Nov 6, 2012

Event: New Vista Community's Brew's Best this Saturday!



Well its that time again.  The Winter Edition of New Vista Community's Brew's Best is this Saturday (11/10) at Lake Las Vegas from 2-6 pm.  Don't miss the chance to sample hundreds of different beers from a huge variety of craft breweries.  Its a beautiful setting as the festival takes place right off the lake at the New Vista Community.  There will be great food, great beers and a great time!  This event is also for an awesome cause as the proceeds benefit the disabled community that is New Vista.  So come on down and contribute to a great cause while drinking excellent craft beer.

Pricing goes as follows (all tickets include unlimited samples):

$25 for tickets purchased in advance (www.BrewsBestLV.com).
$30 for tickets purchased at the door.
$40 for VIP Tickets (includes early admission at 1 pm).

Its a bit of a drive from the valley, so it might be a good idea to get a hotel room if you are planning to attend and don't have a designated driver.  Check out BrewsBestLV.com for more information on the event. 


Oct 31, 2012

Pumpkin Beers: The New Beer Trend


Its the last day of October.  A month symbolized by Halloween and pumpkins.  Not only are pumpkin patches on every corner or in every super market, but pumpkins have managed to find their way onto beer shelves as well.  Much like you now see pumpkin coffees and pumpkin muffins everywhere, over the past few years, there has been a huge increase of pumpkin beers.  It is a style that has been around since the 1600s.  Much like the recent explosion of the IPA style, pumpkin beers have suddenly become the new trend and are becoming far too common.  It is also possibly over-saturating the market.  You used to have the handful of breweries who started the trend of pumpkin beers, such as Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale and Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale.  But now they are seeming to come from every brewery these days.

Why are pumpkin beers becoming more popular?  Pumpkin beers bring people to the good times of eating pumpkin pie, especially during Thanksgiving.  Pumpkin beers resemble that experience very well.  Pumpkin pie is a soothing, comfort food in most people's taste buds.  Heck, they are even using the same ingredients as your mom's pumpkin pie.  You have the pumpkins, of course, in addition to breweries using nutmeg, cinnamon, yams and other ingredients that are synonymous with pumpkin pie.  Sounds like a pretty good pie if you ask me.  So its not surprising to me that more and more people are taking to the style.  But is that reason enough to flood with market with it?

Whenever a beer style becomes trendy and popular, it becomes over-produced, less distinct and mediocre (similar to the IPA style, which I will not get into right now).  Pumpkin beers used to be something you had to search for because it was nothing the beer world had even seen before or even thought of producing.  Now when I go to a liquor store or super market, all I see are pumpkin beers, pumpkin beers and more pumpkin beers.  What this is doing is taking away the mystique of this uniquely crafted beer.


Not only is it becoming popular with micro breweries, but macro breweries are also getting in on all the action.  Shock Top, an Anheuser-Busch product, released a pumpkin edition of their well-known Belgian Wit.  I mean, seriously?  Talk about pumpkin overkill.  And I do believe Blue Moon, a MillerCoors product, also produced a pumpkin version.  I hate to say it, but I believe the sudden rise of popularity may eventually do in the great seasonal beer forever.  I mean the pumpkin editions from breweries have been out only a couple months now, and I was already bored of it after the first 2 weeks.  Too many breweries are brewing too many mediocre versions.  I can't tell you how many bad pumpkin beers I have had over the last couple years.

If this style introduces and turns consumers to the craft beer world, that is great.  We do need them on our side.   Its sweet, comforting and synonymous with the Fall season.  But, in my opinion, if the beer world wants this style to last, breweries need to slow it down and make sure they are producing something special before just throwing it out on the market just because it is the latest trend.

Happy Halloween and enjoy the MANY pumpkin beers available!

Oct 15, 2012

Does Limited Availability Hype Up Beers Too Much?

Since Pliny The Elder is the reason why I am writing this post, I'm focusing on it.  Though this is also meant for the other beers that have the same level of hype as Pliny.

