August 2007
Dogtoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery, Colorado, USA
Posted by on Friday, August 31, 2007 in - 4 comments
Flying Dog has been reaching out to bloggers recently more than any craft brewer in the USA. Beers, contests, friendly emails with people who actually respond. Which makes sense when you think of it. How better to get the word out? I mean most bloggers will work for years to get …
Sad News Of Michael Jackson's Passing
Posted by on Thursday, August 30, 2007 in - 6 comments
Sad news from Stan who is reporting the passing of Michael Jackson, the English beer writer who taught so much to so many of we beer geeks. Tonight, in his memory, you might raise a very good glass of one of the many somethings his writings illuminated for you. • Lew's recollections are quite …
Oskar Blues Expanding
Posted by on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 in - 2 comments
Interesting news about Oskar Blues, the makers of the ever excellent Old Chub and Dales Pale Ale...not to mention their dandy new brew, the rich double IPA Gordon, a can of which I have around here somewhere: • “Oskar Blues Inc. of Lyons plans to open a second Colorado brewery and double its …
Sour Beer Studies: Grand Cru, Brouwerij Rodenbach, Belgium
Posted by on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 in - 6 comments
There's plenty of good stuff down in the stash but I had to think hard about what was the right beer for the Sox and Yanks tonight. I settled on Rodenbach Grand Cru as it is a Flemish Red. I previously reviewed it but that was so 2004 when I thought it was over the top in tartness. Ah...the …
Where The Law Is A Better Friend To Food Than Beer
Posted by on Monday, August 27, 2007 in - 1 comment
In my disorganized way over time, I am building up something between a partial inventory and a bad scrapbook of some of the nuttier beer legislation in the world. This week I came across another one in the regulation of drinking establishments in the Australian state of New South Wales. I am not …
Ontario: Grand River Brewing, Cambridge, RMW
Posted by on Sunday, August 26, 2007 in - 6 comments
If Canada has a hub of microbrewing, a very good argument could be made that it is in the cluster of smaller cities around Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph about an hour west of Toronto. Off the top of my head I can think of seven or eight breweries in the area. Maybe there are more but …
Sour Beer Studies: Gueuze From Cantillon And Hanssens
Posted by on Saturday, August 25, 2007 in - 3 comments
Gueuze. A blend of young and old lambics. I've had some - a couple of sweetened ones from St. Louise and Mort Subite and Lindeman's drier Gueuze Cuvée René. All very pleasant but these two are perhaps on the more...errr...hostile side of dry. But I am here to learn so bear with me. • Before we …
Brewery Focus: Bell's Oberon Ale, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Posted by on Thursday, August 23, 2007 in - 5 comments
Finally, the last of my six beers from Bell's of Michigan. The brewery calls it an American wheat ale but it pours deeply cloudy amber ale under a thin white foam and rim with a whacking great big glob of yeast left in the bottom of the bottle. Not like any American wheat I've seen lately. Drying …
Best Bitter, St. Peter's, Bungay, Suffolk, UK
Posted by on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 in - 6 comments
This is why it is so great to have the LCBO in my life - they use science. It actually came up in the Globe and Mail today in relation to some recent wine forgeries: • “The quality assurance process undertaken for every single alcoholic beverage sold by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the …
Josh Rubin On Toronto's Festival of Beer
Posted by on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 in - leave a comment
Good reading today in the Toronto Star's regular beer column by Josh Rubin. It is an honest description of Toronto's Festival of Beer, held last weekend, which makes one wonder why the event is held at all: • “Whether it's the long lineups for admission and sample tokens, the drunken frat boys … read more »
Cape Fear Wine and Beer, Wilmington, North Carolina
Posted by on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 in - 1 comment
How does one graciously respond when you ask the waitress what style a beer is that you’ve not heard of and you’re trying to pick a pitcher for three people and her response is, "it’s an ale." All I could think was that doesn’t help me and I ordered it anyways. • This scenario would never have …
