This week, Rich O’s (aka Sportstime Pizza and/or New Albanian Brewing Co.) has gone smoke-free. Rich O’s is one of my favorite places in the area (try the stuffed mushrooms!), and I’ll admit that at times, it was a bit too smokey … just because of its close quarters. New Albany does not require its bars and restaurants to be smoke-free … yet. This was the decision of owner Roger Baylor.
He says, “This is entirely ownership’s decision, based on unanimous support from our employees, and we strongly believe the change places us squarely on the right side of history.”
Good for Roger and Rich O’s!
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
We're the Bar Belle's reason to drink today.
Thanks Sara ... the Bar Belle (LEO) offers the Pizzeria & Public House as today's Today’s Reason To Drink:
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
By popular demand: Comprehensive schedule for Office Hours with the Publican (through February 28).
Monday’s edition of Office Hours with the Publican was a hop lover’s walk in the park, complete with mighty trellises bursting with piney goodness and fresh springtime hop shoots gently cooked in real butter.
Okay, so perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit, but attendees toured the realm of Imperial India Pale Ale/Double IPA/San Diego Pale Ale and came away more than sated.
Next, having experienced the sublime, we follow the BJCP’s numerical order and alight at one of my least favorite stylistic neighborhoods, German Wheat and Rye Beer. In response to questions about the likelihood of altering the order of the journey and making a detour past these German warm-weather beers, the Poo-Bah has ruled.
No.
If we follow the pre-marked pathway, we can arrive at Barleywines during Gravity Head, also setting aside certified Trappists for a night of their own. Here’s the tentative schedule:
Monday, January 10
Category 15 — German Wheat and Rye Beer
15A. Weizen/Weissbier
15B. Dunkelweizen
15C. Weizenbock
15D. Roggenbier (German Rye Beer) (no available examples)
Monday, January 17
Category 16 — Belgian and French Ale (minus certified Trappists)
16A. Witbier
16B. Belgian Pale Ale
16C. Saison
16D. Bière de Garde
Monday, January 24
Category 16 — Belgian and French Ale, continued (minus certified Trappists)
16E. Belgian Specialty Ale
Monday, January 31
Category 17 — Sour Ale
17A. Berliner Weisse
17B. Flanders Red Ale
17C. Flanders Brown Ale/Oud Bruin (?)
17D. Straight (Unblended) Lambic
17E. Gueuze
17F. Fruit Lambic
Monday, February 7
Office Hours takes a break so Roger can attend city council.
Monday, February 14
Category 18 — Belgian Strong Ale (minus certified Trappists)
18A. Belgian Blond Ale
18B. Belgian Dubbel
18C. Belgian Tripel
18D. Belgian Golden Strong Ale
18E. Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Monday, February 21
Certified Trappist Ale Night
Friday, February 25
Gravity Head 2011 (13th edition) begins.
Monday, February 28
Category 19 — Strong Ale
19A. Old Ale
19B. English Barleywine
19C. American Barleywine
Okay, so perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit, but attendees toured the realm of Imperial India Pale Ale/Double IPA/San Diego Pale Ale and came away more than sated.
Next, having experienced the sublime, we follow the BJCP’s numerical order and alight at one of my least favorite stylistic neighborhoods, German Wheat and Rye Beer. In response to questions about the likelihood of altering the order of the journey and making a detour past these German warm-weather beers, the Poo-Bah has ruled.
No.
If we follow the pre-marked pathway, we can arrive at Barleywines during Gravity Head, also setting aside certified Trappists for a night of their own. Here’s the tentative schedule:
Monday, January 10
Category 15 — German Wheat and Rye Beer
15A. Weizen/Weissbier
15B. Dunkelweizen
15C. Weizenbock
15D. Roggenbier (German Rye Beer) (no available examples)
Monday, January 17
Category 16 — Belgian and French Ale (minus certified Trappists)
16A. Witbier
16B. Belgian Pale Ale
16C. Saison
16D. Bière de Garde
Monday, January 24
Category 16 — Belgian and French Ale, continued (minus certified Trappists)
16E. Belgian Specialty Ale
Monday, January 31
Category 17 — Sour Ale
17A. Berliner Weisse
17B. Flanders Red Ale
17C. Flanders Brown Ale/Oud Bruin (?)
17D. Straight (Unblended) Lambic
17E. Gueuze
17F. Fruit Lambic
Monday, February 7
Office Hours takes a break so Roger can attend city council.
