This coming weekend (May 4-5), Denverites will descend upon the southern burb of Littleton, CO for the inaugural South Denver Beer Fest, with over 60 breweries, both local and national (and a couple of Belgians, as well as a couple of local distillers).  Unfortunately the Fest will carry on without roughly 8 breweries planned for attendance.

One of the major draws of the South Denver Beer Fest was/is the presence of breweries so new, they hadn’t even signed building leases.  And in a town with 24 currently active breweries (seven in the past twelve months), NEW is as sought-after as a hoppy double IPA.  But on the evening of April 24, ten days before the Fest was set to begin, CLED (the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division) told event organizers that beer from unlicensed breweries would not be permitted.

Festival co-organizer Jeremy Hutaff’s goal with involving breweries-in-planning was to give a bit of exposure to these small businesses like Demon Spawn Ale Works, 53 Peaks Brewing Co., and Former Future Brewing Co., and hopefully allow these entrepreneurs a chance to gain some early fans in an increasingly crowded market.

To paraphrase Colorado’s laws on the matter, homebrew may be involved in beer fests, but only to “judges”, not the general public.  Homebrew (or, more to the point, beer from brewers without a state license) may not be sold.  And since the South Denver Beer Fest is a ticketed event, a bit of creativity was involved in trying to get these unopened brewers to take part in the fest.

Hutaff’s plan was to set up these breweries-in-planning as homebrewers in a separate Homebrew-Judging pavilion, apart from the licensed brewers.  Hutaff said he talked to state Liquor/Tobacco Enforcement Division staff about the festival well beforehand and “all they could come back and say was, ‘It’s a gray area.’”

The gray area came to a head last week when officials told Hutaff the “homebrewers” would be solicited on the day of event by CLED, and that charges levied against these brewers would certainly affect their license applications.  Officials noted that homebrew judges need to be selected beforehand, not invited from the general public (paying customers).

“I personally still do not believe this is in any way illegal,” says Jason Conger of 53 Peaks Brewing. “We aren’t selling beer and there is no area from Jeremy’s understanding of the law, that would make us to believe we were doing anything illegal. I believe this is in every way of the law, unfair, and unjust to disallow this event from happening. As Jeremy has said, he never hid this fact, he’s talked to [CLED] on many accounts, and it’s been going on for months now.”

To be safe, Hutaff, the other organizers, and the brewers themselves decided to scrap the pavilion to be safe.  The breweries affected still plan on attending, just not pouring beer.  Former Future’s James Howat added, “We absolutely want to do things the right way, which is a big reason why we started the contract brewing agreement in the first place – because I know the serving homebrewed beer at festivals, etc is a huge grey area. We are getting closer to opening our doors and we want to cooperate and work with [CLED] to make sure we are doing things legally and not jeopardizing our future licensing.”

At the keynote session on the 27^th, Brewers Association executive director Paul Gatza presented statistics showing that the craft-brewing segment of the beer industry is growing steadily.  The Brewers Association reported that there were 2,347 craft breweries in the U.S. in 2012, including 97 “regional craft breweries” producing over 15,000 barrels a year.  These craft breweries increased sales by 15 percent over 2011 sales.  Vermont continued to have the most craft breweries for its population, with one brewery for every 25,030 residents.  The number of breweries in Vermont, Gatza said, was increasing so rapidly that at the current rate, “by 2025, Vermont will have a brewery for every resident.”

Gatza also reported problems that might make conditions for craft brewers worse. Wholesalers have been steadily consolidating, and Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors have been buying more of them.  This consolidation meant that small brewers will have to work harder to get their products on the shelves.

In addition, Gatza said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working on two sets of regulations that could affect craft brewers.  The agency is currently formulating regulations about food served in chain restaurants that could impose onerous reporting requirements on any brewer that sells to a restaurant chain—unless the FDA exempts alcohol from the regulations.  The FDA is also preparing spent grain regulations that could make it far harder for brewers to dispose of spent grains than in the past.

At one presentation, Nielsen vice-president Danny Brager discussed survey research data the company had collected about how and where people buy beer.  According to Nielsen, the younger you are, the more likely you are to buy craft beer.  People born after 1964 were 28 percent more likely to buy craft beer than the average, while “pre-Boomers” born before 1946 buy craft beer about half as much as the average beer drinker.  Baby Boomers think craft beer is a treat they try on special occasions, while Millennials born after 1980 were more likely to buy seasonal beers and local brews.  The top three craft beer markets are in San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle, but the three fastest growing markets are Louisville, Memphis, and the Tampa Bay area.  (Nielsen, however, doesn’t report in ten states with government-run liquor stores or with other restrictions that prevent them from collecting data on beer sales.)

