm store shelves. Who knows when the last time someone reached for a single Linenkugel? I’m sure the whole six packs in the cooler faired better, but I got around this defect and moved on. A nice, balanced flavor with good light malt and hops in even balance greeted the palate. I enjoyed a rather zesty hop flavor in the center. Other than the dimethyl sulfide essence, it’s a clean and refreshing beer. It’s light enough to be slammed repeatedly with minimal damage but I’d need a fresher sample to do that.

On a whim, and fully knowing better, I pulled a single of Margaritaville Landshark Lager “Island Style Lager…Fins up,” in a clear bottle. I got what I expected. I got the same light-struck aroma and flavor on top of a thin bed of corn and light grain flavors with hints of sulfur in a watery base. It appears that this swill is brewed to support the Margaritaville restaurant chain with locations in Arizona, Florida, Vegas, and

New Orleans. Although I can’t verify it, I’m guessing it’s contract brewed by another large brewery to be labeled for Margaritaville. We don’t get this up here and that’s no great loss.

Because I couldn’t get internet connection at my mother-in-law’s house, Ms. Fermento assured me that there was WiFi available up the street at the Lodos Bar and Grill, just up the street. How convenient is THAT? Lodos is an emerging local chain with another location in lower

Denver rather than where we were up in the northern part of the metropolis. The establishment we visited was upscale and a pseudo-sports bar, meaning that if sports was your thing and you seated yourself accordingly, you’d get a good view of the game from pretty much anywhere on a couple of big TV’s all broadcasting different events. This was reinforced my a mostly pub-grub menu, not that I was hungry, nor did we eat there. I was more enticed by the tap line up which included a number of decent selections. A quick survey of the menu revealed 19 draught selections including eight domestic swill beers, eight local craft beers and three international brews. I was tempted to go after a favorite, Hoegaarden, but I restrained in deference to local selections that we don’t get up here in

Alaska. Although I’ve had it in bottles, my first selection was New Belgium Brewing Company’s Sunshine Wheat. I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve had this in the bottle elsewhere before, but the draught service rounded out the already creamy, pillowy, soft Belgian-esque beer even more. Lots of fruity notes waft forth off the top with a decent load of pehenols and esters, but lighter for sure than a bigger wheat beer. The delicacy almost matched that of Hoegaarden, although the styles are different, the mouthfeel was similar. It was nice on a hot summer night.

I’d discovered Steamworks Brewing Company of Durango, Colorado in one of my many visits to

Colorado in the past, and because they package their Steamworks Lager in cans, I’ve been in the habit of bringing it back with me, but my first experience with the beer on tap was

at Lodos. It was just as I expected. I’ve enjoyed this amber lager’s malty forefront both in aroma and flavor and as always, the draft version softened the beer up even more. I love the nice toasted elements in the malt with balancing spicy hops and the rich, clean finish in the beer. There’s some talk that we might see some of this beer up here in the near future, so keep your fingers crossed.

I had another favorite at LoDos, New Belgium’s 1554, a Schwarz-style that’s always been great. Again, getting it on tap was a real treat. What can I say? Big chocolate notes, some light roast and a sensory fence-rider between a porter and stout with rich chocolate notes defines the beer and it went down far too easily. Again, I wish this brewery would make a presence here in the far north.

One thing that I noticed on my visit to

Denver is that servers in dining and drinking establishments are not as friendly as they are here. Maybe I became jaded, but it just seemed like good customer service is taken for granted there a bit more than here. I have an extensive background in customer service from my days as a Total Quality Management (TQM) guru. I taught courses in customer service and worked with organizations to implement a quality approach to the delivery of goods and service, but in the process portion of the equation and certainly the delivery phase. Certainly, it’s a two way street, but consumers are in the business of trading disposable income for goods and services and vote with their dollars. Still, it’s easy to get a sense of the overall culture in the area, especially when visiting diverse establishments in that same area over time. At Lodos, we were a couple of 50 year olds in a predominantly younger crowd, but why should that change my expectations or those of the servers? I would guess that my income and ability to throw coin at a situation are as good as those in the younger crowd, but it seemed like our snotty server had us pegged as somewhat unworthy of anything more than cursory service and minimal maintenance as customers. This establishment proudly proclaimed their WiFi availability and when we came in, we asked the greeter where would be the best place for the best connection. She, in turn, asked who turned out to be our server for advice and the response was “sit anywhere, it doesn’t matter.” Technically, that’s true, but maybe she thought we were there for WiFi and not to spend money on drinks and food. I treated it as an anomaly, but ran into the same spotty service throughout my visit.

