If you’re looking for something spooky, sudsy and fun to do this week, Check out the happenings at Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse. Starting on Thursday, big busted babes will have the advantage in the St. Pauli Girl Look-Alike Contest starting at 9 pm. Specifically, Humpy’s is “Calling all bar wenches! Prizes for the best costume!” Now, I’m guessing that if you’re a well-costumed adult male, you might make points as well, so let’s not make this gig gender-specific. If I had it my way, the contest would include “Haulin’ the Heavies,” where contestants would have to service demanding tables will numerous full liters of O’Fest beer, just like they do in Munich. Look for specials on St. Pauli Girl, a zesty German lager that’s pretty good overall, even though it’s made here in the United States.
Then, on Friday, October 31st (Halloween, duh), enter the Midnight Costume Contest at Humpy’s. Cash prizes will be awarded during this contest. If you’re a late riser (from the dead or from your sleep), a second costume contest will be held on Saturday, November 1st at 11 pm.
If your costume aspirations are more political, On Wednesday, October 29th, at Blues Central, join the Sarah & Todd Look-Alike Contest at 9 pm. The grand prize for this gig is an outfitted moose hunt including two new rifles. This event is sponsored by Alaskan Brewing Company, and since this year’s version of their tasty Winter Ale is out, you could enjoy a pint there.
And, I suppose if you’re not into Halloween at all, you could always go raunch yourself any Wednesday through Saturday night (starting at 8 pm) riding the Mechanical Bull at the Gaslight Nightclub and Bar downtown. I’ve ridden a mechanical bull a grand total of once in my life and did pretty good. This is a tempting event for me!
Things are downright atmospheric (or would that be “upright atmospheric”?) at Midnight Sun Brewing Company in the upcoming days. First, on Thursday, October 30th, join the brew crew and their loyal, crazy following of fans at Mo’s O’Brady’s in the Huffman Carr’s complex for the First Taste event where the next Planet Series of Beer release will take place. Saturn is the next beer in the series, and it’s a fresh hop IPA, meaning that the hops in this beer came straight from the bine and not the oast house. Translation? Hops are usually picked from the bines (yup, that’s how it’s spelled) dried in a kiln (in the oast house) before storage and shipping. This reduces weight, adds stability and reduces moisture and rotting. For the freshest hop experience, breweries obtain hops straight from the bines, bring them directly to the brewery and toss them right in the pot. That’s exactly what Midnight Sun did with Saturn. Centennial and Cascade hops were sent up here directly from the premier Pacific Northwest hop growing region in Yakima, Washington. This reduced the bine-to-kettle time from literally weeks or months to hours. Taste this stuff at O’Brady’s or look for it in bottles at your favorite grog shop. I was in the Brown Jug Warehouse today and it was already there (Wednesday, 10/22). While at O’Brady’s, ask Mo for his newest special concoction. The yet unnamed drink is a combination of about ¾ of a pint of Midnight Sun’s Panty Peeler Tripel and the rest Patron Citronge, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau. According to Barb Miller of Midnight Sun, the best way to enjoy the concoction is to “When all hands are on deck, hang onto yer undies with one hand while you drop the orange junk into your trunk [into the Panty Peeler], then slam it down. Hang on tight because this is a Panty Raid!” Well, well, well; I’d certainly like to be on hand to see some of that action! I don’t think I’d want to be doing much of that during the week.
Then, the next evening, bust out your favorite Halloween costume and head over to the Midnight Sun Brewery for the 13th or 14th annual Brewhouse Tour. This ghoulish affair features a dark, flashlight tour of the facility with owner Mark Staples providing the narrative between spooky music, abnormal noises and surprises around each corner. The featured beer? Humpback Jack Pumpkin Ale, of course (duh!). Like Barb Miller, the La Femme de Marketing at Midnight Sun says, “You never know what’s going to happen on BooHouse Friday.” No matter what, the suds are worth it.
The above reference to the Brown Jug Warehouse brought something to mind. For the longest time, their radio jingle contained the words “Locally owned and community minded.” That “expired” when they were bought out by a Canadian firm here a while back. I wondered when they’d change the jingle and I was listening to AM 750 the other day and heard that they did. Maybe they’ll get the saying fixed on the fleet of trucks that runs around town soon. No matter who owns them, if they don’t change, all is fine with me. Undeniably, they warehouse the biggest selection of liquor in town and have plenty of craft and international beers to be proud of. Their customer service has steadily improved (just from my perspective) and shopping at the Warehouse is a better and better experience these days.
All of our local liquor stores are destined to take a hit based on the economy. Simply put, we have less disposable income to throw at beer, especially when economics have edged up the price of our favorite brew. One of my favorite beers, Lagunitas Sirius is up as far as $9.50 a six pack. It’s easier to reach elsewhere for something I may not enjoy quite as much. The effect of this will be to force craft beer drinkers to lower their standards and buy what’s on sale, not necessarily what they really want. Worse yet, some may depart the market, figuring this is a good time to spend the money elsewhere. A couple of folks have postulated that they are considering going back to homebrewing. This isn’t a bad option, but homebrewing supplies aren’t getting any cheaper either. With hop and malt shortages, supply and demand have driven the prices of these crucial ingredients up for commercial and homebrews alike. All in all, I hope my favorite major brands survive. Like going to church and tithing, I will still vote with my dollars and support primarily our local breweries with what little disposable income I have left.