BeerExpo America had vendors for every conceivable aspect of the beer industry—and if you were tired of beer, Burleson’s Honey of Waxahachie, Texas would happily sell you honey and the British soda maker Fentiman’s offered its full range of craft sodas, which are made in the U.S. by The Lion under contract.

Some vendors had new products specifically for the beer lover.  The printing company Quad/Graphics unveiled new beer cartons with “interactive print applications” that can be scanned by smartphones.  The one on display was for Sprecher’s barrel-aged root beer, providing consumers with a little comedy skit about how the root beer was made. Other applications, Quad/Graphics says, could provide customers with coupons or other useful information.

The German glassmaker Spiegelau unveiled new beer glasses especially designed for Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head. Spiegelau held a session with brewers from the two companies at last year’s Craft Brewers Conference holding. They then held a second session onsite, further refining choices to come up with a glass designed to enhance the aroma and flavor of Sierra Nevada’s hefeweizen and Dogfish Head’s pale ales.  The two new glasses will be sold on Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head’s websites beginning in May, with Spiegelau offering more generic versions at a later date.

Next year’s Craft Brewers Conference will be held in April in Denver.

Martin Morse Wooster is a writer for Mid-Atlantic Brewing News. 

Look, we’re all beer nerds here; you don’t read a beer blog hosted by RateBeer.com without being somewhat nerdy about beer.  We all wonder why the balls any self respecting adult, craft-beer-aware or not, would order a bottle of Bud at a bar featuring 25+ craft taps.  But I’m going to go ahead and make a statement that might ruffle feathers.

It’s 2013.  If you’re a beer nerd and unfamiliar with craft spirits (specifically the malt-based whiskey [and all derivations]), your nerdiness is incomplete.

Imagine a person who calls themselves a beer nerd who has never had Sierra Nevada Pale, or Sam Adams Boston Lager.  Excuseless, right?  Well, that’s kinda how I feel nowadays.  Barrel-ageing has been going on for some time now in craft beer, so I know you’re familiar with whiskey, bourbon, rum, gin, etc.  Also, you should be 21 or over…so there’s that.

I’m not saying you need to actively like/drink liquor the way some of us do for beer.  I’m just saying, if you love this malted-barley-based beverage called Beer, you would do well to familiarize yourself with whiskey.  Admittedly, I’m biased.  I don’t much care for gin, vodka, tequila, or rum outside of a cocktail recipe.  But being such a fan of malt, I have dived into the familiar-yet-different world of craft whiskey.  Different in that my palate is confused and has to be re-calibrated (all meant in a good way) as I explore everything malted-barley can be; familiar in that craft whiskey and craft beer share so much story and history.  And challenges.  And drinkers.

Take Colorado’s most famous whiskey: Stranahan’s.  If you’re a big enough beer nerd you recognize the name most likely due to a “Stranahans Whiskey Barrel Aged _____” from your favorite local brewery.  Well, like craft beer, it’s really new. As in, their first batch was on store shelves in 2006.  And like craft beer big-boys, they’ve also had to retreat from out-of-state markets as they double and quadruple their production growth to meet local demands.

But one look inside at The Rackhouse, a pub (gastropub?) that shares the same building space as Stranahan’s,  will reveal a wide crossover of interested clientele.  Many patrons saddle up to the bar for a bourbon aged stout, and a bourbon.  Friends and strangers alike share craft beer and a wide variety of spirits and specialty cocktails distilled in the centennial state.  The American craft beer drinker’s palate is the opposite of bored; it’s curious. Curious for more.  New hops, new styles, new incarnations of old styles and mashed up recipes.  It makes sense that a knowledged and curious beer drinker will gravitate toward craft spirits.

And I’ll use that segue to talk about something that’s getting me as excited as a beer nerd’s first trip to GABF.  And for all intents and purposes, a week-long booze festival centered in Denver is a very apt comparison.

