Over on Thom's Beer Blog, they have a photo post of the Brasserie Cantillon, a brewer of lambic in Brussels. I thought it was pretty cool because it documents a bit about how lambics are made and the kinds of things that go into this unusual style of beer.

True Belgian lambics are famous for being brewed and stored under what we would consider unsanitary conditions—in fact, it's the wild yeast and bacteria that "infect" the cooling wort (exposed to open air) that ferments the beer and gives it its unique character.

The beer is then aged in barrels for up to three years, collecting dust and cobwebs, before being blended and bottled for consumption. I particularly like those cobweb-storage photos, and the ones with foam bubbling out of the barrels.

Lots of good pictures, and commentary to go with it. Go check it out.

There's been a new game announced that caught my eye: Beer Tycoon. Is this for real? Is sounds real, but it also sounds, well, like a spoof.

Now Frogster Interactive is giving gamers and drinkers the opportunity to simulate making money selling their beloved drink. Beer Tycoon will also be the first game where players will be in charge of brewing their favorite beers. To be released in January 2007, it’s being developed by tycoon experts Virtual Playground.

Gamers have numerous options in the game. They start with a handful of brewery buildings and try to build up to an international big brand corporation. For this, they have to manage all necessary things. From recruiting and marketing to the development of new products – and these are only a few of the many important tasks facing intending brewery managers.

This might be a fun game. I wonder how accurate it will be in the brewing part of the game—or if it actually does that at all, if the games focused more on the economical simulation.

Weird.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

This week's theme is the European iconic (obvious?) examples of classic styles. Or, as I was thinking of them in my head, the "no duh" choices.

See also: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Celebrator Doppelbock

By most accounts, this is one of the world's best beers. Brewed by Ayinger in Germany, every bottle includes the iconic plastic goat ornament ("bock" being associated with "goat" in its historical origins)—I'm never quite sure what to do with it.

I will, however, back up the assertion that it's one of the world's best beers. I reviewed it here. Dark, rich, complex—"amazing" was the word I used. It really is; if you've never tried this beer, do yourself a favor and make it the next one you buy.

BeerAdvocate score: 92/100, 100% approval.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen

Paulaner's Oktoberfest is the gold standard for the style; I wrote: "Outside of Munich, this is the Oktoberfest beer by which all others are judged." It's possible I'll pick another beer or two in the Oktoberfest style, but if nothing else this is the beer to try for the experience.

This lager originated in the early nineteenth century, called "Märzen" ("March") because March was the last month this beer could be brewed before the hot summer season started. Lagers require cool temperatures to ferment and condition; apocryphally I remember reading once that it was common practice to store the beer in cool caves during the summer (before the onset of mechanized refrigeration), but I can't swear to this. Makes for a good story, though.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 99% approval.

Lindemans Framboise Lambic

This is the fruit beer that non-beer drinkers will actually like (my wife does). And it's a good introduction to the unique Belgian lambic style of ales: wheat beers that are naturally fermented in open containers with a strain of yeast unique only to the region of Belgium that these beers hail from.

Lindemans has several varieties of fruit lambics—including peach, black currant, and apple—but the raspberry is their signature. It's a perfect dessert beer, and, if you're into this kind of thing, a great Valentine's Day beer.

This is such a departure from the "normal" character of beer that if you didn't know better, you might not think it was beer at all. But in a good way.

BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 98% approval.

Guinness Extra Stout

This is the pick that I figure will get some people to quit reading in disgust and/or think I'm a sellout. But you know what? You can't go wrong with Guinness.

Guinness Draught is often the first stout or "dark beer" that people are exposed to, which is the lower-alcohol, creamy-smooth version that is found on draft in bars or in the can. What makes this version so notable is the fact that it's injected with nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide (the "nitro draft") which gives it the extra creamy, extra smooth mouthfeel and famous head. (The can version actually contains a plastic capsule that injects nitrogen into the beer when the can is opened.)

The version I'm highlighting here is the "Extra Stout" version, which is the higher-alcohol original version of the beer. It's a classic dry Irish stout and for good reason it's the iconic example of the style.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 95% approval.

Pilsner Urquell

According to Michael Jackson in Ultimate Beer,

The term Urquell means "original source" in German... This is the original Pilsner, copied throughout the world, often by lesser, blander beers. Its golden color was a novelty at a time when glass vessels were replacing stoneware steins and pewter tankards, but the beer's fame was also due to its quality.

The original Pilsner, dating back to 1842. What more do you need to know?

BeerAdvocate score: 83/100, 88% approval.

