Issue #6: Beer Wars

I watched a very interesting documentary today entitled, "Beer Wars." It was about the beer industry and the challenges faced by microbreweries in a market dominated by 3 brands, Bud, Miller and Coors. It really felt like the woman that did the documentary, Anat Baron, had an axe to grind but nonetheless it was entertaining and pretty informative.

A lot of it was focused on bashing the big boys and making them out to be bullies. Miller and Coors were pretty much exactly how I pictured them. A strong focus on profit and gaining market share; but they actually seem to really enjoy the beer industry and looked like pretty cool companies to work for. Anheuser-Busch was a completely different animal.

They had one focus, and that was becoming a flat out monopoly and garnering a 100% market share. Their plan to do this was simple, anyone who had achieved any level of success and built a recognizable brand, acquire them. Those that hadn't gotten that far, put them out of business. They even showed an internal sales video that looked more like a nazi propaganda film. A smooth talking sales rep is trying to get more shelf space with a customer. When he's informed that there just isn't anymore room, he cuts a hole in the floor and pushes a competitors product into it and says, "how about this big empty space here?" Funny? Yes, but wow. You also see how they've been able to control distribution through a "three tier" program that was put in place after prohibition but manipulated by big beer through their political connections.

The point when my feelings truly changed about Anheuser-Busch were when Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, shows a letter notifying him that AB is suing him to stop using the names, "Chicory Stout" and "Punkin Ale", beers he's been brewing for over a decade. Their claim is that the names are too generic and confusing to customers. Surprisingly they don't mention that AB is one of three companies to call their beer Budweiser, and they're not even the original.

There was a decent portion centered on Sam Calagione and Dogfish Head brewery and the strides he's taken and the risks he continues to take to do so. Being a huge fan of Dogfish Head and Sam Calagione it was really nice to see him get some exposure and credit as one of the faces of the craft movement.

In the end I don't think things are as dire as the filmmaker would lead you to believe. More and more people everyday are choosing flavor over advertising and retailers are noticing. Most distributors I go to are nearing a 50/50 split between craft and mass produced beer. Wegman's, the only grocery store in PA that carries beer (way too long of a story to get into right now) is about 80% craft, 12% import and 8% macro. The tide is definitely turning.

I liken it to McDonald's vs a locally owned restaurant. McDonald's is always going to make a lot more money but that doesn't mean they can't both be successful or that people can't eat at both. People should drink what they like and if what they like is Bud Light, good for them, that leaves more of the good stuff for me.


Drink On,

Dan

Issue #5 Part 2: Winners and Losers

There were plenty of winners and very few losers when it comes to the 2013 RateBeer Best but here's the handful that really stuck out for me.

The Winners:

Hill Farmstead - Greensboro, VT: These guys took care of business this year. #1 overall brewery in the world, 4 beers in the top 50 overall, 14 of the top 50 newly released beers including a whopping 8 of the top 10 (WOW!), and they had 31 different beers medal in 8 different style categories. No one else was anywhere close to these guys this year, bravo.

Tired Hands - Ardmore, PA: The #2 new brewery, selected from more than 1900 new breweries. They had 2 beers medal and 3 in the top 50 newly released. They were also ranked the #51 brewery overall. To put this into a little better perspective, the top 100 represents less than 1% of all active breweries, which means in their first year of operation Tired Hands is considered to be in the top 0.5%. Not too shabby.

Craft Beer Drinkers - Planet Earth: The craft beer revolution continues to explode; even the newest breweries are making exceptional, world class beer. Seasoned breweries are keeping the pace and continuing to push the limits of what beer can be; delivering us a steady stream of unique, hand crafted offerings to satisfy our cravings and keep us coming back for more. Thank you.

The Losers:

Troëgs - Hershey, PA: No medal winners, not even Nugget Nectar. My all time favorite was a top 5 IPA last year and this year didn't even crack the top 15. They were also ranked #50 overall last year and this year fell completely out of the top 100. A pretty poor showing for a brewery that has an excellent year round lineup, some nice seasonals and a brewery exclusive series that churns out a ton of new beers every year that could easily make their way into regular rotation. Then again, I have a hardcore bias for these guys. Better luck next year boys.

Pennsylvania: A bit depressing really. Being my home state I carry an unavoidable prejudice, that being said, I still know what great beer taste like and there is a plethora of it here. We still landed 3 breweries in the top 100, Tired Hands had a fabulous rookie season and Victory had several medal winners but PA is top 5 in these here United States. You can argue we could be as high as 2 (unfortunately California is an absolute power house). Sorry if I sound whiney but I just wasn't feeling the love this year.

In the end there are no real losers but you always want to see your favorites do well. Now it's time to spend another year seeking out as many of these whales as possible!

Drink On,

Dan

Issue #5: Best Of The Best

Ratebeer.com has released it's annual list of the best of the best in the world of craft beer, aptly titled, RateBeer Best. It's a year long competition to be named one of the world's top 50 beers, top 100 brewers, top beer by style category (IPA, stout, etc) and top 5 new brewers. This year the awards expanded a bit to include categories for best beer retailers and the top 50 new releases from last year. The website goes into far more detail about how the awards are decided, but when you're talking about 180,000 different beers from 13,000 breweries, it's safe to say you're making some quality brews if you land on any of these lists.

There was no change in the top spot for #1 overall beer, that honor once again went to Westvleteren XII, which seems to be a given at this point. Russian River's Pliny the Elder however made a big jump to the 2 spot from #16 last year, past his highly touted brother Pliny the Younger. The biggest surprise was Hill Farmstead who seemed to win just about everything this year. You couldn't make it very far on any of these lists without running into them.