April 1-6, Denver, Colorado plays host to DSTILL, a week of tastings, events and workshops featuring American craft spirits and cocktails. Award-winning distillers from across the nation and master bartenders will pair up to bring the artisanally-inclined consumer a true taste of hand-made.  But the highlight, the extravaganza, is the night when craft distillers from all over, as well as strong representation by co-hosts The Colorado Distiller Guild, put all their liquor in the same building, and send their distillers and reps to get geeky with you.  The American Craft Spirit & Cocktail Showcase, which is going to happen April 3, is your chance to try all manner of small-batch craft spirits, from coast to coast, from coffee liqueur to barrel-aged gin, from straight whiskey to non-Mexican tequila (shocker!).  You will also be privy to specialty cocktails from the master barmen and women of the Colorado Bartenders Guild, and inspired bites from Denver’s independent restaurant scene.

(updates to events and workshops are still being added, but you can get tickets to the April 3 showcase here: www.dstill.co)

Given Colorado’s blooming distilling scene and cocktail culture, I hope this becomes an annual thing.  There are plenty of bars that carry small-batch spirits, but there is still a sizable amount of public unawareness that needs addressing.  Honestly, half the reason I’m going is to educate myself, having only tried about 5 different distilleries, ever.  Many craft distilleries are popping up throughout the nation, even as some breweries are getting in on the fun.  Much like the origins of craft beer, it just takes a few fests and word of mouth to get the ball rolling.

And I am absolutely on this ball.  A lowball.  With three fingers of whiskey.

Now in its 4th year, the Mazer Cup has a lot of resemblances to the early days of GABF: ~342 unique meads to be judged, an infant but fast-growing market with few regional players, and all commencing in a Boulder, CO hotel.  I’m not saying that in 15 years the Mazer Cup will have record-fast ticket sellouts in major convention halls, but…

If you’ve never tasted mead before, just remember back to when you were experiencing craft beer for the first time(s).  The uncertainty of what to buy, the curiosity, not knowing what you’re supposed to taste vs. what you actually taste…but then you crack open that bad boy and find a new flavor experience you want to share with everyone you talk to.  It’s like that.  Just dive in, and don’t expect it to taste like straight honey from a bear-shaped bottle. If it makes you feel better, it’s counted as a style category on RateBeer.com.  So nerd up and pinky out.

If you’re curious about sampling some 60+ brands of viking juice, and don’t mind getting to (or living in) Boulder, CO, then lucky you!  Kick off the 2013 festival season with class at the Mazer  Cup’s first public Mead Mixer, the public tasting portion of the competition.  Tix here.  And besides the obligatory souvenir glass there’s food!  For your belly! With price of admission!  A rare treat in modern beerfests.  

And thanks to weird post-prohibition laws, mead counts as ‘wine’ and thus is allowed to be shipped nationwide direct from producer to consumer.  So if you fell in love with that Blackberry Mead from Pirtle Winery in Missouri, it’s not forever out of reach. (Though, may I shamelessly plug/reccomend Boulder’s own Redstone Meadery?)

The competitive (judged) portion of the competition is the day after, and not open to the public, however.  To get behind the scenes well by-gum you’ll need to volunteer.  To keep track of them to remind yourself for next year, follow their Facebook or Twitter.

Earlier this month I attended THE Big Beers, Belgians, & Barlywines Fest in Vail, Colorado. I emphasized the ‘THE’ because, in short, it oozes as much (potentially more) awesomesauce than GABF.  Sam Calagione has gone on record saying it’s his favorite fest every year.  And it pretty well proves itself: a tasting of 67 breweries and (Belgian) importers, packed seminars, beer dinners, and a homebrew competition round out a 2.5 day weekend.  It is, as their tagline denotes, the ultimate beer-cation.

But like a wee lad on Christmas morning, getting over-spoiled by sacrificial parents, I wanted more.  And it’s hard to ask for more.  I mean, compared to GABF, the parking is better; the beers were more impressive; the crowd was less rowdy and more sparse; there were educational seminars; no odd industrial yellow lighting or ticket scalping; booths actually had brewery reps (!); skiing was a viable option for pre-fest downtime instead of…nothing much.  Now that I really think about it, I’m going to go ahead and side with Calagione on this one.  Big Beers in Vail is better than GABF.    But it, like GABF, is not without fault.