Apparently, though, folks won’t be reach for Zima much longer. According to MillerCoors, LLC, production on this watery wannabe has ceased as of October 10th. Apparently this is a result of some weakness in the malternative segment of the alcohol market. Good riddance.
And, just to tempt you to part with a few more of your precious dollars, there are some new beers out to tempt your taste buds. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout and Imperial Red can be had in 22 ounce bombers around town in your favorite liquor stores. Glacier Brewhouse’s Imperial Pumpkin and Berry Wheat are pouring at the downtown brewery. From Deschutes Brewery, Jubelale, Green Lakes Organic and Hop Trip, although formerly available in bottles are all now on tap at your favorite haunts. Elysian’s Night Owl Pumpkin Ale is also on tap. Avery Brewing Company’s Old Jubilation, Left Hand Brewing Company’s Twin Sisters Double IPA and Jackman’s APA and Lagunitas Sirius are all on tap as well. Six packs of Lagunitas Pils have shown up and I think all of the six packs of Sirius ended up processed through my liver because I can’t find them any more. Flying Dog Brewery’s Kerberos Tripel has also shown up. For sure most of this stuff has shown up at Gold Hill Liquors just out of Fairbanks in Ester, so if you’re reading this from up that way, you’re not left out!
This year’s Autumn Pour Homebrew Competition in Juneau was a big success, thanks in large part to the efforts of Rachel Juzeler, the event organizer. This year, eager brewers parted with 78 different entries in the growing competition. The Best of Show distinction went to Brian Ross for his Dark Belgian Strong Ale. Best of Division winners included Arne Oydna for “Shop Pilsner 58” (Lagers and Hybrids…love that name, it sounds so utilitarian), Shannon Siefert and Terry Schwarz for “IPA 45” (American Styles) and Steve Pierce for his Pumpkin Ale (Specialties). 
All of this went down with a surrounding beer garden, coinciding arts festival and good music. This is a competition worthy of both entering and attending and happens at about the same time every year, so plan on brewing in anticipation and attending in Juneau next fall.
A rumor circulates concerning Alaskan Brewing Company’s Baltic Porter. I don’t do good at paraphrasing rumors, so here it is intact. I hope it’s not a rumor but the truth: 
“The news du jour in this email is a limited release of Alaskan’s Baltic Porter in 22 oz bottles. No word on when it would be released but that it would be. I suspect whoever has Alaskan as a client will be working on getting it up in these parts. This is so exciting! I’d heard they were going to bottle but now the word is out. Far as I’m concerned, it’s the best beer they’ve ever produced. My usual purchasing behavior is to pick up a couple of bigger beers (one to put down for later and one to share) but this time I think I’ll be buying more than that. This beer gets better with time anyway.”
Apparently, this year’s Mat Su Beer Festival was a bit lackluster. Feedback from readers revealed that although some good beer was available, servings were provided in small Dixie cups, “the ones nurses use for handing out meds.” I wasn’t there, so I can’t vouch for the overall experience, but it didn’t sound good.
Maybe the November 19th Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop at the Tap Root Café will make up for it. Although details are emergent, according to brewer Frank Kassik, the brewery’s sought after Imperial Wheat Beer and their award winning Caribou Kilt Strong Scotch Ale will be pouring, along with a broad cross section of the brewery’s offerings from down south (Nikiski). The time and cost remain TBA. In the meantime, the rest of their beers can be found here and there on tap around town. Specifically, look for Beavertail Blonde and Roughneck Stout on tap at the Root right now.
Every year, the Northwest Brewing News conducts its “Best of Northwest Poll” and it’s that time of year again. This poll elicits the best beer, bar, bartender, brewery, style, place, and breaks it all down by location. It’s that time of year again. You need to do your part and vote for your local favorites. Even if you only know Alaska beer and locations, that’s fine. Why should you let someone else vote your conscious (or palate, as the case may be). Surf out to http://www.brewingnews.com/contactus/bestofnwpoll.shtml to cast your vote. I’d tell you the who, what and where that I’m voting for, but that wouldn’t be very nice, now would it?
Tap Root Café is featuring Ring of Fire Meadery’s Pear Agave Cyzer, Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s Humpback Jack Pumpkin Ale, Sockeye Red IPA, Oosik Amber, Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter and Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter. From the Sleeping Lady Brewing Company expect Fish On! IPA, Harvest Black Pepper Rye, and Espresso Bock. From the Peninsula, look for Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop’s Beaver Tail Blonde and Roughneck Stout. National selections include Deschutes Brewing Company’s Fresh Hop Pale Ale and North Coast Brewing’s Brother Thelonius Abbey Ale.