If you like craft beer you're definitely going to want to spend some time checking out the complete awards on Ratebeer.com to see where all your favorites landed. Later, I'll bring you my winners and losers from the 2013 RateBeer Best.

Drink On,
Dan

Issue #4: A Little Celebration

Seasonal beers are some of the best out there. Those absolute gems that we wait an entire year to be released and then ration to try and make it last as long as possible. Unfortunately, IPA's have a shorter shelf life and must be consumed not long after bottling to ensure optimal flavor. Refrigeration will prolong their life and it's been my experience that depending on the brew, you're probably going to be ok for about 3-6 months. But enough of the technical stuff and on to the beer!

Tonight we're drinking Sierra Nevada Celebration, the brewery's annual Christmas seasonal. Celebration is an IPA that is released in November and December and has become a yearly (and much appreciated!) Christmas gift for this beer drinker. I've been trying to make it last but am down to my final six pack.

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark, hazy amber with a fluffy white head. The head retention is incredible, very frothy and lasts to the final sip. Excellent lacing the whole way through as well.

Aroma: Aroma is all hops. Lots of pine and citrus, primarily grapefruit and oranges.

Taste: Exactly what you'd expect from the nose. Bursting with hop flavor. Pine, grapefruit, peppery spiciness and lots of hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and decent carbonation but it's almost lost because of the wonderfully intense flavor.

Overall: This continues to be one of my favorite beers each and every year. This is one of those beers that always reminds me of why I started drinking craft beer. A fantastic example of the style and will satisfy any hophead out there. This brew will be in my home every Christmas 5/5

Drink On,

Dan

A Beer Drinker's Life: Issue 3

Tonight we're drinking Brooklyn Black Ops. Credit to Tom for snagging this bottle for me, thanks man. Black Ops is an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels and is considered a special release. That basically means its produced in limited quantities, is not all year round and has no particular season. Pours black with a creamy tan head. Aroma is strong right out of the bottle, bourbon, lots of cola and in a surprise twist, bananas. Flavor is almost completely unexpected. Bourbon, faint cola, ripe dark fruits and a hint of some champagne flavors coming through. At first I was unsure if I was really tasting this or if the fact that they used champagne yeast had just burned the thought in my head, but the more I drink the more obvious it is. The champagne qualities come through most in the mouthfeel. Dry and effervescent but with a fair thickness to it. It's strange, this tastes more like a Belgian quad than a stout, I imagine due to the yeast. It has a spice and fruitiness more common to this style. This beer definitely feeds into my barrel aged beer obsession, as well as my craving for unique offerings. This truly original brew comes in at a solid 4/5 and a strong recommendation for anyone who likes barrel aged beers, stouts, Belgians and originality in brewing. Until next time...

Drink On,

Dan

A Beer Drinker's Life: Super Bowl Edition Part 2

     The second half begins with Firestone Walker XVI (Sixteenth Anniversary). From the moment I saw this beer I was basically obsessed. I worried that I wouldn't be able to get it as it is a limited release from a west coast brewery and I live on the other side of the country. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across this whale. A blend of 8 different barrel aged beers. Stouts, barleywines, strong ales, a black IPA and a brown ale aged in brandy, bourbon, oak and tequila barrels and blended to perfection. Pours extremely dark brown but not quite black with a beige head that slowly disappears. Smells like chocolate, bourbon, butterscotch and slight alcohol. Tastes like bourbon candy. Bourbon, chocolate and butterscotch exploding onto the palate. So much flavor it's almost overwhelming. There aren't enough adjectives to describe how wonderful this beer tastes. Nice carbonation and thickness. Flash forward to the second glass; as this beer warms up the butterscotch in the nose and taste becomes far more prominent. I feel like I'm having dessert, especially because you can really feel how chewy this beer is now. It has been aged perfectly. At 13%, it's still relatively young at almost 4 months from bottling but it as smooth as anything I've ever had. The alcohol is non existent. Good thing I don't have more because this beer is dangerously drinkable, although as good as it is, I'd be willing to risk it.

     How it ended: Baltimore ran back the opening kickoff and NFL record 109 yards to go up 28-6. San Francisco scored 17 unanswered to bring it to 28-23. Super intense to the end, Baltimore wins 34-31. Congrats Baltimore, drink some Flying Dog and Stillwater Artisinal tonight to celebrate!

    I'll be with you all week reviewing beers, discussing styles and I'll go through the 2013 RateBeer awards. They expanded a lot this year and sparked some controversy, at least with me.

Drink On,

Dan

A Beer Drinker's Life: Super Bowl Edition

     A late start to my first beer, running around getting dinner ready, but still got it cracked open by the coin toss. Nugget Nectar, my absolute favorite, and it's delicious as always. Described by Troegs as an Imperial Amber but generally classified as an IPA. It pours a beautiful, clear burnt orange with a nice white head that casually fades to almost nothing. Aroma is tons of pine and sweet oranges. Taste is perfect. Piney, resiny, bursting with oranges, lots of bitterness from the hops but perfectly balanced by a sweet malt backbone. Truly world class; this is a beer that will satisfy many types of beer drinkers. Looking forward to drinking several more of these throughout the game!

     Quick first half breakdown: looking forward to seeing Kaepernick do something special but he gets limited opportunity through the first quarter. Meanwhile Flacco is pretty elusive and makes some good throws including the game's first touchdown. Baltimore leads 7-3 through the first quarter. Second quarter is dominated by Baltimore. San Francisco turns the ball over twice and goes into halftime down 21-6.

   I'll see you after the game with what hopes to be a more competitive showing from the Niners and another outstanding beer.

Drink On,

Dan