1. High cost of entry (unavoidable)
   Look, it’s Vail.  You need to stay in a hotel, and a beer fest with pretty rare and otherwise expensive beers on hand.  It runs a bit expensive, but it’s nothing you shouldn’t expect.
2. Cramped seminars with moderate confusion on who was allowed in
   A ton of people work really hard to make sure even the lamest of beerfests are pulled off.  And the Big Beers fest is, I am sure, no different; I am positive a lot of hours and meticulous planning was involved on behalf of several qualified organizers to make sure Big Beers was a success.  And it was, by many means.  However, at every seminar I attended, there was a massive crowd outside the door waiting to get in, who seemed to have tickets or were otherwise assured entry, who were forced to stand in the back of the room or not attend at all.  Now, these were really cool seminars.  Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing Co. talked about brewing Belgian Styles; Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster for Firestone Walker Brewing Co. spoke on “Oak Three Ways: Fermented, Aged & Wild”.  You get the idea.  To be told or otherwise purchase entry to such a class, only to be met with a closed door is a pretty huge bummer.I know the festival planning is at the mercy of the hosting hotel and what they have available, but perhaps larger meeting rooms, or a partitioned ballroom, or something larger than the space of a 1-bedroom studio apartment would free up some space so less people would be forced to stand against a wall for an hour-an-a-half.   Furthermore, how about some free seminars?  Give a little something back to the traveler who already spent their wallet on travel, food and lodging.  These don’t have to include beer samples like the others; chatting with a regionally renowned brewmaster is reward enough.
3. More participation from local brewers
   I’m looking at you, Campfire Brewing and Crazy Mountain Brewing.  You’re the closest two breweries to the fest, and there is virtually minimal craft beer presence in Vail proper.  When GABF rolls around, Left Hand, Great Divide and Avery are all over that s***.  Except for the commercial tasting on Saturday night I barely heard a peep from you guys.  And speaking of the commercial tasting…
4. Make the commercial tasting longer
   The commercial tasting is the actual beer fest portion of the weekend.  It’s the capstone, the main event, the steak dinner.  And as I stated earlier, it’s a beer-nerd delight, with expensive rarities out the wazoo.  Calling it Beer Nerd Fest would be equally apt.  Sam Adams Utopias; Bells Raspberry One; Surly Furious; Boulevard Love Child 2; Kasteel Donker; Westmalle Tripel, et cetera.  But 2:30 to 6:00pm?  There must be some sort of crazy hotel-related policy, or local Vail law, against having fun.No beer party ends at 6:00pm.  No beer party of this magnitude should end after 3.5 hours.  I was there the whole time, and by the time last call was signaled, I was barely buzzed.

Well, that’s about all my complaints.  They don’t really stack up or tell you how awesome the weekend was. So, pictures!

Steven Paulwels

]]> http://hoppress.com/?feed=rss2&p=12052 0 http://mountain.hoppress.com/2013/01/06/class-of-88-deschutes-and-friends-year-long-collaboration/ http://mountain.hoppress.com/2013/01/06/class-of-88-deschutes-and-friends-year-long-collaboration/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2013 20:46:31 +0000 Brian Leppla http://44.6488

photo credit to GABF.com

John McClane drops Hans Gruber off the top of Nakatomi Plaza, U2 charmed our hearts and won a grammy, and gas was 91¢ a gallon.  The year is 1988, and America had just begun to feel good about itself again.  But more importantly to this blog, Craft Beer was very much in an infant stage compared to where it is now.  We all know craft beer is relatively new, but in 1988 it was looking kinda rough out there.  Sure, Anchor Brewing had begun a little revival of sorts, Sierra Nevada had been around for 8 years and the almighty GABF was just 6 years old (and featured less than 150 breweries).  But nationwide, the thought of beer as anything other than fizzy-yellow blah was preposterous.

  Up until the early-1980s the popular image of beer in America was simply that of a mass-produced commodity with little or no character, tradition or culture worth mentioning.  The 1980s marked the decade of the microbrewing pioneers. In a time when industry experts flat out refused to recognize their existence as anything serious, the pioneering companies emerged with their passion and a vision, serving their local communities a taste of full flavored beer and old world European traditions; all with what was to become a uniquely American character. Through extraordinarily difficult market conditions, the microbreweries and brewpubs of the 1980s struggled to establish the foundation for what was to become the proliferation of craft beer in America.

–From The Brewers Association, “History of Craft Brewing” 

In 1988, a couple of small-time local breweries were started that, in the future, would become some of the larger players in American Craft Brewing.  Little guys like Goose Island, Rogue, Great Lakes Brewing, North Coast Brewing, and Deschutes Brewing.  You may have heard about them.

Back in December, Deschutes announced that in honor of the 25th anniversary of these breweries, they would collaborate with each brewer to come up with a special collaborative beer recipe to celebrate.  Each of the breweries participating in the project will brew its own version of the recipe they collaboratively come with.  The respective beers will have a common heritage and ingredients with the brewers working together to brew the beer that will ultimately end up in your glass.

