Pale, Amber and Brown reminds me of the Who song, as written by Pete Townshend, called "Blue, Red and Grey."
Some people seem so obsessed with the morning
Get up early just to watch the sun rise
Some people like it more when there's fire in the sky
Worship the sun when it's high
Some people go for those sultry evenings
Sipping cocktails in the blue, red and grey
But I like every minute of the day
But enough of that. At Office Hours on Monday, November 1, we'll continue our journey through the Beer Judge Certification Program's (BJCP) style definitions; specifically, it's time for Category 10 — American Ale.
Category 10 — American Ale
10A. American Pale Ale
Commercial Examples: BBC APA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Pale Ale
10B. American Amber Ale
Commercial Examples: North Coast Red Seal Ale, St. Rogue Red Ale, Bell's Amber
10C. American Brown Ale
Commercial Examples: Bell’s Best Brown, Brooklyn Brown Ale
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Survey link: What do you do when a bar is out of your favorite microbrew?
Readers, I received the following link from Stephen Jannise, with a request to read his essay and take the survey. My answer is to order something comparable, as I'm seldom willing to acknowledge a favorite. Another brief thought: Better contemporary technology and a less restrictive distribution regime certainly would help, but in the end, better education for bar personnel strikes me as an excellent short-term solution.
---
I thought you would be interested in a survey I'm hosting on my blog. I'm asking beer enthusiasts what they normally do when a bar is out of their favorite microbrew. You can find the survey here.
The survey coincides with an article I've written about the ways in which traditional methods of beer distribution continue to favor the major beer producers while putting the microbreweries at a disadvantage. Many bars can't afford to keep large quantities of craft beers rolling in on a regular basis. A few changes to the distribution model might help more bars afford more microbrews.
Stephen Jannise
ERP Market Analyst
Software Advice
---
I thought you would be interested in a survey I'm hosting on my blog. I'm asking beer enthusiasts what they normally do when a bar is out of their favorite microbrew. You can find the survey here.
The survey coincides with an article I've written about the ways in which traditional methods of beer distribution continue to favor the major beer producers while putting the microbreweries at a disadvantage. Many bars can't afford to keep large quantities of craft beers rolling in on a regular basis. A few changes to the distribution model might help more bars afford more microbrews.
Stephen Jannise
ERP Market Analyst
Software Advice
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday Weekly: Ruminations on education.
Last evening, I presented a program entitled "A History of Breweries in New Albany." It was sponsored by the Floyd County Historical Society, and took place at the Calumet Club (1614 E. Spring in NA), a three-story brick structure from the 1920’s that the Bliss family has lovingly restored over a period of years.
The ballroom on the top floor of the Calumet Club is where some day in the future, I would like to stage an entirely unique beer and food festival. Since I’ve yet to determine what this might be, and how it might work, there can be no further details at this time. Just remember: I warned you.
Pending a sharpening of my event-planning faculties (shut up), I can provide advance notice of an NABC gala coming in late January to the current parking lot at Bank Street Brewhouse. We’ll be holding the annual Old Lightning Rod release party a bit later than the usual date of January 16 (Benjamin Franklin’s birthday), and doing it outdoors in the company of Steve Thomas’s legendary olden times, open air roasting of various meats. Think of it as Colonial Carnivores Outdoors.
With the proliferation of ethnic dining flair in downtown New Albany comes exciting new opportunities for beer pairing dinners in conjunction with NABC. There is Italian (La Bocca), Cuban (Habana Blues), Mexican (La Rosita’s) and German (if the Steinert’s kitchen crew is willing – they do schnitzel, you know). We’ll be working on a few ideas along these lines as the winter settles in, and excuses to eat and drink become necessary.
Also, a slate of beer dinners is being planned for Bank Street Brewhouse. Chef Josh Lehman is looking at an evening with locally produced, artisanal cheeses, and also stepping outside the box with Bank Street’s first ever wine dinner, featuring our local winery partners. GM Joe Phillips has a bourbon tasting in the works with the Crossroads Vintners wholesalers. It’s all about the beer, but of course, there are always other angles to explore and cherish.
The “fall semester” of Office Hours with the Publican has been both enjoyable and instructive to date. The general theme has been a gradual trawl through the Beer Judge Certification Program’s style guidelines, with concurrent tastings of examples found on the Public House’s bottled beer list. The final goal is to facilitate the long overdue new list, but as in many journeys, the little insights along the way are proving to be gratifying.
I’ve learned that when it comes to Doppelbock, higher alcoholic strength actually can be a detriment to my enjoyment, as the chewy maltiness lessens with greater attenuation. I now know the exact differences between Cream Ale and Blonde Ale, even if I rarely consume either of them. And so on. Remember that the public is invited to Prost each Monday at 6:30 p.m., and participation costs only $5 most of the time.
My final class of the current “Here’s to Beer” course sponsored by IUS’s division of continuing studies will take place this evening. The next entry-level class will be offered in February, and then in March, I’ll attempt to muddle through my first attempt an advanced level session, for which previous entry level students will be eligible. Honestly, I’ve yet to determine how the advanced course will work, other than more detailed tastings. There may be guest speakers, and we may meet in different places. All options are on the table, and I’ll issue an update at a later date.
My next “Food and Dining” magazine piece is due in a few days, and after the election has passed, I’m due to sit down with interested parties to discuss reviving the concept of the “Mug Shots” column with a different host than LEO. Readers will recall that Wednesday Weekly came about as a way to keep in shape while awaiting another column opportunity. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because I wouldn’t mind a few more dollars of beer money, just for the fun of it.
Presentations, events, pairings, columns, classes … these, then, constitute my ongoing commitment to education in better beer. I believe it is critical to continue teaching, because beer enthusiasm is a phenomenon that engages the mind as well as the palate. It’s what sets the genre apart from simple alcoholic satisfaction, and serves as metaphor for other worthwhile pursuits.
It is for these reasons that seeing the like-minded in action is a cause for joy. It’s why the Louisville Beer Store is such a great addition to Louisville beer culture, and why the new Eiderdown eatery has such wonderful promise. Principles to preface proliferating options – that’s the educational worldview that might help set metro Louisville apart from other like-sized areas when it comes to the uniqueness of local beer culture. It’s something we should continue defining and expounding.
As we’ve always said at NABC: We’re for it.
The ballroom on the top floor of the Calumet Club is where some day in the future, I would like to stage an entirely unique beer and food festival. Since I’ve yet to determine what this might be, and how it might work, there can be no further details at this time. Just remember: I warned you.
Pending a sharpening of my event-planning faculties (shut up), I can provide advance notice of an NABC gala coming in late January to the current parking lot at Bank Street Brewhouse. We’ll be holding the annual Old Lightning Rod release party a bit later than the usual date of January 16 (Benjamin Franklin’s birthday), and doing it outdoors in the company of Steve Thomas’s legendary olden times, open air roasting of various meats. Think of it as Colonial Carnivores Outdoors.
With the proliferation of ethnic dining flair in downtown New Albany comes exciting new opportunities for beer pairing dinners in conjunction with NABC. There is Italian (La Bocca), Cuban (Habana Blues), Mexican (La Rosita’s) and German (if the Steinert’s kitchen crew is willing – they do schnitzel, you know). We’ll be working on a few ideas along these lines as the winter settles in, and excuses to eat and drink become necessary.
Also, a slate of beer dinners is being planned for Bank Street Brewhouse. Chef Josh Lehman is looking at an evening with locally produced, artisanal cheeses, and also stepping outside the box with Bank Street’s first ever wine dinner, featuring our local winery partners. GM Joe Phillips has a bourbon tasting in the works with the Crossroads Vintners wholesalers. It’s all about the beer, but of course, there are always other angles to explore and cherish.
The “fall semester” of Office Hours with the Publican has been both enjoyable and instructive to date. The general theme has been a gradual trawl through the Beer Judge Certification Program’s style guidelines, with concurrent tastings of examples found on the Public House’s bottled beer list. The final goal is to facilitate the long overdue new list, but as in many journeys, the little insights along the way are proving to be gratifying.
I’ve learned that when it comes to Doppelbock, higher alcoholic strength actually can be a detriment to my enjoyment, as the chewy maltiness lessens with greater attenuation. I now know the exact differences between Cream Ale and Blonde Ale, even if I rarely consume either of them. And so on. Remember that the public is invited to Prost each Monday at 6:30 p.m., and participation costs only $5 most of the time.
My final class of the current “Here’s to Beer” course sponsored by IUS’s division of continuing studies will take place this evening. The next entry-level class will be offered in February, and then in March, I’ll attempt to muddle through my first attempt an advanced level session, for which previous entry level students will be eligible. Honestly, I’ve yet to determine how the advanced course will work, other than more detailed tastings. There may be guest speakers, and we may meet in different places. All options are on the table, and I’ll issue an update at a later date.
My next “Food and Dining” magazine piece is due in a few days, and after the election has passed, I’m due to sit down with interested parties to discuss reviving the concept of the “Mug Shots” column with a different host than LEO. Readers will recall that Wednesday Weekly came about as a way to keep in shape while awaiting another column opportunity. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because I wouldn’t mind a few more dollars of beer money, just for the fun of it.
Presentations, events, pairings, columns, classes … these, then, constitute my ongoing commitment to education in better beer. I believe it is critical to continue teaching, because beer enthusiasm is a phenomenon that engages the mind as well as the palate. It’s what sets the genre apart from simple alcoholic satisfaction, and serves as metaphor for other worthwhile pursuits.
It is for these reasons that seeing the like-minded in action is a cause for joy. It’s why the Louisville Beer Store is such a great addition to Louisville beer culture, and why the new Eiderdown eatery has such wonderful promise. Principles to preface proliferating options – that’s the educational worldview that might help set metro Louisville apart from other like-sized areas when it comes to the uniqueness of local beer culture. It’s something we should continue defining and expounding.
As we’ve always said at NABC: We’re for it.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
"A History of Breweries in New Albany," tonight at the Calumet Club.
Tonight at 7:00 p.m. I'm presenting a program entitled "A History of Breweries in New Albany." It is sponsored by the Floyd County Historical Society, and takes place at the Calumet Club (1614 E. Spring in NA).
It is free, the public is invited, and there'll be beer from NABC.
It is free, the public is invited, and there'll be beer from NABC.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Office Hours surveys English, Irish and Scots ales, tonight.
Tonight's gathering of the Office Hours seminar, to which the public is cordially invited for the low price of $5 each, takes place at 6:30 p.m. in Prost (Pizzeria & Public House).
We continue our survey through the Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines with a mind toward completing the long overdue bottled beer list reform program. While tonight's categories are many, there are few available examples of some, so it should be possible to cover all the ground. Expect more examples of Extra Special/Strong Bitter and Wee Heavy, a few (if any) of the others. Cheers.
