Monday, July 24, 2006

Going Back to Work?

According to a AP release, It looks like the employees at the soon to be former Latrobe Brewing Company plant in Latrobe, PA, will accept the a contract with City Brewing Company of LaCrosse, WI. (Strange La connection going on here) City Brewing is negotiating to buy the brewery which employs over 120 workers. See the fate of the brewery was in question after one industry leader and beer whore InBev sold the Rolling Rock brand to another industry leader and beer whore Anheuser-Busch back in May for $82 million. A-B quickly announced that it would move all Rolling Rock production to its Newark facility. And really who doesn't want to go to Newark?

Latrobe, and the State of Pennsylvania, feared that the fairly modern facility would be closed and all of the workers would loose their jobs. So the fact that City Brewing is purchasing the facility is welcome news to many peoples ears. Even though City will likely make only contract, alco-pops like Mike's Hard lemonade and other craptastic beverages, it will keep the brewery open and at least 120 workers in Latrobe employed. Which in a small town like Latrobe is huge. And at least City Beverage is not a huge corporation looking to squash the little guys like those above.

And hey I may note really like Rolling Rock, but at least I knew I was supporting a smaller company and a small town when I would drink it. Now, there's no way in hell I would touch a bottle of Rolling Rock.

Oh and this shit is great: "We are going to retain as much of the history and tradition and heritage of this brand," said Andy Goeler, vice president of Anheuser-Busch's import, craft and specialty group. So according to Andy, shit canning 120+ workers, moving a product from its historic place of production, abandoning a fully functioning brewery, and basically telling a small town "we couldn't care less about you or citizen" is preserving history and tradition. I for one hope that the citizens of Latrobe and the rest of PA join me in raising a finely crafted local/regional beer and telling A-B to "Go Fuck Yourself."

Utah Struggles to Combat Its Dull Image

Well no shit Sherlock. If it wasn't for the fact that the skiing was some of the best on this planet would anybody other than Mormons go to this state? In yet another AP release, Utah is struggling to fight its tightass, ultra conservative, multiple wife, commune image. What are top complaints the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau get? Seems that there's not much nightlife and it's difficult to get a drink. Well no shit. That's what happens when you have not only ultra repressive alcohol laws, but you also tax the shit out of everything higher than near beer. (Which is beer at 3.2% ABV, normal mass produced fizzy yellow beers are 4.2% ABV).

Seems Salt Lake City is the worst city to try to find a drink in. See city law prohibits more than two bars from operating on the same city block face. And in downtown SLC, the average city block is 660 feet long. That boys and girls is 300 feet longer than a football field.

Oh and lets not forget the fact that in order to go into a "bar" you have to be a member or a guest of a member, which includes ID, paperwork, and a fee. Well shit, why not just go ahead and tattoo the words "I am Drunk and a Sinner" while you're at it and shove a tracking device up my ass so the Mormon Church can monitor my whereabouts at all times? Oh yeah, As I mentioned above, Utah also taxes all "full-strength beer" at a much higher rate.

Some people still don't get it. It seems that Councilman Dave Buhler, does not see a problem in Salt Lake City.

"Compared to everywhere else in Utah," he said, "we certainly have a lot more going on in our downtown."

Well not shit assclown, because there's nothing going on in UTAH! That's the whole point of the fricken arguement. Just because you don't suck as much as nearly everywhere else in your state, doesn't mean you still don't suck ass!

All I can say is good luck to Mayor Rocky Anderson, who is trying to change SLC and wants the regulations changed and/or lifted. Go get'em Rocky.

So not only is Westmalle better than Miller, but it weights more too!

According to an article by Santa Monica News, it "seems that an empty bottle of Miller weighs less than seven ounces, while a bottle of Westmalle Belgian beer tips the scale at almost twice that." Which is by far not the point of the article, but I thought it was interesting that those that make quality beer, use quality products to protect them.

Friday, July 21st, 2006

Coast Guard was brewing up a storm.

Sorry but the pun couldn't be avoided. Seems the some enterprising individuals at the Coast Guard academy decided to save money by brewing their own beer for social functions. Finally somebody in the Government trying to SAVE money!

The article reports, "...that beer was called "The Admiral Amber Ale" and the audit found that the school spent about $1,000 to make 532 bottles of beer." Um...$1.88 per beer for homebrew is a little on the pricey side. I think somebody was either squirling away some of the product or a lot of that $1,000 went to buy the equipment. I guess you would need more than the basic homebrew equipment to crank out 532 beers.

