One of Those Days (The Good Kind)

Sacramento, Ca

In the midst of running around like a crazy man concerned only with deadlines and assignments, I was able to enjoy myself for a few hours today - and that was a very good thing. To begin, the beer gods have been good to us here in my neck of the woods and today was especially nice. I had to pick up a few beers so I stopped in at BevMo. Actually, my stop here was primarily for shipping containers, but while there I figured it'd be good to peruse the aisles and see what's new.

First Find: Deschutes Abyss
This is their famed oak aged Imperial Stout, part of their reserve series. I found last year's to be quite enjoyable, even if it was quite hot and needed some time to chill out. I haven't tried this years, figure that'll happen soon enough.

Second Find: Firestone Walker Eleven
WOW! I had seriously given up on this beer ever finding its way to Sacramento, so imagine my surprise when I saw this on the shelf. I have tried this one... was happy to pick up a couple bottles for the collection. I figure this won't last long, sorry.

Third Find: Lunch at Lattitudes in Auburn, Ca
This is a really nice restaurant, a place I'd only been to once before. My wife had the odd free afternoon and so we had a very rare lunch date. Incredible lunch! I had their Bistro Steak, Tracy had their Fish-n-Chips and we both were stunned at the quality. My steak was topped with blue cheese and mushrooms, and her fish was battered in a delicate batter with wonderful spices - including clove! Their lemon drop was made from Meyer lemons grown down the street, literally, and their beer list was impressive. I settled on the Uinta Barleywine, having experienced its goodness a few times prior. It's still odd to me that they carried this beer, as I have not seen it in my region before - except from friends who've been to Salt Lake and carried it back by hand. Seriously incredible beer.

Fourth Find: Beer Tasting @ Nugget (Roseville)
Every other Thursday night Nugget Market in Roseville puts on a beer tasting. Three dollars gets you in and the pourings are generous to say the least - tonight's tasting included NINE beers from the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California: Anchor, Bison, Blue Frog, Firestone Walker and others. Great lineup, unbeatable price. Average attendance is more than 40 people, and if there's a beer folks like in the lineup - it doesn't last long on the shelf.

Fifth Find: Sam Adams Pint Night @ Owl Club
I'd been asked to stop in by Biancha, the owner and server, for the event. The Owl Club used to be known as 'the' beer bar in our region, but in the past five years it's tanked. Biancha's not been there too long, but she's doing the work to get this place back to what it was - and hopefully better. The event seemed well attended, the bar was full and minglers were doing their mingling. The draw for this night was their package deal: 10 bucks gets you a t-shirt (Sam Adams "Take Pride in Your Beer" - nice), the cool/newish Sam Adams Pint Glass and, of course, your first pint of beer. I went for the glass, I have to be honest. When the country was receiving theirs (those who were members of the Homebrewers Assn) we in California seemed to be overlooked. I like the glass. I shared a pint of the Winter Lager with Tracy, we were both impressed with the glass's ability to capture the aroma. Quite nice.

Sixth Find: Cantillon
After our pint we had one last stop to make on the way home, Total Wine. I was going to buy Bigfoot, which is being sold here for $7.49 a six-pack (1.50 cheaper than BevMo - Thanks Hop Hunter!), but also discovered a first in my area - bottles of Cantillon! I picked up a couple bottles of Gueze, Iris and Rose in a mood that could be best described as "giddy".

So, not a bad day, eh?

Beer News Around the Country

I've been sorta laying low this week, working with deadlines for reviews and what-not, but I still try to keep tabs on beer stories. Today was an odd day, to me at least, as there are three papers around the country (small papers) running stories on craft beer. Of course, this is addition to the WSJ piece mentioned below.

First Story | Charlotte Observer | Brewers Try Aging Beer in Whiskey Barrels

It seems one of the industry's spokesmen, Garrett Oliver, made an impression on the writer with his "Black Ops" beer. In addition to Oliver's creation, Townsend writes about some more local folks taking up the trendy notion of aging beer in barrels. Overall, a good introductory piece, appropriate for a newspaper. Good stuff.

Second Story | Daily Nebraskan | Microbrews Help Shed Low Class Image

This story has a bit more meat to it, as Alex Haueter and Michael Mason-D'Croz write about the challenges - or is it the challenging nature - craft brewers have today. Again, this is local piece and many of the brewers mentioned are brewers I'm not personally familiar with - I love it! Overall, I found this to be a great piece for a local paper.

Third Story | Contra Costa Times | Craft Beer Prices Jump on Hops, Barley Price Increases

OK, this one was printed today and is not currently available online. However, from the synopsis provided, it appears to be discussing the jump in beer prices many of us are already familiar with. I have to admit, I loved their opening line:

If you're a drinker of craft beer - that's the good stuff, the beer with the full flavor and unusual twists and turns, it's going to cost a bit more if not today, soon.

What's great about this? I love that each story has its own sort of 'homey' feel to them (OK, first two). I personally get tired of seeing reprints in papers, beer stories that seem to be printed from coast to coast. This is actually great stuff, big steps in "support your local brewers" and I hope people who are in the area send in a quick email or post comments to the stories letting the editors know you appreciated the coverage. What's funny about that, you may think nobody cares if you like a story so why bother sending in a comment or email. Well, your comments and emails most certainly are read, and for editors looking to make decisions on upcoming stories - they'll remember.

A-B Losing Grip on US Distribution?