Gary Fish, owner and founder of Deschutes Brewery said, “I’m very excited about all the Class of ’88 offerings.  I have known personally most all of the principals involved with these breweries for a long time and each them has made substantial and substantive contributions to the world of craft beer in their 25 year history.  Although these companies have taken different paths, all have distinguished themselves through the beers they produce and the way they have taken care of their communities and their brands.”

Brewery Partners: North Coast Brewing Company (Ft. Bragg, CA) & Rogue Ales (Newport, OR)
Beer Style: Barley Wine
Planned Release Date: March 2013

Story: In the same year these breweries were born, renowned beer connoisseur Fred Eckhardt published The Essentials of Beer Style which included a barley wine style guideline which will provide the basis for this collaboration. All three versions of the barley wines that will result from this unique collaboration will be packaged in 22-ounce and 750 ml bottles, plus draft.

Brewery Partner: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cleveland, OH)
Beer Style: Smoked Imperial Porter
Planned Release Date: May 2013

Story: Building on a history of great porters – Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Edmund Fitzgerald and Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter – this Smoked Imperial Porter promises to be exceptional. Both beer versions will be available for a limited time in 22-ounce bottles and draft.

Brewery Partner: Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL)
Beer Style: Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale
Planned Release Date: Q4 2013

Story:  Brewers and owners are still working out the details on this beer, which they plan to brew with Riesling juice and Pinot Noir grapes. It will be aged in barrels that previously held Muscat wine in them for 10 years. Again, each brewery will produce its own version of the brew in bottles and draft.  

(unfortunately some of these beers may never be made again in 2013 or beyond, due to either critical unsuccess or the whimsy of that particular brewer.  But some might.  Who knows.)

Blue Moon Caramel Apple Spice Ale
This beer isn’t on this list because it’s brewed with nutmeg, caramel malt, apple juice and cinnamon…though it would be enough to turn heads if it were any other brewer.  What made this odd was that it was brewed by the folks over at Blue Moon (Coors).  Now, “Craft vs Crafty” debate aside, it takes guts and a special sort of ‘devil-may-care’ attitude to brew up a wheat beer full of caramel, apples and spices.  Coming in at 5.8%ABV, this autumn special release caught my attention about a week before Haloween, when the craving for a candy apple is at its highest.  The result was a little bit of a letdown, no surprise considering the wide appeal Blue Moon attempts to cater to–but it was indeed a step in the right direction.  Craft brewers trying something new or outlandish is nothing new, but Blue Moon filling a spot that not even Craft brewers are filling?  That’s novel.

SKA SkaWork Orange: Imperial Orange Cream Stout
An especially rare brew, this stout was released in February to commemorate the 2012 Durango Independant Film Festival. Only a couple of cases were distributed to the Denver-metro area, so if you got yourself a bottle you’re pretty lucky.  Otherwise it was more-or-less only available in Durango, particluarly at SKA Brewery or thereabouts.  And with a label and name to celebrate one of the finest cult classics in film.  Basically, this is an imperial milk stout with orange peel.  Sounds like a good idea right? Creamsicles are good, imperial stouts are good, all should be well with this beer.  And while it garnered 6 raves on BeerAdvocate, it got unanimously slammed on RateBeer.  And myself. I mean, I applaud the creativity and the attempt, but something didn’t quite come together for this beer.  The consensus seems to be too much orange and boozy phenols.  Either way, the approach was noteworthy.

River North Whiskey Aged White Ale
While there is nothing new about a whiskey-barrel-aged beer in modern beer times, a whiskey witbier is still a pretty odd choice.  More or less every ale style has been whiskey’d by now, even pale ales and altbiers, but a delicate Belgian white?  Well, there certainly are no boundaries.  With notes of spicy fruit, yeasty biscuit and vanilla/oak/whiskey, the lads over at River North prove with certainty that you can throw anything in a whiskey barrel and come out with a great product, so long as that product was delicious to begin with.

TRVE Diotima: Smoked Tea Saison
“F*** style-guidelines!”, this beer shouts. The name of the beer more or less says it all.  It’s a Saison, with smoked green tea.  Let that settle into your brain while you imagine what that tastes like.  Even if you live in Denver you probably didn’t try this beer, since TRVE’s heavy-metal scene can scare away some of the non-pierced, non-tattoo’d ‘normals’.  Named for an album put out by black-metal band Krallice, this odd concoction balances the dusty malty saison essence, and smoked-green tea notes so perfectly, it’s difficult to nail down which of those dynamics takes prominence.  Its unique juggling act creates perhaps one of the most unique beer-experiences on the palate I’ve had all year.