Here’s a quick reminder concerning Celestial Meads’ Pre-Halloween Open House this Saturday from noon – 5:00 pm. All of Meadmaster Mike Kiker’s top notch meads will be available along with his two newest Special Reserve Meads. Trebuchet is a 14 percent Californa Sage Blossom Honey, Iowa Basswood Honey and Blue Ridge Mountain Spring Wildflower Honey mead that was aged for a year. 
Raizin d’ Etre is a 14 percent pyment (the meadery’s first” made with Zinfandel grapes, Blackberry Blossom Honey and aged in French oak. Now’s the time to buy ahead for Christmas. This stuff is easily better than vintage wine as far as I’m concerned and it’s 100 percent SEXY in a glass. I didn’t think anyone could make such bright liquid. A devoted reader reminded me to remind other devoted readers that Celestial Meads has moved. The new location is at 600 W. 58th Ave, Suite B. To get there, head south on Arctic and turn left on 58th after crossing through International Airport Road. The unit is off to the left part way down the road. Look for signs. The pre-Halloween gig is free and samples and snacks will be available. Oh, don’t forget to bring a growler; Celestial meads now offers growler service, which is handy for a guy like me that travels to the Peninsula every weekend.
Baron Brewing, a small craft brewery in the Seattle area has been quietly in the Alaska market now for just over a year. The brewery’s focus has been exclusively on authentic German style beers. I visited the brewery two years ago in conjunction with a trip to Seattle for the Seattle International Bierfest, but haven’t had a chance to visit since. Up until recently, we’ve only received 22 ounce bombers of the brewery’s beers, but I noticed that a keg showed up over at Cafe Amsterdam, so things are changing.
Indeed they are. Baron has launched a new brewery, Three Skulls Ales. The beers from Three Skulls will come from the same brewery. Jeff Smiler, owner/brewer of Barn/Three Skulls, according to a recent email is “a huge pirate fan and decided that pirate themed beers would be fun to make.” In November, look for the release of Blacy Bonney, a porter named after Anne Bonney, one of the few woman 
pirates in recorded history, Pillagers Pale is a utilitarian Northwest style Pale Ale and CutThroat Red is a red ale with a touch of rye to enhance the flavor. I’ve verified that we’ll be getting these bottled beers when they become available, should the distributor decide to bring them up here. I’m hopeful. The brewery’s done a reasonable job with difficult to produce lager beers and so seeing what can be done with some robust ale styles will be interesting and afford beer-loving Alaskans with ever-more variety.
Finally, with all of the election stuff going on, who do you vote for? In this huge, political arena, we have choices. But as beer drinkers, what’s important to us may not be important to the candidates. But what if a candidate is all about beer? Welcome Les Vilda of Wilber, Nebraska. Vilda’s started his own B.E.E.R. Party. Sure, it’s a whim and somewhat of a farce, but according to Vilda, “I’m pretty proud to be able to tell you, of the boters that turned out, 87 percent voted for me. The other 13 percent were just too druk to raise their hands, but we like to think they too would have voted for me.” Maybe it’s the 1920 Model T he drives around town as his self-appointed “mobile campaign headquarters.” This guy’s worth following and is decidedly more interesting than Obama or McCain.
The views expressed on the Dr. Fermento blog site are not necessarily those of the drunks he associates with, but rather the exclusive byproduct of his self-inflicted liver degradation and delusional inebriate lifestyle
Dr Fermento Beer Calendar
10/25/08 Celestial Meads Pre-Halloween Open House Noon – 5 pm Free Samples
10/29/08 Blues Central Sarah & Todd Look-Alike Contest 9 pm Free
10/30/08 Mo’s O’Brady’s (Huffman) MSBC First Taste of Saturn 5-8 pm Pay As You Go
10/30/08 Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse St Pauli Girl Look-Alike Contest 9 pm Free
10/31/08 Midnight Sun Brewing Company Planet Series beer Saturn release at the brewery 6 pm Free
10/31/08 Humpy’s Costume Contest 11 pm Free
11/01/08 Café Amsterdam Planet Series beer Saturn Firkin Release 6 pm Pay As You Go
11/08/08 Celestial Meads Celtic Samhain (Sah’ wen) Observance and Tasting Noon – 5 pm Free Samples
11/09/08 Café Amsterdam BJCP Program Begins Noon – 3 pm TBD
11/19/08 Tap Root Café Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop Beer Tasting TBD TBD
11/21/08 Seward Sea Life Center Alaska Grown Close to Home Wine and Beer Tasting 7-10 pm $30 per person
12/05/08 Arctic Brewing Supply Entries accepted for Bigfish Homebrew Competetion Noon – 6 pm Free
12/06/08 SubZero Microlounge Humpy’s Bigfish Homebrew Competition Judging 10 am Free
02/22/09 Café Amsterdam BJCP Exam 10 am TBD
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May 15th, 2009 at 2:02 am
beer homebrew…
Ancient Sumerian writings mentioned beer such as in a prayer to the goddess Ninkasi. “ The Hymn to Ninkasi” is believed to have been some kind of recipe for making beer as few of the Sumerians were literate. Beer brewing is closely associated to th…