Category 8 — English Pale Ale
8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter
8C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Category 9 — Scottish and Irish Ale
9A. Scottish Light 60/-
9B. Scottish Heavy 70/-
9C. Scottish Export 80/-
9D. Irish Red Ale
9E. Strong Scotch Ale
We continue our survey through the Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines with a mind toward completing the long overdue bottled beer list reform program. While tonight's categories are many, there are few available examples of some, so it should be possible to cover all the ground. Expect more examples of Extra Special/Strong Bitter and Wee Heavy, a few (if any) of the others. Cheers.
Category 8 — English Pale Ale
8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter
8C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Category 9 — Scottish and Irish Ale
9A. Scottish Light 60/-
9B. Scottish Heavy 70/-
9C. Scottish Export 80/-
9D. Irish Red Ale
9E. Strong Scotch Ale
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Draft release of NABC VIII ... and the last of V, too.
Heads up: The draft release of NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale at the Pizzeria & Public House is this coming Monday, October 25.
NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale specs
But there's even more of a commemorative nature, because the last remaining kegs of NABC V - Fifth Anniversary Ale (do the math) also will be tapped very soon. You'll see V at the Pizzeria & Public House on Monday, alongside VIII. Later, both V and VIII will be tapped at Bank Street Brewhouse.
NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale specs
But there's even more of a commemorative nature, because the last remaining kegs of NABC V - Fifth Anniversary Ale (do the math) also will be tapped very soon. You'll see V at the Pizzeria & Public House on Monday, alongside VIII. Later, both V and VIII will be tapped at Bank Street Brewhouse.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday Weekly: As they say, think globally and drink locally.
My tenure at Rich O’s Public House began in June of 1992, and in considering this simple chronological fact of our company’s development, it is important to remember that at the time, no local breweries were operating in the metropolitan Louisville.
However, the revolution was palpably imminent. It arrived shortly thereafter, and has wildly proliferated ever since. Almost two decades have passed, and with them an array of sensations and experiences.
What has been learned?
Apart from an abortive precursor at Charlie’s, a restaurant on Main Street in Louisville, the modern era of brewing in Kentuckiana began in the autumn of 1992, when the Silo Brewpub opened for business with David Pierce manning the brew house. Apart from the Silo, the closest functional brewery to metropolitan Louisville was Oldenberg, just this side of Cincinnati in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Further afield, in Indianapolis, both Indianapolis Brewing Company (the Dusseldorfer brands) and Broad Ripple Brewpub (no distribution, then or now) were brewing beer.
That’s about it.
What’s more, almost no microbrewed beers (“craft” being a term to be coined much later) were available through normal wholesaling channels. The good beer game largely was played in terms of imports, most worthy examples being shipped from Europe.
We spent much time drinking beers like Guinness, Paulaner and Bass, fantasizing about the time to come, in what we could plainly see was a dawning age, when we’d be able to do it – to brew it – ourselves. Of course, the homebrewing contingents in LAGERS and FOSSILS already were brewing themselves, and so I’m restricting my field of vision to commercial brewing.
Even back then, we were not satisfied with Rich O’s being “just” a good beer bar, and we desperately wanted to brew our own. In 1994, the pre-existing Sportstime Pizza Inc. transitioned into the New Albanian Brewing Company, and we formulated a plan to acquire equipment and build a pub brewery at the original location on Grant Line Road.
Alas, neither the time nor the money was yet right, and the plans were shelved. We bided our time until 2002, by which time Tucker Brewing, Silver Creek Brewing, more than one Oldenberg branch, Pipkin, Hops!, Jack Daniels (no kidding), and perhaps other I’m forgetting already had come and gone, or were about to head out the door. We bought the remnants of Tucker via Silver Creek, and Michael Borchers fired up the NABC kettle for the first time.
By then, the go-to option for beer enthusiasts from the Louisville metropolitan area had long since been Bluegrass Brewing Company, which opened in 1993 in St. Matthews, having hired Dave away from the Silo.
For many of us, BBC was the one, crucial, necessary variable that truly mattered, as Dave pursued a quality program of mainstays and seasonals. BBC primarily was a brewpub with a small but growing degree of local distribution, and it was followed in later years by Cumberland Brews, Browning’s, and BBC’s own production facility at Clay & Main, which lie outside the scope of this essay.
Meanwhile, slowly and inexorably, as the years passed by, microbrews from elsewhere in America crept into the mix at the Public House. Some of them remain familiar today, like Sierra Nevada and Rogue. Others now are largely forgotten, like Baderbrau and Legacy.
To me, the analogy of a spigot gradually being rotated aptly illustrates these passing years. At some forgotten point, the trickle became a gushing torrent, with hundreds of beers from America’s hundreds of brewing companies, hundreds more from abroad, and the challenge of trying to decide which ones were worth stocking.
Verily, the American beer desert bloomed.
After visiting Delirium Tremens in Belgium in 2000, and watching as our beercycling group was toasted by the owner as representative of a burgeoning American market that was “saving” traditional brewing in his country, it began to occur to me how strange it was for drinkers in New Albany to rely on imports from afar, where local markets often were not sufficiently strong to support acknowledged world classic beers.
I didn’t realize it then, but this was the beginning of my grappling with the concept of local buying, local production and local creativity in beer. There would always be a place for the classics brewed throughout the world, but in the final analysis, shouldn’t the length and breadth of a local beer culture be measured by the strength of its local brewing?
By the mid-noughts, virtually every European brewery – big or small, good or bad – seemed to have found an American importer, and this was before the new generation of Mikkellers and Struises and Brew Dogs came on the scene. Concurrently, American craft brewing was growing at a rate far exceeding other beer business segments.
Taken together, the revolution of good beer became an unparalleled phenomenon mixing great taste with great business. If it were not, Anheuser-Busch would not be bragging about its own “craft” beers in a descriptive language utterly foreign to its corporate culture. Indeed, imitation remains the surest form of flattery.
Today, the Louisville metropolitan area boasts five brewing companies, including a total of eight brewhouses: BBC (2), Browning’s, Cumberland and NABC. Perhaps a thousand or more other brands come to the Louisville metropolitan area from macros and micros in America and the entire planet. I wouldn’t change a thing about this situation, because the founding generation fought for choice above all else.
At the same time, the next stage of the revolutionary struggle, at least on the part of those of us who are in the business of craft brewing, is to expand local brewing’s perimeter in its own marketplace. We must win back the hearts and minds of those living locally by making the case for genuinely local beer as distinctly indicative of what makes this region special, as worthy of a defined appellation of origin, as supportive of local brewing as adding inestimable value to a finished product, as recognizing that product as the freshest local daily option, as keeping more money in the local economy, and numerous other good reasons. If you have one, let me know and I’ll add it to a growing list.
My point is three-fold.
1. Some readers are not familiar with the back story, which I believe is crucial in understanding current times. Like any other individual, or any collective grouping such as the “good beer” business, accumulated experience shapes contemporary thinking.
2. There always has been a philosophical comparing-and-contrasting of beer from here, beer from there, and beer from all other places, a discussion that has changed as the times themselves have evolved.
3. Through it all, as reflects my personal experience, it has remained the case that even if one manages to create and maintain the very finest specialty beer bar (for which there’ll always be a need, and which I’ll always support), there is a glass ceiling that can be shattered only when beer is being brewed on site. Only then can artistic visions and expectations truly be attained, with a positive impact on local economies.
When it comes to Kentuckiana, our thriving local brewing industry represents an amazing revolutionary achievement. It exists alongside beer bars, restaurants, package outlets, homebrewing clubs, and every other manifestation of a vibrant beer culture, all of them worthy of equal recognition and celebration, all of them combining to provide a level of choice never before seen hereabouts. The Public House, formerly Rich O's, still offers the finest beers from anywhere and everywhere, even as we emphasize NABC more than before. We'll continue that marketing trajectory.
For me, after almost thirty years of effort, brewing locally is the pursuit that best unites the various stylistic, “create and buy local,” consciousness-expanding, educational-broadening strands of beer endeavor into an expression that is unique to Kentuckiana. No other place can be exactly like we are.
We must sell this fact – not just to the world, but even more importantly, to ourselves.
However, the revolution was palpably imminent. It arrived shortly thereafter, and has wildly proliferated ever since. Almost two decades have passed, and with them an array of sensations and experiences.
What has been learned?
Apart from an abortive precursor at Charlie’s, a restaurant on Main Street in Louisville, the modern era of brewing in Kentuckiana began in the autumn of 1992, when the Silo Brewpub opened for business with David Pierce manning the brew house. Apart from the Silo, the closest functional brewery to metropolitan Louisville was Oldenberg, just this side of Cincinnati in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Further afield, in Indianapolis, both Indianapolis Brewing Company (the Dusseldorfer brands) and Broad Ripple Brewpub (no distribution, then or now) were brewing beer.
That’s about it.
What’s more, almost no microbrewed beers (“craft” being a term to be coined much later) were available through normal wholesaling channels. The good beer game largely was played in terms of imports, most worthy examples being shipped from Europe.
We spent much time drinking beers like Guinness, Paulaner and Bass, fantasizing about the time to come, in what we could plainly see was a dawning age, when we’d be able to do it – to brew it – ourselves. Of course, the homebrewing contingents in LAGERS and FOSSILS already were brewing themselves, and so I’m restricting my field of vision to commercial brewing.
Even back then, we were not satisfied with Rich O’s being “just” a good beer bar, and we desperately wanted to brew our own. In 1994, the pre-existing Sportstime Pizza Inc. transitioned into the New Albanian Brewing Company, and we formulated a plan to acquire equipment and build a pub brewery at the original location on Grant Line Road.
Alas, neither the time nor the money was yet right, and the plans were shelved. We bided our time until 2002, by which time Tucker Brewing, Silver Creek Brewing, more than one Oldenberg branch, Pipkin, Hops!, Jack Daniels (no kidding), and perhaps other I’m forgetting already had come and gone, or were about to head out the door. We bought the remnants of Tucker via Silver Creek, and Michael Borchers fired up the NABC kettle for the first time.
By then, the go-to option for beer enthusiasts from the Louisville metropolitan area had long since been Bluegrass Brewing Company, which opened in 1993 in St. Matthews, having hired Dave away from the Silo.
For many of us, BBC was the one, crucial, necessary variable that truly mattered, as Dave pursued a quality program of mainstays and seasonals. BBC primarily was a brewpub with a small but growing degree of local distribution, and it was followed in later years by Cumberland Brews, Browning’s, and BBC’s own production facility at Clay & Main, which lie outside the scope of this essay.
Meanwhile, slowly and inexorably, as the years passed by, microbrews from elsewhere in America crept into the mix at the Public House. Some of them remain familiar today, like Sierra Nevada and Rogue. Others now are largely forgotten, like Baderbrau and Legacy.
To me, the analogy of a spigot gradually being rotated aptly illustrates these passing years. At some forgotten point, the trickle became a gushing torrent, with hundreds of beers from America’s hundreds of brewing companies, hundreds more from abroad, and the challenge of trying to decide which ones were worth stocking.
Verily, the American beer desert bloomed.
