This is probably less relevant to anyone not in Oregon but I thought it was a good story with a nice local interest angle to it: Deschutes Brewery teams up with Backporch Coffee (reported on my other blog).

Deschutes is brewing a coffee-infused Imperial Porter with coffee provided by a local company. The beer, aptly named "Backporch Imperial Porter," will be available in the pub only on their X-Tap. Their X-Tap is reserved for special, experimental beers that are only brewed in small quantities.

Backporch Coffee Roasters is a small shop here in Bend that roasts their own coffee, just opened late last year. I like the fact that Deschutes has partnered with a local company to produce this beer (when they just as easily could have purchased coffee anywhere). I wonder if they did any special roasting just for the brewery, or if they limited the roast to coffee—grains would roast just as well, I should think.

As for a beer profile, I don't know yet. The 20K Imperial Porter currently listed on the "now pouring" page indicates an IBU of 65 and alcohol content of 8%; the new one will likely be similar, though with strong coffee character to it. Can't wait to try it.

The French phrase "raison d'etre" means "reason for being," and for the Dogfish Head beer of the same name, there's a double meaning (I think): "Raison" is a bit of a pun on "raisin," which is what this beer is brewed with.

Well, not only raisins: green raisins and beet sugar, and fermented with a Belgian yeast. Unusual, to say the least. At 8% alcohol by volume, it's a Belgian strong ale by style.

Appearance: Deep amber, dark woodgrain red. Not much head. Red edges. Clear.

Smell: Rich and sweet—plummy, fruity—dark fruit (the raisins...). Belgian candy sugar. Maybe cotton candy. Brandy-ish, almost a cognac character.

Taste: Sweet with Belgian candy (sugar) character. Strong alcohol, reminiscent of a barleywine. Definitely a "dark vegetable" character (maybe it's subliminal from the "beet" reference on the label). Rich with dark fruits—plum, date, black cherry. Definitely Belgian. Flossy and candy-ish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, a little effervescent, a bit of bite from the alcohol. You want to roll it around the tongue, it has that character.

Overall: Very good, a little different. Lots of fruit and candy sugars make this a sipping ale.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 85 out of 100, with 93% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.64 out of 5 and is in their 90th percentile.

In my review of Tsingtao, I mentioned that I didn't think it was available at any retails outlets, only at Chinese restaurants. Not so; Lauren, the PR person who sent me the publicity package, assures me that

Tsingtao certainly is available at retail in most major markets nationwide, though I'd have to look into exactly where in Bend, OR. For instance in Chicago, you can typically find it in major grocery stores or liquor stores that carry a wide variety.

Good to know, and I stand corrected.

As promised, here's my review of the Tsingtao Lager I received as part of a promotional package. As I'd mentioned, Tsingtao is available in some 95% of Chinese restaurants, and those are the only places I know to buy it; I don't believe I've ever seen it retailed anywhere.

The thing to know about Tsingtao is even though it's brewed in China, the style is essentially that of an Amercian Macro Lager—the light pilsner. As a result, you won't usually see overly positive reviews of it on the craft beer sites. For myself, while I don't go out of my way to drink light lagers, I do enjoy trying other country's beers and try to go about reviews without preconceptions.

Appearance: Very light, very clear. Straw yellow, pilsner, very white fuzzy head that formed and fell quickly. The phrase "champagne of beers" comes to mind because the appearance is like that.

Smell: First smell is the slightly skunky Euro-Grolsch-lager aroma that's typical of these types of beers stored in green bottles. Then it's light and grainy. Understated and slightly spicy hops.

Taste: Light and crisp; has that slightly skunky macro-pilsner "twang." Some grain—corn. Clean aftertaste. Again, hops are understated and not really a presence, other than in cutting down the sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Very light, a little effervescent. I wouldn't say watery, but leaning that way. Very clean feeling.

Overall: It's decent, better than the typical American macro. Certainly one I'll order next time I'm out for Chinese; I have a hunch it will complement a spicy dish quite well. Or maybe that's just because the promo material suggested it; ah, the power of subliminal marketing...

On BeerAdvocate, as predicted, they are not kind: 72 out of 100 with only 42% of reviewers approving (58% against). On RateBeer, it's a similar story: 2.15 out of 5 and only in their 10th percentile.

I love getting PR packages. The latest one that I received within this past week is for Tsingtao, the lager from China—their number one beer, and in fact is the "Number 1 branded consumer product exporter from China." That's according to the press materials. More on those in a moment.