Monday, February 14
Category 18 — Belgian Strong Ale (minus certified Trappists)
18A. Belgian Blond Ale
18B. Belgian Dubbel
18C. Belgian Tripel
18D. Belgian Golden Strong Ale
18E. Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Monday, February 21
Certified Trappist Ale Night
Friday, February 25
Gravity Head 2011 (13th edition) begins.
Monday, February 28
Category 19 — Strong Ale
19A. Old Ale
19B. English Barleywine
19C. American Barleywine
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP style 16.
Here is another in a series of postings revealing the sections of our new, evolving beer list at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House.
Previously:
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 14 and 15.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 10 - 13.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 6 - 9.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 2 - 5.
No worries: Still a Lite-Free Zone, with no 1A allowed.
Previously:
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 14 and 15.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 10 - 13.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 6 - 9.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 2 - 5.
No worries: Still a Lite-Free Zone, with no 1A allowed.
16. BELGIAN AND FRENCH ALE
16A. Witbier
*Celis White … MI; 3.9%. … $.$$
16B. Belgian Pale Ale
NABC Tafelbier … IN (draft)
16C. Saison
Ommegang Hennepin … NY; 7.7% … 25.4 oz ...10.00
16D. Bière de Garde
St. Amand French Country Ale … France; 5.9% … 25.4 oz … 14.50
*Two Brothers Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale … IL; 5.9% … $.$$
16E. Belgian Specialty Ale
Achouffe Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel … Belgium; 9% … 25.4 oz … 12.75
Achouffe La Chouffe … Belgium; 8% … 25.4 oz … 12.75
Achouffe McChouffe … Belgium; 8% … 25.4 oz … 12.75
Avery “The Reverend” Quadrupel … CO; 10% … 22 oz … 11.00
DeuS Brut des Flandres … Belgium; 11.5% … 25.4 oz … 37.75
La Trappe Quadrupel (Koningshoeven) … Netherlands; 10% … 25.4 oz … 16.00
New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale … CO; 5.6% … 22 oz … 7.50
Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend… NY; 9.8% … 25.4 oz … 11.75
Orval … Belgium; 6.9% … 7.75
Scaldis (Dubuisson/”Bush”) … Belgium; 12% … 8.54 oz … 6.75
Monday, January 03, 2011
Office Hours: Imperial India Pale Ale, a.k.a. Double IPA ... a.k.a. San Diego Pale Ale?
Tonight at 6:30 p.m. we gather in Prost to inaugurate a New Year with a style guaranteed to produce a crowd of hopheads: San Diego Pale Ale.
What?
Well, read through the syllabus below and you'll find an article, albeit from 2006, suggesting that "Double IPA" should be renamed for its roots in Southern California. What follows is everything I plan on bringing tonight, so those planning on attending can print it if desired. I'd like to once again thank Todd Suyemasa for opening his cellar to broaden the scope of our tasting.
---
OFFICE HOURS for Monday, Jan. 3, 2011
***BJCP Category 14 — India Pale Ale, continued
14C. Imperial IPA
Aroma: A prominent to intense hop aroma that can be derived from American, English and/or noble varieties (although a citrusy hop character is almost always present).
Appearance: Color ranges from golden amber to medium reddish copper; some versions can have an orange-ish tint.
Flavor: Hop flavor is strong and complex, and can reflect the use of American, English and/or noble hop varieties. High to absurdly high hop bitterness, although the malt backbone will generally support the strong hop character.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-light to medium body.
Overall Impression: An intensely hoppy, very strong pale ale without the big maltiness and/or deeper malt flavors of an American barleywine. Strongly hopped, but clean, lacking harshness, and a tribute to historical IPAs. Drinkability is an important characteristic; this should not be a heavy, sipping beer.
Comments: Bigger than either an English or American IPA in both alcohol strength and overall hop level (bittering and finish). Less malty, lower body, less rich and a greater overall hop intensity than an American Barleywine. Typically not as high in gravity/alcohol as a barleywine, since high alcohol and malt tend to limit drinkability. A showcase for hops.
History: A recent American innovation reflecting the trend of American craft brewers “pushing the envelope” to satisfy the need of hop aficionados for increasingly intense products. The adjective “Imperial” is arbitrary and simply implies a stronger version of an IPA; “double,” “extra,” “extreme,” or any other variety of adjectives would be equally valid.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for single-temperature infusion mashing); can use a complex variety of hops (English, American, noble). American yeast that can give a clean or slightly fruity profile.