I did get one whirlwind couple of hours in downtown Denver just prior to my flight back to

Alaska on Tuesday (June 24^th). And, before I forget, the average pint goes for $4.00 down there, but factor in the tax and the price gets closer to $4.50 a brew.

My first stop was for lunch at Willie G’s, an upscale indoor/outdoor café in lower

Denver’s

16^th Street

Mall area. I was will versed with Great Divide’s Samurai but elected to wait on that since the brewery was right up the street and was on my list of stops. Our server also mentioned Easy Street. I recognized the name, but couldn’t place the brewery. Unfortunately, either could the server and he didn’t bother to offer to find out. Easy Street is an Odell’s offering from

Ft. Collins. The menu didn’t feature the beers and neither did the server so I disregarded the experience and ordered a Coke with my otherwise tasty seafood salad. That’s counter to my typical approach which is to FORCE education on the server by asking more questions, but I was tired of the fight. He didn’t seem to care. I moved on.

Because I hadn’t been there for years, I ducked into Wynkoops’ also in LoDo. I was greeted again with another apathetic, server that seemed more interested in flirting with the younger crowd than paying attention to some balding 50 year old with a notebook. It took forever to get her attention and when I did, I had to ask for a beer menu. Maybe she thought the chalk board behind her sufficed (and indeed, it listed the same beers as the menu did), but I felt slighted. She plopped my utterly delicious Wixa Wheat on the bartop and without a glance or comment swished off to serve the other, livelier customers. The Wixa Wheat is a great Euro-clone with gobs and gobs of Bavarian wheat beer elements including an even mixture of esters and phenols, prodigious, rocky head and only an uninvited slice of orange as a distracter. Suddenly the waitress and her poor customer service skills became unimportant as I felt rich and expansive in the

Denver heat.

There were others I wanted to try such as the B3K Schwarzbier, Cascade Cream Ale, Two Guns Pilsner and the Light Rail Ale, to name a few, but I was on limited for time and scurried off to the never-miss Falling Rock Tap House. As if customer service couldn’t get any worse, I walked in as one of three lonely patrons and no bartender. The patron down the bar to my right was hunched over his beer and had obviously had more than a few. The other gent, further on down was thoroughly contemplating his cups as well and neither seemed to realize my presence. Nor did any wait staff. A lazy circular roof fan silently pushed the heat around. Being tall, I glanced over a stub wall and made eye contact with someone who looked like a cook, but that didn’t stir any response so I just sat. I found the establishment’s extensive beer menu and was instantly temped by a number of selections but waited patiently in thirst. When the waiter finally ambled around some corner with no sense of urgency, I ordered up a Cantillion Cuvee des Champions. The beer’s gueze essence was plainly evident under a sweet fruity nose that hinted at the beer’s youth. According to the menu, the beer is two years old. There was no evidence of hops but some brett character pushed through. The beer was dry hopped with Styrian Golding hops, but they were hard to discern through the fruitiness, but that’s certainly no defect. Some of the hops spiciness could be found on top. A resoundingly tart gueze/brett flavor, along with some wheat tartness met the palate at first sip. The hop bitterness, accompanied perhaps with some other bittering influence, was fully evident way in the back, almost to the point of being distracting. I’m not used to that sensation that far back on the palate, but hey…it’s from

Belgium

, it’s a gueze, and it’s Cantillion on tap, so who am I to be picky? The finish was appropriately thin and dry, and somewhat boozy.

Once again, time was my enemy or I would have enjoyed New Belgium’s Le Fluer Misseur, Sierra Nevada’s Southern Harvest and perhaps a cask-conditioned Great Divide Titan IPA.