After visiting Delirium Tremens in Belgium in 2000, and watching as our beercycling group was toasted by the owner as representative of a burgeoning American market that was “saving” traditional brewing in his country, it began to occur to me how strange it was for drinkers in New Albany to rely on imports from afar, where local markets often were not sufficiently strong to support acknowledged world classic beers.
I didn’t realize it then, but this was the beginning of my grappling with the concept of local buying, local production and local creativity in beer. There would always be a place for the classics brewed throughout the world, but in the final analysis, shouldn’t the length and breadth of a local beer culture be measured by the strength of its local brewing?
By the mid-noughts, virtually every European brewery – big or small, good or bad – seemed to have found an American importer, and this was before the new generation of Mikkellers and Struises and Brew Dogs came on the scene. Concurrently, American craft brewing was growing at a rate far exceeding other beer business segments.
Taken together, the revolution of good beer became an unparalleled phenomenon mixing great taste with great business. If it were not, Anheuser-Busch would not be bragging about its own “craft” beers in a descriptive language utterly foreign to its corporate culture. Indeed, imitation remains the surest form of flattery.
Today, the Louisville metropolitan area boasts five brewing companies, including a total of eight brewhouses: BBC (2), Browning’s, Cumberland and NABC. Perhaps a thousand or more other brands come to the Louisville metropolitan area from macros and micros in America and the entire planet. I wouldn’t change a thing about this situation, because the founding generation fought for choice above all else.
At the same time, the next stage of the revolutionary struggle, at least on the part of those of us who are in the business of craft brewing, is to expand local brewing’s perimeter in its own marketplace. We must win back the hearts and minds of those living locally by making the case for genuinely local beer as distinctly indicative of what makes this region special, as worthy of a defined appellation of origin, as supportive of local brewing as adding inestimable value to a finished product, as recognizing that product as the freshest local daily option, as keeping more money in the local economy, and numerous other good reasons. If you have one, let me know and I’ll add it to a growing list.
My point is three-fold.
1. Some readers are not familiar with the back story, which I believe is crucial in understanding current times. Like any other individual, or any collective grouping such as the “good beer” business, accumulated experience shapes contemporary thinking.
2. There always has been a philosophical comparing-and-contrasting of beer from here, beer from there, and beer from all other places, a discussion that has changed as the times themselves have evolved.
3. Through it all, as reflects my personal experience, it has remained the case that even if one manages to create and maintain the very finest specialty beer bar (for which there’ll always be a need, and which I’ll always support), there is a glass ceiling that can be shattered only when beer is being brewed on site. Only then can artistic visions and expectations truly be attained, with a positive impact on local economies.
When it comes to Kentuckiana, our thriving local brewing industry represents an amazing revolutionary achievement. It exists alongside beer bars, restaurants, package outlets, homebrewing clubs, and every other manifestation of a vibrant beer culture, all of them worthy of equal recognition and celebration, all of them combining to provide a level of choice never before seen hereabouts. The Public House, formerly Rich O's, still offers the finest beers from anywhere and everywhere, even as we emphasize NABC more than before. We'll continue that marketing trajectory.
For me, after almost thirty years of effort, brewing locally is the pursuit that best unites the various stylistic, “create and buy local,” consciousness-expanding, educational-broadening strands of beer endeavor into an expression that is unique to Kentuckiana. No other place can be exactly like we are.
We must sell this fact – not just to the world, but even more importantly, to ourselves.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Founders Harvest, 3F Brew Doo, and Founders Devil Dancer headline Lupulin Land, today.
Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming continues today at the Public House. The program boasts hoppy topics for the edification of magic cone aficionados.
1. Today, we're tapping an unexpected Lupulin Land addition, a sixth-barrel of Three Floyds Brew Doo Harvest Ale.
2. But that's not all. A sixth-barrel of Founders Devil Dancer is being Randallized, i.e., fresh-hopped on its way from keg to glass.
3. And there's still more, in the form of a cask-conditioned (10 gallon) firkin of Founders Harvest Ale, which will be on the handpull.
By 5:00 p.m., all three should be pouring. Since not one of them is a conventional, "full" keg, plan accordingly. Which will go first? Come and be a part of the answer, not the question.
1. Today, we're tapping an unexpected Lupulin Land addition, a sixth-barrel of Three Floyds Brew Doo Harvest Ale.
2. But that's not all. A sixth-barrel of Founders Devil Dancer is being Randallized, i.e., fresh-hopped on its way from keg to glass.
3. And there's still more, in the form of a cask-conditioned (10 gallon) firkin of Founders Harvest Ale, which will be on the handpull.
By 5:00 p.m., all three should be pouring. Since not one of them is a conventional, "full" keg, plan accordingly. Which will go first? Come and be a part of the answer, not the question.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Office Hours will get all hybridized tonight.
To reiterate: I'm the Publican, and Office Hours is the Monday evening (6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) slot when five bucks buys you a tasting and discussion with me, and also the Public House's beer team, Eric & Ben.
This fall, we're working our way through the Public House bottled beer list, using Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines as framework. Lagers have been done, and now, with a bit of help from Todd Antz at Keg Liquors, I'm working to have examples of the following for sipping tonight:
6. LIGHT HYBRID BEER
6A. Cream Ale
6B. Blonde Ale
6C. Kölsch
6D. American Wheat or Rye Beer
7. AMBER HYBRID BEER
7A. Northern German Altbier
7B. California Common Beer
7C. Düsseldorf Altbier
What makes them hybrids? That's the object of attending, isn't it?
This fall, we're working our way through the Public House bottled beer list, using Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines as framework. Lagers have been done, and now, with a bit of help from Todd Antz at Keg Liquors, I'm working to have examples of the following for sipping tonight:
6. LIGHT HYBRID BEER
6A. Cream Ale
6B. Blonde Ale
6C. Kölsch
6D. American Wheat or Rye Beer
7. AMBER HYBRID BEER
7A. Northern German Altbier
7B. California Common Beer
7C. Düsseldorf Altbier
What makes them hybrids? That's the object of attending, isn't it?
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Draft Elector now at Cozza in Jeffersonville.
NABC's Elector is on tap at Cozza, a restaurant at 214 W. Court Avenue in Jeffersonville that offers Italian fusion cuisine. Learn more at Cozza's Facebook page, and know that our old friend Clint is managing the restaurant.
David Mann of the Evening News gives some background in this article from earlier in the year: ITALIAN FLAVOR: Cozza open for lunch in former Parella’s building, with local focus. Marty Rosen also gave Cozza a review in April.
Wine's fine, but a Cozza beer dinner, anyone?
David Mann of the Evening News gives some background in this article from earlier in the year: ITALIAN FLAVOR: Cozza open for lunch in former Parella’s building, with local focus. Marty Rosen also gave Cozza a review in April.
Wine's fine, but a Cozza beer dinner, anyone?
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tony's bomber label design for Elector.
The label has been submitted for Federal approval ... and Tony starts on the next design.Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wednesday Weekly: Locavore in a Kentuckiana glass.
Two weeks ago, I began musing in the general direction of locally-based marketing action by metropolitan Louisville area breweries.
It is an understatement to note that my thoughts have engendered controversy, and seeing as generating discussion always is my intention, I cannot deny a measure of contentment with this reaction. Unfortunately, a slew of misconceptions have accompanied the ensuing chat.
One is that my interest in positive reinforcement for local brewing constitutes a reaction “against” recent developments. But this is mistaken, and paranoia is not an argument. These thoughts of mine did not spring forth overnight. They have been gestating for a very long time, ever since two developments combined in a dialectical fashion to give me pause.
One of these is my ongoing, personal involvement with downtown New Albany revitalization efforts, during the course of which I have found myself exposed to a world of ideas loosely configured as New Urbanism. Running parallel to such tenets is the “buy local” movement, which as a small businessman strikes me as the perfect antidote to the high cost of low price (Wal-Mart) and the subsequent outsourcing of America. Craft brewers have been saying this for many years: Think globally, drink locally.
The second is NABC’s brewery expansion project, primarily as viewed from the context of craft beer’s national explosion. We have invested heavily in the production side of craft beer. At the same time, in spite of this being the “golden age” of craft beer, its percentage of market penetration remains very small, albeit it healthily growing. How do we make the pie appreciably bigger, grow faster, and reach those who haven’t yet experienced craft beer?
The answer for me as a brewery owner in metropolitan Louisville is to apply “locavore” tenets to craft beer and craft brewing, widen efforts to cultivate the grassroots where we all live and work, examine the added value of local craft brewing, and create an appellation of origin that summarizes this value, combining these ideas and ideals into an actionable program for telling our story to people who may not have heard it, while reaffirming what makes us special for those who have.
Contrary to rumor, I have no interest in protectionism or negative campaigning. My aim is to inventory Louisville area craft brewing and cull from it a positive explanation of value.
---
An objection I’ve heard repeated more than once is that because we do not grow cereal grains and hops in metropolitan Louisville area, “locavore” principles cannot possibly apply to craft brewing here. I used to feel the same way, but the fact of the matter is that brewing and agriculture are very different practices.
Agriculture systematizes the growth of foodstuffs, from which value is created. To brew is to add further value to them by fermenting them. Fermentation is a natural process, but significantly, beer does not brew itself. Without man's active intervention to plan and guide the activity, there would not be beer as we know it today.
Nature’s raw materials must be assembled, modified and finished according to the mind, and the hand, of man. As such, the process of brewing adds value to natural ingredients by transforming them into a finished product.
This added value can be measured tangibly, albeit simplistically, in a somewhat open market economy. Simply stated, the finished product sells for a price higher than the combined cost of natural materials and affiliated production costs – utilities, labor and the like.
However, the calculation of this added value also embraces a wide range of intangibles. These intangible values are harder to measure, but unlike purely objective technical standards of quality, they can be altered and enhanced in the mind of the consumer through instruction.
Or, as a consultant might ask: “Given a set of tangible product features, what is the price premium a consumer is willing to pay for my brand compared to a competitor's brand or an unbranded product?”
As an answer: Because the product is brewed in Kentuckiana.
Intangibles are consumer perceptions attached both to individual brands and entire classes of product. Consumers perceive value in craft beer as a whole; in craft beers brewed in Michigan; in craft beers brewed by Founders of Grand Rapids (to name just one); in favored craft beer styles (say, IPA); and in specifically favored craft beers, perhaps Founders Centennial.
Defining the way these circles intersect, and placing emphasis on certain of the intangibles, are two ways of illustrating added value. All of it belongs to the realm of consumer information, telling the story of beer and brewing. Ideally, at an individual brewery, telling this story is the job of sales and marketing, working alongside the brewery team.
Groupings of businesses can achieve an economy of marketing scale, enhance intangibles and add value by telling this story in a collective way, according to pre-determined criteria of membership.
The Brewers Association does it for American craft breweries – not craft breweries in Canada, and only for those that qualify for inclusion by standards of ownership and production.
The Brewers of Indiana Guild does it for those located in the state of Indiana, not Wyoming or Singapore.