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.070 – 1.090
FG: 1.010 – 1.020
IBUs: 60 – 120
SRM: 8 – 15
ABV: 7.5 – 10%
Commercial Examples: Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught, Bell’s Hop Slam, Stone Ruination IPA, Great Divide Hercules Double IPA, Rogue I2PA, Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA, Victory Hop Wallop
---
FIRST FLIGHT: USA AT LARGE
Lagunitas Sonoma Farmhouse Hop Stoopid (ABV 8%), Petaluma, CA
For those mornings when you have to cut right to the chase, this is the one. Sure to blast through just about anything still lingering from the night before, this mouthful of Hops and huge rich Malt has a guarantee built right into the name! IBU 102
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (ABV 9%), Milton, DE
90 Minute IPA was our first continually-hopped beer, which is a method of hopping that allows for a pungent, but not crushing hop flavor. Since introducing the world to the continual-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we've since released a continually-hopped 60 Minute IPA\, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 & 90 Minute IPAs). In addition to the continual-hopping 90 Minute IPA recieves during the boil, we also utilize our 'Me So Hoppy' device to dry-hop the beer
during conditioning. 90 IBU.
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA (ABV 10%), Denver, CO
Hoppier, maltier and with more alcohol than a standard IPA, Hercules Double IPA definitely is not for the faint of heart. Hercules Double IPA is, however, an elixir fit for the gods. A brash but creamy wonder, Hercules pours a deep orange-coppery color, forming substantial lace in the glass. Hercules Double IPA delivers a huge amount of piney, floral, and citrusy hop aroma and flavor from start to finish. A hefty backbone of nutty, toffee-like malt character balances Hercules’ aggressive, punchy hop profile. 85 International Bittering Units (IBUs).
Southern Tier Gemini (10.5% ABV ), Lakewood, NY
High in the winter sky, two parallel stick figures are visible & known as “the twins,” or the constellation Gemini. The astronauts of the 1960s flew as teams of two in a program named after the celestial pairing. At Southern Tier, we have our own fraternal twins, Hoppe & Unearthly. Blended together & placed in this vessel, the mission of our Gemini is to travel high & take passengers on a journey far into the heavens.
10.5% abv • 5.8ºL * 22° Plato
Malts - Two Row pale malt, Malted white wheat, Cara-pils malt, Red wheat.
Kettle hops - Columbus, Chinook, Cascade;
Aroma hops - Amarillo;
Hop back - Styrian Goldings;
Dry hops - Amarillo, Cascade, Centenial, Chinook & Columbus.
SECOND FLIGHT: SAN DIEGO STYLE?
Stone Ruination IPA (ABV 7.7%), Escondido, CA
So called because of the immediate ruinous effect on your palate. 100+ IBUs. Bracingly bitter. Thick, pungent hop aroma. We would say that no hops were injured in the brewing of this beer, but that would be a massive lie. In fact, the words "Stone Ruination IPA" are what older hop vines use to cause little hop vines to quiver with fright and lose sleep at night . We at Stone honor the brutal massacre of countless hops with this "Liquid poem to the glory of the hop!" Paganism at its best! Hops: Columbus and Centennial
Alpine Beer Company Pure Hoppiness (ABV 8%), Alpine, CA
A West Coast Double IPA So mega-hopped it will take you to hop heaven. We’ve used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting-edge “hop bite.” Once you’ve tasted this unique beer, all others pale in comparison. 1.072 OG Classified IBU
Green Flash Imperial IPA (ABV 9.4%), Vista, CA
San Diego-style IPA, as it has come to be known by many, is a super-hoppy, high gravity, yet highly quaffable ale. Green Flash Imperial IPA is created in this new tradition, with intense hop flavors and aromas from a unique blend of Summit and Nugget hops. IBU 101
Port Brewing Hop 15 (ABV 10%), San Marcos, CA
First brewed in 2002 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the original Pizza Port location in Solana Beach, we searched high and low and combined 15 of our favorite hops which were added every 15 minutes to the boil. Somewhat darker than other Double IPA style beers, our beer oozes the hop goodness of pine needles, freshly squeezed citrus and ground spices which are only moderately tempered by a sweet malt finish. Thankfully, for all of us hopheads, we have decided to brew this beer more than once a year. Look for Hop 15 to make appearances from time to time when space permits us to brew this, one of our favorite ales. O.G.: 1.086 F.G. : 1.014; Hops - 15 different varieties; Malt - Two Row and English Light Crystal
---
Some believe bitter brew should be renamed to reflect San Diego roots, by Peter Rowe (March 8, 2006; San Diego Union-Tribune)
Garrett Oliver gets around. The brewmaster at New York City's Brooklyn Brewery, Oliver is familiar with the beers of Belgium, Great Britain, Germany and Southern California.
