Lost and found

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The wife and I were in the San Diego area top attend a friends wedding last weekend and anyone who knows me would fully expect us to make a few side trips as Southern California is one of the Craftbeer hotspots in the country.  We flew to LA and drove the remaining 100 miles or so, and strangely enough, our route took us right past Lost Abbey and Stone.

I had never been to either and had only seen pictures of Stones (relatively) new place in Escondido, where we planned to have lunch.   Lost Abbey, is it is just a “tasting room” would be first.

Lost Abbey is an offshoot of Port Brewing which has a few sites in SoCal.  It is kind of Port’s more experimental wing where most of what they produce are Belgian styles and barrel aged beers.

Essentially it was there brewery and aging “warehouse” as workers were pressure washing the floors around us and steel racks of oak barrels were everywhere. tucked in one of the front corners just inside a overhead garage door was the “tasting room”.  A “L” shaped bar that sat about 15 or so with barrels to sit on with a sack of grain on each to make them the appropriate height.

As you can see, there are quite a few to choose from.  A couple were out but for 1$ you can get a 4oz sample of any that are on tap and they had bottles of several others.  Includeing the exquisite “Angels Share”.  I am ashamedto say, I did not pick one up as I was on a pretty tight budget and that little beauty is 15$ for a 375ml…thats a touch over 12oz !

So, while my wife waited in the car in the parking lot reading her book, I managed to take care of 4 samplers n the 20 minutes or so I felt I was alloted   When asked I said, give me something that you are pretty proud of right now.  The “High Tide” fresh hop IPA fit this bill apparently and it was very nice.

A hazy orange and big pine slightly grassy hop aroma and flavor.  The others I tried were the “Hop 15” an IPA that has 15 additions of hops during the boil.  That works out to about every 4-5 minutes, somebody is dumping a few pounds of hops into it.   Red Barn is a Saison and it was light, and I thought had some Hefeweizen flavors in it, and “Devotion”, a Belgian that was clear golden with a perfect dense white head.  It was pretty light and the Belgian yeast flavors were subtle and soft.

I would have liked to pick up a T-Shirt or hat but for 3$ the logo sample glass was good enough and I headed out.  It would be nice to stop by again sometime when I have a little more time.

Falcon Tavern

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The Boise chapter of BeerandBlog.com allegedly meets here at the Falcon Tavern on Bannock at in Boise, but never having attended one of their weekly meetings I am not sure if they are even here and if they are, what any of them look like.   I asked my sever about it the best I could, having not ever met any of them and apparently the meets are not very frequent in the summer.   I suppose I could stand up on the bar and inquire as to the presence of any Boise Beer Bloggers in as loud a voice as possible. However, if that were successful, it may defeat the purpose as I would possibly be asked to leave for making such a disturbance.
Thinking the better of that, I will just sit here and take care of this IPA from Snake River Brewing, that is actually not bad.
On that note, I was pleasantly surprised to find a local beer that I did not recognize. SRB is only a couple years old, out of McCall, ID and it is nice to see it here in Boise on tap. Light bodied and lots of fresh hop aroma and flavor and the IPAs claimed 7% ABV is hidden well.   Its got a little of that grassy, brown-paper-bag note but its faint and in my experience fairly common.  Its easy drinking which makes it a tad dangerous and as this glass is nearly… I think I’ll have another.