So 532 beers at 12 oz. per beer is 6384 oz. 6384 oz is 49.875 gallons. So roughly fifty gallons which could be 10 5 gallon batches on a basic setup; 5 10 gallon batches on a typical all grain setup, or they went out and purchased a larger system. But if you've got a bunch of Cadets around, I guess brewing in shifts is a definite option. I think if they would have had more batches under their belt, they could probably get that down to 50¢ or 60¢ a bottle. Maybe less, if they have larger equipment and they buy ingredients in bulk.

Get a load of this chippie, "Coast Guard Spokeswoman Angela McArdle said an audit released Wednesday by a U.S. Senate panel that oversees the Homeland Security Department highlighted a purchase that was technically legal but did not represent a prudent use of funds.

"There is no more beer brewing going on at the Coast Guard Academy," she said."

Why the hell not. It's better to have them purchase beer at an inflated rate, than having them make their own and save some money? Not to mention they are learning a valuable skill and potential craft.

The article goes on to state that; "'Absent the purported cost savings and the dubious need for the government to brew its own alcohol, the purchase of the kit and the beer brewing activity itself fall short of prudent use of taxpayer dollars,' the audit found.

McArdle said about $800 of the questioned spending came from a Coast Guard foundation and was not government money"

Ok, so only $200 of it was government money. The other was from the Coast Guard foundation and they were trying to save money. Sounds like a pretty f'n good idea to me. But that's probably why I'm not in a government job.

Eat, drink and go WILD

Now this is a competition I would like to watch. Forget American Idol, Big Brothers, Nathan's Hot Dog eating competition, and try this one on for size. New Zealand’s Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge is an annual event where restuarants and bars from all over New Zealand compete in four basic categories; Best Service, Best Spirit, Best Individual Beer and Food Match, and OVERALL WINNER.

The Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge allows diners to experience wild cuisine, expertly matched with a craft brew at their local restaurant, café or bar. The event promises to "providing diners with a uniquely Kiwi wild food experience." (Side note, Kiwi is a term for New Zealand and New Zealanders. Many of the Kiwi's come to America to work harvest at small vineyards since their growing season is opposite ours. What with NZ being on the other side of the world and all.)

Oh...I just read a slightly disappointing, but competition leveling rule:

• Participants can either enter in the formal or informal category (formal entries must produce an entrée and main to be presented in a formal dining environment).


• The dish then needs to be matched to one of the Monteith’s family of six ‘Classic’ craft brews, including, Original Ale, Radler, Golden, Black, Celtic and Pilsner.


• Wild food can come from the sea, rivers or lake, the sky or the countryside.


• Each dish must comprise of the best available wild food, defined as non-farm-raised produce reared under normal health and safety regulations.


• The winning restaurant from each region stands to win a prize package valued at $8000. Then in addition to this, the over all national winner will receive a prize package valued at $15000.

It would be great if the contestants could choose any beer and/or style to pair with their entrees, but it is the brewery that is putting on the competition, so I understand the choice.

Now it's time for a brewery around here to do the same. Hint, hint, hint

SouthEnd Brewery In Downtown Raleigh Shut Down Last Week

And another one bites the dust. As yet another Brewpub goes down in ashes, it seems that all is not lost as it appears that a new Brewpub may rise like a Phoenix from the ashes. SouthEnd Brewery manager is quoted saying that they, "sold their brewing equipment, furniture, fixtures, and all of their other equipment in Raleigh to a new owner who will evidently take over the lease." And while the manager would give his name or specific the new owner, he did say that the new owner owns other restaurants in the Raleigh area. So heres to a new Brewpub going in.

Family is up from Louisianna, so no reviews this week.

Free at last, Free at last.....

A night free in Downtown Winston Salem....

With Hudson at the in-laws me and the misses set out for a night about town. Started off with a movie at the very nice new theater, The Grand. Then it was downtown for dinner and drinks. Our first thought was Sweet Potatoes if the menu had anything new on it. It didn't, and while the food is fantastic, it was already a 45 minute wait and their drink selection SUCKS! So on the recommendation of our good friend Philip (aka Opie, of the formerly wonderful restaurant Opie's and co-proprietor of Finnegan's Wake, which will be opening soon!) said that the food was much improved over at 6th and Vine, and the chef was great. Plus they have a fantastic Beer and Wine selection, and the owner/manager Chris Barnes is a wonderful guy. So begins our fun evening out.

6th and Vine
Is it a new chef? Is it a new menu? I don't know. All I know is that the food rocks! And they have a damn fine beer and wine list. With six drafts and a bottle list that has at least one beer for at least 15 different styles, it's hard to go wrong. The owner and Manager, Chris Barnes tries to keep at least two different beers for each of the styles on his list. My only issue would be that all of the higher ABV are all lumped together, instead of separated out by style. But remember, we only changed our antiquated beer definition here in NC about 1 year ago. I started with a Sierra Nevada Summerfest because it was bloody hot out. I have to say I wasn't very impressed. It wasn't bad, I was just very underwhelmed.