Last year the state of Connecticut tried to ban Bad Elf beer—that is, beer with Christmas-themed labels that "might appeal to children"—and this year, apparently not learning, the state of New York is trying to do the same.

The specific beers are Seriously Bad Elf Double Ale, Rudolph's Revenge Winter Ale, and Santa's Butt Winter Porter. Three others are two more Bad Elf varieties, and Warm Welcome Nut Brown Ale. All brewed by Ridgeway Brewery and imported by Shelton Brothers, same as last year.

What's going on here? Is there something in particular about this brewery's beers that are rubbing these liquor authorities the wrong way? Nobody really believe the labels appeal to children, so I wonder what the real story is.

Via Lyke 2 Drink and Beercraft Blog.

Time to review some of the infamous Trader Joe's beer: their Bavarian style Hefeweizen. This isn't an American-style wheat beer, but most definitely in the traditional German style—sour, fruity, estery, acidic. It's actually a pretty decent beer, and you almost can't beat the price for craft beer ($4.99 for a sixpack, I believe).

Appearance: Hazy and orange-ish in color. Thin head, white.

Smell: Yeasty, musty, a little Belgian-like. Tangy fruit and sour.

Taste: Sour (citrus) and slightly wheaty. Has that traditional lactic wheat tang that typifies the style. Refreshing. Little to no hops.

Mouthfeel: Thinnish, and puckery, a bit acidic.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 83 out of 100, with 94% approval; that's pretty good. On RateBeer, it ranks 3.32 out of 5, in the 70th percentile.

This is beer that is good for a hot summer day. If you have a local Trader Joe's, it's not a bad bet.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

Naturally, this is an entirely subjective list and while I'll try to be representative, it will certainly not be comprehensive of the world's fine beer offerings. I'm sure everyone will have plenty of opinions as to what beers they would pick for this list—so maybe I'll do a "reader's choice" version when I'm all done with my own.

Here are this week's first five; the theme for this group could be American West Coast:

Update - see also: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Anchor Steam

Back in 1965 Fritz Maytag bought the failing Steam Beer Brewing Company in San Francisco and revived the flagship Anchor Steam Beer in 1971. The style—California Common as it's, er, commonly called (because "Steam Beer" is actually trademarked)—is a unique American style of lager, dating back to the late 1800s when ice was largely unavailable to cool the beer down to lager-required fermentation temperatures.

What does this have to do with "steam"? According to Wikipedia,

the name "steam" came from the fact that the brewery had no way to effectively chill the boiling wort using traditional means. So they pumped the hot wort up to large, shallow, open-top bins on the roof of the brewery so that it would be rapidly chilled by the cool air blowing in off the Pacific Ocean. Thus while brewing, the brewery had a distinct cloud of steam around the roof let off by the wort as it cooled, hence the name.

Anchor Steam is not only one of the earliest craft beers to be revived in America after Prohibition, thus helping the growth of the U.S. microbrewery movement, but is also one of the only California Common beers being produced commercially today. It's also a pretty damn fine beer.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 97% approval.

Widmer Hefeweizen

No surprise here... if you read my review of Widmer's flagship beer a little while back, you know I have a high opinion of it. I wrote:

Here's the key thing about Widmer's version that they're missing, though: Widmer re-invented the style into what I like to think of as an "American hefeweizen," or even a "Northwest hefeweizen." And that made it accessible to the general beer-swilling masses; I like to think of Hefe as a "gateway" beer; people who have never tried craft beer and/or are intimidated by it are often introduced (in my experience, anyway) to Hefeweizen and they find it good.

Widmer Hefeweizen is kind of an iconic beer in the American craft beer industry, and while it may not be as flashy and extreme as the trend in brewing seems to be leaning these days, you can't go wrong with a six pack or pitcher of this anytime. Lemon optional.

BeerAdvocate score: 78/100, 66% approval.

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

I once read a review of Shakespeare Stout that opined that it is the best American stout being brewed today. I believe it. Among its accolades, according to Rogue:

Rogue's Shakespeare Stout received a 99, the highest score of the 309 beers in 44 categories at the 1994 World Beer Championships. The June/July 1998 issue of Men's Journal included Rogue Ales Shakespeare Stout as one of "The 100 Best Things to Eat in America." Based on Stuart Kallen's book, "The 50 Best Beers in the World", Shakespeare Stout was ranked the third best beer in the world and best American Beer—which makes it the World's Best Stout!