In San Diego, he's especially fond of the so-called double India Pale Ale. Loves the beer.
Hates the name.
“Since the style they call 'double IPA' originated in the San Diego area,” Oliver argued, “shouldn't it be called San Diego Pale Ale?”
Marc Jilg, founder of Craftsman Brewing Co. in Pasadena, seconded the motion. “Historically,” Jilg said, “you could make a compelling argument that San Diego originated the double IPA.”
The double IPA, though, is not quite a native. Vinnie Cilurzo is credited with creating the style in 1994, when he was running Blind Pig Brewery in Temecula. Blind Pig IPA set the bar high and bitter – the recipe called for four varieties of malts, but the intensely aromatic and bitter hops were the star. Ditto, his Inaugural Ale.
Brewers measure a beer's bitterness with IBUs, or International Bittering Units.
Budweiser scores 12 IBUs. Your average IPA, about 60. Blind Pig IPA? An eye-watering 92. Blind Pig Inaugural Ale? A staggering 120.
In 1995, Cilurzo unleashed these hop monsters on the Great American Beer Festival. The Blind Pig Brewery folded in 1998. Inaugural Ale, which reappeared for a few years as Anniversary Ale, is only remembered by diehard Blind Piglets. But the Blind Pig IPA has attained cult status, and its descendants have won official recognition. Today, there is an “Imperial or Double India Pale Ale” category at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.
So why should a beer style that originated in Temecula and now enjoys global recognition as double IPA be re-named San Diego Pale Ale?
For several reasons:
1. The existing name doesn't make sense.
“The idea of a 'double IPA' is patently silly,” Oliver said.
India Pale Ales were developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a way to keep beers fresh on the long voyage from London to Calcutta. By adding generous amounts of two preservatives – alcohol and hops – brewers could make pale ale that would survive the four-month journey in drinkable fashion.
If, that is, it passed muster with Calcutta's “beer assessor.”
The IPA, then, “was one of the most tightly defined beer styles in history,” Oliver noted.
By that tight definition, these beers are not IPAs, single or double.
2. Our drinkers love this style.
San Diegans are notoriously passionate about hops. Our best beer bars – among them O'Brien's, the Liar's Club and Wit's End – are top-heavy with hop-heavy offerings.
“If you drink hoppy beers every day,” said Jilg, “your definition of hoppiness needs to be recalibrated up a bit.”
3. Our brewers love this style, too.
You can find double IPAs in other parts of the country – Dogfish Head makes the 120 Minute IPA, with a mammoth 120 IBUs, in Milton, Del. But climb into a car in Milton and drive 30 minutes. You will not find a half dozen local brewers making versions of this beer.
You will in San Diego, where almost every brewery produces a version of double IPA.
A version with a distinct flavor. “They stand out among other IPAs from damn near anywhere else in the world,” said Pat McIlhenny, the founder of Alpine Beer Company.
4. In San Diego, this is the signature beer.
Or so insists a New Yorker.
“When we brought our golden, very hoppy 8 percent pale ale, Blast, to the Great American Beer Festival, we put up tasting notes that called it a San Diego Pale Ale,” Garrett Oliver said.
“Our West Coast brethren seemed to enjoy Blast, but they still seem oddly meek about claiming their bragging rights.”
What?
Well, read through the syllabus below and you'll find an article, albeit from 2006, suggesting that "Double IPA" should be renamed for its roots in Southern California. What follows is everything I plan on bringing tonight, so those planning on attending can print it if desired. I'd like to once again thank Todd Suyemasa for opening his cellar to broaden the scope of our tasting.
---
OFFICE HOURS for Monday, Jan. 3, 2011
***BJCP Category 14 — India Pale Ale, continued
14C. Imperial IPA
Aroma: A prominent to intense hop aroma that can be derived from American, English and/or noble varieties (although a citrusy hop character is almost always present).
Appearance: Color ranges from golden amber to medium reddish copper; some versions can have an orange-ish tint.
Flavor: Hop flavor is strong and complex, and can reflect the use of American, English and/or noble hop varieties. High to absurdly high hop bitterness, although the malt backbone will generally support the strong hop character.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-light to medium body.
