I'll begin by noting the tragic loss of a legend.  Sunday morning the world lost blues man Eddie Kirkland in a terrible automobile accident.  I had just watched him play the night before at the Dunedin Brewery.  An amazing talent with a brilliant career.  R.I.P Eddie.

I am also saddened to hear of the passing of a true Hollywood legend and icon in the truest sense of the world.  Jane Russell was the epitome of the Hollywood bombshell, and exuded something that the industry has so sorely lacked in recent decades: the ability to be sexy as well as classy.

On the up side of things, the annual Stogies & Stout event at the Dunedin Brewery on Saturday night was fantastic.  A great crowd of beer lovers without being cramped, top notch music by Eddie Kirkland, and an excellent selection of beers.  I love beer events that allow you to talk with others about the beer.  Plenty of open space to move around, good-size pours that allow you to really get a good mouthful, and snack strategically placed about the venue.  I want to give big-time recognition to Mike Bryant for organizing one of the best events of the year.  It was said repeatedly throughout the night how much people were enjoying the atmosphere.  More than one person said "I think I know everyone here..."  It certainly felt that way.  Even though I met several new friends, at no point did I feel intimidated or unwelcome or like I could not just walk up to anyone and say hello.  It was a very welcome and friendly feel.

Some great news on the national craft beer scene as well: the number of American craft breweries has now surpassed 1700!  That is amazing growth in a very short time.  Much of the credit has to be given to the Brewers Association for the tireless work in promoting craft beer and educating people.  And a healthy share must also be heaped upon those who have championed craft beer since before it was cool.  The brewers, their business partners, the distributors, the bars and restaurants... these are the people that make it possible for us to enjoy craft beer in so many different ways.

Much more craft beer excitement coming our way in the near future!

There's beer geeks and there's beer snobs, and I'm a card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool member of the beer geek community.

So sayeth Sam.

So I got called out on a recent article of mine after discussing my opinions of two highly touted craft beers, Bell's Hopslam and Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum.  "Bryan" said "when did we begin talking about beer in this hipster, douchey fashion? i LOVE a good IPA but i would never stick my nose it" [sic].  My initial response is: then you, Bryan, are missing out on one of the best parts of truly great craft beer.  I love the aroma of an especially hoppy beer, and could easily spend quite a while before drinking it just revelling in its fragrance.  That said, his comment does revive the ongoing debate of beer geek vs. beer snob, as well as how one talks about beer in general.  Apparently there is still the belief among some (Bryan and his friends, I assume) that one cannot speak about the aspects of a beer one enjoys without sounding like a "hipster" or a "douche".  That is unfortunate.

I am opposed to this kind of anti-intellectualism.  I do not subscribe to the (dropped out of) school of thought that just because one uses descriptive terminology to discuss a topic somehow precludes their opinion from having any validity.  Certainly, there is a point of "too much", and an over abundance of flowery language can undoubtedly turn a neophyte off.  But I don't think saying "I, uh, liked it and stuff..." accurately conveys how I feel, especially when what I genuinely mean is "I wanted to bathe in the citrusy, piny, floral bouquet wafting from my glass and I kept burying my nose in it to breathe it in deeper."

I think that there is a resistance among some craft beer drinkers to allow the elevation of beer.  By this I mean as soon as a beer drinker, writer, critic, whatever starts using language that sounds similar to a wine review, they freak out and scream snobbery.  Wine "experts" have a reputation - much of it well deserved - for waxing poetic about their drink of choice in a language that doesn't mean anything to the unwashed masses.  Quite frankly, it turns the average person off and makes a lot of people uncomfortable about exploring wine, which is a shame.  There are people in the craft beer community that do it too.  We call them beer snobs.

Sam Calagione famously said:

There's beer geeks and there's beer snobs, and I'm a card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool member of the beer geek community. How I differentiate between a beer geek and a beer snob is this: they could have an equal amount of knowledge about beer; they could have equally awesome palates; [they] can articulate everything about the qualities of beer; [and they can] tell you the history of brewing styles. Their knowledge might be the same. But a beer geek loves beer because he or she loves beer, and they want to learn more always, try new beers, and share that with the people they love. Whereas beer snobs try to know as much as they can about beer as a power point and to lord it over people, or to stick out as an expert in a field of neophytes.