PGP 2.0: Videos Of Two Pub Games
Posted by on Monday, August 20, 2007 in - 7 comments
Spending an idle holiday Monday as any sensible person would, I was reading Stonch's beer blog and saw his post about playing pub skittles. He's included a short and sensible video explanation. Pub skittles is a old pub game that depends on a small ball hanging by a line from a stick and a … read more »
About Oaked Beer: Prophecy, Weyerbacher, Easton, PA, USA
Posted by on Sunday, August 19, 2007 in - leave a comment
One of a number of siblings to the previously reviewed Insanity, the brewer tells us that Prophecy is their tripel, Merry Monk's Ale, aged in bourbon barrel. I liked Merry Monk's ale is Weyerbacher that I tried in a group in early 2006 along with a bunch of their other brews - but I liked their …
Another Great Canadian Beer Blog Is Born
Posted by on Sunday, August 19, 2007 in - leave a comment
Mid-week, I was contacted by Troy with some great information about the beer bars he loves. He, like me, is a Maritimer who has moved to Ontario. Unlike me, he has taken the time to make notes on many of the pubs out east that he loves. Before I could create the article I was thinking of posting …
New York: Porter, Rohrbach Brewing, Rochester
Posted by on Saturday, August 18, 2007 in - leave a comment
Growlers are not common in Canada. A few micros are now selling them at the brewery but nothing like in NY state where any decent beer store has a few good beers on draft for the customers to fill half-gallon jugs with. • This beer pours deep cola brown under a mocha loose large bubbled rim and …
Big Hop Bombs: Three Friday Night Big Pale Ales
Posted by on Friday, August 17, 2007 in - 2 comments
Here we are. A Friday night in a summer that is drawing to a close - at least up here in Canada. Time to get out some summer bombs out of the stash. • First up is far southwestern New York's Southern Tier's Hoppe, an imperial pale ale. Wow. A drier 10% imperial extra pale ale. Not an imperial …
When The Legal Drinking Age Isn't 21
Posted by on Thursday, August 16, 2007 in - 10 comments
Jay is hopping mad over MADD's hopping mad initiative to react to the initiative to let the adults of the USA who can go to war also have a beer when they feel like it by lowering the drinking age from 21 back to 18. Like in Canada, the drinking age, however, is not a matter of Federal law and …
Really Old Brown Dog Ale 2007, Smuttynose, NH, USA
Posted by on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 in - leave a comment
Even in the new world, there is obviously something old time about brown ale in the sense that there is a reasonable argument that it is the predecessor or even mother of all styles. In 2004 - and again last week as it happens - I enjoyed a Smuttynose variety pack that included the junior version …
Craft Beer Takes Over Universe AND REPLACES WATER!!!
Posted by on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 in - leave a comment
OK, maybe not but I had to out do the other headlines at the RSBS feed reader giving the news that US craft beer sales are up 11% according to the latest figures from the Brewers Association.
About Oaked Beer: Burton Baton, Dogfish Head, DE, USA
Posted by on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 in - leave a comment
I've told you about the writings of Bob Cowser Jr., right? More here but buy these books. You will be happier or wiser or something. • I wonder if Dogfish Head's 10% blend of young and oak-aged Imperial IPAs will make me feel as good as those books did. The brewer says: • “A blend of oak-aged …
Early Irish Brewing Studied
Posted by on Monday, August 13, 2007 in - 2 comments
An article in the UK paper The Daily Telegraph covers an interesting archaeological study going on in Ireland: • “After four years of research, which has seen them travel from Belgium to Bavaria to investigate ancient beer-making methods, the team has concluded that Ireland's love affair with …
Beer Cocktails: Sign Of The Endtimes?
Posted by on Sunday, August 12, 2007 in - 9 comments
I think I have seen the future and I don't like it. It's not that I think that I am a particular cask-hugging purist or anything but this trend popping up at two Toronto beer bars just seems wrong somehow: • “At Bier Markt on the Esplanade, beer cocktails started to show up on the menu as a way …
The Flying Dog Summer Gonzo-thon Contest Winner Is...