Tsingtao is primarily marketed in Chinese restaurants; I don't believe I've ever seen it sold in a retail store, and the one and only time prior that I've had it was at a restaurant. That was many years ago, and I only have a vague impression of what it was like. So when the PR rep contacted me asking if I was interested in their package, I was more than happy to oblige.

The timing for this PR push—and it's angle—is Chinese New Year. This year's New Year was on February 18th, and the festival celebrating it lasts until the 4th of March. We are now entering the year of the pig—or Year of the Boar, as Tsingtao is styling it. Suits me; "boar" has more of a dignified and "cool" connotation than "pig", especially on the T-shirt.

Which leads me to the publicity package. In addition to a 22-ounce bottle of Tsingtao beer (which I drank and will be reviewing shortly), I also received a folder of material—copy, Tsingtao facts, the Year of the Boar press release—and a Year of the Boar T-shirt. Let's hit the pictures:

The full package: beer, folder, T-shirt. You can see how they're pushing the Year of the Boar in the marketing.

A closeup of the T-shirt with the beer. I do actually like the design on the shirt; I just hope the Chinese characters actually say "Year of the Boar" and not something crazy.

Among information contained in the folder comes the following tidbits:

• The Tsingtao Brewery in Qingdao, China, was established in 1903 by German and British settlers.
• "Tsingtao" is pronounced "ching-dow" (gleaned this from their website, I believe).
• Tsingtao is available in some 95% of Chinese restaurants here in the U.S.
• They brew some 216 million barrels of beer per year; it's the 10th largest brewer in the world, with 50 breweries throughout China.
• First introduced into the U.S. in 1972.

And, I'll be writing up my review of the beer itself in the next day or two.

If I do another "50 beers before you die" series, Young's Special London Ale will definitely be on it. This beer is bottled conditioned, which Young's claims gives a "fuller, fresher flavour." It works. This beer is nearly perfect.

Appearance: Looks like what a beer should look like. The color of a dark honey—gold orange. Nice thick creamy almost-white head.

Smell: Clean, sweet, caramel, honey, and a bit—just a bit—fruity. Mature hops.

Taste: Bitter but not harsh; malty but not sweet. Very nice. Whole grain. Slightly bready—biscuit. Dough. Hops are smooth and clean and not at all astringent. Almost a creamy character.

Mouthfeel: Very good—medium-bodied, a buttery hop twang (bitterness) that bites the sides of your tongue.

Overall, this is an excellent beer, almost perfect. I'd go so far as to say that this is what a beer should be. In fact, when I just hold the (generic) concept of "beer" in my head, this is the beer that I'm imagining. It's that good.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 87 out of 100, with 98% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.54 out of 5 and is in their 86th percentile.

Of their 60 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head says:

Our flagship beer. A session India Pale Ale brewed with Warrior, Amarillo & 'Mystery Hop X.' A powerful East Coast I.P.A. with a lot of citrusy hop character. THE session beer for beer geeks like us!

At 6% alcohol by volume, I'd debate their claim of a session beer, even for beer geeks. At any rate, it's an enjoyable beer. I believe they call it "60 Minute" because they continually add hops to the beer during the boil (which is, naturally, 60 minutes long). I'm not sure if this is right or not, but it certainly sounds good.

Appearance: Clear straw orange—copper gold. Nice thick tall bone-white head.

Smell: Clean and hoppy—a bit light. A hint of mustiness. Sweetish malt. Something in it reminds me of pollen-powdery hops on the vine...

Taste: Strong hops—spicy, a bit grassy, no citrus/grapefruit that has become popular of hoppy IPAs of late. Alcohol strength—tastes like it should be stronger than 6%. Malt is crisp and wheaty... lightly toasted grain with a biscuit sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Lighter than I'd expect... hop oils spread around the mouth—a bit of a bite.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 88 out of 100, with 99% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.78 out of 5, and is in their 95th percentile.

As I chronicled on my other blog, I was the guest on a local podcast earlier in the week, wherein we talked about beer labels. My friend Brian, who produces the 'cast, basically asked the question, "Does beer label art make a difference?" You can listen to it (short, just under eight minutes) here.

