Great Lakes Brewing News Beer Maps

While I was exploring the Brewing News calendar site, I also stumbled upon the regional beer maps. There's a map of all the brewpubs/breweries, broken down by state. I've seen and used the Michigan version put out by the Michigan Brewers Guild, but didn't realize that there were similar maps for other states. Adding this link to the resources section of the page, also.

Technorati Tags:beer maps, Brewing News, Great Lakes Brewing News, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Brewing News Regional Calendars

I'm dismayed that I didn't discover the calendar feature of Brewing News earlier. I read the Great Lakes email updates regularly, so I generally have a good sense of the key beer events in the area, but didn't realize that Brewing News also aggregated the events into an online calendar. I've added the link to the resources section of this page. The link takes you to the Great Lakes region, but be sure to check out the other regional calendars, which are accessible at the same location.

Technorati Tags:Brewing News, Great Lakes Brewing News, events calendar, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Review: Bell's Porter in a cask at Boston's Bistro

On a fairly regular basis, Dave Boston of Boston's Bistro taps a firkin of some delicious cask-conditioned ale. This week, it was Bell's Porter. I've reviewed this beer before, and confessed it to be one of my favorites--one of the two or three beers I'd be happy to be stuck on a desert island with (you know, assuming an unlimited supply, refrigeration, etc). So I was pretty excited to get to try the cask version.

The first sip was not what I was expecting. In fact, the first pint was a huge let-down because of a lingering musty after-taste. I mentioned it to the bartender, who told the owner, and they swapped out the beer engine. Turns out the beer was fine; the beer engine needed a good bath.

After the wash-down, I ordered another pint, and this was the beer I had come for. I love the complexity of this beer, with some rich, roasty chocolate and coffee flavors. On CO2, there's always a bite at the end that I like, but in the cask, that edge is completely gone. In fact, I can't believe how smooth this beer is in a cask--it's like drinking a tall frothy glass of chocolate milk! I could have had this all night, and would have if I wasn't driving and hadn't promised to be home in time to tuck the kids into bed. Below are some notes I pounded out on my phone while tasting it, although they hardly do the beer justice.

A: black as William Blake's soul

S: roasted malt, light coffee, cocoa

T: chocolate and black patent malt, in a brilliant balance; less assertiveness than draft; there is a chocolate up-note that is usually a little harsher, like a dark, bitter chocolate; this is more smooth chocolate milk, with the kind of warm embrace of a heavy quilt on a cold winter's morning--wrap me up in a blanket of this and let me hibernate.

M: smooth, low carbonation, silky

D: this is an all night session beer; did I mention sssssmmmmmoooooooottttthhhhh?

Technorati Tags: Bell's Porter, cask conditioned, Real Ale, Boston's Bistro, beer engine, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Tactical Nuclear Penguin from BrewDog on Vimeo.

The BrewDog boys from Scotland launch a nuclear strike on beer drinkers, making what is essentially a barrel-aged ice beer and claiming the record for the world's strongest beer. Given Ohio's brew laws, I'm likely to never try this, which is a damn shame, given how enjoyable the video promo for the beer is. I also find it curious that the brewers are being bombarded with questions as to why they would brew something so strong. Why? Because they can. Can't imagine an American Brewer, with our taste for extreme beer, being asked the same thing.

GABF Winners from MI, IL, IN, and OH

Congrats to the medal winners at the Great American Beer Festival. Of the four states that are the focus of this blog, Michigan led the pack with 9 medal, Illinois came in second with 7 medals, Indiana in third with 3, and Ohio with a paltry single medal. Ohio, you gotta step up your game!

REGIONAL MEDAL WINNERS BY CATEGORY

Category 7 Specialty Beer, 21 Entries
Bronze: Drunken Angel, Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago, Chicago, IL

Category 10 Session Beer, 27 Entries
Bronze: Bam Biere, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI

Category 12 Experimental Beer, 32 Entries
Silver: Bloody Beer, Shorts Brewing Co., Bellaire, MI

Category 15 American-Belgo-Style Ale, 51 Entries
Silver : The Crow and The Sparrow, Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago, IL

Category 16 American-Style Sour Ale, 32 Entries
Bronze: Diamond Kings ‘09, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN

Category 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 33 Entries
Silver: Red Woody, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 18 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 110 Entries
Gold: Cereal Killer Barleywine, Arcadia Brewing Co., Battle Creek, MI

Category 22 Smoked Beer, 43 Entries
Silver: Up In Smoke, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH

