A Night with Martin Lodahl

Last night Mark, Mike and I accepted a special invitation to sit with Martin Lodahl, at his home, and enjoy some of the best Belgian (and Belgian inspired) beers out there while recording his thoughts and memories of his time in the country. We have well over two hours of audio that I will work on editing this weekend - enough for two shows. I can't help but think this is the most informative and entertaining show we've done to date and wish to pass on a very big "thank you" to Martin for making it happen.

Martin has been a brewing consultant, homebrewer, two time organizer for the AHA Homebrew competition, Beer Judge (as well as a board member for the BJCP) and contributor to the BJCP style guidelines. Martin also speaks about twice a year to BJCP classes and the Gold Country Brewers Association about Belgian beers.

A few articles

• Witbier
• Trappists & Abbey Beers
• Steam Beer
  

What to look forward to when these shows post:

• Ommegang Hennepin
• Moinette Brune
• Afflegim tripel
• Allagash four
• Russian River Temptation
• Boone Aude Kriek
• Hansens Kriek
• Lindemens Cuvee Rene 1994
• Cantillon Organic Gueze 2003

Not a bad lineup, eh? I must admit, it may be the most impressive lineup I can remember for one night of conversational drinking.

Breaking the Chain

I need to say up front that I am not a big fan of chain restaurants, or chain breweries. I've been to a number of them up and down the west coast. I won't be calling any out here, that's not a goal of mine. However, I would like to take a few moments to focus on a good example of a chain brewery - BJ's.

I am not sure how many locations BJ's has in the US, but in our neck of the woods (NorCal) there are a handful of locations, but only one brewery (located in Roseville). Their standard lineup of brews is pretty standard - a light beer, a pale ale, hefe, red, brunette, porter and stout. I don't have anything against these beers, but they're also not the reason I go to BJ's. Instead, I go for their specialty beers, and this week in particular I went to check out their newly tapped Juniper Rye - both on tap and on cask. While there I also sampled their seasonal Maibock, their ESB and IPA.

Following are my disjointed thoughts regarding these specialty brews.

Juniper Rye
Brewer: Andy Armstrong, head brewer of the Roseville location
Availability: Roseville and perhaps a few Sacramento area locations

Appearance: Deep golden color, great clarity and an absolutely amazing creamy head with a long lasting retention.
Aroma: The Juniper Berries really came through clean and clear, yet not overpowering, allowing for some peppery hop notes to come through. Malts came across somewhat biscuity, but was light overall. A beautiful aroma.
Taste: A beautifully balanced beer through and through, with moderate sweetness and mild tartness. The sweetness appeared to be slightly caramalized with a light roasted character. The Juniper Berries, again, served to accent the beers overall flavor and not at all overpowering. The beer finished slightly dry with a nice lingering mild bitterness, highlighted by a mild juniper aftertaste.
Body: This is one of the beers greatest attributes. Creamy, full-bodied, but served slightly over-carbonated for my tastes - I repoured it into an empty pint glass to cut out some of that CO2.

Overall this was a fantastic beer, worth seeking out. Andy has proven once again he's more than a talented musician or production brewer. It's great to see a bit of his passion for beer show in this unique, flavorful beer. I must admit, I am already curious to see what Andy has planned next and I hope the good people of my region make their way to BJ's to sample this Juniper Rye.

Without going into much detail, their IPA, ESB and Maibock were all masterfully brewed. The Maibock seemingly perfect for a warm Spring evening. The ESB, while lacking the hardness I expect in the style, wasn't pulling any punches in the hopping - assertive and clean. Then, of course, is the IPA, which was aggressively hopped with fresh American hops, lending to the beer's overall aroma, flavor and bitterness - much more than you'd expect from your typical chain brewery.

Which leads me to this post. From my experience, it is clearly an uncommon find when you discover a brewery with the high-gloss finish you see in each BJ's location serving up beers full of flavor, big in body and worth the trip to find them fresh on tap. It is a beautiful thing seeing a beautiful brewery inside a restaurant - even better when that brewery shows it's ability to brew top-notch beers as they do in Roseville. If you're in NorCal, check them out online and see if you can't find your way to one of their locations.

- Rick
About BJ's

• According to Brewers Association, BJ's ranks #38 for largest breweries in the US - based on 2006 sales - just above Gordon Biersch and McMenamin's.
  
