Some Beer News

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It is a great night to be out and about enjoying good company and good beer! Therefore, I will try not to bother you too much. But if you are stuck inside and bored, here are a few interesting reads.

Here is yet another article about the remarkable craft beer renaissance going on in United States. This time from NPR. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/17/152958268/u-s-craft-beer-brewers-thrive-despite-small-share-of-the-market?sc=emaf

The excellent chef/food blogger Emily at http://www.sugarplumblog.net posted this link today. Basically, some food bloggers are taking money to post recipes from large companies without even testing them. I find this sad but have faith in the community that such cases are rare and there are many hard working, innovative and upstanding food bloggers out there such as Sugarplum. I am sure this type of thing occurs in a large variety of blogosphers, luckily (or unluckily? since I have no money…) no one cares too much what I think, therefore no temptation means my integrity remains in tact! http://www.iacp.com/blog/more/faking_it

I recently stumbled upon http://hopvault.com/ which is a new beer rating website along the lines of http://beeradvocate.com/ and http://www.ratebeer.com/ and might be worth your time exploring.

As I have mentioned previously, Tallgrass Brewing Company’s 8-Bit Pale Ale cans are causing a bit of a stir amongst the beer community. So much so, that the cans are on sale on Ebay. I am not surprised at all, as I have mentioned numerous times how cool the cans are. So, if you are in their 12 state distributing area, I suggest you pick some up as collectors items. Even Beerpulse.com wrote a sponsored article that includes an interesting commercial about the beer.

Fracking may endanger New York beer. I will need a lot more information on this subject before I can posit a legitimate opinion on the subject and I am familiar with the kind of publication Mother Jones is. Still, this is an interesting and disturbing thought and certainly worth looking into. http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/05/brooklynites-dont-frack-our-beer if any of you have insights into this subject, please feel free to share.

 

Let’s Go Royals

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Kansas City Royals

Yesterday, a friend suggested I should show a little love to the Royals and I could not agree more! They have been doing pretty well recently and deserve this beautiful picture I created. In case you have not been to a Royals game recently, you can purchase Boulevard beer at Kauffman Stadium. So, with good beer, a phenomenal stadium and inexpensive ticket prices, you can not go wrong!

Covell Brewing: Craft Beer And Clean Water In Africa

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The good folks at Covell Brewing have just informed me of their Kickstarter dream of raising 25,000 in order to create delicious, drinkable and complex beers in New York. Which, in my opinion is a noble calling by itself. However, Covell Brewing has a much greater mission in mind. They plan to donate the equivalent of one pint of clean water to desperate areas in Africa for every pint of beer sold in their tap room. This is one of many examples of how the craft brewing industry (and is) going far beyond its products and helping the world. I love this idea and highly recommend you all check it out and donate to this project! Cheers! Here is their Kickstarter link Covell Brewing.

Happy American Craft Beer Week!

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As many of you already know, this week is American Craft Beer Week. This week was even sanctioned by congress in House Resolution 1297! There are many great events going on around the country all week. More information can be found here at CraftBeer.com. So, check out an event or just drink a good American Craft Beer, because it is after all the patriotic thing to do!

Strawberry Beer Showdown

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With Summer coming on fast, I decided to try to Strawberry beers side by side. For this I tried the Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager and Samuel Smith Organic Strawberry Ale. These beers are worlds apart aside from the obvious ale and lager differences. The Abita is very light and bready with a hint of sweet strawberries on the finish, while the Samuel Smith Strawberry Ale is a delicious strawberry punch in the face. Side by side, the strawberry action in the Abita is almost non-existent compared to the Samuel Smith. I believe the Abita is a good, very sessionable beer for a hot summer day. However, as far as strawberry beers go, I will stick with the Samuel Smith, which is extremely fruity, sweet and delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

After my comparison, I did a little experimenting as well. Try mixing some of the Samuel Smith Organic Strawberry Ale with champagne (I used Veuve Clicquot, I would recommend a cheaper brut Champagne or a Prosecco), it is a delicious combination. If you want to add a bigger kick, try combining Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moonshine Strawberry with a dry Champagne or Prosecco.