Category 25 Bohemian Style Pilsener, 39 Entries
Bronze: Bell’s Lager Beer, Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Galesburg, MI

Category 37 Bock, 40 Entries
Bronze: Fornicator, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category 44 English-Style India Pale Ale, 40 Entries
Silver: IPA, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 57 American Style Brown Ale, 43 Entries
Gold: Dirty Helen Brown Ale, Barley Island Brewing Co., Noblesville, IN

Category 59 German-Style Sour Ale, 13 Entries
Bronze: Bad Kitty, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN

Category 60 South German Style Hefeweizen, 66 Entries
Gold: Top Heavy Hefeweizen, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category 63 French- and Belgian Style Saison, 56 Entries
Bronze: Saison Du Bastone, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Category 64 Belgian and French-Style Ale, 41 Entries
Silver: Demolition, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 65 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale, 29 Entries
Silver: Red Rock, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI

Category 69 Robust Porter, 57 Entries
Bronze: Pirate’s Porter, Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill,
Frankenmuth, MI

Category 73 Sweet Stout, 27 Entries
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI

Category 77 Old Ale or Strong Ale, 29 Entries
Bronze: 4th Dementia Old Ale, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI

Technorati Tags: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Great American Beer Festival, GABF, GABF winners, GABF medals, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Event: Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference

From the Craft Brew Sustainability Desk. Water conservation taps into the current Green movement, but it also makes good business sense. Cleary Leinenkugel's agrees, given their sponsorship.

Curious how prevalent this type of concern is in other states. If you know of other such movements, please leave details in Comments section.

SPONSORS ANNOUNCED FOR GREAT LAKES CRAFT BREWERS &
WATER CONSERVATION CONFERENCE IN MILWAUKEE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Milwaukee, WI - The Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference is proud to announce that the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls and Milwaukee, WI, will be the Platinum Sponsor, with special support provided by Beer Capitol Distributing Inc., Wauwatosa, WI. The National Wildlife Federation is providing outreach support through its Great Waters Restoration program.

The conference will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 26-27, 2009 and focuses on best practices in water conservation for small and medium-sized craft brewers. This is the first independent conference designed to bring together craft brewers, policy makers and nonprofit organizations for education and discussion about water conservation. Early registration price of $195 per person offered through Friday, September 18, 2009.

Dick Leinenkugel, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Wisconsin, will give the keynote address, on the economic impacts of the Great Lakes Compact and projects including the Milwaukee 7 Water Council.

Jake Leinenkugel, president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., will speak at the Monday evening reception at the Discovery World museum on Pier Wisconsin in downtown Milwaukee.

Marc Smith, state policy manager for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center, will outline opportunities for collaboration with conservation groups.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.,” says Lucy Saunders, conference organizer. For generations, the Leinenkugel family has supported conservation in its brewing practices and continues to make new improvements, with progress made across water, energy and waste reductions in recent years.

Participating breweries include Bridgeport Brewing Co. (Jeff Edgerton), MillerCoors Pilot Brewery (Troy Rysewyk), New Glarus Brewing Co. (Dan Carey), Odell Brewing Co. (Doug Odell) and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Fred Strachan). Poster sessions showcase designs and systems for water conservation, auditing, wastewater treatment and recycling in breweries/pubs.

The Monday, October 26, 2009 reception, open to the public from 5-8pm, features a special tasting with artisan cheesemakers, including Bob Wills of Cedar Grove Cheese Co., a leader in sustainable wastewater treatment, and displays by water conservation groups such as WaterKeepers and Clean Wisconsin. The $60 ticket includes a buffet dinner catered by the Bartolotta Catering Co., Pier Wisconsin., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Conference details, the call for posters, and tickets for the Monday evening reception are available online, at: http://www.conserve-greatlakes.com


-- Posted from my iPhone

Events: Ohio Fall Craft Beer Calendar

Five local events for beer aficionados in the Dayton/Cincinnati area:

September 19 -- Beer Judge Certification Program Training Class
Held at Belmont Party Supply. For more info, contact Bat Bateman at batman@erinet.com or 845-0572.

September 19-20 -- Zinzinnati Oktoberfest
What better way to celebrate Oktoberfest than to head to Ohio's largest Oktoberfest? Modeled after the festival in Munich in a Midwestern city known for its German heritage. For the rationale for why Oktoberfest is in September, check out this write-up I did a couple of years ago.

September 26-27 -- Dayton Art Institute Oktoberfest and Homebrew Competition
A week later, head 50 miles north to Dayton's largest Oktoberfest. Benefit the Art Institute and is always a good time. This year, they've added a homebrew contest.