Blind taste test

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Brewforia hosted a tasting today that was a bit unconventional. For a small fee, you could sample a few ounces each of 6 Imperial or “Double” IPAs and score them on several standard beer judging categories. Aroma, taste, appearance etc. The idea was to gather a cross section of beer lovers’ opinions and preferences on this high profile beer style on without knowing before which beers they were exactly. Kind of a way to cut through the hype and see if the highly rated brews that have some what of a snob appeal a d cult following match up when the tasters are not staring at the bottle label the whole time. For instance, could you pick out “Pliny the Elder” for example, in a blind line up, or are you just so swayed by the hype that if somone gave you any other decent big IPA and told you that’s what it is, would your taste buds concur with the conclusions you have already made. This is the only true way.
All 6 samples were served in tulip glasses and were quite cold. A scoring sheet was provided with 1-10 check boxes for some of the categories and 1-20 on a couple others. A 100 point maximum was possible.
I must say I surprised myself on how underwhelmed I was in general with all of them. Now I thought of myself as fairly knowledgeable on these big hoppy beers but I was progressively more and more disappointed as I tasted each one hoping to find at least a couple that I loved.
Most had a very sharp harsh papery bitterness that I knew was the 80+ IBUs rearing their ugly head, but I didn’t get much of that if hop flavor from most of them. 1 stood out from the rest to me, being flavorful as well as bitter and it turned out to be a local brewery just 50 miles away.
Beer Valley “Leafer Madness” was my favorite and it also turned out to be the aggregate favorite of the 20+ participants in this little taste test, beating out such heavy weights as Stone’s “Ruination” and Dog Fish Head’s “120 min IPA”
I suppose the point was proved, hype and reputation play a part in our “objective” opinions And this unofficial and unscientific experiment should lend at east a little support and vindication for the little guys in this competitive arena of “Craft Beer”

Rare beer tasting

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…perhaps I should clarify.  The beers were rare, the tasting of beers…not so rare.

I was extended an invitation to a private tasting at Brewforia, in Meridian, ID the other day as Rick was trying a few beers from Mayfield Brewing Company, considering whether to carry themat the store.    Saturday at 2pm I showed up and spotted Chad, Chris and Clayton, guys who are plugged in to the Treasure Valley craftbeer scene, and of course our host.

First up was the Mayfield Iconoclast “Aurora”.  an altbier that was a hazy light tan/copper that mustered up head that barely consisted of a ring of coarse bubbles.   Light aroma of mustiness, applesauce and honey.  The oak character was subtle and worked well with the pale maltiness, light body and lively feel it had.

The next was another Iconoclast series brew, “Eclat”.  As an IPA I thought it was sweet, fruity and somewhat floral.  The Cabernet and Zin American Oak barrels that it is conditioned in lent it a noticeable tannin-like bite and while it seemed to have the IBUs for the style, it didn’t come across with a big hop flavor profile.

The third Mayfield beer was the best, “Nocturna”  Aged in French Oak barrels previously filled with a California Port Wine.   Huge licorice, chocolate and something else I couldn’t put my finger on…that is untill Rich blurted out “green apples…! “.  He was right,  in the aroma and even more so in the flavor.  That wine/tannin flavor comes through as well, with a medium body and very soft carbonation.  The slightly roasted smokey trailer finished it off.   We all agreed it was delicious but like the other two of the set, we wondered aloud if they merited the rather spendy price tag they would wear.  $40ish for the first two and $50 for the Nocturna is what I was told.

We also shared a Dogfishhead Burton Baton, and the famous, or rather notorious 120 Minute IPA both contributed to the cause by Clayton.  Like almost anything DH makes, the Burton baton was big and brash.   Open fermented and oak aged and blended with their 90 Minute IPA.   It had a huge pine and citrus pith aroma, carmely malts that had quite a bit of residual sweetness but was bittered enough to make it all work out.  The 120 was very sweet and at 18% ABV you would think after smelling that it should come witha “No Smoking” warning on it.  I hae sampled this beer back in 2006 when it was 21%.  Yeah, that’s right…Twenty-One.  Good for what they are, but very sweet, syrupy almost, but tons of flavor and  something everyone should try once.

To lighten things up we had the Stumptown Tart (Frambiose), from Bridgeport Brewing.  Ive had most of their offerings, 14 or so I think and this one was my least favorite of all of them.  Pink, spritzy, and disappointing.   Definitely not up to their Marion Berry edition of this series and quite frankly I am rather hesitant to try the  “Cherry Wheat”, the third one of the set.