I think I was mostly intelligible, and mentioned two breweries by name who commission artists for (some of) their labels, Deschutes Brewery and Dogfish Head. At the time, I had in mind Dogfish's Chateau Jiahu, because I know they commissioned art from Tara McPherson (though I didn't name either the beer or the artist by name, unfortunately). But I thought it was interesting and oddly apropos to see this Dogfish article get highlighted (by Wörtwurst) this same week: Husband & Wife Team Create Art for Dogfish Labels.

Not only are those labels very cool (they remind me of paintings by the Dutch masters), but the beer they were commissioned for sounds pretty good too.

So yes, I'd have to say that beer label art definitely makes a difference.

Over the weekend I brewed beer, a Poor Richard's Ale (a variation on my extract recipe here). Five gallons. I've been putting the beers in the 6½ (nearly 7) gallon carboy for the primary fermentation, under the (entirely reasonable) assumption that there's plenty of headspace in the bigger carboy and I won't have to worry about krausen blowing through the airlock like I would with a five gallon fermenter.

Well, I was wrong on that one.

I didn't end up with a big mess, just a messy airlock and some dribbles—but only because I caught it in time. I swapped out the airlock with a hose-in-a-bucket setup (actually glass tubing) and then the fermentation really took off.

That was Sunday, and here it is Tuesday night and the primary fermentation is still going strong, and some foam is still percolating out. Good grief! One of the most active beers I've brewed in a good long while.

In case anyone's interested, the yeast I used was Wyeast #1272, American Ale II.

I don't have access to many of Dogfish Head's beers here locally, so when I do find them I make sure to get a bottle to try. I'm liking their beers quite a bit. One of the latest is Indian Brown Ale. Ordinarily, brown ales are a session beer, not too strong, and they can be tricky to get right. Dogfish Head's comes in at 7.2% alcohol by volume—stronger than I would expect.

And I'll spoil the surprise: This is simply one of the best brown ales I've ever had. They got it right in spades.

Appearance: Nice clear brown—ruby when held to the light. Head is thick and tan. Totally subjective, but it looks like what I'd expect a brown ale to look like.

Smell: Light chocolate-coffee-caramelized sugar, brown sugar. Roast grain.

Taste: Yum! Sweet roasty malt, licorice, caramel, chocolate, roasted coffee beans. Sweet. Hops are oily yet clean and complement the malt nicely.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and very drinkable... creamy thickness.

Overall: Simply unbelievably good. I will be going back for more.

On BeerAdvocate, it earns high marks with 88 out of 100 and 98% approval in the ratings. On RateBeer, it scores 3.66 out of 5, and is in their 92nd percentile. Good marks all around.

Further following up on my "50 Beers..." series: additional beers suggested from the comments. Sort of a "reader's choice" of beers that I didn't cover.

• Special London Ale
• La Chouffe
• Unibroue Don de Dieu
• Unibroue Trois Pistoles
• Hoegaarden
• Fat Tire Amber Ale
• New Belgium Abbey Ale
• Shiner Bock
• Beers by New Glarus, Goose Island, Bell's Brewing

Samuel Adams Black Lager (grrrr I hate that their website asks you twice—twice!—for age verification! Plus it's unlinkable Flash...) is a schwarzbier and one of their "Brewmaster's Collection" beers. It's a nice, drinkable session beer at only 4.9% alcohol and a good general introduction to the schwarzbier style.

Appearance: Very dark brown with red highlights when held to the light—like a root beer. Very light brown head.

Smell: Dark—burnt and slightly smoky. A sour character from burnt charcoal. Slight undercurrent of sweet malt.

Taste: Dark and roasty with burnt chocolate and some coffee—like a porter but much lighter. A little of that (very mild) sourness, reminds me a bit of charcoal again. "Black" is a suitable description for the taste.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied—not watery or anything, and thicker than a plain lager. Fairly smooth, a little burnt dryness/astringency.

Overall: Refreshing and surprisingly drinkable.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 86 out of 100 with 98% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.42 out of 5 and is in their 79th percentile.

I've seen this on a couple of the other beer blogs already, and got the release myself today.

UNIQUE COLLABORATION TO BENEFIT THE INSTITUTE FOR MYELOMA & BONE CANCER RESEARCH

Seattle, WA. January 30, 2007 - In the early days of the craft brewing business in the U.S. Pete Slosberg brought Alan Shapiro and Virginia MacLean to help lead his emerging namesake company and take his Wicked Ale® to new heights. While these long-time friends ultimately pursued different professional paths, some 18 years later they have reunited to create a beer inspired by Pete’s early recipes.