This is a classic stout, malty, dark, smooth, creamy, rich, chocolaty, sweet and bitter. It's also a benchmark all stouts (American and otherwise) should strive for.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 99% approval.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

Many people might point to Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale to be on this list, but I think their Bigfoot barleywine is a classic that speaks for itself. Michael Jackson in his 1998 Ultimate Beer notes of this beer that it's "probably the world's hoppiest barley wine, especially in its bouquet."

It's also a huge award winner, like the Shakespeare Stout above. Among its accolades are four wins for barleywines and one for ales at the Great American Beer Festival. And the Sierra Nevada website has some helpful advice as to pairing Bigfoot with food:

Intense, malty, and bittersweet, Bigfoot is wonderful served with dessert. Aromatic notes from the dry-hopping process pair well with chocolate mousse and raspberries or a good-quality cheesecake. If you prefer a more savory taste, try an assortment of sharp aged cheeses, served with fresh fruits like apples, pears, and grapes, which will offer a contrast that will bring all of the flavors together.

BeerAdvocate score: 90/100, 98% approval.

Alaskan Smoked Porter

First introduced in 1988, Alaskan Brewing helped re-introduce smoked beer to the American consciousness. This is a vintaged beer (the year is on the label) and it ages well. From Alaskan Brewing's website:

Alaskan Brewing Company co-founders Geoff and Marcy Larson had their eyes on brewing a beer with roasted malts. Marcy's research even found evidence of roasted malt use in Juneau during the town's gold rush era.

Alaskan Smoked Porter has been brewed every fall since then and has remained just as elusive. It has gone on to become one of the most award winning beers in the history of the Great American Beer Festival with a total of eleven medals, including five straight gold (Smoked Beer Category - 1991 - 1995). It has also won awards at the World Beer Cup and the internationally acclaimed Brewing Industry International Awards in England.

The smoke flavor and character comes from the malt itself, which is smoked over alderwood at the fish smokery next door to the Alaskan brewery. This style of beer won't be everyone's cup of tea—but if you want to start with smoke beers, you won't go wrong with Smoked Porter.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 99% approval.

Our local paper today had an article (picked up from the AP, though I haven't found it online elsewhere) about pairing beer with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Once through the fluff of the article, the general recommendations are a Belgian-style beer, a brown ale, or a bière de garde, as single beers that are well-balanced against the overall dinner "package."

Myself, I would prefer to have more variety and pair beers with certain dishes or courses. They cover that too:

• Cream ales or pale ales with turkey and gravy
• Doppelbocks with salty ham and mashed potatoes
• A malty, spiced beer with dessert

I'd have to go with a pumpkin ale somewhere in the mix, but knowing me, is that really a surprise?

Looking around to see what other Thanksgiving beer ideas might be out there led me to this BeerAdvocate article—I've covered it before, but it's good to revisit. To be fair, it covers the holidays in general, but I think it fits nicely. Recommendations:

• Apéritif: light-bodied Pilsner or lager
• Hors d'oeuvre: moderately-hopped pale ales
• Dinner: Strong Belgian-style ales, or Pilsners
• Dessert: "Rich and big" stouts
• Digestif: Barleywines

Naturally, they offer specific beer suggestions for each style.

Now I've gone and made myself hungry. So what's everyone drinking with their Thanksgiving meals this year?

Blue Moon is the craft beer operation run by megabrewer Coors (website note: crap—age verification nonsense on more than one page) that is notable for producing their Belgian White and Pumpkin Ale that both don't suck. Their Pumpkin was the first pumpkin beer I'd ever seen, craft brewed or otherwise, years ago. It still holds up pretty well, though it's not the best pumpkin beer I've had.

Appearance: Head is foamy, a light tan. Beer is clear and orange with a reddish tint.

Smell: Caramel and malty. Pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. Brown sugar?

Taste: Light, pumpkin-y but not real strong. Very clean. Spices at the back of the palate. No real hops. Some light burnt sugar.

Mouthfeel: A little thin-bodied. Smooth and a little watery.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 78 out of 100 with only 69% expressing approval. On RateBeer, it doesn't fare so well: 2.7 out of 5, in the low 25th percentile.

Overall I think this is a good introduction to pumpkin beer, and it's a good session beer. It's certainly worth a seasonal six pack or two.

Another Trader Joe's find is Jumping Cow Amber Ale. It's brewed by Steinhaus Brewing (no website, but they're a Trader Joe's brewer) in Paso Robles, California, and sits at a comfortable 5.5% alcohol. It's a decent beer, worth the TJs price.

Appearance: Clear red-amber with brownish tones. Carbonated and bubbly. Head is off-white (reminds me of old bone).