Overall Impression: An intensely hoppy, very strong pale ale without the big maltiness and/or deeper malt flavors of an American barleywine. Strongly hopped, but clean, lacking harshness, and a tribute to historical IPAs. Drinkability is an important characteristic; this should not be a heavy, sipping beer.
Comments: Bigger than either an English or American IPA in both alcohol strength and overall hop level (bittering and finish). Less malty, lower body, less rich and a greater overall hop intensity than an American Barleywine. Typically not as high in gravity/alcohol as a barleywine, since high alcohol and malt tend to limit drinkability. A showcase for hops.
History: A recent American innovation reflecting the trend of American craft brewers “pushing the envelope” to satisfy the need of hop aficionados for increasingly intense products. The adjective “Imperial” is arbitrary and simply implies a stronger version of an IPA; “double,” “extra,” “extreme,” or any other variety of adjectives would be equally valid.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for single-temperature infusion mashing); can use a complex variety of hops (English, American, noble). American yeast that can give a clean or slightly fruity profile.
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.070 – 1.090
FG: 1.010 – 1.020
IBUs: 60 – 120
SRM: 8 – 15
ABV: 7.5 – 10%
Commercial Examples: Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught, Bell’s Hop Slam, Stone Ruination IPA, Great Divide Hercules Double IPA, Rogue I2PA, Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA, Victory Hop Wallop
---
FIRST FLIGHT: USA AT LARGE
Lagunitas Sonoma Farmhouse Hop Stoopid (ABV 8%), Petaluma, CA
For those mornings when you have to cut right to the chase, this is the one. Sure to blast through just about anything still lingering from the night before, this mouthful of Hops and huge rich Malt has a guarantee built right into the name! IBU 102
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (ABV 9%), Milton, DE
90 Minute IPA was our first continually-hopped beer, which is a method of hopping that allows for a pungent, but not crushing hop flavor. Since introducing the world to the continual-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we've since released a continually-hopped 60 Minute IPA\, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 & 90 Minute IPAs). In addition to the continual-hopping 90 Minute IPA recieves during the boil, we also utilize our 'Me So Hoppy' device to dry-hop the beer
during conditioning. 90 IBU.
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA (ABV 10%), Denver, CO
Hoppier, maltier and with more alcohol than a standard IPA, Hercules Double IPA definitely is not for the faint of heart. Hercules Double IPA is, however, an elixir fit for the gods. A brash but creamy wonder, Hercules pours a deep orange-coppery color, forming substantial lace in the glass. Hercules Double IPA delivers a huge amount of piney, floral, and citrusy hop aroma and flavor from start to finish. A hefty backbone of nutty, toffee-like malt character balances Hercules’ aggressive, punchy hop profile. 85 International Bittering Units (IBUs).
Southern Tier Gemini (10.5% ABV ), Lakewood, NY
High in the winter sky, two parallel stick figures are visible & known as “the twins,” or the constellation Gemini. The astronauts of the 1960s flew as teams of two in a program named after the celestial pairing. At Southern Tier, we have our own fraternal twins, Hoppe & Unearthly. Blended together & placed in this vessel, the mission of our Gemini is to travel high & take passengers on a journey far into the heavens.
10.5% abv • 5.8ºL * 22° Plato
Malts - Two Row pale malt, Malted white wheat, Cara-pils malt, Red wheat.
Kettle hops - Columbus, Chinook, Cascade;
Aroma hops - Amarillo;
Hop back - Styrian Goldings;
Dry hops - Amarillo, Cascade, Centenial, Chinook & Columbus.
SECOND FLIGHT: SAN DIEGO STYLE?
