Old Dogs, New Tricks

A lot of beer geeks, especially recent converts, unjustly look down on some of the bigger craft breweries like Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. I guess it's backlash for making it as a business in a culture that is always rooting for the little, local guy. It is easy to forget that these breweries were once the little guys, and that they were standing up to the industrial brewing complex in a country, that at the time, didn't recognize or appreciate quality beer. Sure, their flagship beers, Sam's Boston Lager and Sierra's Pale Ale aren't terribly exciting when compared to some of the beers out their today, but they are decent, well brewed and easy to find representations of classic styles. Stuck in airport or at a birthday party at a non-beer bar? Chances are you can get one or the other, if not both, and that's a good thing, it shows how far craft beer has come.

Thankfully these breweries don't just rest on their laurels, both still have that trailblazing spirit that got them here today, and both turn out some pretty adventurous brews on a more limited scale. Recently, I was at the Blind Tiger where they had 23 Sierra beers on tap - most of which I've never had.

The main point of this post though, is to talk about some incredible Sam Adams brews, from their extreme line, I was lucky enough to sample the other night.

Dopplebock - Chewy, toffee like, fantastic example of the traditional German Brew

Tripplebock - Aged 15 years, no carbonation, briney and soy like before quickly blossoming into ripe stone fruit, really unique beer

Utopia - The world's strongest beer, clocking in at just over 27%. Aged in different barrels (sherry, madeira, beer...) and then blended, this beer rivals any fine cognac or fortified wine, as it should, being priced comparitively. This year's version really picked up some bright notes from the madeira cask but had an overall rich, rounded, nutty body.

Most yeast strains die out around 13%ABV, over the years Sam Adams has been able to breed kind of a super yeast by selecting strains that were still alive in high ABV beers/wines. MIT is now assisting them in further improving their super yeast strain - crazy stuff.

Great beers that really challenge people's notions of what beer is and what its limitations are - and that's a good thing.

Brooklyn Beer News

Alex Hall is putting on one of his famous cask festivals this weekend at the Brazen Head in Brooklyn, check out the list here.

Beer Table is now serving their 3-course $25 dinners on Wednesday nights as well as Tuesdays. Tuesday you can pay an extra $15 for beer pairings. On Wednesday, large format bottles are 50% off.

My Food Network article from this month's issue is posted to the right, "Escape the Grape."

Blue Bottle Coffee

When I'm not having beer for breakfast, coffee is my morning beverage of choice. More often than not, I brew Gorilla coffee at home, in my french press, great beans and great method, but gulping it down from a to-go thermos on the subway doesn't really do the coffee justice. But, when I have time to sit down and relax, I love enjoying the complexity and nuance that comes with a properly brewed cup of coffee made with great beans. So, checking out Blue Bottle Coffee and their $20K siphon bar was a must on our San Francisco itinerary.

Imported from Japan, this bulbous chem-lab setup, is touted to produce some of the most delicate, flavorful brewed coffee known to man. Of course, garbage in, garbage out applies here and thankfully they feed this contraption with their highly regarded small batch roasts.

In short, halogen bulbs heat up the water in the bottom globe, forcing the vapors into the top where they mingle with the coffee grinds; a deft stir with a bamboo paddle creates a whirlpool that accelerates the extraction; then the contraption is moved from the heat and the coffee is essentially sucked (due to a change in air pressure) back into the bottom globe through a filter, leaving the grinds behind.

The NY Times has an excellent slide show describing the process, check it out here.

Physics lesson aside, the coffee was unlike anything I've had before: viscous (in a good way), like the mouth feel you get with a well brewed oatmeal stout and a range of flavors that evolved from dark chocolate to berries as the coffee cooled down, much like when a cask ale begins to warm a little and new flavors are discovered with each sip.

A little pricey at $8ish dollars for a small pot and $14ish for a large pot but worth trying and sharing with a friend or two. Luckily, they also make fantastic, reasonably priced, espresso drinks and normal drip coffee which is no slouch, being made to order one cup at a time. If you find yourself in San Francisco, check it out. Even if coffee is not your thing, the poached egg creations over thick sourdough toast, served in the morning, are reason enough to visit.

San Francisco Brewpubs

For better or worse my trip to California didn't entirely revolve around beer. After all, I was out there with my girlfriend to attend my brother's wedding. But, amidst the wine tasting, sight seeing, restaurant eating and running, we explored our fair share of beer joints.