I do not lord anything over my fellow beer drinkers.  I love craft beer.  I love talking about craft beer.  I love being with other people who love craft beer.  Yes, I will use phrases like "The flavor and mouthfeel were excellent, but didn’t measure up to the promise of the nose."  Deal with it.  If you don't like it, don't read beer reviews.

What's In A Name?

...that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

Juliet was on to something here for sure. As humans, we have a need to name everything. Sometimes we get away with just assigning numbers (Ford F-150, for example), but even theose become a recognizable name in and of themselves. We like our names to express an image. With cars it tends to be something predatory or fast or strong. Mustang. Challenger. Avalanche. Or something important sounding... Escalade. Grand Marquis. Avalon. Or something rugged. Outlander. Navajo. Mountaineer. You will very likely never see a Nissan Sloth or a Chevy Cuddle. Granted, there is the VW Rabbit, but rabbits are quick, so there you go. Motorcyles do it, too, evoking ideas of power, danger, and mystery. Nighthawk. Hurricane. And of course the legendary Ninja.

In the world of craft beer (and, to be fair, the big macros, as well) names are part of the equation too. From the obscure references to historical figures (honestly, did anyone know who Pliny the Elder was before Russian River made the name famous) to groan-inducing puns related to the ingredients (there is not enough time to list all of the Hop-something names here).  There is even, in fact, a Ninja Beer!

Some of my favorite beers, however, have faily simple names.  Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale.  Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale.  Stone IPA.  Excellent beers, simple names.  And some of the beers with crazy, bizarre, funny, etc. names are just... meh.  Then you have the amazing beers with the great names.

• Wilco Tango Foxtrot - A delicious American strong ale from Laguintas in California.
• Arrogant Bastard - One of my favorite all time beers.  From Stone Brewing in San Diego, CA.
• Jack the Quaffer Porter - I love this beer from Tampa Bay Brewing Company, and the recipe was the base for my own Three Halos Rum Porter.
• Loose Cannon - A fantastic IPA from Heavy Seas Brewing in Baltimore, MD.

A great beer does not have to have a great name, and a great name does not make a beer great.  But it is always fun to look at the creativity that abounds in the craft beer world.

For this was on seynt Volantynys day, Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

Thanks, Geoff.  I'll take it from here...




 I am not a fan of Valentine's Day; let's just put that out there.  More specifically, I am not a fan of what Valentine's Day has become.  Not that it was ever a real holiday to begin with.  There is no record of any reason for it, and in fact the Catholic Church removed it from the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints back in 1969.  Nowadays it is a Hallmark holiday that serves the sole purpose of driving business for the greeting card, candy, and flower makers of the world.  It is designed to make men feel guilty and feel the need to spend money - whether or not they have it - to prove their love to their lady fair, and for women to feel that if they are NOT receiving such material affection, that somehow their lives are lessened by the absence.

That said, there is something nice about having a day that, at its core, is about love.  A day that allows even the hardest of hearts to say to someone "I love you,", and maybe give that special someone a token of your affection.  As a husband and parent, holidays take on a different meaning than when you are a young and wild Single Person.  You can't just shrug and say "meh" when they come along, because there are others expecting things.  CHildren especially love holidays where they get little presents or candy or special treats, and Valentine's Day is no different.  You know who else like's Valentine's Day, even when they won't admit it?  Wives.  There are some things I have learned (albeit slowly) in my almost-fourteen years of marriage.  Never forget or forget to acknowledge the following: your wife's birthday, your anniversary, Mother's Day (if you have children, and Valentine's Day.  Most other slips of memory or action can be forgiven in time; these ones will haunt you for years.

In a good marriage - or any relationship for that matter - both parties involved know what it takes to make the other happy most of the time.  That does not mean they always DO it, but they know.  For example, this year my wife and I went to a nice dinner without the kids the night before Valentine's Day and enjoyed each other's company for a few hours with good food and drink.  As a gift from me to her, I gave her her favorite flowers, two bottles of Malbec (a newly discovered favorite), and some dark chocolate from Godiva.  I made dinner Valentine's Day evening for the family and we all felt the love of family.  And my wife, knowing me as she does, gave me:

I'll bet you were wondering when I would get to the beer part, eh?

Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation

I am not a big fan of American football.  I'll put that right out there.  Sure, I will cheer on the home team most of the time or root against the Philadelphia Eagles (I do not like Philly fans of any sport... they are just mean) or the Dallas Cowboys (I root against anything out of Texas, just on principle), and I did get excited for the New Orleans Saints in last year's big game.  But I never watch football by myself, I have zero interest in college football, and could not name more than a dozen players, past or present.  That said, I love Super Bowl parties.  The food, the crowd, and of course the beer.  Nowadays, I usualy make a point to bring some craft beer with me to a party since it is usually the case that these types of parties typically serve beer prominently featured in the advertising of the game.  This year, though, had I been invited to the White House to watch the game (hey, it could happen!), I would have been served not only beers from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but a freakin' White House Homebrew!  How cool is that?!  This is not a political blog, but I do love our President more today than I did last week.

The opening of the Ale and the Witch was great.  good music, good people, and great beer.  Brett has put together a really friendly and laid back place and picked some really excellent beers.  I am looking forward to becoming a regular there.

Congratulations are in order to Tampa Bay Brewing Company.  After fifteen years of fighting, they can now sell growlers of their great beer.  I know Dave and company have worked their asses off to see this day, and hopefully this is just one more step towards bringing Florida into the mainstream craft beer world.  Bit by bit, we are getting there.

Cheers, all!

To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!

Thank you, Charlie Chaplin.

First things first, yes, I ran the 5k.  I finished it, ran the entire way without stopping or walking, and I did it in under 40 minutes.  Those were my personal goals.  My trash-talking son beat me by roughly 8 minutes.  My body is still sore, but I have to admit it was a LOT of fun, and I plan on doing more.  Big thanks to the family for encouraging me, pushing me, and tolerating my gripes after the fact, and a big thank you to our dear friend Tonnya who ran with me and set a pace faster than I would have... which is exactly what I needed.

On to beer...

The Ale and the Witch is awesome.  I highly recommend it to anyone in St. Pete, either living here or visiting.  Brett (the owner) has put together a really great place for the craft beer lover, tucked away just enough to avoid a regular intrusion of Ed Hardy-wearing jack-wagons who might stumble by looking for the highest alcohol beer they can find so they can high-five their buddies wearing 2-sizes-too-small tshirts and then asking why there's no Mic Ultra.  32 taps of pure awesome.  And five minutes from home.  I love it.

It has been interesting to watch the HopSlam release activity around the country.  I listened to Mike and Phil at United We Drink discuss the scarcity and hype and difficulty acquiring it on their side of the state, while here in St. Pete its readily available in multiple places.  And while Total Wine is carrying it for $19.99 a six-pack (same as South Florida, it seems), my personal favorite place of Rollin' Oats has it for $15.99.  Still expensive, but interesting that the price is so drastically different.  It's a phenomenal beer, mind you.  Rumor has it you can also find it on tap in a few places around town.

Ratebeer.com has released its 2011 "Best" list, and once again, the Stout is king.  That irritates me.  I love a good Imperial Stout as much as the next person, but there are a disproportionate number of them in the top 25, in my not-so-humble opinion.  That said, it was great to see Florida - and Tampa Bay in particular - getting some serious props in the listings.  No "beer culture" my ass!

Dust in the Wind, Dude...

Some random thoughts for this week...

I am preparing (more or less) to run my first race since I ran cross country in high school.  A 5k, to be exact.  Oh, I have run since high school, but it was either while training for whatever sport I was playing, or running to or away from something.  Chronic knee issues, conditioning (or lack thereof) and the fact that I am sprinting towards 40 have all be things to deal with in the return to "fitness".  My eldest son, approaching 11, has two 5k races under his belt since December, and has found a genuine interest in running.  He's built like a runner, tall and lanky, all legs.  Sports are not generally his forte, but he like running and seems to be good at it so far.  He is not one for trash-talking, either.  Not in video games, board games, anything.  When I told him I was going to run the 5k with him this coming weekend, he said "Okay.  You'll have to see the eye doctor."
"Eye doctor?"  I wear glasses, but was a bit confused.  "What do you mean?"
"So he can get my dust out of your eyes after the race..."
Damn kids these days... no respect...

I am really hoping to get my hands on some Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.  I have not seen it anywhere yet, but I am sure its around.  I will find some...

I have one thing to say about the upcoming Packers-Steelers Superbowl: meh.

Lee Norman Williams - aka Hoptopia - posted an interesting question the other day.  "Is ranting about certain elements of the craft beer community and craft beer industry going to be a major trend in 2011?"  This prompted a good discussion amond some of us craft beer lovers.  I liked what Erik Boles from BeerTapTV had to say: "Remember, it's not what beer IS, it's what beer DOES that matters. Beer isn't what you do, beer is what you do while you're doing what you do."  I think it is a great philosophy, and elitists be damned.

