§ August 2nd, 2010§ Filed under News§ Tagged UncategorizedComments Off
In preparation for our holiday issue, we’re unlocking our cellar of aged winter brews and asking your advice: Which brews should we pop open? We’ve selected 11 candidates; vote on the one you’d most like to see our panel of experts taste, and the three winners will appear in our November/December issue.
A few notes from our beer editor, Chris Staten: “I’m interested to see how the two Jubelales have aged; since we have two, we can test how well it cellars. Still, the 2008 may have already passed its prime—same with Winter Welcome; two years is a lot for a 6%-ABV beer. Noel could be cool; it’s a dubbel-style, and at 9% ABV, it should have a lot of nice dark fruit notes, plus, it’d be interesting to see how the Belgian yeast has fared. But I’m most intrigued by Gift of the Magi; I’d love to see how the delicate flavors of a 10% biere de garde have stood up over the past two years. Still, I’m willing to open whatever I’m told!”
[polldaddy poll=3561323]
§ July 28th, 2010§ Filed under News§ Tagged UncategorizedComments Off
by Ryan Van Velzer
In March, Iowa’s legislature eased restrictions on high-octane brews, raising the cap on ABVs from 5% to 12%. Before the “beer equality law” passed, state-sponsored vendors controlled the high-gravity beer market, and Iowans could only sip imperial stouts and Belgian ales from out-of-state breweries. Now that the state’s brewing big, we asked eight Iowa beer makers to give us a taste of what’s on tap and what’s in the tank.
David Coy, Raccoon River Brewing
“The first beer I brewed after the law passed was a maibock. I probably bumped it up beyond where it needed to be, it’s 8.5% ABV, but I was in a celebratory mood. We’ve a got double IPA that I’m putting on tap tomorrow, El Bandito Loco. It’s going to be 9.5% ABV with 3 pounds of hops per barrel. After that, I’m pretty sure there is a Russian imperial stout in my future; that’ll be my winter warmer this year.”
Mike Gauthier, Court Avenue Brewing Co.
“I’ve got a Sahti on draft. It’s a Finnish farmhouse ale brewed with malted rye and juniper berries with a 7.5% ABV. I’ve been dying to make it since I drank one that Goose Island brewed 10 years ago. I’ve also got a double ESB in the conditioning tank right now at 8.6% ABV, but its still a little hot, probably won’t be ready to serve for another two or three weeks.”
Chris Priebe, Millstream Brewing Co.
“We’re playing around with a few different things and seeing what people like so that after a year or two, we can come out with bottles of what is most popular. Right now we’ve got weizenbock on tap. It’s a high-gravity dark wheat beer and it turned out pretty good; it’s about 8.5% ABV. After that, we’re looking at doing a fruit-flavored tripel, and we also beefed up our regular oatmeal stout so that’s 7% ABV now.”
Peter Ausenhus, Worth Brewing Co.
“I’m in the lautering stage of my second batch of Russian imperial stout, and I’m just about to start boiling; it will probably end up at about 10% ABV. The first beer that will be on tap is the Bar Belle Blond, a Belgian strong golden ale which comes out in August. I will follow that up in September with the Bison doppelbock, and I also have a real strong Scotch ale for this winter that I just want to age for a while.”
Joe Kesteloot, Peace Tree Brewing
“I’ve done two brews that are high-gravity; the first one I did right after the law changed was a Belgian-style blond that’s about 8.5% ABV. Then, I was really excited to do a double IPA at 9%; I released that one the 10th of July. We’ve had a lot of demand for it; we were reserving cases before they even went on sale. In winter, I’m probably going to do an imperial stout or a barrel-aged stout; if I go with the barrel-aged one, it won’t be done until the following year.”
Mason Groben, Madhouse Brewing Co.
“We’re a brand-new brewery; we just started making beer in February. We hope to add a high gravity beer in the fall. One of my investors has an acre of Mt. Hood, Centennial and Cascade hops growing, so hopefully my next beer will be a 100-percent Iowa-grown double-hopped American style IPA.”
Brad Knoke, Hub City Brewing Co.
“We’re just getting started on the high-gravity stuff. The one we’re getting ready right now is our 9.7%-ABV Russian imperial stout called The Midnight Express. We’re also working on a Belgian beer, either a strong ale or a dubbel, and we’re also working on a double IPA.”
Matt Guenther, Beck’s Sports Bar and Grill
“We have our Grizzlybock; it’s a doppelbock that’s higher on the scale than your average beer, around 7 or 8% ABV. It’s something darker, a kind of signature that not many places carry and our most popular with craft beer enthusiasts.”
§ April 7th, 2010§ Filed under News§ Tagged UncategorizedComments Off
Do you have a burning question that can wait up to a week to get answered? Send it over HERE.
Last week I fielded your burning questions from rural England. This week we’ve got another special edition of the Mailbag from not-so-sunny Chicago. Where’s that Mr. Sandburg? “HOG Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders.” Yeah, that’s the place. Expect constant news from the Craft Brewers Conference in the coming days, but for now let’s get with the mail.
John
“I saw the first beer from Sierra Nevada’s anniversary line the other day. What else is coming up from them?”