In Germany, only those breweries in and around Cologne can sell ale called Kolsch, and one elsewhere, one looks for the Trappist symbol on the label to ensure that the beer is certified as authentic. A monastery can achieve certification, but only by compliance with the rules of the game.
Historically, appellations of origin always have mattered in positive terms of local ownership and local marketing, even if admittedly they’re occasionally misused by protectionists. If the city of Plzen had it to do over, Pilsner would be a term exclusive to the area, and never would have been permitted to describe watery imitators brewed in St. Louis or Nairobi.
If one truly believes that one's locale is special, then obviously "special" can be defined and delineated. These definitions and delineations reflect principles that add further tiers of value to locally brewed craft beer.
Membership is free to those who meet the criteria, which must be sufficiently sensible in terms of eligibility to make the exercise worth pursuing. It does not upset me that NABC cannot belong to the Michigan Brewers Guild, because we cannot meet the criteria for membership (brewing in Michigan), but you can bet that belonging to the guild has benefits for Michigan craft brewers, and we in Kentuckiana are free to emulate the MBG on our own terms … or, naturally, not at all.
I believe it would be a mistake not to explore the advantages of such a grouping and such a common marketing exercise.
---
Yes, it is possible to pick a thousand nits, and as noted, my overall purpose is to incite thought. In the end, I believe it is perfectly acceptable, and in the economic climate highly advisable, for Kentuckiana breweries to be unified, to define the facets that make them special, and to positively brand and market themselves accordingly. We creatively produce the freshest local craft beer, period, because we brew our beer right here.
Period.
Nothing in any of this, anywhere in this, suggests excluding beers from elsewhere. This is not either-or. It is an argument in favor of one grouping, existing alongside other arguments for other groupings. Most, even all, might be valid simultaneously. A Kolsch brewed in Cologne, an ale brewed by Trappists, and Genuine Kentuckiana; choose the one that fits your needs.
The NABC Pizzeria & Public House will continue to sell wonderful beers from America and the world, with draft taps designated as Michigan Brewers Guild, and Brewers of Indiana Guild, and Monsters of Craft. All these beers exist for a certain time and place, as do beers brewed locally, right here in metropolitan Louisville. All fit the good beer mosaic, and I merely suggest that we, ourselves, be pro-active about dictating the terms of the exact fit.
Nothing here refers to individual personalities, or to attacks on them, or to anything at all beyond a rational consideration of options that pertain to the craft brewing business and the art of craft brewing, both in localized contexts.
It is principle, not personality.
It is the primacy of ideas and ideals as the perhaps the finest marketing strategy yet devised.
That's all it is, and that's enough for me.
It is an understatement to note that my thoughts have engendered controversy, and seeing as generating discussion always is my intention, I cannot deny a measure of contentment with this reaction. Unfortunately, a slew of misconceptions have accompanied the ensuing chat.
One is that my interest in positive reinforcement for local brewing constitutes a reaction “against” recent developments. But this is mistaken, and paranoia is not an argument. These thoughts of mine did not spring forth overnight. They have been gestating for a very long time, ever since two developments combined in a dialectical fashion to give me pause.
One of these is my ongoing, personal involvement with downtown New Albany revitalization efforts, during the course of which I have found myself exposed to a world of ideas loosely configured as New Urbanism. Running parallel to such tenets is the “buy local” movement, which as a small businessman strikes me as the perfect antidote to the high cost of low price (Wal-Mart) and the subsequent outsourcing of America. Craft brewers have been saying this for many years: Think globally, drink locally.
The second is NABC’s brewery expansion project, primarily as viewed from the context of craft beer’s national explosion. We have invested heavily in the production side of craft beer. At the same time, in spite of this being the “golden age” of craft beer, its percentage of market penetration remains very small, albeit it healthily growing. How do we make the pie appreciably bigger, grow faster, and reach those who haven’t yet experienced craft beer?
The answer for me as a brewery owner in metropolitan Louisville is to apply “locavore” tenets to craft beer and craft brewing, widen efforts to cultivate the grassroots where we all live and work, examine the added value of local craft brewing, and create an appellation of origin that summarizes this value, combining these ideas and ideals into an actionable program for telling our story to people who may not have heard it, while reaffirming what makes us special for those who have.
Contrary to rumor, I have no interest in protectionism or negative campaigning. My aim is to inventory Louisville area craft brewing and cull from it a positive explanation of value.
---
An objection I’ve heard repeated more than once is that because we do not grow cereal grains and hops in metropolitan Louisville area, “locavore” principles cannot possibly apply to craft brewing here. I used to feel the same way, but the fact of the matter is that brewing and agriculture are very different practices.
Agriculture systematizes the growth of foodstuffs, from which value is created. To brew is to add further value to them by fermenting them. Fermentation is a natural process, but significantly, beer does not brew itself. Without man's active intervention to plan and guide the activity, there would not be beer as we know it today.
Nature’s raw materials must be assembled, modified and finished according to the mind, and the hand, of man. As such, the process of brewing adds value to natural ingredients by transforming them into a finished product.
This added value can be measured tangibly, albeit simplistically, in a somewhat open market economy. Simply stated, the finished product sells for a price higher than the combined cost of natural materials and affiliated production costs – utilities, labor and the like.
However, the calculation of this added value also embraces a wide range of intangibles. These intangible values are harder to measure, but unlike purely objective technical standards of quality, they can be altered and enhanced in the mind of the consumer through instruction.
Or, as a consultant might ask: “Given a set of tangible product features, what is the price premium a consumer is willing to pay for my brand compared to a competitor's brand or an unbranded product?”
As an answer: Because the product is brewed in Kentuckiana.
Intangibles are consumer perceptions attached both to individual brands and entire classes of product. Consumers perceive value in craft beer as a whole; in craft beers brewed in Michigan; in craft beers brewed by Founders of Grand Rapids (to name just one); in favored craft beer styles (say, IPA); and in specifically favored craft beers, perhaps Founders Centennial.
Defining the way these circles intersect, and placing emphasis on certain of the intangibles, are two ways of illustrating added value. All of it belongs to the realm of consumer information, telling the story of beer and brewing. Ideally, at an individual brewery, telling this story is the job of sales and marketing, working alongside the brewery team.
Groupings of businesses can achieve an economy of marketing scale, enhance intangibles and add value by telling this story in a collective way, according to pre-determined criteria of membership.
The Brewers Association does it for American craft breweries – not craft breweries in Canada, and only for those that qualify for inclusion by standards of ownership and production.
The Brewers of Indiana Guild does it for those located in the state of Indiana, not Wyoming or Singapore.
In Germany, only those breweries in and around Cologne can sell ale called Kolsch, and one elsewhere, one looks for the Trappist symbol on the label to ensure that the beer is certified as authentic. A monastery can achieve certification, but only by compliance with the rules of the game.
Historically, appellations of origin always have mattered in positive terms of local ownership and local marketing, even if admittedly they’re occasionally misused by protectionists. If the city of Plzen had it to do over, Pilsner would be a term exclusive to the area, and never would have been permitted to describe watery imitators brewed in St. Louis or Nairobi.
If one truly believes that one's locale is special, then obviously "special" can be defined and delineated. These definitions and delineations reflect principles that add further tiers of value to locally brewed craft beer.
Membership is free to those who meet the criteria, which must be sufficiently sensible in terms of eligibility to make the exercise worth pursuing. It does not upset me that NABC cannot belong to the Michigan Brewers Guild, because we cannot meet the criteria for membership (brewing in Michigan), but you can bet that belonging to the guild has benefits for Michigan craft brewers, and we in Kentuckiana are free to emulate the MBG on our own terms … or, naturally, not at all.
I believe it would be a mistake not to explore the advantages of such a grouping and such a common marketing exercise.
---
Yes, it is possible to pick a thousand nits, and as noted, my overall purpose is to incite thought. In the end, I believe it is perfectly acceptable, and in the economic climate highly advisable, for Kentuckiana breweries to be unified, to define the facets that make them special, and to positively brand and market themselves accordingly. We creatively produce the freshest local craft beer, period, because we brew our beer right here.
Period.
Nothing in any of this, anywhere in this, suggests excluding beers from elsewhere. This is not either-or. It is an argument in favor of one grouping, existing alongside other arguments for other groupings. Most, even all, might be valid simultaneously. A Kolsch brewed in Cologne, an ale brewed by Trappists, and Genuine Kentuckiana; choose the one that fits your needs.
The NABC Pizzeria & Public House will continue to sell wonderful beers from America and the world, with draft taps designated as Michigan Brewers Guild, and Brewers of Indiana Guild, and Monsters of Craft. All these beers exist for a certain time and place, as do beers brewed locally, right here in metropolitan Louisville. All fit the good beer mosaic, and I merely suggest that we, ourselves, be pro-active about dictating the terms of the exact fit.
Nothing here refers to individual personalities, or to attacks on them, or to anything at all beyond a rational consideration of options that pertain to the craft brewing business and the art of craft brewing, both in localized contexts.
It is principle, not personality.
It is the primacy of ideas and ideals as the perhaps the finest marketing strategy yet devised.
That's all it is, and that's enough for me.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale debuts today as a firkin is tapped for Lupulin Land.
A cask-conditioned firkin of NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale will be tapped today at 3:00 p.m. as part of the Pizzeria & Public House's ongoing Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming.
In the following passage, brewer/creator Jared Williamson explains what went into his design for VIII.
---
NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale
8% ABV
80 IBU
8 SRM
8 Malts
4 Base: Simpsons Golden Promise, Castle Pale, Global Pils, Rahr 2-row
4 Specialty: (8% of the grist each) Weyermanns Vienna, Castle Aromatic, Briess Cara-Pils, Flaked Rye
8 Hops
All used in both the kettle, and for dry hopping.
Boil additions (80 minute boil)
60 minute Warrior, Summit
40 minute Chinook, Simcoe
20 minute Centennial, Amarillo
0 minute Nugget, Cascade
Notes
VIII celebrates our passage of an historic year in NABC's short brewing history. Continuing the tradition of featuring the anniversary year number in the beer as much as reasonably possible, VIII features four base and four specialty malts, eight total, that build a rich golden hue and depth of flavor, defying the lightness of its appearance. The eight hops used are familiar "foes" from the competitive Single Hop APA series, and each boil addition was a reunion of the previous head to head match ups, added in reverse chronological order.
VIII is dry hopped with the eight hops to bring the aroma a complex boutique of the beautiful cone's best Pacific Northwest varietals.
Cheers!
In the following passage, brewer/creator Jared Williamson explains what went into his design for VIII.
---
NABC VIII - Eighth Anniversary Ale
8% ABV
80 IBU
8 SRM
8 Malts
4 Base: Simpsons Golden Promise, Castle Pale, Global Pils, Rahr 2-row
4 Specialty: (8% of the grist each) Weyermanns Vienna, Castle Aromatic, Briess Cara-Pils, Flaked Rye
8 Hops
All used in both the kettle, and for dry hopping.