Denver Beer Co. Swineheitsgebot: Coffee-Bacon Rauchbier
Denver Beer Co. is known for a couple of things: a kick-ass porter, always having at least one wheat beer on tap, and flipping a bird to the olde German Beer Purity Law.  The greatest example of the latter came back in February during The Coffee Beer Fest, an in-house event hosted by DBC celebrating coffee, beer, and the lovely marriage of the two (and bacon).  The beer was Swineheitsgebot, a blantant and playful poke at the aforementioned purity law.  A single-batch brewed for the fest was a classic German Rauchbier, aged on coffee beans and bacon.  And it was fun.  Not mind-blowing delicious, but certainly not bad.  The bacon notes weren’t really prominent  and it was served perhaps a bit too cold to taste much of the coffee tones.  But damn if it didn’t make you think.

Twisted Pine Roots Revival: Carrot IPA
Yes.  The Craft Sprit in Colorado finally brought about an IPA with carrots in it.  Further proof that the Nappa Valley of Beer is perpetuated by a bunch of renegade homebrewers (and I mean that in a good natured familial way).  Brewed to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Boulder Farmers Maket, the Roots Revival Carrot IPA is certainly for the adventerous palate, as carrot isn’t really considered a typical beer additive.  In all honesty, the beer tasted pretty ok.  Really restrained bitterness like a British IPA, but with a light steamed-carrot flavor on the finish–but not in a terrible way that takes away from a beery experience.  I applaud beers like this, that make you think twice about even purchasing it due to its weirdness.  Seriously, I do.  Reach for different things; being like everyone else is not ‘Craft”.  Doing something ballsy like putting carrots in your IPA is.

photo credit to Sean Buchan, drinks.seriouseats.com

Odell Totes McGotes: Oak-aged Wheat Ale with Riesling Must
Admittedly, I am a sucker for I Love You, Man references.  Offered as a one-time specialty for the Small Batch Fest in the summer, the Odell brewers decided to recreate the magic of Dogfish Head’s Noble Rot with a wine-beer of their own.  But it didn’t really turn heads at the fest, from what I could tell.  The idea was in the right direction, but it wound up being too funky, too boozy, or too whatever for fest-goers.  Or maybe it was because it was balls-hot outside during the fest and a wine-flavored oaked-wheat wasn’t in the cards for many of us.

Crooked Stave WWBB: Brett Blueberry Black IPA
Crooked Stave will never make a ‘normal’ beer.  That is their promise.  Everything will be barreled, bretty, or both, or something else, but never ‘normal’.  Nothing really captures that spirit so well as their WWB (Wild Wild Brett) series.  Every so often they will perpetuate the series with a new ingredient (usually fruit[s]), but they kinda struck gold with ‘-Blue’, a black IPA with blueberries on brettanomyces yeast.  ”Brett” and “Black IPA” are enough to draw the Denver beer-nerd crowd, but thankfully the blueberries in there tempered the bretty sourness and the hoppy bitterness at the same time.  Too many oddities in a beer can throw the whole thing off, but WWBB hit the sweet spot of ‘odd’ and ‘well-made’.

*visual approximation

Renegade Banana Split: Imperial Hefeweizen with cocoa nibs
Another example of that crazy homebrewer spirit alive and well in the Colorado beer scene.  And actually, I think it came off pretty well.  It was a little too boozy and a little too yeasty, but tasting cocoa and banana in the same beer brought out the little fat kid in me.  It’s been brewed twice at Renegade now, so just keep an eye on their Twitter account for the next release.  As well as an open mind.  Though it may not make it to wide distribution or cans, it’s just one more reason to visit the brewery in-person.  You never know what kind of weirdness you’ll get to try.

Wynkoop Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout: Stout brewed with bull testicles
While this list is in no way ordered, this definitely takes top spot for weirdness…and deliciousness.  Yes, I’ll admit it.  I thoroughly enjoyed this beer.  While the specialty ingredient may drive many away, the lure of the oddity drew many in.  I mean, bull testicles in a stout?!  What started as an April 1st YouTube joke turned into a full fledged batch of foreign stout brewed with roasted testicles–3 balls per barrel, to be exact.  Released in time for GABF, patrons from all across the country got introduced to this beer.  It even got a fair bit of national media attention by The Today Show and Anderson Cooper.  If you’re too scared to try it, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that it tastes like a deep roasty stout with a hint of chocolate, and a lingering flavor of what I can only describe as beef char.  If your interest is piqued, look for it next month in cans, as Wynkoop will be distributing it to local liquor stores (in 2-packs, no less…)

not “craft beer”