Pretty Cool Food And Beer Pairing Chart

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I just saw this handy little chart on beer and food pairings on Twitter and felt the need to share it with you all. Check it out! http://www.pencilandspoon.com/2012/05/what-beer-would-you-pair-with-it.html

2012 World Beer Cup Results And Other News

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The 2012 World Beer Cup results are in! I am not surprised but still find it interesting as well as exciting that American IPA and Imperial IPA were the two categories with the most contestants. I am also curious about the 11 German Sour (the least popular category) because I want to try them! Here is the full list http://www.worldbeercup.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/WBC12-Winners-List.pdf.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is looking to abolish Missouri’s restrictions on the distribution system which would allow Brewers to own their own distributor. This developement, could lead to the dissolution of the three tier system. I have some issues with said system and believe it does at times hamper consumer selection. However, I think giving Anheuser-Busch InBev the ability to own and operate their own distributor would make the situation even worse by giving the giants even more control on price and collection. Before I can make a much more informed argument I will need to do some research. Not all states have a three tier system and curious of how things worked out in such cases as well as your thoughts. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/beer-battle-between-wholesalers-brewers/article_d7985f04-96d5-11e1-920a-001a4bcf6878.html

Brown Derby American Craft Beer Fest

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I mentioned this last week on my tap hunter section, Brown Derby will be hosting its 4th annual American Craft Beer Fest from 1:30 to 4:30 on Saturday, May 5 (VIP tickets are already sold out, sorry) in the Brown Derby International Wine Center parking lot. While this event is no where near as big as other beer related events going on in the country this weekend such as the Craft Brewers Conference or World Beer Cup Week related events, nor will it put Springfield, Missouri on the “beer map” just yet. It is a huge step in the right direction! This years event is not only larger than previous years, but will have several limited or rare taps. According to the most recent list I have seen, there will be 115 different American craft beers and 11 different kegs! The keg list (as of yesterday) includes Mother’s Hole Mole, Mother’s Imperial Three Blind Mice with Raspberries, Boulevard Saison Noir, 2nd Shift El Gato Grande, 2nd Shift Hibiscus Wheat, Grand Teton 5 O’ Clock Shadow, Piney River Brewing Black Walnut Wheat, Springfield Brewing Company Barrister’s IPA, Springfield Brewing Company Del Fuego, Sam Adams Norse Legend Sahti and Sam Adams Tasman Red IPA! Once again, cost is $15 at the door, proceeds will benefit the Doula Foundation of Mid-America. Like always, this Brown Derby hosted event will be a ton of fun, so be there and be safe!

P.S. If you are still on your feet after the Craft Beer Fest and whatever other Cinco De Mayo festivities you partake in, Downtown is having a pub crawl on Saturday night as well. This Saturday is also National Home Brew Day, so brew, drink and be merry!

Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale (Review)

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I purchased this beer for two reasons. The first was because Tallgrass is from Kansas. The second and primary reason was because of the can.  Much of my early childhood was shaped by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), therefore, I would have purchased at least a four pack of the 8-Bit Pale Ale even if it was filled with toilet water! Luckily, that is not the case. In fact, the 8-Bit Pale Ale is pretty darn good. The beer is decently hopped with a solid amount of citrus and tropical fruit notes, balanced by some nice bisquity malts. It has a light mouthfeel and very sessionable. All in all, a solid American Pale Ale. The can format makes it a great float trip option, the can design makes it a great gaming option and the light, but flavorful taste makes it a great drinking option!

 

Future of Bell’s

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I found the following article on www.beerpulse.com (one of the best sources for beer news out there). Since Bell’s is one of my favorite breweries any news concerning the future of that company is very important to me. Essentially, Larry Bell (largest shareholder and founder) wants to buy back all of Bell’s stock in order to secure the brewery for the next generation. Naturally, some shareholders are not interested in selling. If an agreement cannot be made, Larry Bell may sell the company. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/04/bells_brewery_inc_to_be_sold_l.html