Boil additions (80 minute boil)
60 minute Warrior, Summit
40 minute Chinook, Simcoe
20 minute Centennial, Amarillo
0 minute Nugget, Cascade
Notes
VIII celebrates our passage of an historic year in NABC's short brewing history. Continuing the tradition of featuring the anniversary year number in the beer as much as reasonably possible, VIII features four base and four specialty malts, eight total, that build a rich golden hue and depth of flavor, defying the lightness of its appearance. The eight hops used are familiar "foes" from the competitive Single Hop APA series, and each boil addition was a reunion of the previous head to head match ups, added in reverse chronological order.
VIII is dry hopped with the eight hops to bring the aroma a complex boutique of the beautiful cone's best Pacific Northwest varietals.
Cheers!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming eases into gear, today.
Fringe Fest downtown is done, and now it's uptown for Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming, NABC Pizzeria & Public House's annual paean to the magical hop cone. Lupulin Land begins today, as we begin tapping kegs at the original 3312 Plaza Drive location of NABC.
As noted previously, we’ll be bringing drafts on line gradually throughout the coming weeks rather than debuting them all on a Friday, as before.
There'll be four or five CO2-driven Lupulin Land kegs at a time on tap, with cask-conditioned firkins appearing at selected intervals (see below). Of course, Lupulin Land's host brewery is NABC, and our special guest this year is Founders Brewing.
Most of the remaining beers on the list are American-made, and yes, there'll be a visitation by Randall the Enamel Animal (the hoppy modulator). Stay tuned for his day and time.
To know what’s on, what’s gone, and other Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming news, follow NABC on Facebook and Twitter.
Here's a recap with firkin tapping dates and a few late additions.
LUPULIN LAND 2010 ... Beginning schedule of tappings
Monday, October 11 at 5:00 p.m. (CO2 kegs)
Hitachino Nest Classic Ale
New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter
Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
Tuesday, October 12 at 3:00 p.m.
NABC 8th Anniversary firkin
Tuesday, October 19 at 3:00 p.m.
Founders Harvest Ale firkin
Founders Devil Dancer
Tuesday, October 26 at 3:00 p.m.
WinterCoat Double Hop firkin
Tuesday, November 2 @ 3:00 p.m.
NABC Yakima firkin
Late list additions:
New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter IPA
Dry-hopped with Centennial hops, aged with oak.
5.25% abv
http://newhollandbrew.com/corp/beer
Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red
Chinook and Centennial
5.1% abv, 44 IBU
http://www.rogue.com/beers/st-rogue-red.php
Tyranena HopWhore
Double IPA, part of the Brewers Gone Wild series.
7.5% abv
http://www.tyranena.com/
Complete list, previously published
Founders Brewing Company
Founder's Centennial
Founder's Devil Dancer
Founder's Harvest Ale (firkin)
Founder's Red's Rye
New Albanian Brewing Company
NABC VIII Anniversary Ale
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with hops from the eight Single Hop series releases: Warrior, Summit, Simcoe, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, Nugget, and Cascade
8% abv, 80 IBU
NABC Saison de Houblon
Dry-hopped Saison featuring Saaz and Styrian Goldings.
7% abv, 41 IBU
NABC Yakima RIPA
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo.
7.5% abv, 130 IBU
Wait, there’s more …
Goose Island Harvest Ale
American-style Extra Special Bitter with Cascade hops.
5.7% abv, 35 IBU
http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/harvest_ale/23.php
Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Pacific Northwest “wet” hops shipped to Denver for the batch.
6.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Great Divide Rumble Oak-Aged IPA
American IPA aged on French and American oak.
7.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale
Japan IPA: Chinook, Challenger & East Kent Goldings, aged in cedar casks.
7% abv
http://173.2.120.16/portfolios/producers/kiuchi/japanese_classic/overview.php
Left Hand Chainsaw
“Double” ESB: Magnum, US Goldings and Cascade.
8.3%
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/chainsaw-ale
Left Hand Twin Sisters
Double IPA, named for Twin Sisters Peaks in Colorado.
9% abv
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/twin-sisters
Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
Formerly “Chico Estate,” still brewed with malt and hops grown by the brewery on its grounds.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/estate.html
Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale
Formerly “Harvest Ale,” still brewed “wet” with Centennial and Cascades.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest.html
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
All English ingredients this year (except the water).
8.9% abv, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/anniv/ale/
Stone Double Bastard 2008
Another stashed vintage of heightened Arrogant Bastard.
10.5%, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/doublebastard/
Two Brothers Hop Juice
Dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel
9.9% ABV, 100.1 IBU's
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/Hop%20Juice.htm
WinterCoat Double Hop
A cask-conditioned firkin of English-influenced Imperial IPA, but from Denmark.
8.2% abv
http://www.wintercoat.dk/
As noted previously, we’ll be bringing drafts on line gradually throughout the coming weeks rather than debuting them all on a Friday, as before.
There'll be four or five CO2-driven Lupulin Land kegs at a time on tap, with cask-conditioned firkins appearing at selected intervals (see below). Of course, Lupulin Land's host brewery is NABC, and our special guest this year is Founders Brewing.
Most of the remaining beers on the list are American-made, and yes, there'll be a visitation by Randall the Enamel Animal (the hoppy modulator). Stay tuned for his day and time.
To know what’s on, what’s gone, and other Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming news, follow NABC on Facebook and Twitter.
Here's a recap with firkin tapping dates and a few late additions.
LUPULIN LAND 2010 ... Beginning schedule of tappings
Monday, October 11 at 5:00 p.m. (CO2 kegs)
Hitachino Nest Classic Ale
New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter
Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
Tuesday, October 12 at 3:00 p.m.
NABC 8th Anniversary firkin
Tuesday, October 19 at 3:00 p.m.
Founders Harvest Ale firkin
Founders Devil Dancer
Tuesday, October 26 at 3:00 p.m.
WinterCoat Double Hop firkin
Tuesday, November 2 @ 3:00 p.m.
NABC Yakima firkin
Late list additions:
New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter IPA
Dry-hopped with Centennial hops, aged with oak.
5.25% abv
http://newhollandbrew.com/corp/beer
Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red
Chinook and Centennial
5.1% abv, 44 IBU
http://www.rogue.com/beers/st-rogue-red.php
Tyranena HopWhore
Double IPA, part of the Brewers Gone Wild series.
7.5% abv
http://www.tyranena.com/
Complete list, previously published
Founders Brewing Company
Founder's Centennial
Founder's Devil Dancer
Founder's Harvest Ale (firkin)
Founder's Red's Rye
New Albanian Brewing Company
NABC VIII Anniversary Ale
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with hops from the eight Single Hop series releases: Warrior, Summit, Simcoe, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, Nugget, and Cascade
8% abv, 80 IBU
NABC Saison de Houblon
Dry-hopped Saison featuring Saaz and Styrian Goldings.
7% abv, 41 IBU
NABC Yakima RIPA
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo.
7.5% abv, 130 IBU
Wait, there’s more …
Goose Island Harvest Ale
American-style Extra Special Bitter with Cascade hops.
5.7% abv, 35 IBU
http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/harvest_ale/23.php
Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Pacific Northwest “wet” hops shipped to Denver for the batch.
6.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Great Divide Rumble Oak-Aged IPA
American IPA aged on French and American oak.
7.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale
Japan IPA: Chinook, Challenger & East Kent Goldings, aged in cedar casks.
7% abv
http://173.2.120.16/portfolios/producers/kiuchi/japanese_classic/overview.php
Left Hand Chainsaw
“Double” ESB: Magnum, US Goldings and Cascade.
8.3%
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/chainsaw-ale
Left Hand Twin Sisters
Double IPA, named for Twin Sisters Peaks in Colorado.
9% abv
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/twin-sisters
Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
Formerly “Chico Estate,” still brewed with malt and hops grown by the brewery on its grounds.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/estate.html
Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale
Formerly “Harvest Ale,” still brewed “wet” with Centennial and Cascades.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest.html
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
All English ingredients this year (except the water).
8.9% abv, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/anniv/ale/
Stone Double Bastard 2008
Another stashed vintage of heightened Arrogant Bastard.
10.5%, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/doublebastard/
Two Brothers Hop Juice
Dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel
9.9% ABV, 100.1 IBU's
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/Hop%20Juice.htm
WinterCoat Double Hop
A cask-conditioned firkin of English-influenced Imperial IPA, but from Denmark.
8.2% abv
http://www.wintercoat.dk/
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Kentucky Restaurant Association's “Crafted in Kentuckiana” at KingFish (River Road) on Sat., Oct. 16, from 3 - 7 p.m.
(submitted)
KENTUCKY RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS “CRAFTED IN KENTUCKIANA” BEER FESTIVAL
The Kentucky Restaurant Association will hold “Crafted in Kentuckiana” at KingFish on River Road in Louisville, Kentucky on October 16, 2010 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Confirmed participants are Alltech’s Kentucky Ale, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Browning’s, Cumberland Brews, Fall’s City Beer, Hofbrauhaus Newport and New Albanian Brewing Company.
An entry fee of $5 provides attendees with a plastic mug and wristband. $1 tickets will be sold at ticket areas and used to purchase tastes (1 ticket) or full pours (3 tickets) of beer. Tim Morrow will provide live music. Souvenir t-shirts and glassware will be available for purchase. KingFish will have food available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit the Kentucky Restaurant Association.
The Kentucky Restaurant Association will hold “Crafted in Kentuckiana” at KingFish on River Road in Louisville, Kentucky on October 16, 2010 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Confirmed participants are Alltech’s Kentucky Ale, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Browning’s, Cumberland Brews, Fall’s City Beer, Hofbrauhaus Newport and New Albanian Brewing Company.
An entry fee of $5 provides attendees with a plastic mug and wristband. $1 tickets will be sold at ticket areas and used to purchase tastes (1 ticket) or full pours (3 tickets) of beer. Tim Morrow will provide live music. Souvenir t-shirts and glassware will be available for purchase. KingFish will have food available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit the Kentucky Restaurant Association.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Two down, one remaining: Fringe Fest Saturday, today.
Thanks to one and all for your patronage the first two nights of Fringe Fest 2010. It's been a Fringe Fest to remember, and one whole day of it remains to be played out in near perfect weather.
Bank Street Brewhouse & the patio will be open today from 11:00 a.m. for NABC's authentic, locally brewed craft beers and Chef Josh Lehman's special Fringe Fest menu. The draft truck in our Fringe Garden pours from 4:00 p.m., and perhaps earlier depending on demand. Music starts at 5:00 p.m. (see below), and the gals from the Dandy Lion will join other arts and crafts vendors on the front patio this afternoon.
The (rescheduled) Capriole artisanal cheese sampling with NABC pairings will take place some time in early afternoon; stay tuned to my Twitter account for updates. I also know that Moonkist Gardens will join Fringe Fest with flowers and produce at 2:00 p.m., and that some of the 3-D Valley Beef gang will drop by and kick back as the kitchen prepares beef short ribs.
Here is today's musical lineup:
5:00 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.