Since I had the Great Divide Brewing Company on my mind, I made that my final stop. The last time I was in

Denver, I stopped by to get some Samurai, a rice beer that was formerly on my Desert Island Six Pack (DISP). This beer vied for space with Full Sail Brewing Company’s Session, a pre-prohibition lager. During that last trip, Samurai was not on tap, so I was delighted to find it on board during this visit. I have this “thing” about drinking beer at its source. I like to try my favorite beers as fresh as I can possibly get them. I was disappointed in my sample, however. My fond memory of the beer here in

Alaska brought forth aromas of rice pudding with a dusting of rose in the nose and a smooth, creamy palate sensation where rice was in the forefront and not some dymethal sulfide adjunct tasting beer. Again, during this most recent trip, I was aromatically challenged due to the altitude and a light cold, but all of that was absent and the beer came across as approaching a pale ale, not the unique creature I’d grown to love. I commented to the barkeep about this and she was quite savvy about the beers she was serving. She indicated that of all of the Great Divide beers, Samurai was the most inconsistent, ranging from the soft wonder I recall to the hoppier, more bitter beer I was drinking then. Humph! This is one beer where consistency is important to me. I have to remember to pick up a six pack here in town and re-evaluate the beer wrapped in glass.

Because I’d passed it up at Willie G’s, I tried the Denver Pale Ale next. This 5.4 percent beer is hop forward in the nose, but not obtrusively. I sensed very fresh hops on a base amber-flavored beer. Light caramel malts were lurking under the beer’s off-white head. The flavor provided a well-balanced mix of medium hop bitterness and flavor on a firm malt foundation. The bitterness extended deep into the finish. The beer’s overall balance made this a very easy drinker and I could easily see why it’s a

Denver favorite. It’s clean smelling and clean finishing, baiting repeat samples.

I glanced nervously at my watch and calculated the time it would take me to make it all the way from Downtown out to the airport. Discretion is usually the better part of valor, but I tossed abandon to the wind and ordered up an Old Ruffian Barleywine. This 10.2 percent beer is big hops at the expense of the malt in the nose, but underneath rose a sweetish, barley-wine character beer with all of the right elements. It was definitely American style given the hop amounts and varieties, but a good one. For me, when I drink the myriad barley wines in the land with all of their nuances, I appreciate knowing I’m drinking a barley wine first, even if it’s a big hop bomb over all. Ruffian is well balanced and easy to drink The beer is sweet, approaching cloying, but all of this serves to hide the 10.2 percent alcohol magnificently. It was a lot easier to toss back than I expected and I found solace in the beer’s lovely lacing along the sides of the glass as I twirled it in the sun. Then I got to thinking about the sun. I started to fear going outside into the 94 degree heat with all of this cold beer insulating me inside the cozy confines of the Great Divide tap room. Alas, it had to be so and I said goodbye to

Denver with Ruffian as my final beer.

I was tempted to have an ice cold Coors at the airport. For the record, I enjoy Coors when it’s ice cold. I don’t think it’s the flavor of the beer so much as the experience. There IS a place in the world for the mass produced American lagers, and I’ve always considered Coors one of the nicer examples. I passed. I was anxious to get home to my local brew. It’s good to be back.

Closer to home, big contrats are due to a couple of local homebrewers who represented us well at this year’s National Homebrew Competetion. Local homebrewer

Jason Ditsworth brought home a bronze medal for his melomel (mead) and took a silver medal for a mead in the “other mead” category. Steve Pierce of

Juneau took a silver in the dark lager category. Former Alaskan homebrewer Rich Tomory grabbed a bronze medal in the specialty cider and Perry category. These are noteworthy achievements given the intense competition from around the country, but I’m not surprised. Alaskan homebrewers continue to kick ass and take names (medals) whenever they enter national competitions. Thank you, Mike Kiker for sending this information along.

If your travel plans include

Fairbanks this fall, mark your calendar for a couple of key events. Thanks to the awesome organization prowess of Susan Osborne of Gold Hill Liquors the craft beer scene is really starting to bust out up north. Recall that it’s Osborne that converted the sleepy little liquor store in Ester (that always rat-holed) some great beers into a beer lover’s

Mecca up north. If you’re ever driving up that way, Ester is about 13 miles before

Fairbanks and has the undeniable best selection of bottled goods in the region, so stop in and check out the wares.