New Year, New Perspective, New Opportunities

It is amazing what just the flipping over of a calendar page can do for one's psyche.  In reality, nothing about the fabric of space/time changes, but it feels really good to put difficult things behind you in a symbolic manner.  Looking forward to 2011 (as laid out in my previous post) I have a lot of things I want to accomplish.  But life has a funny way of happening while you are making plans.  Just in the past ten days, new opportunities and revelations arise.  But those are for another day...

I recently wrote a beer review for Stone Brewing's Lukcy Basartd, a beer I genuinely enjoyed.  The original Arrogant Bastard was a very influential beer for me in my craft beer journey, and I said so in the article.  Naturally, my editor and the magazine tweeted a link to the article, as they always do.  And i got this response:

Yep... that's Greg Koch, owner and brewmaster at Stone Brewing.  So, that felt pretty good to have that kind of affirmation.

I also learned that there is a new craft beer bar opening in St. Petersburg.  It will be within the next few weeks, and the guy in charge seems to have a good plan.  What makes it funny, though, is that it is opening in a location at the base of the building that I used to work in!  It figures, after five years there, just a few short months after I leave, a craft beer bar opens there.  Not that it would have kept me there... *shudder*

And finally, I was asked to write an article on the Cigar City Brewing label art contest that was announced today.  It's nice to be the one people come to for something like that.  Makes me feel like I am contributing and part of the scene.

I am sure the days and weeks ahead will reveal more and more good stuff.  I feel it, and I look forward to the surprises.

Cheers, all.

My 2011 Brew Years Resolutions

2010 was quite the year for me.  Lots of ups and downs, turnarounds, and so on.  There were some really great changes and happenings, especially towards the end of the year, and I hope to build on those in 2011.  I think I see things more clearly now than I did this time last year.  Hell, I KNOW I am seeing things through different eyes just since October...

And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you: My 2011 Brew Years Resolutions.

1. Attend GABF in Denver for the first time.  This is a carry-over from last year, but this time I will start planning in January instead of realizing in August I am too late...
2. Visit more breweries.  Another carry-over.  Just want to continue the trend and see more of the industry.  (This includes finally getting up to Saint Somewhere!)
3. Attend more local events.  I get to some, but my lack of planning and paying attention has left me missing some great happenings.  Need to rectify that.
4. More homebrewing.  Four batches a year is pitiful.  I need to brew more, period.
5. Meet more "beer people" when they come to town and when I am travelling.  Craft beer people (who, as we know, Rgoodpeople) are everywhere.  There is no reason not to meet up.
6. Be more consistent with my writing.  It takes discipline and time, but there is no reason I cannot meet all of my obligations each week.
7. Expand my tasting range.  Its easy to fall into a pattern of only IPAs, Imperial Stouts, and the like, but there are so many other great beer choices out there.  I should give them a fair shot as well.
8. X Project 1: CLASSIFIED - A joint venture with another beer visioneer.  Should be fun and interesting.
9. X Project 2: CLASSIFIED - Another involvement I have signed up to be a part of.  Not necessarily "fun", but it is important.
10. Continue to be a vocal craft beer evangelist and advocate both locally and in general.  We are in what looks like a craft beer Renaissance, but there is evil at every turn.  We cannot afford to be complacent.

2011 holds a lot of promise and excitement.  I plan of facing it with beer in hand and determination in my heart.  May everyone have a safe and fun New Years Eve.

Cheers!

 - Beer for the Daddy

My 2010 Brew Years Resolutions - A Look Back

A year ago, I made my resolutions for 2010 as they related to my life and work in the craft beer world.  Some evolved and changed as time went on, and some I dropped all together when I realized they were not where I wanted to go with my life.  So before I make my new list, Lets review how 2010 turned out:

1. Attend GABF in Denver for the first time. - Didn't happen.  Mostly due to lack of planning on my part, and then conflicting schedules.  Looking to try to make it happen this year.

2. Visit more breweries. - I would say I did okay on this one.  Any time I travelled, I tried to make a point to visit any local breweries I could.  Not as many as I would have liked, but I did make a good effort.

3. Start rating beers. - I stopped doing this almost as quickly as I started.  I enjoy reviewing beers, talking about the flavors and what I like, etc... but the whole rating thing just didn't feel right for me.