I went on a trip to Los Angeles this past weekend and as usual while I am in Southern California, I look for beers that aren't distributed to Las Vegas, nor the other half of the country.  More specifically, I am a hophead and am always on the hunt for Pliny The Elder by Russian River Brewing Co.  Pliny The Elder is on the top of most beer rankings around the country and even the world, and is widely considered one of the best Double IPAs on the planet, maybe the best.  Not to mention, it is one of only a few Double IPAs on Untappd that is given 5 out of 5 caps (stars) by those who are lucky enough to try it.  (Another one is Pliny The Younger, also brewed by Russian River and only available on tap for a few months out of the year.  But I'm not going to touch that beer and its crazy hype.)  While calling around Los Angeles liquor stores and supermarkets that are on it's distribution list, Whole Foods told me that they only receive one case, 2 times week and have a waiting list of over 100 people looking to purchase it.  At another local liquor store, it has a purchase limit of one bottle per person.  I called 5 or 6 other stores that were completely sold out of it.  This got me thinking.  Are beers with limited availability gaining underserved buildup?  Pliny The Elder is obviously one of the best Imperial IPAs out there, but is it worthy of its almost cult-like following and reputation?  Or is it a product of the old hype-machine and limited availability or is it really just that good?

What if Pliny was brewed by Sierra Nevada or New Belgium?  Two breweries who can brew it on a larger scale, increasing its availablity and distribution areas.  Would Pliny have the same reputation if it could be found anytime you want in supermarkets, liquor stores and bars without a waiting list or a limit on how much you can purchase?  Would it still be at the top of the same people's beer rankings?  I don't know if it would be.  But, my guess would be no.  It would still be regarded as a great Double IPA, but would not receive the praise it currently has.  It would be more like the subdued hype of Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA and Stone's Ruination.  But then again, they could easily scale down production on their best brews and limit its distribution.  But I'm sure they are more concerned about wide availablity to please their loyal fans.

The United States is a big country and an even bigger one when it comes to beer.  You have these great breweries in the east, midwest and west that only distribute to their respective regions for various reasons.  Some of those reasons are different state laws, a lack of resources and funds to move beyond their regions and/or not having a desire to grow and just stay local (much like Russian River claims).  You have Hopslam by Bell's Brewery in Michigan, Dark Lord by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. in Indiana and Heady Topper by The Alchemist in Vermont, just to name a few.  All three beers have reputations for being world class, yet cannot be tasted by others in the other regions of the country.  So word of mouth grows.  But when it comes down to it, can any beer measure up to the growing hype it receives over time?  With so much hype, a lot of beer drinkers may feel let down when they finally get their hands on them because their expectations grew to an unreasonable level.  This brings me back to Pliny.  I have heard from so many people who were dying to get their hands on some Pliny.  When they finally did, some were disappointed.  They thought it was great but wondered what all the hype was for and definitely didn't think it was worthy of it.


Is a beer like Pliny that much better than the next Double IPA from another brewery?  It depends.  But the gap isn't as wide as you would think judging from the demand for it.  In my opinion, Pliny The Elder is overhyped, but not overrated.  I have also wondered if Russian River and other breweries are taking advantage of the hype machine by refusing to increase production of their popular beers.  They know the demand for it is high, so you would think they would find a way to brew more.  Whether it be adding more equipment, contracting another brewery, or simply dropping a less popular beer from their lineup.  This may be a great ploy by them to keep the hype high by refusing to grow and continue to limit its availability.  If it is true that Russian River honestly wants to focus on quality instead of quanity, I salute them. In any case, it deserves it's praise because it is a great tasting Double IPA, even if the hype machine adds to it.

Oct 3, 2012

Blog Name Change: The Hophead Report

Hey everyone!  I've decided to make a name change to this blog.  Starting immediately, the name is being changed to The Hophead Report. However, I am going to keep the same web address (www.brewmansbeerreport.blogspot.com) for another week so my visitors without knowledge of the change can still access my blog.  In a week, the web address will become www.thehopheadreport.blogspot.com.  Thank you!

Sep 28, 2012

This Blogger is Officially a Certified Cicerone®

After weeks and weeks of waiting, I finally woke up this morning to an email declaring me a Certified Cicerone®!  What is a Cicerone?  A Cicerone is the beer equivalent of a wine sommelier.  Basically, you need to be an expert in beer styles, beer and food pairing, the brewing process, sanitation techniques and the history of different beer styles.  It is a grueling test to say the least, but after studying for months, I can officially call myself a Certified Cicerone®.  If you have an interest in becoming certified or just want to learn more about beer, check out the program's website at www.cicerone.org.

Sep 11, 2012

Coronado Brewing Co. is Coming to Nevada!



The San Diego brewery, Coronado Brewing Co., is finally distributing their awesome beer to Nevada, most notably Las Vegas!  Their well-known and staple beers include Orange Avenue Wit, Coronado Golden and Islander IPA.  Coronado Brewing Co. is a great brewery that gets overshadowed by their more popular and established San Diego neighbors, Stone Brewing Co. and Green Flash Brewing Co.  I was lucky enough to hang out with the owners and other brass of the brewery last night during their initial Nevada launch party.  They are great, down to earth guys who know their craft beer.  So start looking for their beers in bars and liquor stores.