On August 1^st, plan on participating in the very first Import and Craft Beer Cruise aboard the sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery between 6:30 – 9:15 pm. On board, local band Good Daze will get you twisting while you enjoy top notch food catered by the local Chef’s Association and beers from around the state and around the globe. Rub elbows with beer reps from both Chimay and world famous beer importer Merchant du Vin. Osborne is currently wooing Michael Smith from Unibroue, so this could be a star-studded event. This is destined to sell out, so my suggestion is to contact Gold Hill Liquors at (907) 479-2333 or visit their website at www.goldhillalaska.com for the tickets in advance. They’re $50 bucks that way or $55 at the gangway if there are any left on the day of the event.

Another Fairbanks event this fall is the first Farthest North Imported and Craft Beer Event held in conjunction with the Winter Show at the

Carlson Center. This takes place on Friday, September 26^th. The Winter show is all about big boy toys including show machines, ATV’s, boats and the like. The craft beer event will feature over 200 beers and food. There’s nothing like getting well-lubricated so that you can make some well-educateed impulse purchases at the Winter Show. The nice part is that if you get your honey to buy the tickets (female honey, that is) the cost is $20.00. If not, it’s $25.00. Is that discriminatory? Probably not, but why not save $5.00? The bonus is that the ticket will get you into the other (following) two days of the event so you can party like a rock star on Friday, sober up and shop for toys in a safer frame of mind. I think it’s great that Fairbanks is starting to showcase good beer and good beer events, so if you’re up there at this time (or just plan to make a trip) your attendance is supportive of the entire craft and imported beer movement, and that’s worthy in and of itself.

I don’t know how they got hooked up, but when the Tap Root Café put on beer tastings, it seemed that the emcee has always been Clay Brackley of the Sleeping Lady Brewing Company. Rightfully so. Clay is a walking, talking beer encyclopedia and his engaging demeanor is perfect for spreading the cheer about good beer. Now it’s Clay’s turn. On June 30^th at 7:00 pm, Tap Root is doing a Sleeping Lady Brewing Company beer tasting. The price hasn’t been determined yet (it’ll be a deal) but six beers will be featured along with some tasty appetizers.

First over the gums will be the brewery’s Belgian Witbier. This light, 5 percent alcohol brew was constructed with imported pilsner malt, American white wheat malt, toasted wheat, flaked wheat and oats and spiced with Styrian Goldings hops, Indian coriander,

Curacao orange peel and another undisclosed spice. A Belgian yeast strain provides a ton of fruit esters along with requisite phenol notes. The cloudy beer is an especially fitting summer sipper.

The second beer featured will be the brewery’s Green Dragon Pale Ale. This beer is named after a local sports team, but what’s important are how the pilsner an crystal malts combine along with the Chinook and Amarillo hops to produce a rock-solid American pale ale with the brewery’s signature on it. Expect a drier and hoppier version than you might find in the mainstream.

The #3 beer is the Borealis Belgian Speciale. Things notch up with this 7.7 percent, low-hop beer that features Belgian biscuit malt, British brown and American crystal malts and Harrington malt from

Canada

. German Carafa, a special de-husked malt adds even more international flair to the beer that’s spiced with Styrian Goldings hops. Belgian Adrennes yeast, warm fermented adds the expected funk.

Fourth will be the legendary Braveheart Scottish Ale, another wobbler at 7 percent alcohol that’s brew using GlenEagles floor malted Maris Otter Pale Malt, American crystal and English roast barley and is dosed with Northern Brewer, English East Kent Goldings hops and the brewery’s house yeast. The cool fermentation throttles back a bit on the beer’s fruitiness and brings the malt character to the forefront.

The 5^th beer will be the brewery’s flagship Portage Porter. This GABF winning beer at 6.5 percent is a bit tamer than the earlier two, but still commands some discipline. American Metcalfe malt, dark crystal and English brown malts, chocolate, black and German Carafa malt comprise the grain bill, along with a touch of flaked oats. Perle and Fugggles spice the beer. Chocolate and coffee notes accent the beer (although they are byproducts, not ingredients) and the toasted malt flavors balance the mix.

The sixth and final beer will be a Whiskey Barrel Aged English Braggot. The brewery toyed with a braggot last year and I fell in love with it. I drank it all day long when brewing over there one time and even managed to pry a growler of the stuff out of Clay’s clutches before I left. He noted that he was going to siphon some off into a whiskey barrel, but this is the first I’ve heard of it. Honey and malt are the features in this beer. This is the big one at 8 percent alcohol and when you add it all up, this is probably a prime example of a designated driver event, so make arrangements before making reservations.