Posted by on Sunday, August 12, 2007 in - leave a comment
...Joshua of Miami Florida with this somewhat lurid tale. Good work and special thanks to Chris Rippe, blog master and Marketing Coordinator at Flying Dog who will be forwarding Joshua his prize. • ...and just to let you know, while the full length opera on lagering submitted from that guy in …
Ontario: Wind And Sail Dark Ale, Barley Days Brewery, Picton
Posted by on Saturday, August 11, 2007 in - 2 comments
So what do I do when back from a beer hunt? Go beer shopping I guess. Barley Days Brewing on the west side of Picton is the resurrection of the former Glenora Springs brewery to the east side of Picton which had an unfortunate track record of unintended lambics noted here and here a year and a … read more »
Ontario: F + M Brewing, Elmira Road, Guelph,
Posted by on Friday, August 10, 2007 in - leave a comment
Neat and Tidy • Not all my travels for beer around Lake Ontario were on the US side. No, I headed straight for what must be the densest centre of brewing in Canada: Guelph, Ontario. Between the 401 and highway 7 on the west side of town you have national brewer Sleeman as well as venerable …
BF: Bell's Special Double Cream Stout, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Posted by on Friday, August 10, 2007 in - leave a comment
This is one of the best beers I have had in a long time. Thankfully, I landed a six pack when the elves drove back from Michigan the other week. This stout defines rich and would be a great introduction to beer for any chocoholic or coffee fiend who says they hate beer: licorice, espresso, dark …
Beer Shop: Beers of the World, Rochester, New York
Posted by on Friday, August 10, 2007 in - 7 comments
One of the beery treats of the trip was my first stop at Beers of the World on the south side of Rochester. It is actually in the community of Henrietta the question of whose separate legal existence as a separate jurisdiction is beyond the scope of this blog's mandate. Either way, the shop is …
Quick Note: Aviator Red, Flying Bison, Buffalo, NY, USA
Posted by on Thursday, August 9, 2007 in - 1 comment
It's a scary thing realizing you have to start moving out some of these beer in the stash. Drew gave me reason enough today what with his award winning...or at lease beerfest pass winning comment to the effect he likes this beer. Aviator Red is made by Flying Bison which describes it thusly …
Update On The Contests
Posted by on Thursday, August 9, 2007 in - 5 comments
Just a quick note to remind you that two contests are now closing tomorrow. First, the Gonzo Flying Dog presentation pack may well go to the twelve foot sculpture in cheese on the theme of "gonzo" that was delivered by FedEx this morning...but it you get your entry in by the end of tomorrow …
New York: Rohrbach Brewing Company, Rochester
Posted by on Thursday, August 9, 2007 in - 2 comments
One of the other great things about a trip south, other than loading up the stash with brews that are forbidden to Canadians otherwise, is finding a great new brewpub. A few miles to the west of Rochester, on highway 33, we found one more at Rohrbach Brewing. • We sat outside and were treated to …
The Stash Is Once Again Renewed
Posted by on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 in - 3 comments
It is a good clean feeling knowing (or vainly expecting, at least) that I have a better selection in the house than is available pretty much anywhere, say, north of the US, east of Toronto and somewhere in the west of England. For a family trip, three new microbreweries and two beer stores is a …
Mid-Road Trip Report
Posted by on Monday, August 6, 2007 in - 4 comments
So far the road trip has gone great. There are 60 or so mostly new-to-me beers in the back of the van after I stopped at Finger Lake Beverages yesterday and then, today, finally hit Beers of the World. One highlight so far has to be draft Cascazilla beer at the Moosewood restarant...that and being …
Session 6: One Fruit Beer - Kriek De Ranke, Wevelgem, BE
Posted by on Friday, August 3, 2007 in - leave a comment
Greg had the power for today's version of The Session for August and he picked fruit beer as the topic. To be utterly fair, if you are going to pick this topic, it has to be in August when all the world is plump with the results of all that "tra-la it's May" of a few months ago. • It's not like … read more »
My Favorite Beer Lover Of The Day
Posted by on Thursday, August 2, 2007 in - 1 comment
Scanning around the internet for a news item or two, I often come across a snippet I like...like this one from the Swindon Advertiser: • “"Many drinkers at the Cellar are members of the Swindon branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, and so it was in awe of their drinking experience that I tried … read more »
Your Gonzo Beer Round-up For Wednesday
Posted by on Wednesday, August 1, 2007 in - 2 comments
August, eh. • It's stinking hot here at the eastern tip of the Great Lakes. Perfect beer drinking weather but today I am laying of the review beers to catch up with some odds and ends in the beery world: • First, don't forget there is a contest going on, The Good Beer Blog Flying Dog Summer …