But then came the food! Mellie ordered the amazing Free Range Chicken stuffed with housemade mozzarella cheese and I had the Half a duck in a cherry reduction sauce. Funny thing was I ordered Saison Dupont which paired better with Mellie's chicken and she ordered a great Pinot Noir which paired a little better with my Duck. I knew I should have ordered something with more malt, but I wanted the Saison Dupont. It is simply a fantastic beer, and Saison in general are some of the best and most versatile food beers. The white pepper and spice in the Saison really brought out the seasoning on the chicken and the creaminess of the cheese just seemed to pair with the hops wonderfully. It was also very good with the duck, and seemed to bring out some of the gaminess, but it was a much better pair with the duck.

From there it was on to the Mellow Mushroom for a few more beers. Mellie ordered the Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar and I had the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA both of which are far superior on draft. Then a Unibroue Maudite for me and a Highland Tasgall Ale for Mellie. And then it was time to move on once again.




Recreation Billards
What a great surprise this place was! Sixteen beers on tap, nearly every one a quality craft brew or import. Oh, and they still had the Duck Rabbit Imperial Stout that I had so been wanting to try. Delicious! Had a great time talking to one of the owners George, who has taken over the place from his father, who is still there serving beers. Great place to relax, drink beer, shoot pool, watch the game, or run into a old roommate you haven't seen in a few months. The place never got to smokey, which is a major feat for a bar/pool hall in Winston Salem, NC IMHO.

Anyway, Philip met up with us at the bar and the rest of the evening gets a little hazy from there. Needless to say we had to take a cab home and pickup my car downtown the next day.

Good Press/Bad Press
In a recent article that was on the front page of GoTriad.com, writer Jon Kirby gives a mixed review about Foothills Brewing Co. Now maybe its because Jamie is a good fried of mine, or the fact that I love his beer, or the fact that it is the only brewpub in a 40+ mile radius, or that I'm just overly sensitive when it comes to craft beer, but good old Jon both bashes and praises Foothills while seemingly contradicting himself. On one hand he is pissing and moaning because he can't take the crowds, college kids, loud music, or the fact he always seems to get drunk there. Yet on the other the ass clown comes in wasted and is doing shots of tequila at a brewpub. Hey! Here's a thought. If you always get too drunk at Foothills put down the shots of tequilla and pickup a cold pint of hand made, craft beer!

Yet I find Jon redeeming himself as he is points out that most of the Decs have no taste by the fact they "still insist on swilling bottled domestics"..." Despite some terrific brews" that Jamie makes. I have also been there on crowded Friday and Saturday nights and been nearly brought to tears by the fact can be more people drinking mass produced, fizzy yellow beers; when they have probably never tried any of Jamie's beers. But hey, if Jamie can live with it, then who the hell am I to say anything.

Anyway, it seems that Jon appreciates the beer and the place at times;, he just can't handle the crowds, the noise, the hipsters, or the hangover. My only advice. Next time put down the tequila and pickup glass of Seeing Double. You may still get a hangover, but at least you'll be drinking a damn fine beer!

All this talk of people drinking mass produced swill reminds me of an old joke, but recently retold by commedian Zane Lamprey during the Belgium episode of his hilarious and informative show Three Sheets. While talking with the bartender/manager of the Delirium Café, Zane says; "How are mass produced American beers like Sex in a Canoe?.....Their both fucking close to water!" The show is really funny and does a good job highlighting the local drinking culture. Think the Thristy Traveler meets Up All Night with Dave Attel.

Beer baron loses license after DUI arrest
Keeping you informed, it appears that Pete Coors has lost his license after being convicted for DUI. Oh Pete, when are you going to learn? However, unlike most DUI covictees, this one can afford a limo and a driver. Not to mention a helicopter, a leer jet, or just hire some guy to ride him around in a rickshaw, ala Seinfeld.

Well that's all for now. Reviews to come later this week and a Beer Dinner with two former Beer Drinkers of the year!

And so it begins!

Welcome to my foray into the world of blogs. I hope you will enjoy this journey into the world of beer and beer in our world, with the occational digression.

What's in a name?
Well I'm glad you ask. You see I have always been facinated with Mythology, especially Norse Mythology. In Norse lore, Valhalla is is Odin's hall in Norse mythology, the home for those slain gloriously in battle. Where every day, the slain warriors ride forth by the thousands to engage in mock combat on the plains of Asgard. At night they return to Valhalla to feast on roasted boar and drink intoxicating mead.