October 24 -- Miami Valley Beer Fest
Miami Valley Beer Fest is a non-profit, charitable, craft beer event to benefit the Resident Home Association (RHA). RHA is working in conjunction with Belmont Party Supply, a leader in the Dayton craft beer scene for 25 years, to bring you an educational and safe day of fun, food, and most importantly craft beer.

Miami Valley Beer Fest will be held indoors at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in the Roundhouse from 2pm - 6pm on October 24th, 2009. There will be a limited amount of tickets available at participating bars and restaurants, as well as Belmont Party Supply. (from the MV Beer Fest website)

November 7-14 -- Arrogant Bastard National Competition Week
Help prove that Boston's Bistro & Pub is the most arrogant pub in the world. Boston's has held the title for the last two years and is trying for three-peat. Dave's looking to move as much Arrogant Bastard as possible, so look for some insane deals that week.

Technorati Tags:beer, brewing, craft beer, homebrew, Oktoberfest, Zinzinnati, Dayton Art Institute, DAI, Beer Judge Certification Program, BJCP, Belmont Party Supply, Arrogant Bastard, Boston's Bistro & Pub, Miami Valley Beer Fest

Review: Buckeye Brewing Hippie IPA

I was at my local beer store, looking for something local for the USC v. OSU game. Couldn't find anything Columbus-brewed, so I opted for Buckeye Brewing (even though it is Cleveland brewed, it's still Ohio, right?). I've had this before, years ago, but that beer is a different beer--less mature, less clean--than what I am drinking tonight. Good to see growth and maturation for a brewery.

Brewery: The Buckeye Brewing Company
Brewery Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Beer: Hippie IPA (scroll down to find it on the list)
BJCP Style: 14B. American IPA
Serving: Bottle

Appearance: Tawny, rust colored, with a relatively low head, more brown than amber, although in all fairness, it's a little tough to tell in this mug.

Smell: Piney, reminiscent of the 2007 Anchor Christmas Ale.

Taste: Big malt flavor, with hefty crystal malt. However, it's the hops that dominate. Big, piney hops. Most IPAs focus on the big citrusy C hops. Not sure what hops are used here, but they are definitely on the pine, earthy end of the spectrum [ed note: according to the brewery website, the recipe uses Northern and Cascade hops, so I stand corrected on the lack of C hops]. As noted above, reminds me of the Anchor Christmas ale from two years ago.

Mouthfeel: Hops are sharp, but big malt mellows them out.

Drinkability: I am generally not a fan of the pine hops, so I was a little disappointed when I opened this and got a whiff of scotch pines. I may stand alone, but I've not been a fan of the Amchor Christmas ales, which this beer reminded me of. However, as I work through the bottle, this beer is growing on me. It is pushing my boundaries a bit; not sure I would naturally gravitate to this beer, but I appreciate what the brewer is doing and think this a solid beer.

Tags: beer, craft beer, Buckeyes, OSU, Ohio State, IPA, Hippie IPA, Buckeye Brewing

Beer and Baseball

A Wall Street Journal article right up my alley, combining beer and baseball. The article compares beer prices at stadiums to the record of the teams. Kind of a weak comparison, since it doesn't take into account cost of living or, more importantly, the kind of beer served. Still, worth a read for the dig on the Nationals (ignoring the comment about Fenway because all Sox fans know it is more about the experience of being on that historic park).

Technorati Tags: baseball, Wall Street Journal, Red Sox, Nationals, stadium beer prices, beer, craft beer, brewing, homebrew

Canned Beer Festival

Received the update below from JustBeerNews.com. Before we get into the meat of the update, a few noteworthy items:

- The Canned Beer Fest is being put on by Buckbean Brewing, out of Reno, NV. The have two beers they market: Original Orange Blossom Ale and Black Noddy Lager. Their marketing team offered samples to bloggers a while back, so I got to try both. The Orange Blossom Ale was a little too sweet, in a teenage bubblegum way, but I really liked the Black Noddy. Marks for a refreshing Black Lager, which most American brewers don't tackle, and for putting it in a can.

- NONE of the beers in this festival are available in Ohio. I haven't seen any canned craft beers out here and I don't understand why not. Have you seen Ohio? If the Midwest doesn't scream canned beer, what does?

- Be sure to check out JustBeerNews.com, a clearinghouse for beer-related events and press releases. I get too many of them to publish them here, although I will republish ones that I find interesting from time to time.