• Their beers are sold in 1/2 gallon growlers for take-out
• Seasonals and one-off beers most common at locations with breweries on-site.
• Andy Armstrong came to Roseville from their Jantzen Beach location
• The regional manager for NorCal is David "Puffy" Mathis, and that man has a palate to be proud of - I was able to judge with the man last year and he was sharp in his assessments. Incredible.
• The bartenders in Roseville are among the best around when it comes to service - sadly the staff's overall beer-knowledge is lacking. Sad only because it's a brewery.
• Southern California locations (Brea and Woodland Hills) has monthly beer appreciation nights that are worth attending - why they don't do them in my area is simply beyond me.
• Oh, they almost always have some hard-to-find guest taps at the Roseville location. Right now they are pouring the Sierra Nevada Kolsch, Beermann's, Guinness, Lindemann's.
• Find them online at http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/
  

Brew Fest at Raley Field

The Scene: Raley Field is a wonderful baseball park just off the river and only minutes from Sacramento's downtown. Strangely, this brew fest was not on the field as many expected, but instead was held on the concorse behind the seats. The good news was it was all under the shade and provided a nice view of the field. The bad news was that it was much more crowded and noisey than it really needed to be.

Lucky for everyone there, the weather was perfect - mid 80's and not a cloud in the big blue sky. Also lucky for those 3000 or so in attendance, the beers rocked.

The Brewers: This is the innagural beer fest created to raise funds for the Northern California Brewers Guild, and is all spearheaded by Glynn Phillips of Sacramento's Rubicon Brewing Co. In all there were more than 30 brewers in attendance from all over the region, including brewers from the Sierra Nevada foothills out to the north coast of the Golden State.

Of course there were the brewers we expect to find at a premier beer festival - Moylan's, Bear Republic, 21st Amendment, Rubicon, Sierra Nevada, Two Rivers Cidery and Beermann's. In addition, there were also several new faces and new beers - Auburn Alehouse, Rafters, Iron Springs, and many more.

The brewers in attendance were all in good spirits, their beers pouring continuously over the course of the four hour celebration. From the feedback I received, it was a day the brewers and volunteers all enjoyed, an event that will likely be a wild success in the years to come.

The Beer: No, I didn't try every beer. However, it was my goal to seek out new beers, those beers I hadn't had the chance to sample previously in my travels and tastings. Here are some noteable new beers worth finding if you're traveling in the region.

• Auburn Alehouse Gold Digger IPA - This place isn't even open yet, but brewmaster Brian Ford has created a winner in this beer, proudly displaying Magnum, Simcoe, Summit and Chinook hops! Beautiful golden color, intense aroma and a taste that simply kicks ass (how's that for a review?).
  Auburn Alehouse is located in the historic area of Auburn.
  
• Rafters - With brewer Dan Duncanson pouring the beers and sharing his passion, I found beers that were clean finishing, full of flavor and downright good. If you're in or around San Rafael, you'll need to check this place out. I am pretty sure I will.
• Iron Springs Scotch Ale - Wow. Wonderfully peaty, balanced and easy to drink. Pouring a dark shade of brown, this beer hid well the fact it was 8% ABV. This is one of the beers that had people talking. Oh, and their IPA was pretty fantastic too! Big aroma, intense flavor - all done utilizing this small brewery's hop back.
  Located in Fairfax

Of course there were more beers I enjoyed, but these few beers and brewers proved to be the best find of the day for me.

The People: As I normally do, I found my way to the fest with my lovely wife. While there we found many familiar faces, friends you seem to only find at beer events. There were the serious beer enthusiasts throughout the event, surrounded by the revelers out simply to have a good beer or 20. Notable folks were there as well, including beer bloggers, magazine editors and even a rock star who pretends to be the editor of Celebrator.

Conclusion: For it's first year, this was well organized, well attended and just a great time. I suspect this event will grow significantly over the next couple of years and will provide many northern Californians with great beer and fond memories. With this and next week's West Coast Brew Fest (also in Sacramento), May will indeed be a month to celebrate.

- Rick

Post Script
I wanted to put out a big thanks to Chris, The Beer Retard, for hanging out with me while in the area, and his friend Kai. We warmed up nicely the night before the fest at Rubicon, enjoying a few beers and great conversations.

Also, thanks to the brewers who took time to talk in depth about their brews and breweries. As well, J from Brookston Beer Journal was kind enough to say hello as well. I love reading the Brookston journal and found it a pleaure to run into the guy personally. Good time.

Finally, it should be noted I had the opportunity to help pour beers for a while, at the Auburn Alehouse booth. That was a kick-ass time and a great opportunity to meet a lot of beer enthusiasts.

Mild May

If you're a beer blog reader, you've read about this already. If you're a die-hard PBN in fan (ha! that was funny) then maybe this is new.

CAMRA (the beer thugs overseas) have come together to deem May "Mild Month". I won't claim to know a whole lot about the intentions for this, but I have a few thoughts related to this I'd like to share.

- Milds are just not that common in the US. In fact, the only commercially bottled version I know of on the West Coast is the Deschutes Buzzsaw. I understand a few of you will be quick to remind me of beers I am missing, which is great, but bottom line is still the same - they are not common out here.