Next was  splitting a 12oz Harviestoun Ola Dubh 7 ways.  It’s classified as an “Old Ale” but the name translates to “Black Oil” and not surprisingly it tasted more like a stout or very rich dark porter.  Aged in 40 year old whiskey barrels, the earthen peaty aroma and flavors were big time and other smokey and whiskey notes made this the most “Scottish” tasting beer I can remember having.

To cap it all off I pulled out the DogfishHead World Wide Stout.  Even the label unabashedly claims that it is brewed with a “ridiculous” amount of barley.  Very dark, sweet, roasted flavors with tootsie roll, purple grapes and a heavy slick palate.  this bottle was 3 years old and if anything, it may have toned down a little of the bitterness that usually should be in an Imperial Stout this big.

Just about that time I got the call I was waiting for and had to leave to pick up my daughter from a baby-sitting job.  That all these samples were small, worked out for the good I guess.

My thanks to Rick of Brewforia for the invite and to the rest of the group there for some enjoyable “Beer-Snobery”

Ram visit

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I spent part of the day yesterday, checking in on a few local sources of my favorite malt beverage and it included a lunch break at The Ram – Boise.  Even before I opened the front door I knew something was brewing when I picked up on the unmistakable aroma of a “boil” going on.  I loved it but I wondered to my self how many of the prime time lunch crowd coming in would infact be turned off  by that unique smell as it is somewhat  of an “acquired taste”.

As is typically the case when I stop in to a Brewpub, especially ones I have visited recently or regularly, I am looking for any one-offs or seasonals or some other special offering.   I cant quite justify driving all the way down for a run-of-the-mill Amber, for example that they have all the time anyway.   Once in a while my effors are rewarded as I stumble across some Barrel Aged version of some seasonal or some other experimental brew.

Today though, only their regular line-up was on, so I had the Taildragger IPA which was very tasty as usual.   I skipped actual food and stuck with the beer only as a type of carbo-loading I suppose.

The highlight of my visit was when I spotted Kevin, the head brewer come out for a drink (of water) while glancing at MLB highlights on the big screen (Bobby Thompson had just passed away, and they were showing the clasic 1 game playoff in 1951)    I overheard my server talk to him about my questions I had for her a few minutes earlier about any special beers that were coming up and she was, I suppose making sure she hadn’t forgotten to mention any.  He came over and we shook hands and since he didnt seem to rushed I got to chat with him and ask a few questions.

He did say that he has an American Stout on oak right now that will be released in the fall and when I mentioned that it smelled like he was boiling something he confirmed that it was “just an Amber” he was doing today.  I asked him about GABF coming up and he perked up a bit and said he had several entries this year.  I reminded him that he had done pretty well in the past and he shrugged it off and agreed that he had had some success recently.  I asked him if he had particularly high hopes for any of his entries in particular and the Kolsch, he thought was pretty good especially.  I’m sure he will come back with a couple medals this year again.

It was great to chat with him and it was gracious of him to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule for me and now that I think of it, he might have shown me around the brewing facilities if I had asked, but I didn’t want to impose.  I did however switch gears a bit, identified myself as a Homebrewer and had a specific question about Pale Ales and IPAs and that grassy, hay like flavor I sometimes get.  He asked if I dry hopped and when I said “yeah” he advised me that hops in the pellet form would likely give me less of that off flavor than the whole leaf version I had usually used in the past.  Thanks for the tip.

I was good to talk to Kevin, and I couldn’t help feeling like I was hob-knobbing a little and getting privy information.

Wax On !