If you want to be part of Coronado's launch into the Nevada market, head on over to Aces and Ales (3740 South Nellis Blvd.) tonight!  Reps from the brewery and Nevada Beverage Co. will be hanging out as well.  And it happens to be T.N.T. tonight.  So you can have 6 tasters and some food for only $20! Plus, the first 72 Coronado beers ordered will receive free glassware.  The brewery will be taking over 7 taps with the following brews:

  • Idiot IPA
  • Stoopid Coffee Stout
  • Red Devil Imperial Red Ale
  • Orange Avenue Wit 
  • Islander IPA
  • Orange Avenue Wit
  • Mermaid's Red
  • Coronado Golden

Sep 9, 2012

My Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia Brewery Trail


While spending three weeks in Southern Jersey I got to visit a few small, local breweries in the area that I would like to share with everyone.  Below are the breweries I visited in order:

1.  Cape May Brewing Co.:  Cape May, NJ

As we were driving to the brewery, I kept thinking the GPS was steering us the wrong way because it was leading us toward some small warehouses right near the tiny Cape May Airport. Come to find out that the GPS was leading us in the right direction as we spotted the brewery.  This place is tiny, working out of a small warehouse the size of a two story apartment, maybe 1200 sq. ft.  Their pricing went as follows: $11 for a souvanier pint glass and 4 samples or $5 for 4 samples in a plastic cup.  My two siblings and I opted for the $11 deal.  In order to make room for the number of visitors, they opened the back garage door, which lead to an open area covered in grass and a food truck.
 
The first sample we had was the Cap May Wheat, an american pale wheat.  It was a decent wheat, although I never understood the point of pale wheat ales.  If you are looking for something light and refreshing, why not just pick up a good lager/pilsner or a kolsch.  Like most pale wheats, the flavors and aroma were subdude, but I could pick up some banana and coriander.

The next sample was their Honey Porter.  I know I wouldn't be too fond of this brew right off the bat since I am not a fan of honey.  But to much of my surprise, it was a delicious porter.  I ignored the honey taste I was getting and just concentrated on the other ingredients.  It had nice roasted malt, strong coffee notes with a little bit of chocolate.  The hops lingered throughout, but came through towards the end as it finished dry with some tart and bitterness.

Inside Cape May Brewing Co.
The third sample was their Centennial IPA.  This was a beast of an IPA, weighing in at 100 IBUs!  This beer was a hop explosion.  Sharp, resiny pine needle hops hit right away with strong cirtus and flowery hops in the background.  While the malt did a decent job of balancing the brew, the brewers clearly wanted the centennial hops to shine.  This beer was on the border of being a double IPA, in my opinion.

The last sample was their Beach Plum, or so we thought.  This was yet another american pale wheat with added plum flavoring.  We were then informed that the keg was kicked, so they let us have another sample of their other three beers.  Me being a hophead, opted for another sample of their IPA.


2.  Tun Tavern and Brewery:  Atlantic City, NJ

I am not going to comment any more than listing their beers.  The food was supbar, the beer was atrotious and the environment was depressing.  Stay away from this place if you ever visit Atlantic City.

1.  Devil Dog Pale Ale
2.  All-American IPA
3.  Leather-Neck Stout
4.  Bullie's Brown Ale
5.  ESB
6.  Crimson Ale

All watery and lacking flavor.



3.  Tuckahoe Brewing Co.:  Tuckahoe, NJ

And I thought Cape May Brewing Co. was small.  This place was half the size.  It too was set up inside a small warehouse about 800 sq. ft.  Since we visited during week, we were the only ones there for the tasting/tour.  So we got to sample their beers while having a conversation with them as they were in the middle of brewing. They are four high school teachers that decided to team up and start the brewery, all while still teaching full time.  I loved that!  All of them couldn't be nicer people. The best part: samples were free.

The first sample was their DC Pale Ale.  A medium-bodied pale ale with slightly bready and caramelly malt.  Hops were grassy and floral with moderate bitterness.  Mouthfeel was a little too carbonated, but otherwise a decent pale ale.