- What are Milds? Doesn't it seem like Mild is a bad word in our society? It seems like salad, or white bread, or 'plain' coffee... We seem enamored with things that are spicy, big, packed with flavor and forever pushing the edge of what is palatable. I don't understand this fascination, although I know I share this bent with many of you. I love double IPAs, Imperial Stouts and other extreme beers - if you listen to our show, you know this. However, what I fear is that our shows and writings and those of other beer enthusiasts are only sharing those beers that are 'memorable' or an event unto themselves. I don't drink Double IPAs night in and night out. I don't have Barley Wines in the summer. My fridge isn't packed with beers 8% ABV and higher. No, my fridge is 'unremarkable' - a fridge probably not unlike yours. I am convinced we all enjoy a good light beer, but we don't share these with others because... well, they're everyday. It's like a commute to work in contrast to your weekend getaway.

Now, I do know people who only drink big beers. I imagine you know them too. They're not unrefined or immature - they're just extreme. The friends I am thinking of who fit this category all have collections of hot sauce, eat rich and spicy foods and drink the darkest coffee you can find. It's the culture. And I say, let them be. They're living high on the hog and who can begrudge them that? I do ask something from them in return. Let me enjoy my 'mild' beer and don't assume I can't hold my sauce or don't appreciate 'real' beer. If you see me eating my salad with light dressing and a Pilsner, instead of glaring perhaps lift your pint and know we're reading the same book, even if we're not on the same page.

Milds - yes, the dirty little word in our society of extremes. The beers that fit this style are great examples of brewer quality. It's not easy to brew lighter beers, as alcohol and hops can hide a lot of flaws. If you find yourself a good light beer, like a good "mild" (brown ale), know that the beer is actually more troublesome for the brewer to make than that 12% monster released in the fall.

Milds, take four - so, what are milds anyway? Here's the history according to guys who know more than I do - the folks at the beer judge cert program.

May have evolved as one of the elements of early porters. In modern terms, the name "mild" refers to the relative lack of hop bitterness (i.e. less hoppy than a pale ale, and not so strong). Originally, the "mildness" may have referred to the fact that this beer was young and did not yet have the moderate sourness that aged batches had. Somewhat rare in England, good versions may still be found in the Midlands around Birmingham.

Yeah, didn't mean much to me either.

If you really need a definition for mild, think light brown ales, generally under 5% ABV. With the Buzzsaw example I mentioned earlier, it's a 4.7% beer. These are great beers to enjoy after work, before dinner. They're also a wonderful addition to your cooler for camping trips or in the fridge when you have buddies coming over to watch Golden State when the NBA title (that was funny too).

I am not a big stickler for the rules either. If you can't find a Mild to enjoy in May - of if you just don't like brown ales - find some light ABV beers and enjoy them. THEN, with all the bravado you can muster, brag about the beer to your beer enthusiast friends like you would your commute to work... well, hopefully with a little bit more passion and nicer adjectives. I am proud to say I like a good mild beer. In fact, I can't wait to go to Vino's tonight to have some freshly tapped Buzzsaw, or to crack open a few Full Sail Session lagers tomorrow as I work on my garden.

- Rick
"Hi, my name is Rick, and I love mild beer."

Auburn Ale House

I have more on this in the works, but wanted to put out a notice for the beer lovers of the region.

I was fortunate enough to spend an evening at the still-under-construction Auburn Alehouse last night and feel I should pass on the word that Brian Ford will be opening shop by the end of the month - assuming there are no hiccups. He has just installed all the equipment and hops to boil some water this weekend to make sure it's all in order. If all goes well, first brew will follow shortly thereafter.

He has put together his beer menu and you can view it online - http://auburnalehouse.com/brews.html

He has also hired his executive chef, who I also met, and you can't help but be excited about things after a few minutes chatting with them.

A few notes:
- This place is beautiful! Carefully restored 100+ year old building, making every effort to maintain it's character while also adding some modern touches. 30 stool bar up front, a standing bar toward the back and even more bar seating in the middle.
- 12 taps with an opening offering (tentative) of 6 beers, all Brian's. He also hinted at bringing in some beers you won't find anywhere else.
- Outdoor seating is going to be prime real estate on warm evenings.
- If you like bold, rustic bars, this place is for you - big burley bar top, massive steel beams (if they're not steal, sorry - it some sort of metal), old brick and an overall homage to manhood.
- His IPA recipe looks damn good
- Find his beers at the upcoming Raley Field beer fest - he brewed twice last week at the Rubicon to make sure he'd have some beers ready for that (believe he said Lager and Brown ale)
- Growlers available for 'to-go' beers, would also like to bottle some limited edition items in 22oz or 1 liter bottles (but not initially from the sounds of it).

This place has all the makings of a major beer venue for the region. If you haven't met Brian before, then you should know he's about the most likable guy on the block - as are so many of our regional brewers. This has been a dream of his for years, and you can't help but route for him and his wife.

No official opening date yet, but he thinks he'll be open in three weeks. He has plans for a soft opening, then after a week or so a bigger 'grand opening'. Yeah, I am excited.

Location:
Auburn, California - the Old Shanghai location
Online at www.auburnalehouse.com