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It’s been a couple weeks since the local rags blurbed about the new startup Crescent Brewing and only now have I had the chance to drive out to one of the 2 known locations it is on tap. I am at Wingers in Nampa and I spotted the Crescent Brewery Amber Ale right off when I walked in.
The very full glass showed me very little sign of a head and the first sip confirmed that it was under carbonated. The soft woody flavors are nice but there is a little sourness that is a bit reminiscent of cider.   Still cider (see above).  There is also a tang that I didn’t expect from an amber and the IBUs are a bit on the high side.  Still, tasty and is washing down my complimentary popcorn just fine.
I’m excited to see a new brewery pop up here in the Treasure Valley and will continue to keep an eye out for Crescent Brewery’s next outing.   My server mentioned that it may be a Porter.
Can’t wait for that.

Old Chicago

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As a bit of a beer geek, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting brews I have not tried and fun places that have interesting taps.  The establishment I visited tonight qualified for neither, really. 

Old Chicago fancy’s itself a member of the inner circle of craft beer.   (Along with overpriced Pizza and servers with a little too much “flair”)  This is evidenced by their apparent infatuation with Guinness.  They even offer several “mixed” beer drinks…all include the first item on the menu of international “Craft Beer”   One of them is Guinness and Stella Artois.   I don’t recall what catchy name they gave it but I have one or two suggestions.     OC also is known(undoubtedly among its own clientele) for their “World tour of Beer.  110 different offerings from around the world (taps and bottles) and some kind of a punch card system to track your progress.  110   Wow.  I have had a third that many, from a single local BrewPub.  Well, you learn to walk before you learn to run and I guess and I am all for the proliferation of  non-macro awareness.   I still have this secret longing for the day when they suggest their world beer tour pitch on me.  I am still formulating a reply that is sarcastic and witty enough to amuse myself, but no so rude that I risk forfeiting reasonable service for the duration of my visit.  We went cheap tonight when I was there with the fam for dinner.

We had a gift card so the only non-water beverage I allowed myself as one of there mini-samplers.  Oh sorry…”Flights”   Not sure what the back-story is, calling them that.   I chose the one with four selection of  “Americas best Craft beer”  Moose Drool, Widmer Hefeweizen, and Deschuttes Mirror Pond.  I don’t recall what the fourth one was.  Yeah, it was that special.  All were good, but these should be called “Best American Craft Beers that budding beer geeks have probably heard of”   The Mirror Pond was quite good.  It always is.

Regardless, they all washed down my pizza…which was very tasty BTW.

The Pizza was good though

Eagle Pub

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Not having officially checked out the few adult beverage establishments in the upscale town on the western outskirts of Boise, I figured it was high time to take a closer look.
Eagle is a nice town.    I like the fresh modern look that all the relatively new construction adds to it. I had driven by RiverRock Ale House about a thousand times over the last year or so but never stopped in, until now.
Hitting it at 345pm I figured it wouldn’t be busy and I was right. In fact there was an awkward moment when I walked in when the entire staff and both of the customers all turned around and stared at me for a moment.   I thought maybe there was a private meeting going on and that I was going to have my attention directed to the “closed” sign.
Turns out they were in fact open, and the collection of blank looks I got must have been due to some other unknown factor.
Their tap selection is impressive and disappointing at the same time. 24 taps, no casks and no nitros. Well, 1 if you count the Guinness. Their tap selection shows that they are not proud nor adventurous. The light variants of both Bud and Coors were represented and argue other end of the spectrum were such wild and crazy offerings as Black Butte Porter, Stella Artois and Skinny Dip. It was nice to see the Ninkasi Radiant and also the Stone IPA. 

I went with an old favorite, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale which was good, as usual but I would have liked to see her run a couple ounces out before filling the glass.