The Kime Sisters
6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Third Kind
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Jed and The Noisemakers ... New Albany's own roots rock and blues band
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
The 23 String Band
9:50 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.
The Fervor
11:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sativa Gumbo
Bank Street Brewhouse & the patio will be open today from 11:00 a.m. for NABC's authentic, locally brewed craft beers and Chef Josh Lehman's special Fringe Fest menu. The draft truck in our Fringe Garden pours from 4:00 p.m., and perhaps earlier depending on demand. Music starts at 5:00 p.m. (see below), and the gals from the Dandy Lion will join other arts and crafts vendors on the front patio this afternoon.
The (rescheduled) Capriole artisanal cheese sampling with NABC pairings will take place some time in early afternoon; stay tuned to my Twitter account for updates. I also know that Moonkist Gardens will join Fringe Fest with flowers and produce at 2:00 p.m., and that some of the 3-D Valley Beef gang will drop by and kick back as the kitchen prepares beef short ribs.
Here is today's musical lineup:
5:00 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.
The Kime Sisters
6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Third Kind
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Jed and The Noisemakers ... New Albany's own roots rock and blues band
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
The 23 String Band
9:50 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.
The Fervor
11:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sativa Gumbo
Friday, October 08, 2010
Thursday night Fringe Fest recap.
The first round of Fringe Fest photos has been posted at NAC. Thursday was a fine opening night, with big crowds, radically diverging musical styles, authentically local craft beer, and undoubtedly the best beef being served at Harvest Homecoming.
Hit the links for more.
Louisville Klezmer Orchestra at Fringe Fest, 2010.
She Might Bite at Fringe Fest, 2010.
Louisville Klezmer Orchestra at Fringe Fest, 2010.
She Might Bite at Fringe Fest, 2010.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Louisville Klezmer Orchestra opens Fringe Fest tonight.
It's klezmer tonight at Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse!**Thursday October 7th**
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Louisville Klezmer Orchestra ... The Louisville Klezmer Orchestra's appearance at Fringe Fest 2010 is sponsored by Potable Curmudgeon, Inc. and the NA Confidential blog
9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
She Might Bite
Stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter for Fringe Fest updates.
Official 2010 Fringe Fest Schedule here.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Wednesday Weekly: Laugh and say, 'He's just that way.'
I’ve been reminded by a good friend that some years ago, while pulling duty at the Public House bar, I made a comment to the effect that 50 years of age would bring a very special personal benefit, one extending far beyond the discounts promised by AARP.
Specifically, I ventured that the half-century plateau would commence old age, and with it a time when people no longer would consider my thoughts and words as emanating from an obnoxious, self-centered, up and coming firebrand.
Rather, as officially rendered into an old man, I’d be liberated from responsibility by virtue of the irrelevance and harmless eccentricity engendered in lives lived past their prime. Instead of, “I’ll never speak to you again, asshole,” I’d get, “why, aren’t you the cutest geezer I’ve ever seen!”
In retrospect, it isn’t entirely true. As a geo-political example, Fidel Castro is pushing 90, our State Department still hangs on his every word, and he absolutely ceased being cute during probably the fifth or sixth of eleven American presidents he has seen inaugurated.
Also, there are things one should never to say to his mate, irrespective of age, while magically trusting in an immunity granted according to doddering infirmity.
Still, I find a certain merit in my youthful utterance, and having both acknowledged it and arrived at the requisite chronological plateau, I’m finding the acceptance of my decline into mere eccentricity a tad more difficult than first imagined. In terms of my relationship with beer, both as proclivity and career, perhaps it made sense once to “fade” before I got old, yielding turf with grace and aplomb. Now, this strikes me as difficult.
In fact, I propose not to do it at all. A seasoned, experienced hand is needed at the helm, to assist in guiding the revolution he helped launch. I’m the perfect man for the job, and so there’ll be no discussion of mandatory retirement ages.
Obviously, rambunctious youth never pays heed to the undeniable experience of past generations, and that’s entirely understandable, primarily because human biology insists upon it. If young people in full hormonal flower truly paid close attention to the wisdom of their elders, the world’s birth rate would plummet.
They’d ask: Why work now and retire when you’re too old to enjoy it?
They’d spend far less time drinking bad beer, as cheap alcohol no longer would be necessary to mitigate the disappointment of sexual rejection, the stress of dead-end jobs, or the cacophony of crying babies.
How do I know this? It’s simple. I lived it. When I was young – when all of us were young – every discovery was judged utterly unique and without parallel during the earth’s long previous tenure. I try not to spend an inordinate amount of time these days recalling how genuinely clueless I was the vast majority of the time, back when I was in my twenties, then even later, as a thirty-something, and right up to the day before yesterday.
Except that the day before yesterday I was 50 years, two months and three days old; overall, while still clueless, now at least being able to look back on many useful experiences and enough pure knowledge gleaned to realize, conclusively, just how very much I still don’t know, and never will know … and, as documented earlier, having reached the status of old man, eccentric, harmless, and cute as hell.
You’ll say: It seems that Roger is trying to have it both ways, and in the end, having my beer and drinking, too, is precisely my goal for the future.
I shall not be going peacefully into this proverbially long night. At times, I will be cantankerous and belligerent, and can be trusted to honor the spirit of the dialectic by being a complete pain in the ass at times. There’ll be mood swings and short-term memory losses, drunkenness and sobriety, brilliant observations and lamentable faux-pas. With me, all of it comes up front. Love it or hate it, I’m me.
But, whether you’re a whippersnapper, superannuated, or anywhere in between, please grasp this central point: My being crotchety, or disagreeing, or expressing conflicting points of view, or taking care of number one, does not mean that you’re being targeted, or disrespected, or attacked, or dismissed, especially if the topics are beer and the business of beer. I am still recommending you, still touting you, still appreciative of your part in the rising tide of better beer.
Trust me. If I’m not in your corner, you’ll know it. Now, let’s go out there and enjoy great beer. That's why we're here, after all.
Specifically, I ventured that the half-century plateau would commence old age, and with it a time when people no longer would consider my thoughts and words as emanating from an obnoxious, self-centered, up and coming firebrand.
Rather, as officially rendered into an old man, I’d be liberated from responsibility by virtue of the irrelevance and harmless eccentricity engendered in lives lived past their prime. Instead of, “I’ll never speak to you again, asshole,” I’d get, “why, aren’t you the cutest geezer I’ve ever seen!”
In retrospect, it isn’t entirely true. As a geo-political example, Fidel Castro is pushing 90, our State Department still hangs on his every word, and he absolutely ceased being cute during probably the fifth or sixth of eleven American presidents he has seen inaugurated.
Also, there are things one should never to say to his mate, irrespective of age, while magically trusting in an immunity granted according to doddering infirmity.
Still, I find a certain merit in my youthful utterance, and having both acknowledged it and arrived at the requisite chronological plateau, I’m finding the acceptance of my decline into mere eccentricity a tad more difficult than first imagined. In terms of my relationship with beer, both as proclivity and career, perhaps it made sense once to “fade” before I got old, yielding turf with grace and aplomb. Now, this strikes me as difficult.
In fact, I propose not to do it at all. A seasoned, experienced hand is needed at the helm, to assist in guiding the revolution he helped launch. I’m the perfect man for the job, and so there’ll be no discussion of mandatory retirement ages.
Obviously, rambunctious youth never pays heed to the undeniable experience of past generations, and that’s entirely understandable, primarily because human biology insists upon it. If young people in full hormonal flower truly paid close attention to the wisdom of their elders, the world’s birth rate would plummet.
They’d ask: Why work now and retire when you’re too old to enjoy it?
They’d spend far less time drinking bad beer, as cheap alcohol no longer would be necessary to mitigate the disappointment of sexual rejection, the stress of dead-end jobs, or the cacophony of crying babies.
How do I know this? It’s simple. I lived it. When I was young – when all of us were young – every discovery was judged utterly unique and without parallel during the earth’s long previous tenure. I try not to spend an inordinate amount of time these days recalling how genuinely clueless I was the vast majority of the time, back when I was in my twenties, then even later, as a thirty-something, and right up to the day before yesterday.
Except that the day before yesterday I was 50 years, two months and three days old; overall, while still clueless, now at least being able to look back on many useful experiences and enough pure knowledge gleaned to realize, conclusively, just how very much I still don’t know, and never will know … and, as documented earlier, having reached the status of old man, eccentric, harmless, and cute as hell.
You’ll say: It seems that Roger is trying to have it both ways, and in the end, having my beer and drinking, too, is precisely my goal for the future.
I shall not be going peacefully into this proverbially long night. At times, I will be cantankerous and belligerent, and can be trusted to honor the spirit of the dialectic by being a complete pain in the ass at times. There’ll be mood swings and short-term memory losses, drunkenness and sobriety, brilliant observations and lamentable faux-pas. With me, all of it comes up front. Love it or hate it, I’m me.
But, whether you’re a whippersnapper, superannuated, or anywhere in between, please grasp this central point: My being crotchety, or disagreeing, or expressing conflicting points of view, or taking care of number one, does not mean that you’re being targeted, or disrespected, or attacked, or dismissed, especially if the topics are beer and the business of beer. I am still recommending you, still touting you, still appreciative of your part in the rising tide of better beer.
Trust me. If I’m not in your corner, you’ll know it. Now, let’s go out there and enjoy great beer. That's why we're here, after all.
Monday, October 04, 2010
When Fringe Fest ends downtown, Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins uptown. Here's the preview.
Trellis succulence: Hops (and duck fat) make life better.
Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming, NABC’s annual paean to the magical hop cone, will begin on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, as we begin tapping kegs at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House (3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany).
In a break from previous practice, we’ll bring drafts on line throughout the week rather than debut them on a Friday. Most of them are American, some are strong, others mild, but one all-embracing ethos unites the lineup: Lupulus Eroticus.
Henceforth, we’ll be inviting like-minded fellow craft brewing companies to share the bill during Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming, and our featured co-conspirator for 2010 is Founders Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thanks to John Host of Founders for making available a rare firkin of Harvest Ale, which will be tapped on 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 19.
To know what’s on, what’s gone, and other Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming news, follow NABC on Facebook and Twitter.
Our usual hoppy boilerplate: Hoppiness beats watery flaccidity any day.
Contrary to persistent rumors - probably spread by the same people who insist that Bock beer is the result of brewing vats being cleaned once a year in springtime - beer is not “made” from hops.
Beer is “made” from barley, and sometimes wheat and oats and rye. In short, beer is brewed from grain. The body and color of beer derives from these grains, and the alcohol is the wonderful calling card left by yeast, which happily snack on sugars in the malt.
Hops act as the spice of beer. Hops balance the inherent, malty sweetness. Hops provide the seasoning. Hops cleanse the palate and leave you begging for more. Hops make it interesting, and perhaps healthy as well: According to researchers, isohumulones, agents of bittering in hops, may help curb the development of fat in the human body.