Inside Tuckahoe Brewing Co.
Next up was their Porter.  The night before, I had their porter for the first time at a local restaurant/bar and it was not good.  Not at the fault of the brewer, as it was very phenolic (tasted like band-aids and plastic).  The restaurant either didn't rinse that draft line or glass after cleaning it.  Boy, was it better at the source.  Creamy and full-bodied with very sharp, almost burnt malt, with more chocolate notes than coffee.  Finished dry and roasty, similar to a stout.  I let them know about the poor quality of their porter at the restaurant.  Hopefully they will do something about it.

The last one was their Wit, a Belgian pale wheat.  This one was pretty good.  Medium body with notes of honey and lots of orange.  The Belgian yeast spiciness was subdued, which I welcomed.  I wasn't really in the mood for the strong Belgian yeast of a typical Wit.     


4.  Yards Brewing Co.:  Philadelphia, PA

Last but not least was Yards Brewing Co.  Now this is a real microbrewery.  Huge tasting room with pool tables, shuffle board, fresh food and a full bar.  The enitire room was covered in wall paper consistining of all their beer labels.  They had a total of 9 beers on tap.  Four of their base beers, 4 specialty beers and their pale ale on cask.  First up was a flight of their 4 base beers:

1.  Brawler, an English dark mild ale.  It felt as if I was sitting in a pub in London while drinking this one.  Loads of toasty, sweet, caramel malt and mild fruity hops.  Medium-bodied with a slightly sweet finish.  A good session brew.

2.  Philadelphia Pale Ale.  The name says it all.  Lightly-flavored pale malt with a hint of sweetness and unexpectedly hoppy.  Hops were citruisy, floral and somewhat tropical with a pretty light body.

3. India Pale Ale.  A good, balanced IPA between bready, caramely malt and citrus hops.  Hops start citrusy, but then turns into more of a pine flavor.  The finish is dry with a bread and pine on the palate.  Medium body with pretty good head retention.

Yards Brewing Co. Tasting Room
4.  Extra Special Ale (ESA).  Again, floral and earthy hops blended well with the toasted malts, caramely malts and dark fruits.  A pretty flavorful bitter ale.  It has a creamy, medium body with light carbonation, like a bitter should be.

Flight #2 (These are their specialty, limited beers)

5.  General Washington's Tavern Porter.  Tasted toasty, malty and bittersweet with a big molasses punch.  It then progressed to a more bitter taste with roasted coffee and chocolate at the finish.  

6.  Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale.  As you would expect, it is malt forward with buttery caramel, toffee notes and some nuttiness.  Despite having a nice dose of hops, this beer is pretty sweet. Relatively thin body for the style, but it wasn't thin at all taste-wise.  What is interesting about this one is that it is based on Thomas Jefferson's real beer recipe.  Yes, Thomas Jefferson did indeed own a brewery and created his own recipes.

7.  Love Stout.  Dry and roasted with abundant chocolate adding sweetness to work against the roasted malts.  Its a small, sessionable stout, so its not going to have huge flavor profiles.  But it is a simple, straight froward and balanced stout. Served on nitro, so it is undoubtably creamy and smooth.

8.  Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale.  The taste is sweet, tart, and really piney with some notes of molasses and wood.  The body is light with moderate carbonation.  I'm not big on herb beers, so this one was my least favorite from Yards.

9.  Philadelphia Pale Ale on cask.  

Inside the brewery.
(For those of you who do not know what cask beer is, I'll fill you in.  A cask is a wood barrell, like wine casks, which were used in English pubs to serve beer in the 1800s and early 1900s, before direct carbonation came into play. Instead of waiting for the beer to completely ferment and condition before bottling and kegging, like most beers today, brewers fill the cask with beer and let it continue fermenting inside the cask.  So this creates light carbonation and a cloudy appearance from the fermentation taking place within the cask.  The beer is then hand pumped from the cask when serving, which creates a decievingly thick, creamy head. Casks are also never refrigerated, but served at room temperature.  Cask beers are the best! But you have to love beer in order to enjoy it.)

Back to the beer itself.  The cask edition of their pale ale included an edition of grapefruit zest.  Man, this beer was good.  You have pretty much the same flavors as the draft version of the pale ale, but the malt sweetness and hop bitterness stand out more and are more pronounced.  The grapefruit zest added even more bitterness and tart to balance the malt, and contributed to the dry, tart finish.  Body was creamy and lightly carbonated (see previous paragraph) with a thick, one finger head.

And that concludes my Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia beer trail.  Next time I am in the area, I plan on visiting Victory Brewing Co., Dogfish Head Brewing Co. and Flying Fish Brewing Co.  Man, this is a great time for craft beer!