Now, I love me some craft beer.  That much should be obvious, as I write on a website called Hop Press, a sister site of Rate Beer.  And it should be pointed out that I wholeheartedly agree with the broad, major points of the press release and the aim of The Brewers Association: to educate the masses on who makes the beer they buy, and to direct that money to smaller and more, if I may, wholesome and passionate brewers.  I’m all for more transparency and a more knowledged consumer.  People need to know if their $7 six-pack is going to fund a brewer, or if it’s going to fund a Super Bowl ad featuring bikini chicks.

However, what I have a problem with is the BA’s definition of a “Craft Brewer”.  Now, there are plenty of smarter folks than me who have already weighed in on this debate, what makes a beer or brewer “craft”, if it matters, et. al.  But this specifically comes down to how the BA defines things, as posted on this PDF image that was included with the press release (as seen here) that calls out non-”craft” brands.  Admittedly there are some pretty big offenders on there, such as Blue Moon, Leinenkugel, and 10th & Blake.  But there are some damn good beer makers being “black-listed”, as it were, like August Schell Brewing.

The reason? Their flagship beer has corn in it.  ”Why are we being punished for brewing with a locally grown ingredient, which started out of necessity, and has continued out of tradition? And why is it only bad to use adjuncts if you are brewing an American Lager, yet perfectly acceptable to use them in basically any Belgian style of beer, IPA’s or double IPA’s?”  Jace Marti (6th gen. August Schell owner) asks.  He also added in a letter to BeerPulse.com, “As a 152-year-old brewery, and the second oldest family-owned brewery in America, stating that we are not “traditional” is insulting…[August Schell in 1860] didn’t use corn to cheapen or lighten his beer. He did it because it was the only way to brew a high quality lager beer in America at that point. By the time high quality two-row malting barley was finally cultivated and available to use, our consumers had already been drinking our high quality beers for many years. We continued to brew our beer using this small portion of corn because that was the way we traditionally brewed it.”

Troy Casey of AC Golden, not a “craft brewer”

Another brewery, or in this case a pack of breweries, who got burned by this salvo in the ongoing “us vs them” beerwars is The Craft Brewe Alliance, a.k.a. Kona, Red Hook and Widmer Bros.  Full disclosure, I love Widmer Bros’ beers, maybe not so much Kona, and Red Hook is a constant disappointment, but I will stand up for their right to call themselves craft beer.  I know they are 35% owned by A-BInBev (10% over BA’s ‘limit’), but you know what?  I’m going to go ahead and say that any brewer who makes damn fine IPAs, bourbon-barrel-aged barley wines, and coconut porters is a craft brewer and those are craft beers.  Goose Island falls into this category as well.  Yes they are owned by A-BInBev now, and it still feels a little dirty to support them, but this isn’t Shock Top we’re talking about.  I’m talking about Bourbon County Stout, and Matilda, and  Pere Jacques–excellent beers in their own right, and backed up by RateBeer/BeerAdvocate scores.  But according to Papazian and The Brewers Association, they are now “Them”, lumped together with Natty Light and Bud Light Lime.

I understand The Brewers Association’s need to define “Craft Beer”…I do.  And I understand that that definition needs to be more empirical than “it tastes good”.  But it seems disingenuous to give August Schell, Goose Island, Magic Hat, and Widmer Bros. the boot, while not too long ago The Brewers Association changed their “Craft Beer” definition to keep Samuel Adams in the loop, when that brewer was reaching the barrelage cap.

not “craft beer”

I’ve had some beers from BA-approved Craft Breweries that, to be honest, have just plain sucked, and made me wonder if it was made with any heart or talent.  And there have been beers from Coors and A-BInBev that have blown my mind and changed my perception of what constitutes “craft” beer.  This is no easy debate, and there is no winning side here.  We can all agree that Keystone Light sucks, but do we need to ex-communicate those brewers who make a genuine product, with passion and talent and local ingredients, just because they use corn sometimes, or their bills are paid by someone bigger?  Why does Samuel Adams get to stay in the party, but Yuengling’s does not?