Misconceptions about hops are annoying, persistent and entirely understandable. If one is to judge by the non-flavor profile of America’s best-selling mainstream lagers, it is certain that the majority of beer drinkers in our purportedly great nation are suffering from severe lupulin deprivation. Hoppy beers reverse the trend, and add bitterness, aroma and flavor to the olfactory conversation.
See the Hop. Taste the Hop. Be the Hop
The American Heritage dictionary defines lupulin as the “minute yellowish-brown hairs obtained from the strobili of the hop plant, formerly used in medicine as a sedative.” The word lupulin is derived from the new Latin lupulus (hop species, a diminutive of the Latin lupus, hop plant, from lupus, wolf). Credit Pliny the Elder, and if you ever visit Russian River Brewing Co. in California, drink the beer named for him.
Here’s the list. Foraging persists, and there may be more.
It’s always difficult to predict which of the beers described herein will pour and when, as typically the juggling of late arrivals and handling of always temperamental firkins require last-minute improvisation. However, here’s the list of what we believe will be featured at various times during Lupulin Land 2010.
LUPULIN LAND 2010
Founders Brewing Company
Founder's Centennial
Founder's Devil Dancer
Founder's Harvest Ale (firkin)
Founder's Red's Rye
New Albanian Brewing Company
NABC VIII Anniversary Ale
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with hops from the eight Single Hop series releases: Warrior, Summit, Simcoe, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, Nugget, and Cascade
8% abv, 80 IBU
NABC Saison de Houblon
Dry-hopped Saison featuring Saaz and Styrian Goldings.
7% abv, 41 IBU
NABC Yakima RIPA
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo.
7.5% abv, 130 IBU
Wait, there’s more …
Goose Island Harvest Ale
American-style Extra Special Bitter with Cascade hops.
5.7% abv, 35 IBU
http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/harvest_ale/23.php
Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Pacific Northwest “wet” hops shipped to Denver for the batch.
6.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Great Divide Rumble Oak-Aged IPA
American IPA aged on French and American oak.
7.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale
Japan IPA: Chinook, Challenger & East Kent Goldings, aged in cedar casks.
7% abv
http://173.2.120.16/portfolios/producers/kiuchi/japanese_classic/overview.php
Left Hand Chainsaw
“Double” ESB: Magnum, US Goldings and Cascade.
8.3%
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/chainsaw-ale
Left Hand Twin Sisters
Double IPA, named for Twin Sisters Peaks in Colorado.
9% abv
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/twin-sisters
Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
Formerly “Chico Estate,” still brewed with malt and hops grown by the brewery on its grounds.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/estate.html
Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale
Formerly “Harvest Ale,” still brewed “wet” with Centennial and Cascades.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest.html
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
All English ingredients this year (except the water).
8.9% abv, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/anniv/ale/
Stone Double Bastard 2008
Another stashed vintage of heightened Arrogant Bastard.
10.5%, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/doublebastard/
Two Brothers Hop Juice
Dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel
9.9% ABV, 100.1 IBU's
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/Hop%20Juice.htm
WinterCoat Double Hop
A cask-conditioned firkin of English-influenced Imperial IPA, but from Denmark.
8.2% abv
http://www.wintercoat.dk/
Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming, NABC’s annual paean to the magical hop cone, will begin on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, as we begin tapping kegs at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House (3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany).
In a break from previous practice, we’ll bring drafts on line throughout the week rather than debut them on a Friday. Most of them are American, some are strong, others mild, but one all-embracing ethos unites the lineup: Lupulus Eroticus.
Henceforth, we’ll be inviting like-minded fellow craft brewing companies to share the bill during Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming, and our featured co-conspirator for 2010 is Founders Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thanks to John Host of Founders for making available a rare firkin of Harvest Ale, which will be tapped on 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 19.
To know what’s on, what’s gone, and other Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming news, follow NABC on Facebook and Twitter.
Our usual hoppy boilerplate: Hoppiness beats watery flaccidity any day.
Contrary to persistent rumors - probably spread by the same people who insist that Bock beer is the result of brewing vats being cleaned once a year in springtime - beer is not “made” from hops.
Beer is “made” from barley, and sometimes wheat and oats and rye. In short, beer is brewed from grain. The body and color of beer derives from these grains, and the alcohol is the wonderful calling card left by yeast, which happily snack on sugars in the malt.
Hops act as the spice of beer. Hops balance the inherent, malty sweetness. Hops provide the seasoning. Hops cleanse the palate and leave you begging for more. Hops make it interesting, and perhaps healthy as well: According to researchers, isohumulones, agents of bittering in hops, may help curb the development of fat in the human body.
Misconceptions about hops are annoying, persistent and entirely understandable. If one is to judge by the non-flavor profile of America’s best-selling mainstream lagers, it is certain that the majority of beer drinkers in our purportedly great nation are suffering from severe lupulin deprivation. Hoppy beers reverse the trend, and add bitterness, aroma and flavor to the olfactory conversation.
See the Hop. Taste the Hop. Be the Hop
The American Heritage dictionary defines lupulin as the “minute yellowish-brown hairs obtained from the strobili of the hop plant, formerly used in medicine as a sedative.” The word lupulin is derived from the new Latin lupulus (hop species, a diminutive of the Latin lupus, hop plant, from lupus, wolf). Credit Pliny the Elder, and if you ever visit Russian River Brewing Co. in California, drink the beer named for him.
Here’s the list. Foraging persists, and there may be more.
It’s always difficult to predict which of the beers described herein will pour and when, as typically the juggling of late arrivals and handling of always temperamental firkins require last-minute improvisation. However, here’s the list of what we believe will be featured at various times during Lupulin Land 2010.
LUPULIN LAND 2010
Founders Brewing Company
Founder's Centennial
Founder's Devil Dancer
Founder's Harvest Ale (firkin)
Founder's Red's Rye
New Albanian Brewing Company
NABC VIII Anniversary Ale
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with hops from the eight Single Hop series releases: Warrior, Summit, Simcoe, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, Nugget, and Cascade
8% abv, 80 IBU
NABC Saison de Houblon
Dry-hopped Saison featuring Saaz and Styrian Goldings.
7% abv, 41 IBU
NABC Yakima RIPA
Cask-conditioned, dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo.
7.5% abv, 130 IBU
Wait, there’s more …
Goose Island Harvest Ale
American-style Extra Special Bitter with Cascade hops.
5.7% abv, 35 IBU
http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/harvest_ale/23.php
Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Pacific Northwest “wet” hops shipped to Denver for the batch.
6.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Great Divide Rumble Oak-Aged IPA
American IPA aged on French and American oak.
7.1% abv
http://www.greatdivide.com/#/beer
Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale
Japan IPA: Chinook, Challenger & East Kent Goldings, aged in cedar casks.
7% abv
http://173.2.120.16/portfolios/producers/kiuchi/japanese_classic/overview.php
Left Hand Chainsaw
“Double” ESB: Magnum, US Goldings and Cascade.
8.3%
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/chainsaw-ale
Left Hand Twin Sisters
Double IPA, named for Twin Sisters Peaks in Colorado.
9% abv
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/twin-sisters
Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
Formerly “Chico Estate,” still brewed with malt and hops grown by the brewery on its grounds.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/estate.html
Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale
Formerly “Harvest Ale,” still brewed “wet” with Centennial and Cascades.
6.7% abv
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest.html
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
All English ingredients this year (except the water).
8.9% abv, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/anniv/ale/
Stone Double Bastard 2008
Another stashed vintage of heightened Arrogant Bastard.
10.5%, 100 IBU
http://www.stonebrew.com/doublebastard/
Two Brothers Hop Juice
Dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel
9.9% ABV, 100.1 IBU's
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/Hop%20Juice.htm
WinterCoat Double Hop
A cask-conditioned firkin of English-influenced Imperial IPA, but from Denmark.
8.2% abv
http://www.wintercoat.dk/
Habana Blues website is up.
Last time I looked, three NABC drafts were pouring at Habana Blues, the new Cuban tapas restaurant in New Albany. It is located at the corner of Market and Bank, opposite the Farmers Market.
The website is up: Habana Blues.
The website is up: Habana Blues.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Wednesday Weekly: Speaking locally, isn’t “born in” just as important as “born on”?
(backdate to Wed., Sept. 29)
To me, it all goes back to seeing the half-liter bottle of Holsten Pils on the shelf in Budapest, and wondering how it came to be that a capitalist German beer was being exported to communist Hungary and sold to consumers at a price only slightly higher than local Hungarian beers, which were dirt cheap at the time, in 1989.
Doing my best to comprehend the mysterious language on the label, I soon concluded that the West German brewer had entered into some sort of licensing agreement with counterpart in Hungary to use the Holsten name but actually brew the beer in Budapest.
In truth, the only German aspect of that particular beer was the name on the label. All the rest of the ingredients came from Hungary or elsewhere in the East Bloc, and the production costs naturally were at the Eastern European rock-bottom point.
There was the brand’s logoed identity for marketing purposes, but not the brand’s intrinsic value as added to it by virtue of being brewed in Hamburg. Any significant component of terroir was absent. The rationale behind the licensing agreement was that brand imagery alone could be substituted for the actual beer given the expense of importation, and so yes, it was Holsten by legal agreement … and yet, it was not Holsten as an appellation of origin.
Some years later, back home and taking a greater interest in better beer beyond the admittedly joyful act of drinking it, I became aware of the phenomenon known as Samuel Adams. At first, I accepted the conventional wisdom that the Sam Adams line was from Boston, and originally, it may have been. In those pre-internet times, at least for me, it took a while to glean that the Boston brew house was the least of the line’s sources, and that contract brewing was what made Jim Koch’s early fortune possible.
For those just tuning to Craft Beer 101, contract brewing is the act of paying another brewery somewhere else – 10 miles or a thousand; Nevada or Wisconsin – to brew your beer for you. In terms of money, it can be a very savvy deal. A brewer with excess capacity can fill empty fermenters for cash flow, and an entrepreneur with little more than a fully charged laptop can market a schwag-laden product without the expense of bricks and mortar.
Some mid-sized brewers specialize in making beer for others, and at an even higher level of the game, revitalized entities like Pabst have kept costs low and marketing budgets high by eschewing the physical brew cycle for a contract with a megabrewer (in this case, Miller). Aesthetically, the result is all hat, no cattle, with lamentable though undeniable profits for the wizard behind the curtain, peddling imagery sans substance. In this addled age, we venerate such fiscal acuity without asking, “At what aesthetic cost?”
My milieu is the metropolitan Louisville area, and so if you will, I’ll narrow the range of inquiry to these environs.
Assuming that all local brewers doing business in metro Louisville, and brewing their beer right here, are producing a quality product absent technical flaws, there are a number of ways to determine the value of beers brewed at these local breweries. Obviously, the single most important determination of local value comes from whether the beer actually is brewed here, locally, in metro Louisville.
We accept it as axiomatic that the “local” tomatoes at the farmers market come from truly local sources. That’s because when we make the conscious decision to buy local, the decision often stems from considerations of quality, personal belief and philosophy that extend beyond lowest price. If price were the only concern, nasty waxen tomatoes grown in vast factory greenhouses would preclude all others, and there would be no farmers market at which to shop.