Smell: Malty, with a sourish note; almost a burnt aroma? No hops.

Taste: Bitterish and malty; bitter comes from an astringent malt profile. Not overly much, though. A little bit of sourness. No real hop character. Fairly clean.

Mouthfeel: Nicely medium-bodied. Carbonation adds a prickly feel.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 80 out of 100 with 87% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.1 out of 5 and lands squarely in the 50th percentile.

The source of this beer is a bit ambiguous: my wife brought it home from Trader Joe's, and while it says "Josephs Brau Brewing Company" it's really one of the Trader Joe's brews, according to BeerAdvocate. What this means is it's really brewed by Gordon Biersch.

As a standalone amber lager it's not bad, a decent session beer. As an Oktoberfest it doesn't quite live up to the standard, but no matter; it was only $3.99 or so for the six-pack. I'd get it again.

Appearance: Very clear dark gold-orange. Very little head.

Smell: Subtle, clean—malty like a whole grain bread.

Taste: Clean, crisp, kind of neural. Mild. A little more bitter than the style should be. Has a mega-commercial-beer quality.

Mouthfeel: Thinner than it should be (for an Oktoberfest). There's more body than a mega lager, though not much. Sparkly carbonation on the tongue.

There's not much on the review sites about it. BeerAdvocate doesn't have enough reviews for an overall score, but the current average is 3.16 out of 5, with a 70/30 split on approval. On RateBeer it has 3.06 out of 5, in the 47th percentile.

Tonight's review is another Stone Brewing winner: Ruination IPA. I'll go ahead an ruin (heh) it for you: this is one of the best India pale ales I've had. It's that good. Though technically it probably qualifies as a "double" IPA since it's 7.7% alcohol... but no matter. Go buy this beer.

Appearance: Orange, pours mostly clear. Reddish hue. Head—not a lot; tan-white.

Smell: Floral hops—Simcoe/Cascade Northwest signature hops. Malt—kind of a rich caramelly bread.

Taste: Powerful, explosive hops—bitter, steel-cut grass, slightly floral, a bit resiny... fresh but not green hops. Strong alcohol. Malt is drowned out, but the hoppiness is very good.

Mouthfeel: Perfect for an IPA... thick but not syrupy or chewy. The hops pack a kick and an aftertaste.

On BeerAdvocate it soaks up the accolades and scores 91 out of 100 with 99% approval. Same story on RateBeer: 4.07 out of 5, 99th percentile.

Here's a cool, well-done site: Portlandbeer.org. It's still a little nascent, but here's what they say on their front page:

What we are: A group of volunteers who have taken it upon ourselves to make sure that Portland, and it's visitors, can make the best use of our greatest natural resource: beer! By maintaining an up to date listing of Portland beers and breweries, we hope to connect you with the beer you you're looking for.

What we are not: This is not a Portland beer and brewery review site. Everyone has a different reaction to different sights, sounds, and tastes. We are not here to tell you what to think, but rather tell you what is out there and how to get to it. We think that it's much more fun to drink beer and make your own opinion.

On their Breweries page, I'm a little surprised that they only list 14 breweries... but I suppose those are the ones that are exclusively within Portland city proper? (As opposed to some of the outlying towns... I'm used to considering that entire area "Portland" even though it's not.) On the other hand, they also list the various locations each brewery has (check out McMenamins!), so there really are a lot more options than "only" 14.

Check out the Beers page too: that page is gold. You can sort and filter by beer name, style, brewery, and whether it's a seasonal or not; and the beer icon next to the name is (roughly) color-coded to the style of beer. Nice touch.

Affordable stocking stuffer for the gift list's beer geeks

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The last 20 years has seen a renaissance of artisan brewing in the United States that not only has matched European legacy styles in quality but gone beyond them in sheer creativity.

Unfortunately, many Americans still don't realize just how good beer can taste. Those who've heard are faced with far too many choices from upwards of 1,400 domestic breweries, not to mention quality imports, a chore made all the more difficult by the millions spent on advertising by the country's large industrial producers.

Finally, a book cuts through the cacophony.

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Descriptions by Rate.Beer's 30,000 members were painstakingly selected by the website's long-time editor, Josh Oakes.

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Drinkers of craft brews have known for years what's only now being discovered by the general public that beer often complements food better than do many wines. Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver has won numerous challenges in his pairing matchoffs with chefs predisposed toward wine.

No other guide comes close to covering so many beers. And it's value priced, and sized, to fit any pocket book. The Beer Guide is perfect for the beer geeks on anyone's gift list.

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*Men's Journal.