REUNION - A BEER FOR HOPE is an organic imperial brown ale brewed by Pete and Dan Del Grande at Bison Brewing Company's organic brewery in Berkeley, CA. It will be sold in 22 ounce screen printed bottles via Shapiro’s SBS-Imports distributor network in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Illinois. It has a suggested price of $4.99 per bottle. All profits generated by SBS from the sale of REUNION will benefit The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research in Los Angeles, CA (www.imbcr.org).

“Alan informed me that our good friend Virginia had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma - a form of bone cancer,” Pete Slosberg recalled. “He later called with the idea of reuniting to create a beer to celebrate our friendship and bring hope to Virginia and others battling this disease. I am thrilled to be a part of the effort to raise funds for this worthwhile organization.”

“Virginia has been a close friend from the day we met at Pete’s back in 1989,” noted SBSImports President, Alan Shapiro. “I wish I was a great scientist who could help find a cure - but at least I can make a small contribution by raising both funds and awareness for this disease. I have met Dr. Berenson’s team at IMBCR and have seen their work in progress. I know the funds we raise will help make a difference.”

About Multiple Myeloma & IMBCR

Multiple Myeloma is a unique cancer of plasma cells that attacks and destroys bone. The term is derived from the multiple areas of bone marrow that are usually affected by the disease. Worldwide, over 1,000 people a day are diagnosed with this currently incurable form of bone cancer. Led by Dr. James Berenson, IMBCR is one of the world’s leading research organizations combating this disease. IMBCR specializes in developing novel chemotherapy drugs and treatments. For further information on multiple myeloma or IMBCR, please visit www.imbcr.org or contact 310-623-1210.

About the beer

REUNION is a collaborative beer created by Pete Slosberg & Dan Del Grande and inspired by Pete's original recipe. It is brewed with 6 different organic malts, 3 different hops and dryhopped. It is 7.5% alcohol by volume. REUNION will be available at leading specialty beer retailers and many Kimpton hotels in the western United States. More information is available at www.reunionbeer.com.

Higher resolution artwork available upon request.

Contact:
Alan Shapiro
SBS-Imports
206.527.4191
206.202.1673 fax
206.465.1550 mobile
alanmshapiro@sbs-imports.com

I'm a little behind in this, but here's a collection of other Top Beer lists and comments I found in reference to my 50 Beers to Drink Before You Die series.

• Naturally, I found out about Roger Protz's book 300 Beers to Try Before You Die only after I started my own series.
• 50 beers on BeerAdvocate: User GClarkage in the BeerAdvocate forums posted his own Top 50 beer list in direct response to my own series. It's a good list; there's a few crossovers with mine, but most are different.
• Stan at Appellation Beer posted How many beers before I die?, a pointer and a nice writeup on my list.
• Jeff on Beervana pointed to my list, and that inspired him to start his own list of the best beers of Oregon (or that he's reviewed). Good picks so far, and some nice commentary/history to accompany them.

And, while it's not related to my 50 Beers list, RateBeer has published their annual "RateBeer Best" list—the best beers in the world overall and by category, and the best brewers, all based on their not-inconsiderate tabulation of user ratings.

Tannen Bomb was one of my Advent Calendar picks in December, a sweet, malty holiday ale from Golden Valley Brewery here in Oregon. It's nice and warming at 8% alcohol by volume without being head-splitting strong.

Appearance: Orange, mostly clear, with a bit of head that also has a tint of orange.

Smell: Sweet alcohol, carrots (because orange is on my mind?), sugar as if from fruit... cloying. A little hop at the back.

Taste: An herbal hop flavor right off—surprising from the smell. Next is alcohol—bitter yet mellow, a little warm. Buttery. Malt is light-ish and has a bit of tang. Bitter at the end.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied bolstered by the alcohol. A little astringency. Fairly smooth.

Overall, a tasty holiday brew, very sweet in the nose. I'll look for it against next holiday season.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 85/100 with 100% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.37 out of 5 and is in their 76th percentile.

Forget the "Bud Bowl" and macrobrews; let's briefly look at beers for the Super Bowl, from another angle: from the respective cities (Chicago and Indianapolis) this year.

Since most Super Bowl parties can be longish events, you might want to stick to more of the session beers rather than the high-alcohol ones.