4. More homebrewing. - Failure.  I brewed a total of 4 batches this year, about a third of what I had hoped for.  They all came out great, but too infrequent.

5. More writing. - Pretty good.  While my articles for Examiner and Hop Press slipped, I did pick up the Creative Loafing gig, but I need to be more consistant all the way around.

6. More drinking. And by this I do not me quantity, but variety. - Definitely did this, and got to sample and explore a LOT of new beers.

7. More reading. - I read everything I could get my hands on, and continue to do so.

8. Certification and study, part 1. Cicerone program. - Just never got around to it, really.

9. Certification and study, part 2. Beer Judge Certification Program. - Somewhat limited by access and availability, not to mention time.

10. Continue to be a vocal craft beer advocate. - A+.  I took a much more active role this past year not only in trying to educate people about craft beer, but standing up for it as well.

So all in all, I give myself a passing grade, but with a lot of room for improvement.  Coming soon, the 2011 resolutions!

- Beer for the Daddy

Moving Forward...

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

No matter how we approach life, it keeps moving forward.  Such is the nature of time and our ride along with it.  As such, we now enter the holiday season.  Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I hope you found time to reflect on some of the things in your life you can be thankful for.  I, for one, am very thankful to be surrounded by my family and friends who love and support me.  I am thankful that I have found myself back in a career that challenges and fulfills me.  I am thankful for the friends I have made over the past year in the craft beer community, and how much I have learned.

Thursday of this week is the much-talked-about Tampa City Council meeting that could determine the fate of the Cigar City Tasting Room.  Letters have been written, phone calls have been made, and now it is down to the wire.  It is probably safe to assume that the three who voted "no" will continue to do so even if only out of ego-driven stubbornness.  It is also probably safe to assume that the three "yes" votes will hold, seeing as they are based on logic and common sense.  Which leaves - once again - Charlie Miranda.  Here's to hoping he makes the right decision.

Here is the info about the meeting, as posted by Cigar City:

For anyone planning to attend the City Council meeting where the wet-zoning for the Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room will be voted on this is the pertinent information.

Date: Thursday December 2nd 

Time: 10:30 AM

Location: 315 East Kennedy Boulevard (Downtown)

City Hall, 3rd Floor

Tampa, FL 33602

This is a public meeting so anyone may attend and speak if they so choose or just attend to show support. We encourage everyone that has the time to attend. Thanks again for the overwhelming support and well wishes. Win or lose we are humbled by the support from the community and beyond.

Cheers,

Joey Redner and the CCB Staff

If you are in the Tampa Bay area - or are going to be - think about attending if at all possible.  Your support would be greatly appreciated.

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
 - Edmund Burke

On A More Positive Note...

"You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime." -Dale Carnegie

The past two days have been a tad wild and emotional in the Tampa Bay craft beer community.  The uproar over the situation with Cigar City Brewing and the Tampa City Council has been loud and passionate.  I know a lot of people have called, written letteers, sent emails, and so on.  The next vote is not until December 2nd, so there is a tendency for our outrage to fade and die down.  Don't let it.  Instead, find out all you can about the issue.  Strip away the hearsay and rumor, and get supportable facts.  The stronger a case we can make - with real solid facts - the harder it is for rational people to refute.  Of course, assuming we are dealing with rational people is a BIG assumption.

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." ~Abraham Lincoln

So, on to the positive!

This weekend is the Fall Beer Festival at the Cajun Cafe on the Bayou.  If you have never been, you have to go.  It is a small event, but you will not find a bad beer in the place.  Paul Unwin - the owner - loves craft beer, and has made it a point to be sure his festival is about enjoying good beer.  Its not about how much you can drink, finding the highest ABV, or being a beer snob.  Its about the beer, and about the people who make it and enjoy it.  You can read more about the event here.  I highly encourage you to attend if you can.

Also, you should check out the following other events over the next week:

• Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Celebration at the Pour House in Tampa - Monday, November 15th
• Cigar City Brewery Dinner at SideBern's in Tampa - Tuesday, November 16th
• Any night at Willard's Tap House
• Any night at Oldsmar Tap House
• pick a night... any night... and support your local craft beer scene.