Most of our time was spent in San Franciso, home of Anchor Steam, which was present at almost every bar and restaurant that we went to and it tasted great on draft, fresh and vibrant. While Anchor Steam was ubiquitous and delicious, it was the brew pubs that I enjoyed the most.

Not too far from our hotel was the 21st Amendment brewpub where I was able to make my way through a few of their beers:

21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA - definitely a west coast beer, citrusy and herbaceous from the extensive dry hopping regime and almost overwhelmingly bitter but at 7.2% ABV there was enough malt in there to balance it out

Darkness - a dark lager, very intense roasted coffee flavors that I'd expect more from a stout/porter than a dark lager, but it worked well with the crisp finish and light body

Bitter American - served on cask, this American style bitter gets it right with a nice dosing of cascade hops that provide this session beer with a bit of a jolt

Harvest Moon - wet hopped IPA, always a nice treat to have a freshly hopped brew, great aromatics and much more nuance than the Brew Free or Die IPA

Then, thanks to the Bay Area Beer Runner - I checked out the Magnolia Brewpub in the Haight district, former center of the hippy and associated countercultural movements. A very charming brewpub with worn wood tables, tiled floors and large windows that let in a softening natural light. Don't let the laid back attitude and haphazard chalkboard menu fool you, there are some serious beers here.


Kalifornia Kolsch - A nice take on one of my favorite styles, light and flavorful, was a good beer to start out on. I had it again, later in the evening, at Nopalito, where it served as a base for a michelada. If you are in San Francisco - go to Nopalito - it rocks.

Barking Pumpkin - Brown ale base with heaping servings of roasted pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seeds thrown in during the brewing process, give this a rich, nutty, caramel body - very enjoyable

Stout of Circumstance - A good, solid stout that hit all of the right bitter, sweet, creamy notes, a little higher ABV than your standard stout but certainly not in the imperial range. It was perfect with the plate of Crater Lake Blue Cheese and Salumi we were munching on.

More on California to come...

On Vacation

I'm heading out on vacation for a week, so no posts until I return. I'll be sure to report back on the beer scene in San Francisco and San Jose. If anyone knows of good bars/restaurants I should check out, let me know in the comments.

Have a great week.

Jesse

Cider Making

I think the most important rule when it comes to home brewing, cider making or anything that requires lot's of time and menial labor is that you have plenty of booze on hand to aid you through the process.

Last weekend we spent time at a friend's beautiful farm picking apples and pressing cider. Manually cranking an old cider press works up quite a thirst. And, going through a tractor load of apples takes a lot of time. Luckily we fueled the project with an unlikely but wonderful combination of booze.

First, the awesome home made stuff: dandelion wine, hard cider from last year's pressing and home brewed wheat beer. It's always great to drink home made stuff while your making something new. I love downing home brews while I stare at the brew kettle, watching the wort simmer.

The dandelion wine was a sugary/citrusy solution fermented and then bittered with dandelion tea. Really interesting stuff, dandelions are real bitter but give a nice herbaceous quality to the otherwise sweet brew. The cider, fermented with naturally occuring yeast, was explosively carbonated but delicous, yeasty and dry, not overly sweet at all. And, the homebrew, a berlin style weiss was true to the style, slightly sour, funky and refreshing.

Supplementing that was a collection of growlers we had filled at the nearby Sly Fox brewpub: dunkel, Oktoberfest, Argentinian IPA and saison. All were well executed and respectable brews. The saison vos was probably the best and most popular. I particularly enjoyed the mahogany hued Oktoberfest with it's subtle but spicy hoppiness.

Now, to make it excessive and ensure no one went thirsty: 1 bottle of Armangac, 1 bottle of Jameson, one case of Yuengling (affectionately shortened to lager in PA) and a smattering of other beers. Once you get locked into a serious alchohol collection, it's hard to stop.

Of course, remaining sober enough to complete whatever task you are working on is the true challenge, luckily we were all seasoned pros and other than some reckless mini bike riding, everything ended well.

Beer News

Blind Tiger's annual Night of the Pumpkin is this Wednesday, Elysian is hosting with 9 types of Pumpkin beer. Last year's was certainly impressive, don't miss this one.

Heartland's new Imperial Smiling Pumpkin may be on tap there as they start to branch out to a few select bars, offering limited release updates on their standard offering.

Check out the latest Food Network Magazine, on newsstands now, for my take on beers fit for a holiday feast and beer suggestions for a fish and chips dinner.

Drink in style as you sail around the NY harbor. Justin from Beer Table is hosting this week, look for Coney Island and Kelso in the future.