Chicago of course has Goose Island. Two session recommendations that would go well with most party fare are the Honkers Ale (4.3% alcohol) and the Nut Brown Ale (5.2% alcohol).

Indianapolis has a dearth of breweries, and a handful of brewpubs (most of which appear to be chains). If I were to pick, I'd go with either Brugge Brasserie or Broad Ripple Brew Pub. Both of them offer up Pilsners (growlers, anyone?) that float around the 5% alcohol range.

Interestingly, both Chicago and Indianapolis have a Rock Bottom Brewery; perhaps it would be more fair to pit one against the other and see how the local waters fare. :)

Meanwhile, I've skipped over my own advice and picked up some Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball Ale, at 9%(!) alcohol. With a name like that, how could I resist?

Happy Super Bowl, everyone.

Wonder of wonders, I've finally written another Beer Hacker article! To anyone not familiar with "The Beer Hacker," check out the introduction here.

A few years ago I posted on my other blog on the subject of brewing software, and had laid out a set of criteria for what I'd like to see in such a package. It's been a long time since I've looked at brewing programs, and figured revisiting and reviewing a bunch of them would make a good topic for the Beer Hacker.

I only looked at programs that run on a single computer—even though in this wired-internet-"web 2.0" world it seems like a no-brainer that there should be web-based brewing sites that do all the same things, only online and shareable with other users out there. Perhaps there are, but that's a subject for a future article.

Since I use Windows XP, I'm unable to test any software that runs on Mac or Linux, so if there's a fantastic non-Windows brewing program out there, let me know. The programs I found and tested are shareware—there is a trial period which you can use the software, then you must buy it at the end of that period for the full-featured version to continue using it.

Read more...

CRAFT BREW LOVERS HAVE NEW BAR CALL FOR ORDERING POPULAR INDIA PALE ALE

Redhook Ale Brewery honors roots by renaming its Redhook IPA to “Long Hammer IPA”

SEATTLE, January 31, 2007 – Redhook Ale Brewery has rechristened its popular bold-spirit, dry-hopped India Pale Ale (IPA) today by officially renaming it “Long Hammer IPA.” Reflecting on everything great that was ever built—transcontinental train tracks, impossible pipelines, soaring skyscrapers—the namesake pays tribute to our predecessors who used a long hammer to break rock and lay rail. With the Long Hammer name, Redhook assures craft brew lovers that its dry-hopped IPA has a taste built to stand the test of time.

“Brewed honoring the laborers before us, but crafted for the tastes of today, it’s only fitting that the hardest working IPA out there take the name Long Hammer,” said Redhook President Dave Mickelson. “It’s the IPA we believe consumers will reach for again and again, drawn to its distinctive hoppy aroma and bold drinkability.”

Long Hammer IPA is a strong, hard-working hoppy beer that’s defined by its one-of-a-kind taste of cascade hops. Originally called “Ballard Bitter” after one of Seattle’s hardest-working neighborhoods, the beer later became known as Redhook IPA. Long Hammer is a brass-colored craft beer featuring a bitterness of 38.5 IBU, alcohol by volume of 6.51 percent and original gravity of 1.06 degrees plato. Long Hammer is particularly enjoyable with grilled meats and spicy entrees.

After a long, hard day, today’s 8-to-5ers can now pay tribute to the long-hammer laborers before them as they call for a “Hammer” at the bar or when at home. Long Hammer IPA is currently available in 12 Western states on tap and in local grocers.

About Redhook Ale Brewery, Inc.
Redhook is an independent brewer of craft beers, producing eight styles of beer marketed under distinct brand names: Redhook ESB, Long Hammer India Pale Ale (IPA), Redhook Blonde Ale, Blackhook Porter, and its seasonal offerings, Copperhook, Late Harvest Autumn Ale, Sunrye Ale and Winterhook Winter Ale. Redhook brews its specialty bottled and draft products exclusively in its two Company-owned breweries, one in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville, Washington, and the other in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Company distributes its products through Craft Brands, a network of wholesale distributors, and a distribution alliance with A-B. Redhook beer is available in 48 states. Visit www.redhook.com to learn more about Redhook and its products.

For more information or samples, contact:

Julie Norton, 503.331.7267
Redhook Ale Brewery
julie.norton@craft-brands.com

Mark Baker, 503.471.6844
Edelman for Redhook Ale Brewery
mark.baker@edelman.com