Reno, NV (August 2009)—Buckbean Brewing Company, Nevada’s largest production microbrewery, will bring to Reno this October the first ever CANFEST – Reno International Canned Beer Festival, the first international beer judging and tasting for canned beer, to take place at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Oct. 23, 2009.

Buckbean, a company that packages their beers in environmentally-friendly 16 ounce aluminum cans, hopes to shed light on the various breweries across the US that distribute their brews in cans and crush the many myths regarding beer in cans. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Nature Conservancy and the Great Basin Bird Observatory.

The competition will commence and finish in the Grand Sierra Theater October 23, from 6:30 p.m. -10:30 p.m. Judging will take place prior to the public tasting. Celebrities from the beer world will judge the beers individually, based on categories still to be decided. Beer seminars, beer and food pairings and a forum of brewers that can beer are planned.

Along with Buckbean Brewing Company, Big Sky Brewing Company, Oskar Blues, Ukiah Brewing Company, Maui Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Uncommon Brewers, and Rochester Mills Brewing Company are a few that have confirmed they will attend the event.

Ticket prices are $35 per person and room packages will be available for attendees. For more information, please contact Constance Aguilar from Abbi Public Relations at constance@abbipr.com or by calling 775.323.2977.

Technorati Tags: beer, canned beer, beer in a can, homebrew, JustBeerNews.com, Buckbean Brewing

Moerlein Lager House at Cincinnati Riverfront Park

Christian Moerlein, an original Cincinnati brewery and makers of Over The Rhine Ale and Barbarossa Double Dark Lager, are opening a restaurant and brewery along the Ohio River. Details at the link below. Props to Moerlein and the city of Cincinnati for committing to Green building. (Thanks to RJ for posting the link initially.)

Moerlein Lager House at Cincinnati Riverfront Park - Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. selected to develop new Cincinnati Riverfront Park restaurant - Cincinnati News at Cincinnati.com

Technorati Tags: Moerlein, Christian Moerlein, Over The Rhine Ale, OTR Ale, Barbarossa, Cincinnati, brewery, beer

Resurrection of KevBrews

A day before the two-year anniversary of my last post, I have decided to resume posting. During the hiatus, I landed a new job and my wife and I had our third child (and first daughter). But I haven't given up my love of beer, just lost the time to write about it. Now that things are settling in, it's time to start writing again.

Some quick notes of local or personal interest:

- The 11th annual Dayton Alefest took place in Carillon Park last weekend. I have attended for the last 6 years (since we moved back to Ohio) and this was BY FAR the best weather--dry, sunny, and in the mid-70s. Attendance continues to grow each year. This year there were more draft beers than I recall in the past, most which were conveniently clustered in one area. Some whispers about Cavalier's lack of participation, which meant no Dogfish Head (no Randall) or Stone. That was disappointing, but I still imbibed a lot of interesting beers including Bell's Third Coast Old Ale and Goose Island Night Stalker, both on tap.

- Speaking of Bell's, the family and I took our annual summer vacation to western Michigan, this time to Ludington. We stopped at Bell's Eccentric Cafe for lunch, where I tried their Wild One, a delicious sour ale. Most of the family turned up their noses at it, but I thought it was incredibly third quenching and paired well with my burger.

- While in Ludington, we hit Jamesport Brewing. I was disappointed that they were out of their IPA, but thier dry stout made up for it. And, the burger was one of the best I've had in a long, long time. The group consensus was the beer was B+ good, but the food was a solid A.

- Finally had a chance to brew again (it had been nearly as long ago that I brewed as when I last posted). I was shooting for a twist on a British bitter. A session beer (only 3.6% ABV), but using late addition Centennial hops rather than a traditional British hop. The brew was an experiment to see if I could brew outside, with the boys (age 5 and 3) and keep them entertained while still producing a solid brew. Call it Daddy multi-tasking. I put it into the keg today and was impressed thus far. Will let it carbonate naturally, they chill and serve next week.

- Joined the Passport club at The Pub last night. Only 52 beers left to try before I get $4 pints for life. Last night, the cask was BrewDog Paradox Smokehead, with a really nice Scotch peatiness. Body was a bit thin, but the smokiness made up for it.

That's all for today. I'm shooting for updates at least weekly, although I have a backlog of items to notes this month.

Technorati Tags: AleFest, Bell's, Eccentric Cafe, Wild One, Third Coast Ale, Goose Island, Night Stalker, Cavalier, Ludington, Jamesport Brewing, The Pub, Passport club, BrewDog, Paradox, Smokehead, brewing, homebrewing, beer