Granted, apart from limited amounts of locally grown hops, brewers in metropolitan Louisville must “import” raw materials from elsewhere. In this sense, none of us can be in precisely the same position as the local tomato vendor at the farmers market. However, the value of locally brewed beer as a product is added by people working locally, at the local brewery itself.
Raw materials for making beer do not magically transform themselves into a finished item that commands a higher price than the ingredients. Human expertise is required. The value of human expertise is added here. The very value of “here” derives from here, in this place, in metro Louisville. Beer brewed elsewhere that seeks to derive its value from identity with metro Louisville is at best a contradiction in terms, and at worst, fundamentally dishonest. It is a marketing concept that sucks “value-added” from the efforts of local “value-adders,” and muddies conceptual waters at a time when clarity is necessary.
This isn’t to imply that contract brewing is wrong, or should be illegal, or isn’t of a certain quality. America remains a free market of sorts, except that I personally reserve the right to delineate definitions and appellations to assist in clearer understanding, because the muddier the waters, the worse it is for the craft beer market. If we’re no honest, we’re nothing.
While I have no opinion as to where any brewer, local or contract, sells its beer, whether here, there, or everywhere, it is my position that contract brewing simply be viewed for what it is, and not what it isn’t. I was born in New Albany, not Vladivostok; facts are facts; and that’s why I say: When you see a bottle or a mug of “local” beer purporting to be from metro Louisville beer, shouldn’t it actually have been brewed in metro Louisville? Here is a list of the breweries currently operating in metro Louisville:
BBC (brewpub systems): St. Matthews & 3rd Street
BBC (production): Main & Clay
Browning’s: In Louisville Slugger Field; also brews Jobless Burring ales as a “line extension”
Cumberland: Brewpub on Bardstown Road, production on Poplar Level Road
NABC: Grant Line Road and Bank Street, both in New Albany
Did I leave anyone out? There are other breweries slightly beyond the statistical metropolitan definition; to me, these comprise a second tier of “local” breweries, which includes Alltech’s Kentucky Ale in Lexington KY and Power House in Columbus IN. I’m entirely open to augmenting and discussing these categories, and I’m perfectly aware that there are arguments on more than one side, as well as precedents I’ve probably ignored, intentionally or otherwise.
In the end, it is my goal that local be local, and the differences clearly understood. That’s all … but sometimes, it’s a lot to ask.
To me, it all goes back to seeing the half-liter bottle of Holsten Pils on the shelf in Budapest, and wondering how it came to be that a capitalist German beer was being exported to communist Hungary and sold to consumers at a price only slightly higher than local Hungarian beers, which were dirt cheap at the time, in 1989.
Doing my best to comprehend the mysterious language on the label, I soon concluded that the West German brewer had entered into some sort of licensing agreement with counterpart in Hungary to use the Holsten name but actually brew the beer in Budapest.
In truth, the only German aspect of that particular beer was the name on the label. All the rest of the ingredients came from Hungary or elsewhere in the East Bloc, and the production costs naturally were at the Eastern European rock-bottom point.
There was the brand’s logoed identity for marketing purposes, but not the brand’s intrinsic value as added to it by virtue of being brewed in Hamburg. Any significant component of terroir was absent. The rationale behind the licensing agreement was that brand imagery alone could be substituted for the actual beer given the expense of importation, and so yes, it was Holsten by legal agreement … and yet, it was not Holsten as an appellation of origin.
Some years later, back home and taking a greater interest in better beer beyond the admittedly joyful act of drinking it, I became aware of the phenomenon known as Samuel Adams. At first, I accepted the conventional wisdom that the Sam Adams line was from Boston, and originally, it may have been. In those pre-internet times, at least for me, it took a while to glean that the Boston brew house was the least of the line’s sources, and that contract brewing was what made Jim Koch’s early fortune possible.
For those just tuning to Craft Beer 101, contract brewing is the act of paying another brewery somewhere else – 10 miles or a thousand; Nevada or Wisconsin – to brew your beer for you. In terms of money, it can be a very savvy deal. A brewer with excess capacity can fill empty fermenters for cash flow, and an entrepreneur with little more than a fully charged laptop can market a schwag-laden product without the expense of bricks and mortar.
Some mid-sized brewers specialize in making beer for others, and at an even higher level of the game, revitalized entities like Pabst have kept costs low and marketing budgets high by eschewing the physical brew cycle for a contract with a megabrewer (in this case, Miller). Aesthetically, the result is all hat, no cattle, with lamentable though undeniable profits for the wizard behind the curtain, peddling imagery sans substance. In this addled age, we venerate such fiscal acuity without asking, “At what aesthetic cost?”
My milieu is the metropolitan Louisville area, and so if you will, I’ll narrow the range of inquiry to these environs.
Assuming that all local brewers doing business in metro Louisville, and brewing their beer right here, are producing a quality product absent technical flaws, there are a number of ways to determine the value of beers brewed at these local breweries. Obviously, the single most important determination of local value comes from whether the beer actually is brewed here, locally, in metro Louisville.
We accept it as axiomatic that the “local” tomatoes at the farmers market come from truly local sources. That’s because when we make the conscious decision to buy local, the decision often stems from considerations of quality, personal belief and philosophy that extend beyond lowest price. If price were the only concern, nasty waxen tomatoes grown in vast factory greenhouses would preclude all others, and there would be no farmers market at which to shop.
Granted, apart from limited amounts of locally grown hops, brewers in metropolitan Louisville must “import” raw materials from elsewhere. In this sense, none of us can be in precisely the same position as the local tomato vendor at the farmers market. However, the value of locally brewed beer as a product is added by people working locally, at the local brewery itself.
Raw materials for making beer do not magically transform themselves into a finished item that commands a higher price than the ingredients. Human expertise is required. The value of human expertise is added here. The very value of “here” derives from here, in this place, in metro Louisville. Beer brewed elsewhere that seeks to derive its value from identity with metro Louisville is at best a contradiction in terms, and at worst, fundamentally dishonest. It is a marketing concept that sucks “value-added” from the efforts of local “value-adders,” and muddies conceptual waters at a time when clarity is necessary.
This isn’t to imply that contract brewing is wrong, or should be illegal, or isn’t of a certain quality. America remains a free market of sorts, except that I personally reserve the right to delineate definitions and appellations to assist in clearer understanding, because the muddier the waters, the worse it is for the craft beer market. If we’re no honest, we’re nothing.
While I have no opinion as to where any brewer, local or contract, sells its beer, whether here, there, or everywhere, it is my position that contract brewing simply be viewed for what it is, and not what it isn’t. I was born in New Albany, not Vladivostok; facts are facts; and that’s why I say: When you see a bottle or a mug of “local” beer purporting to be from metro Louisville beer, shouldn’t it actually have been brewed in metro Louisville? Here is a list of the breweries currently operating in metro Louisville:
BBC (brewpub systems): St. Matthews & 3rd Street
BBC (production): Main & Clay
Browning’s: In Louisville Slugger Field; also brews Jobless Burring ales as a “line extension”
Cumberland: Brewpub on Bardstown Road, production on Poplar Level Road
NABC: Grant Line Road and Bank Street, both in New Albany
Did I leave anyone out? There are other breweries slightly beyond the statistical metropolitan definition; to me, these comprise a second tier of “local” breweries, which includes Alltech’s Kentucky Ale in Lexington KY and Power House in Columbus IN. I’m entirely open to augmenting and discussing these categories, and I’m perfectly aware that there are arguments on more than one side, as well as precedents I’ve probably ignored, intentionally or otherwise.
In the end, it is my goal that local be local, and the differences clearly understood. That’s all … but sometimes, it’s a lot to ask.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Official 2010 Fringe Fest Schedule.
NABC and Bank Street Brewhouse are delighted to offer the third annual edition of Fringe Fest, which will run concurrent with Harvest Homecoming's booth days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (October 7th, 8th & 9th). We'll start at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, October 10, Louisville's original Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar will help you come down.
Fringe Fest is art, music, beer and food, in any order you care to place them. Look for local arts and crafts on the front patio, music in the temporary fest grounds (i.e., our parking lot) and beer everywhere, along with Chef Josh Lehman's legendary Fringe Fest menu:
Duck Leg & Beans
Duck Fat Fringe Fries
Vegetarian Green Chile
And a few nightly specials to mix it up a bit.
Note that the ordinary kitchen menu is suspended during Fringe Fest.
Your favorite locally brewed NABC beers will be pouring, and there'll be a few surprises that we'll announce on Facebook and Twitter, so stay tuned throughout Fringe Fest. The weather outlook is promising this year, and we're looking to have a great time amid the throngs that descend on downtown during Harvest Homecoming.
Following are the official 2010 Fringe Fest music listings.
**Thursday October 7th**
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Louisville Klezmer Orchestra ... The Louisville Klezmer Orchestra's appearance at Fringe Fest 2010 is sponsored by Potable Curmudgeon, Inc. and the NA Confidential blog
9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
She Might Bite
**Friday October 8th**
6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Bunny Day and the Mercy Buckets
7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
The Gumbo Family Quartet
8:25 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.
Ben Traughber
9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Bloom Street
11:15 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Zanclopera Trio ... formerly known as The Outfit
**Saturday October 9th**
5:00 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.
The Kime Sisters
6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Third Kind
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Jed and The Noisemakers ... New Albany's own roots rock and blues band
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
The 23 String Band
9:50 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.
The Fervor
11:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sativa Gumbo
Fringe Fest is art, music, beer and food, in any order you care to place them. Look for local arts and crafts on the front patio, music in the temporary fest grounds (i.e., our parking lot) and beer everywhere, along with Chef Josh Lehman's legendary Fringe Fest menu:
Duck Leg & Beans
Duck Fat Fringe Fries
Vegetarian Green Chile
And a few nightly specials to mix it up a bit.
Note that the ordinary kitchen menu is suspended during Fringe Fest.
Your favorite locally brewed NABC beers will be pouring, and there'll be a few surprises that we'll announce on Facebook and Twitter, so stay tuned throughout Fringe Fest. The weather outlook is promising this year, and we're looking to have a great time amid the throngs that descend on downtown during Harvest Homecoming.
Following are the official 2010 Fringe Fest music listings.
**Thursday October 7th**
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Louisville Klezmer Orchestra ... The Louisville Klezmer Orchestra's appearance at Fringe Fest 2010 is sponsored by Potable Curmudgeon, Inc. and the NA Confidential blog
9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
She Might Bite
**Friday October 8th**
6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Bunny Day and the Mercy Buckets
7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
The Gumbo Family Quartet
8:25 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.
Ben Traughber
9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Bloom Street
11:15 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Zanclopera Trio ... formerly known as The Outfit
**Saturday October 9th**
5:00 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.
The Kime Sisters
6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Third Kind
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Jed and The Noisemakers ... New Albany's own roots rock and blues band
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
The 23 String Band
9:50 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.
The Fervor
11:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sativa Gumbo