A then there is Firkin. A Firkin is an old English unit of volume. The name is derived from the Middle Dutch word vierdekijn, which means fourth, i.e. a fourth of a full-size barrel.

More importantly. For beer and ale a firkin is equal to 9 Imperial gallons (about 40.915 l) or a quarter of a barrel. Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale. The word "firkin" (as in "Fox & Firkin") is frequently considered a suitably atmospheric word by those naming an English-style pub — by implication, the establishment will thus be either a new pub in the UK (and hence probably part of a retail chain of "plastic" drinking shops) or a foreign imitation of a British pub.

Which brings us to our first story....

The Firkins are coming, the Firkins are coming....

That's right, thanks to repeated pestering and prodding from yours truly (and I'm sure a few others) Jamie Bartholomaus, Head Brewer at Foothills Brewing Co., has finally agreed to start serving cask or Real Ale via the three firkins he had. You see, Jamie has been wanting to do this all along, but he is a very busy man and apparently needed repeated pestering, at which time Jamie finally said to me, "If you want it, you have to clean the firkins." Which I promptly asked, "When?"


And so begins the cleaning and filling of the firkins with Jamie's Hopium IPA. We had a bit of spill as I didn't put the bung completely in on one firkin. And due to the pressure of the beer when filling it, caused a spillage of beer. Thankfully we had more and Jamie was quick to firmly place the bung and reseal the firkin.

Before filling each cask, Jamie added a blend of DME (Dried Malt Extract) and hot water, which creates a wort like priming sugar which causes a secondary fermenation with the firkins. This produces the modest amounts of carbonation needed to make Cask ale. This is similar to Bottle conditioned beer, just on a larger scale.


Jamie filled the firkins directly from the fermentation tanks before moving the rest of the IPA to the secondary fermentors.


Using a dead blow hammer, Jamie sells off the first firkin.







Finally, the cask sit and wait for their tapping at 6 PM on July 28th, 2006 at Foothills Brewing Co. Here's hoping that yours truly gets to tap the first, of many firkins to come.




Imperial Gaelic!

That's right folks, the good people at Highland Brewing Company decided that the last beer brewed at the current facility will be an Imperial version of their flagship Gaelic Ale. It was supposed to be kept underwraps, but Tony Kiss spilled the beans in a recent article for the Asheville Citizen-Times. This will be a brewery only sale, and will happen on the last weekend before the old brewery is closed and the new brewery officially opens. The new Imperial Gaelic will be a bolder, stronger version of the American Amber called Gaelic that everybody has come to know an love. This will be a very limited release and sold only at the brewery in the 1L swing top bottles that Cold Mountian made famous. Very small release, and probably a purchase limit per customer so that as many people can get a bottle as possible. This will be a weekend release party, ala Three Floyds Dark Lord. (Oh, if you don't know Dark Lord, you should.)

As to how and the moment that I know the date I will post it here. And the line will form immediately behind me!

You can find Highland Gaelic and their other beers at your local Beer & Wine shop like City Beverage and GSO Wine Warehosue, as well as many Harris Teeters, Lowes Foods, Ingles, and Whole Foods.

Jesus and the king of Beers?

That's right, in an unholy alliance akin to Mr. Rogers teaming up with Dick Chaney, apparently Jesus is tag-teaming it with Bud. Or so a recently defaced Houston Billboard will have you believe. It's a pretty professional looking billboard. Rumor has it that there is a group that goes around the country "defacing" items public ads like this. Would have been even funnier if they could have worked He'brew beer into it; but I still find it fricken hilarious.

The Silver Bullet bites Pete in the ass!

That's right, Pete Coors was cited for a DUI in May after leaving a friend's wedding celebration. Very ironic in my opinion, since Silver Haired Pete is always expounding the virtures of "Responsible Drinking." In his defense Mr. Coors blew a 0.088, so he wasn't wasted, but he still rolled through a stop sign, just a block from home. Oh...so close, yet so far.

Microbreweries in the Land of Guinness

A glass is filled at the Messrs. Maguire brew pub in Dublin.

It so warms the cockles of me heart to read this article and know that Ireland's brewing history is coming back. Especially since none of Ireland's big stouts, Guinness, Murphy's or Beamish, are Irish-owned today. Sounds like we need a trip to the Emerald Isle.



Coming next week...Reviews of Dale's Pale Ale, Highland Tasgall Ale, and maybe more. Plus updates on the world of beer, at least through my eyes anyway.