I had to have been the first hit on that tap in the last couple hours, maybe even for the whole day.    It foamed like crazy and my server figured it was the same thing to just pour off the foam (and nearly all the carbonation from that first 30% of the serving) and just top it off with a couple more pulls from the tap.    So it was a little flat and a little warm. Not that I have to have my beer ice cold.   I was offered ice water, which I accepted, but after 20 minutes all I got was a couple expressionless glances while he was determining if it was too eat to try to sell me another beer.    I also thought it was a nice touch when my server had to answer the AC/DC ring tone on her cell.
“Shook me all night long” I think it was.
Can’t think of a good reason to come back….well…AC/DC does rock…

YardWork Break

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So, it is only supposed to get up to 93 today, but spending a couple hours shoveling dirt into the back of your truck… then shoving it back out into a nearby vacant lot… a half dozen times will wear on ya. It was beer-30 after several of those round trips, and since I needed to stop at the bank, right across the street from what has be become my new favorite bottleshop/watering-hole, Brewforia, I decided to stop off for a pint to relax and cool off.
The hefeweizen I had the other day was now gone so I settled for and old trusted stand-by, Deschutes Black Butte Porter. Not exactly what I had in mind to beat today’s heat, but a very good porter and a known quantity. Actually BBP was what started me on my craft beer journey which is still coming along nicely, thank you very much.
The beer is clear dark brown with moderate to subtle roasted and coffee notes and that porter character that used to put me off of the style when I was just a newb. Kind of a sour astringent kick that hits you right after you think “…hey this is tasty…”
It’s there in all but the sweetest entries of the style and it is subtle and expected in this example. Kind of like that weird but friendly neighbor you have down the street that you don’t go out of your way to talk to, but always sends you a Christmas card each year and waves and says hi every time he sees you leave the subdivision. But I digress….
This is I think Deschutes’ flagship beer and even non beer-geeks would say “Black Butte” if you asked them if they had heard of the brewer. Possibly “Twilight” or “Mirror Pond” mitt be more popular now that I think about it.
Well, the glass is empty now, but there are even still lingering wisps of lacing clinging to the sides as I contemplate weather it is too early in the day for another.
Hmmm… still looks pretty hot out there…and it is practically 4 PM…

Weizenbock

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One of the best microbrews I have ever had was a DoppleWeizenbock at Walking Man Brewing in Stevenson, Wa a few years ago.  A rich, slightly sweet, pretty strong ale that had flavors of brown sugar, raisins, buttered wheat toast and a little cinnamon and spices.  A thick slick feel and a little late burn from the 9%+ ABV.  It was 4 years ago, nearly to the day and I can still taste it and have not yet had a similar style beer that even came close.

Earlier this week as I was cruising for recipes on one of my favorite Homebrew sites   www.themadfermentationist.com I saw a Weizenbock recipe and knew I had to try it.  Not being a “Dopple” (double) it will not be as strong as the one I remembered that day in Stevenson, but hopefully it will bring back some fond memories.

Sticking pretty close to the recipe I found, but substituing a couple of small items, here is the grain bill for mine:

  • 8#  Wheat
  • 4#  Dark Munich
  • 2#  Marris Otter
  • 1# Vienna
  • 1# Pilsner
  • 1#  Crystal 120l

Mashed at 152F and batch sparged for a total of 8.25G of run off.  Boiled this donwn for about 45min then hopped with 1.75oz of  leaf  Saaz for 45min which should give me about 20 IBUs.

Starting gravity on this one was 1.072   A little lower then I had hoped but my “efficiency” is always pretty low.  If I can get it to ferment down to 1.016 that will come out to about 7.5% ABV which will suit me just fine.

I noticed that it was at 78F right after I transferred it to the fermenter.  That is quite a bit too high so I put the wet T-Shirt on it. Within an hour it was going at about 60 bubble per min and the temp was 76F  Still to high.   Wetted down the t-Shirt some more and put a fan on it.  Need to get that down another several degrees if I can.

EDIT – –

09/07/10

Just kegged this one. when I transferred to secondary it was a disappointingly high 1.034 so I ignored it for nearly two months. today it is at 1.021 which is a decent 6.8% ABV It tasted a bit too bitter from the sample I snagged as I was siphoning it into the keg but the flavors were OK. Its got a nice clear light mahogany color, which is about what I was shooting for. We’ll see after it chills and carbonates a bit.