In an article found in today's Wall Street Journal, found via Miller's Brew Blog, it would seem that Anheuser-Busch is losing its hold on American distribution. Now, don't misread that to mean they're anything less than massive in American beer distribution, but this is a pretty interesting development. Sure, folks who have their ear to the ground have known A-B is seeing more competition in distribution and, naturally, shelf space - experiencing a much decreased growth rate over the past few years.

What's happening? It seems that folks no longer want to have exclusive arrangements with A-B, instead opting to provide other imports and crafts to their customers. Seems like a natural occurrence given the growth rates in these segments. According to the piece:

“The shift might help competing alcohol brands gain market share, as distributors divert some of their attention from Anheuser, which accounts for about 48% of U.S. beer sales. For consumers, it means greater choice at their local bars and liquor stores. Wall Street analysts say the movement signals a weakening of the St. Louis brewer's clout in the marketplace, as small-batch "craft" beers and imports, as well as wine and spirits, wrest market share from mass-market brews like Budweiser.”

I suspect A-B won't just let this continue without a fight, so I wouldn't be surprised if they went on a shopping spree in 2008 (I believe this has been predicted by the likes of Jay Brooks?) to acquire more distribution clout. Regardless, this should be an interesting story to follow. Oh, I also don't believe A-B is the worst thing for craft brewers - they're really just a business, run like a good business should run (especially if you're a share holder). If another company steps up and begins to control the market in any capacity, I'd expect they'd either be just the same, maybe even a bit worse for those who like variety. So, don't cheer or celebrate with news like this, keep an eye on who the other guys are and what their goals are. At least A-B has been in the beer business forever and can't shake that image from their business.

Happy Birthday Brian Ford

If you've read this for long enough, or listened to our show, you'll know that one of our heroes in beer (is that a beeroe?) is Auburn Alehouse's owner/brewer Brian Ford. Well, today is his birthday and I can't think of a better thing to do than head up for a pint of his Red 45!

If you haven't had the chance to hit up Auburn Aleshouse yet, you're missing out. If you live outside the region, know that this place simply kicks ass - top notch beer, great food and a staff that is about as friendly and helpful as you could hope for.

Happy Birthday Mr. Brian Ford, Brewdude.

Have a Beer with Hillary

Earlier this week NPR ran a story on the likeability, or lack thereof, of a certain female presidential candidate. In the soundbites we heard her bemoaning the fact that so many people voted for our current president because he was someone we felt we could sit and share a beer with. Now, the story was definitely not about beer, but toward the end they asked her about this, the perception she's not the person American's seem to want to sit and enjoy a beer with. Her response was appropriate, reminding us that we're not voting for Student Body President here; however, she also admitted she'd had more than a few beers with folks on the campaign trail - beers of the "local" and "microbrew" variety.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know she's as well scripted as any right about now, but the sentiment was comforting, the picture painted good. She could have left it at having 'beer' on the trail, but she actually clarified the local and microbrewed beer consumption. Does this mean anything? No, of course not. I just thought I'd share because I'm a sucker for anything craft beer related. Right?

In the News: Lucky Lab Brewing

I found this in my Google Alerts today, a story on TV station KATU in Portland about Lucky Lab's green side. The story relays that Lucky Lab has installed solar panels used to help heat their water - even in Portland. It's not a long story and doesn't say a whole bunch, but it's always good to see the brewers on TV.

The Session: Barleywine Makes Life More Interesting

This month's Session is presented by The Brew Site, discussing Barleywine.

I got nothing. Really. What more can be said? Bigfoot aged four years is one of the world's greatest delights. Thomas Hardy aged for 10 years... you won't forget. Avery Hog Heaven, fresh, will alter your mood and make the world a better place. Midnight Sun makes a barley wine that you'll be sure to look out for, wondering if perhaps a trip to Alaska is warranted. English versions (the malt-centric type) go so well with blue cheese and pear tarts. The American versions (sure, they're malty, but holy hop-monster!) seem to beg for anything grilled. Barley wines are nothing short of an experience.

You want to have a day you'll not soon forget? Set up a barley wine tasting with friends, like we've done the last few years and are getting set to do again this month. Last year we gathered as friends (the SOBER group) and tried more than 20 barley wines blind (Anchor's Old Foghorn won out in the end). If you'd like, take a listen to the 2007 Barley Wine event.

Still want more? Be at the Toronado on Feb 16th for their Barley Wine Festival - there simply aren't enough words to describe the mess of humanity and all the goodness found on tap.

Many brewers (too many if you ask me) have taken to aging barley wine in barrels that once held spirits - most commonly bourbon, although I suspect many will try to emulate what Tomme Arthur's done with his brandy barrels. I'm not the biggest fan of barrels these days, it seems too many folks are intent to let the flavors of the barrel overwhelm the beer... but the guys that do it well, do it really well!

I used to be pissy about double IPAs bleeding into the barley wine categories. In fact, some days I still feel that way. Why? I don't know, it just happens.

You know what I'm hoping for? The world's first Imperial Barley wine. Mr. Avery, you reading this?

Why don't we call the massively malted and alcoholic Belgian strong ales Belgian Barleywine... and on that thread, can we all make up our mind what a real "Quad" is going to be? Please? At least the color, let's start there.

Cooking with Barley wine... James Spencer did a video on making a barley wine fruit cake, and damn that looked good. the video | the recipe

Speaking of food... the Homebrew Chef has a recipe for barley wine prime rib that will make you drool just to read. Wow! Then of course, you can check out his recipe so you can make your own damned barleywine (this too is an impressive recipe).

So, in closing, may I say it is clear that Barley Wine makes life a bit more interesting.

"If you don't like Bigfoot, you've just got small feet." - Mike Sober