Remember, our goal is to support, promote, and educate.  And by "our" I mean all of us who appreciate the artisanship that is craft beer.  We are not drunken angry mobs.  We are not elitist, exclusionary, snobs.  We come from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and represent countless regions and socio-economic levels.  What we share is a common belief that good beer should be available to those who want to enjoy it responsibly, that craft brewing is a welcome and beneficial addition to any community, and that the world needs to be educated to these facts.

Cheers!

Hell Hath No Fury...

There is nothing like a good political debate to rekindle one's activist spirit, no?  In case you have been living underneath some kind of Prohibition-era rock for the last 24 hours, you have at least heard about the recent kerfuffle with Cigar City Brewing and the Tampa Bay City Council.  If not, there are plenty of places you can go to read up on it.

• My Creative Loafing article or my Hop Press Article
• Blog Post from Crazy Cat Lady Beer
• Mark Christopher's article on Examiner.com
• and of course Cigar City's own blog

The bottom line is three members of the Tampa City Council want to stop Cigar City from having a tasting room where people can buy locally produced craft beer, drink locally produced craft beer, or have craft beer events.  Never mind that it is a local business, owned and operated by local residents.  Never mind that they employ over twenty people locally.  Never mind that they attract visitor (and their money) to the Tampa Bay area, who then in turn spend their money on restaurants, hotels, and other activities.  One would think that in these difficult economic times, the idea of a local business thriving and succeeding would be encouraged, especially if said business is following all of the rules.

But apparently that is not enough for Tampa Council Members Gwen Miller, Thomas Scott, and Curtis Stokes.  Their claim is that "the neighborhood don't want it", with "it" being the wet-zoning and extended operating hours for serving beer or wine.  They have made very vague claims that alcohol-related crime is up, but when confronted with evidence to the contrary, they defended the allegations with "well, not everything gets reported."

Sorry, in my world that does not fly.  Which certainly makes some of us wonder what this is really about.  Are these three part of the insidious neo-prohibitionist movement that often rears its ugly head in times like these?  That would mean their argument was more of a "moral" one than one based on any kind of facts.  There is some grumbling that this is payback for the Council's long and well-documented battles with owner Joey Redner's father, Joe Redner.  Whatever the reasons, the bottom line is voting against making the zoning and hours permanent is tantamount to voting to kill jobs and keep dollars away from Tampa.  It is inexcusable and Miller, Scott, and Stokes ought to be held accountable.

One of the positive things to come out of this event, however, is how the craft beer community has rallied around Cigar City.  From Wayne Wamble's initial post on Facebook, the cry went out far and wide and craft beer lovers from all walks of life answered the call.  Letters, emails, and articles spread like wildfire.  A new Twitter hashtag was created (#SaveCCB), and a Facebook group was set up by DosBeerigos.  I have said before and I will say it again: Beer People R Good People.

Brew #2: West Coast IPA - El Chupa-hop-ra?

Admittedly, my brewing schedule is way behind the planned brew-a-month pace.  However, we do what we can, right?  The latest foray was originally going to be a straight-up, American  Pale Ale.  Nothing over the top, just crisp and drinkable and most likely a session beer.

Oh well.

When I arrived at Southern Brewing and started talking to Ben Romano (a fine brewer in his own right), I found myself once again shifting to something little more hoppier.  And then more so.  And then before I could say lupulin, I had a recipe for a hopped-up West Coast IPA in my hands.  Ben convinced me to up the Magnum and Chinook hops.  Such is the burden of a hop-headed homebrewer.

Here is the recipe:

6.6 lbs Golden LME
2 lbs Golden DME
1 lb Crystal 65
8 oz. Vienna

1 oz Magnum (60 minutes)
1 oz Chinook (20 minutes)
1 oz Amarillo (15 minutes)
1 oz Centennial (10 minutes)
1 oz Simcoe (5 minutes)
1 oz Amarillo (end)

I used a dry yeast for the first time, the US-05 recommended by Ben.  My O.G. was 1.07.  According to my BrewPal app, I am expecting an ABV of about 7.2%, and an IBU of 92.  We'll see.  Does this rank as a Double IPA?

After less than 12 hours, the fermenter was bubbling away, and the wafting, bitter hoppiness was floating about.  Going to secondary shortly.  I wish I had some hops on hand to dry-hop with.  Oh well.