Good stuff, John. Good stuff. The team at Sierra Nevada’s certainly reached out to legends in the industry for this line of 30th anniversary beers. We’re most excited about the capstone beer: Tentatively called Brewer’s Reserve Oak-Aged Ale. This best-hits beer blends different vintages of Bigfoot, Pale Ale and Celebration for something that should definitely be on your must try list for the year. This one won’t be out until late this year, so there’s plenty of time to try out your own blends in the coming months.
Chris
“I’m heading down to Florida next week and wondered if you can point me toward some good beer. I’ll be in Tampa mostly.”
Nice name, Chris. As luck should have it, the annual Best Florida Beer Championships finally posted the results. If you’re in Tampa, I’m a big fan of Cigar City Brewing, which does some amazing cedar-aging experiments, and Saint Somewhere, which makes a hell of a saison. While you’re in Florida, don’t miss out on Florida Beer Company, who like the previous two breweries also took home some jewelry from the competition.
Sarah
“I’ve got a ton of Easter ham leftover and it just so happens I’m a beer geek. What brew do you recommend to pair with the ham?”
I like your style, Sarah. Hope you’re not dining alone. Maybe I’m not the most adventurous person but I stick with malty sweet brown ales when it comes to a nice honey-glazed ham, particularly Flossmoor Station Pullman Brown Ale. The caramel, molasses and brown sugar notes are a natural pairing for the ham’s sweet coating, while the beer delivers just enough bitterness to wash the tongue of the salty meat.
Speaking of pairings, regular DRAFT contributor Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, is currently kicking around the kitchen inside the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, prepping his 2,000-plate beer dinner to conclude the World Beer Cup on Saturday. That’s right, 2,000 people. Stay tuned here for updates from the CBC, a video tour of Paxton’s kitchen and much, much more. Can’t read more than 140 characters at a time? Solution!
There comes a time in every workingman’s life when The Company sends down a grand assignment; a honey-do job from those who sign your paycheck. Revise the TPS report. Submit to government chemical testing. Green light the “Star Wars” prequels. Well, that day’s finally come for this working stiff. Two years into my stint as associate editor at DRAFT, the papers finally arrived: Start a blog — and just as I was about to settle down with my morning cup of coffee.
Yes, that’s my computer at the top of the post. Yes, official business here at DRAFT HQ often unfolds via sticky note. And, yes, that is most certainly Luke Skywalker shredding the guitar. The force is strong with my computer. Let’s get with the basics.
Name: Christopher Staten New title: Beer Editor College focus: History/Anthropology (with a casual focus on beer’s role in historical events/accidental drinking habits of Australopiths) 9-5: First newspapers, now magazines Weirdest interview: Grace Slick Last beer consumed: Odell Red Ale Most exotic locale with beer: Islander IPA, Singapore Last great foreign pint: Hop Back’s Summer Lightning, The Ten Bells Pub, London. Last great concert: Of Montreal, Halloween, Baltimore Little known fact: I’ve got a personal bet for what happens to me first: bald or gray?
So that’s me in a beer nutshell, but I’m more interested in you. Of course, that’s not going to happen unless I provide grade-A intel on the craft beer scene to coax you out of the woodwork. On with the Mission Statement:
Here at the Beer Editor’s blog, expect fresh, researched musings, interviews and news about craft breweries around the world. We’re going beyond the magazine, getting real close with the folks that hand-craft the brews you spend face-time with, and, on occasion, we’ll indulge the off-topic conversation that goes hand-in-hand with a round of pints. Discussing late hop additions and yeast strains is great, but so is me trying to convince you that ELO is not a guilty pleasure, but a legitimate, street-cred-worthy band best listened to at maximum decibels. We’ve got a crack team brainstorming regular weekly departments, and they’re going to be good. Stay tuned.
Announcement No. 1: The Mailbag
Each week on this Friday post I’ll answer your questions — any question — whether they’re beer related or otherwise. What’s the next New Glarus Unplugged Series beer? What the hell is a metheglin, and why should I care? What beer does Charlie fake drink on “Two and a Half Men”? What is a human paraquat? Drop me an email and I’ll post it, with the answer, in all its glory.
Announcement No. 2: Live Chat
Like James Cameron, we’ve waited for certain technologies to catch up to our vision, and now they have (years ago). Watch for updates from Web Editor/Guru Noah Davis on draftmag.com; you’ll know when it’s coming. Line up for a chance to chat one-on-one with your favorite brewer. Occasionally, we’ll open up the live chat for just you and me. This is your chance to get up in my business.
Announcement No. 3: I’m on the TeeVee (not really)
We sample a lot of beers here at DRAFT. We also get tired of talking to just each other about them. YOU ALREADY SAID GRASSY HOPS. Each Friday we’ll post a new video with our mugs on camera tasting a brew: New beer. Aged beer. Future beer. (Future beer?). We will prime you for happy hour.
So, my newfound friends, this isn’t just the beginning of a blog, but the beginning of a beertiful friendship. And, like I said before, ELO is badass — if I knew I could stage dive with a cello, I would have rethought the guitar.