I say this press release does more harm than good.  Beer is supposed to bring people together and cause merriment.  Black-listing makers of Belgian Ales and IPAs and stouts is the opposite of that intention.  The Big-3 will never label their “crafty” products as belonging to them, so this press release is merely beating the already-loud drum of  ”us vs them” to their own supporters, like Fox News talking about the War on Christmas.  If those brewers refuse to send their beer to next year’s GABF, I wouldn’t blame them.

considered “craft beer”

BierMarkt Vom Fass

The “Drinkability” was the first place, a liquor store specializing in beer, there i found local beers like Baldhead, Seasons and Whitehead.

After this, i went  to  microbrewery “Seasons“, famous for their IPA call Green Cow. I tasted Green Cow and the new  russian imperial stout, Bigfoot.

To close the first day, I went to the most talked beer places in Porto Alegre, “Biermarkt Vom Fass” with 24 taps (first photo) . Great place to visit, good beers and snacks!

Second and last day of my beer tour in Porto Alegre, i went to the “Malt Store – Special Beer“, new store in town, opened earlier this year, but very pretty and nice variety of  brazilian craft beer and international labels. If your destination is Porto Alegre, don´t forget to visit and of course, drink something there!

“Bierkeller” was the last destination, a place that everyone must visit! A kind of beer secret place,  it´s not open for the public, only members,  in my case, I went with my friends of Drinkability.

Looks like we’re in another time, the rain outside also helps to create a totally different place, kinda vintage time.

Mr. Victor, the bar owner, shows me several breweries relics, each room reveals something different, a very nice experience.

There are no people to serve, you go to the refrigerator or freezer and choose which beer you want, like a home.

I´m also found local beers inside the bar, like EisenBruck, from Feliz/RS.

Tale a look:
Porto Alegre city – beer tour

Raphael Rodrigues
Beer Sommelier and beer writer
Have questions? Write me:
allbeersbr@gmail.com
All Beers (my beer blog in portuguese!)

At least, those were my feelings for much of 2010-2011.  For a place boasting “Colorado’s First”, it was getting left behind stylistically by local and regional competitors.  And yet, I found myself at Wynkoop maybe 5 or 6 times a year, because something cheeky was starting to creep onto their specialty board.  Little by little (and then a lot by the start of 2012), you could rely on the ‘Koop to bring a little something special to your face-hole.

Andy Brown (photo credit: Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

Much of this adventurous brewing has come from Andy Brown, Wynkoop head brewer since 2008 (note how Wynkoop’s RateBeer page has a 2008 Anniversary Barleywine…).  Since then, his seasonals and specialty brews have brought some nerdy attention and, more importantly, more business.  ”We know that is what a lot of the demand in our market is for now — to make more seasonals,” Brown told The Denver Post. “In the craft-beer world, so much is going on, and people expect newer, bigger and better.”

Assistant brewer Bess Dougherty, photo from Wynkoop

That brings us to 2012.  All that seasonal and specialty goodness has brought spoils in the form of 2 new 20bbl fermenters–the first expansion made in 13 years.  A scant eight months later, 2 more 20bbl fermenters were installed, bringing production capacity up 35%.  Better still, a third canned beer was released (Wynkoop only had draft accounts until 2011, when 2 of their year-round flagships–an amber and a pale ale–were released in cans to the Denver-metro market) in the form of a two-time GABF medal winning schwarzbier.

And all this adventure and expansion has proven itself on the palate.  Where once was a brewpub where you could introduce your timid girlfriend to a non-threatening ESB, Wynkoop is now a place where you can geek out to giant oak aged barleywines*, a hibiscus-infused hard cider aged in whiskey barrels*, imperial red ales*, a wet hopped Belgian pale ale with all-Colorado ingredients*, or a rich Framboise-Quad*.  And along the way they’ve brewed special beers for special Denver people.  There was a beer for a Denver-based booze website, a couple of beers for Denver’s local theme park, and a pre-prohobition lager for the 120th anniversary of Denver landmark hotel The Brown Palace.  Not to mention the April-Fools joke-turned reality, the Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout (yes.), which was crazy enough to get national media attention from The Today Show, Huffington Post, NYTimes, and Anderson Cooper.

So the best way to celebrate 24 years and expansion and press and craziness?  A party involving a little bit of every beer brewed in the past year (actually, they’ve been doing that every year.  2012 just happened to be awesomer than other years).  This Saturday, Nov. 3 from 1- 4 PM Wynkoop will host the annual Beers of the Year event. Attendees can sample every beer brewed this year and special cask, reserve and vintage Wynkoop beers. There are also new beers promised to make their debut, for a total of 50+ beers on hand.  

from Wynkoop’s Facebook