Beer People Are Good People

I have been deeply engaged and writing about the world of craft beer for about nine months now.  I knew when I decided to focus my efforts on this culture and industry that there was a lot I didn't know and that I needed to learn.  I soon found myself surrounded (virtually and otherwise) with other beer lovers, writers, brewers, and so on, all eager to pass on information and answer any question I had.  And there was no common theme other than beer people helping other beer people.  No one asked "are you a Democrat or Republican".  No one cared how much money I made, if I was married, had kids, owned a home, had a good credit rating, or where I went to school.  The single factor was that I liked craft beer and wanted to learn more.

Everyone I have met has a different background, comes from a different place, and has their own personal tastes and preferences when it comes to beer.  Hop-heads and malt-heads, sour-lovers and "extreme" beer hunters alike love to talk about beer and their experiences... and actually listen to yours!

Recently a hashtag of #beerpeopleRgoodpeople has been circulating on Twitter, and I have to smile every time I see it.  As I have gotten to know more people I am uplifted by how something as basic and seemingly simple as craft beer can bring so many people together from so many different walks of life.  of course there is some healthy competition.  West Coast and East Coast, Yankees and Red Sox, NorCal and SoCal, Portland and Asheville... But I have met someone great from each of those.  And with each new person i meet, be it online or in person, my own knowledge and appreciation of craft beer grows.  I am not only introduced to new beers, but new books, new blogs, new cities, even.  I can go just about anywhere in the country at this point and probably be within a couple hours at most from a #beerpeopleRgoodpeople connection.  There is something fundamentally comforting about this to me.

So my goal - long term, anyway - is to share a craft beer in person with as many of these great beer people as possible.  As spread out as they all are, it is a lofty goal, but a worthy one, I think.

...Coming In Like a Lion

Oh February... where hast thou gone?

I find myself beginning the last month of the first quarter (in business parlance) wondering how I got here.  Where did January and February go?!  Granted, articles were written, festivals attended, events and new discoveries and so on.  But can it really be March, 2010 already?

Apparently it not only can be, but it is.  So be it.

Since this blog is not only about beer, here are some thoughts and musings of the past 2 months:

I have been reading Sam Calagione's Brewing Up a Business and am very impressed.  I am a big fan of Dogfish Head Brewery, and really like most of their beers.  It is very eye-opening to see things down the right way and have them equated with a successful business.  I have seen many other companies doing the opposite, and they are miserable places to work.

More people seem to be taking notice of the difference between "beer geeks" and "beer snobs".  I talked about it in a Hop Press article a few months back, but have now seen it pop up in other articles and as a topic of discussion.  Beer snobs do a disservice to the industry they purport to love.  Beer geeks uplift it.

The Winter Olympics were a lot of fun to watch.  I would love to visit Vancouver again some day now that I am an adult.  I really enjoyed the opening ceremonies and most of the games I watched.  However, NBC's decision to air the majority of the hockey games - including the USA v Canada (preliminary) game - on their cable channels was a huge disservice to their non-cable audience.  And then to go a step further and offer it streaming online was great... until you discovered that even online, you had to be a cable subscriber.  NBC = FAIL.

Olympics II: The men's hockey tournament was exceptional.  Even though the USA lost, the level of play was a joy to watch from every team.  And the level of class each team displayed regardless of victory or defeat should be a model for athletes world-wide (including prima-donna Russian figure skating men).  Call Alexander Ovechkin a show-boat, but you didn't hear him bad-mouthing Team Canada after losing.

January and February are typically cold months everywhere in the northern hemisphere, even in Florida.  However, in the past 15 years that I have lived here, I have never experienced this many "cold" days.  By cold, I mean in the 50's or below.  Now, before those in snowy climes start guffawing and pointing and shaking their heads, it should be pointed out that people live in Florida mostly because it does NOT get snowy and icy and frigid.  People who live in those Hoth-like locales are there by choice.  I am tired of being cold all the time.  But it does make for good stout, porter, and barley-wine drinking weather.

I have sampled the Three Halos Rum Porter now a few times since bottling.  This most recent test revealed a really, really good beer.  Not as much rum flavor as I had hoped, but its there.  Cheers, my friends.

My journey up to Dunedin Brewery for the Stogie and Stout event was excellent.  I fell in love with stouts while living in Sonoma, and they were my beer of choice for many years.  I was reminded why at the S&S.  Full, rich, dark, and flavorful... I need to remember that its not always ONLY about hops...

The coming weeks hold several beer-related events and happenings which will be detailed out on Examiner.com and the Hop Press.  I am also going to try to be more present here on Beer for the Daddy.  Until then, relax and have a homebrew or craft beer...