If you’re down Homer way in the near future, don’t miss the opportunity to pay a visit to Homer Brewing Company and grab a growler of their Irish Rye Ale. I got an email from Karen Berger at the brewery and she indicates that Steve McCasland is fond of using the “IRA” acronym for the beer. Karen pointed out that the IRA means different things to different people, not all of which is positive, but it’s all in good fun and I’m sure the beer’s great. The brewery also hasa Belgian Abbey Ale on tap and if you’re a Belgian-esque freak like me, it should get your attention. Karen also recommends a stop at the Brat Stop, an 8X16 foot trailer adjacent to the brewery that serves brats with fries, rings or chips. Other tasty trailer trash treats (Berger’s name, not mine) are available as well. The Brat Stop is open during the same hours as the brewery. The only complication is having to get a beer and a brat at two different places, although they share the same parking lot. If you’re health-conscious (my body rejects anything healthy) non-meat vegetarian brats too in addition to the brats from Echo Lake Meats. The food is available for sit-down (outdoors, picnic style under tents) or to go. Sounds like a great combination to me!

Midnight Sun Brewing is releasing the infamous Panty Peeler, a Belgian-style tripel, on Friday, July 115h at the brewery starting at 5:00 pm. If you’re wondering about the sister beer, the Monk’s Mistress, it will come out in August. I don’t know why the brewery did it, but they’ve changed the more alluring Belgian equivalent names (Epluche Culotte and La Maitresse du Moine respectively) to their English equivalents. Well, I can guess why. Close your eyes and try to spell either of those two beer names and you’ll get a sense of the difficulty, despite the allure.

Over at the Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company the brewery’s Cherry Wheat was just released. If you stoked up with their Chocolate Cherry Wheat, this is the same critter, sans the chocolate malt and with the addition of some hibiscus. Other light summer choices for premier deck surfing outside of the upstairs pub is the brewery’s Belgian Wit. According to brewery Clay Brackley, also in the works for this fall is a an American wheat beer dosed with chamomile, followed by a duneklweizenbock in the fall. Is it any surprise that Brackley is collaborating with Gabe Flectcher of Midnight Sun Brewing to build an imperial IPA that will feature 22 different hop varieties? The objective of this beer is to sort of toss out a “Fuck You” to the hop crisis. Right on, guys!

Finally, plan on attending the 2008 Golden Days Beer Festival hosted by and at The Silver Gulch Brewing Company on Saturday, July 19^th between 3:00 – 10:00 pm. The proceeds of this event directly support our own Alaska Brewer’s Guild . The event features over 130 different beers in a beer garden setting, live polka music by the Alaska Blaskapelle Band backed up by special guests The Wildcat Trio. For a paltry $20, you get admission, a REAL commemorative glass (not the cheap plastic knock-offs) and ten beer samples. Additional sample tickets can be purchased at the festival. Call (907) 452-2739 for more details. I’ll provide more as I get it.

Dr Fermento Beer Calendar

06/30/08 Tap Root Café Sleeping Lady Brewing Company Tasting 7:00 pm TBD

07/11/08

Midnight Sun Brewing Company Panty Peeler Re-Release at the Brewery 5:00 pm Free

07/12/08 Silver Gulch Brewing Company E.T. Barnette Homebrew Judging 10:00 am Free

07/13/08 Café Amsterdam The Lighter Side of

Belgium

Picnic Style Tasting TBD TBD

07/19/08 Silver Gulch Brewing Company 2008 Golden Days Beer Fest 3:00 pm $20.00

07/26/08 GNBC/Humpy’s Golf Tournament Moose Run Golf Course 7:00 am $350/Team

08/01/08 Riverboat Discovery II (

Fairbanks) Chena River Brews Cruise 6:30 pm $50.00 (online)

08/02/08

Ketchikan (

420 Spruce Mill Way

) 13^th Annual Summer Beer Festival 6:30-8:30 pm $20.00

09/20/08 Zymurgist Borealis Septemberfest Chena Pump Campground (

Fairbanks) Noon - ?? BYO/Potluck

09/26/08

Carlson Center (

Fairbanks) 1^st Annual Farthest North Import and Craft Beer Fest TBA $25.00

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Hoist One For Me Up There, Mom!