Stone Ruination IPA (ABV 7.7%), Escondido, CA
So called because of the immediate ruinous effect on your palate. 100+ IBUs. Bracingly bitter. Thick, pungent hop aroma. We would say that no hops were injured in the brewing of this beer, but that would be a massive lie. In fact, the words "Stone Ruination IPA" are what older hop vines use to cause little hop vines to quiver with fright and lose sleep at night . We at Stone honor the brutal massacre of countless hops with this "Liquid poem to the glory of the hop!" Paganism at its best! Hops: Columbus and Centennial
Alpine Beer Company Pure Hoppiness (ABV 8%), Alpine, CA
A West Coast Double IPA So mega-hopped it will take you to hop heaven. We’ve used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting-edge “hop bite.” Once you’ve tasted this unique beer, all others pale in comparison. 1.072 OG Classified IBU
Green Flash Imperial IPA (ABV 9.4%), Vista, CA
San Diego-style IPA, as it has come to be known by many, is a super-hoppy, high gravity, yet highly quaffable ale. Green Flash Imperial IPA is created in this new tradition, with intense hop flavors and aromas from a unique blend of Summit and Nugget hops. IBU 101
Port Brewing Hop 15 (ABV 10%), San Marcos, CA
First brewed in 2002 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the original Pizza Port location in Solana Beach, we searched high and low and combined 15 of our favorite hops which were added every 15 minutes to the boil. Somewhat darker than other Double IPA style beers, our beer oozes the hop goodness of pine needles, freshly squeezed citrus and ground spices which are only moderately tempered by a sweet malt finish. Thankfully, for all of us hopheads, we have decided to brew this beer more than once a year. Look for Hop 15 to make appearances from time to time when space permits us to brew this, one of our favorite ales. O.G.: 1.086 F.G. : 1.014; Hops - 15 different varieties; Malt - Two Row and English Light Crystal
---
Some believe bitter brew should be renamed to reflect San Diego roots, by Peter Rowe (March 8, 2006; San Diego Union-Tribune)
Garrett Oliver gets around. The brewmaster at New York City's Brooklyn Brewery, Oliver is familiar with the beers of Belgium, Great Britain, Germany and Southern California.
In San Diego, he's especially fond of the so-called double India Pale Ale. Loves the beer.
Hates the name.
“Since the style they call 'double IPA' originated in the San Diego area,” Oliver argued, “shouldn't it be called San Diego Pale Ale?”
Marc Jilg, founder of Craftsman Brewing Co. in Pasadena, seconded the motion. “Historically,” Jilg said, “you could make a compelling argument that San Diego originated the double IPA.”
The double IPA, though, is not quite a native. Vinnie Cilurzo is credited with creating the style in 1994, when he was running Blind Pig Brewery in Temecula. Blind Pig IPA set the bar high and bitter – the recipe called for four varieties of malts, but the intensely aromatic and bitter hops were the star. Ditto, his Inaugural Ale.
Brewers measure a beer's bitterness with IBUs, or International Bittering Units.
Budweiser scores 12 IBUs. Your average IPA, about 60. Blind Pig IPA? An eye-watering 92. Blind Pig Inaugural Ale? A staggering 120.
In 1995, Cilurzo unleashed these hop monsters on the Great American Beer Festival. The Blind Pig Brewery folded in 1998. Inaugural Ale, which reappeared for a few years as Anniversary Ale, is only remembered by diehard Blind Piglets. But the Blind Pig IPA has attained cult status, and its descendants have won official recognition. Today, there is an “Imperial or Double India Pale Ale” category at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.
So why should a beer style that originated in Temecula and now enjoys global recognition as double IPA be re-named San Diego Pale Ale?
For several reasons:
1. The existing name doesn't make sense.
“The idea of a 'double IPA' is patently silly,” Oliver said.
India Pale Ales were developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a way to keep beers fresh on the long voyage from London to Calcutta. By adding generous amounts of two preservatives – alcohol and hops – brewers could make pale ale that would survive the four-month journey in drinkable fashion.
If, that is, it passed muster with Calcutta's “beer assessor.”
The IPA, then, “was one of the most tightly defined beer styles in history,” Oliver noted.
By that tight definition, these beers are not IPAs, single or double.
2. Our drinkers love this style.
San Diegans are notoriously passionate about hops. Our best beer bars – among them O'Brien's, the Liar's Club and Wit's End – are top-heavy with hop-heavy offerings.
“If you drink hoppy beers every day,” said Jilg, “your definition of hoppiness needs to be recalibrated up a bit.”
3. Our brewers love this style, too.
You can find double IPAs in other parts of the country – Dogfish Head makes the 120 Minute IPA, with a mammoth 120 IBUs, in Milton, Del. But climb into a car in Milton and drive 30 minutes. You will not find a half dozen local brewers making versions of this beer.
You will in San Diego, where almost every brewery produces a version of double IPA.
A version with a distinct flavor. “They stand out among other IPAs from damn near anywhere else in the world,” said Pat McIlhenny, the founder of Alpine Beer Company.
4. In San Diego, this is the signature beer.
Or so insists a New Yorker.
“When we brought our golden, very hoppy 8 percent pale ale, Blast, to the Great American Beer Festival, we put up tasting notes that called it a San Diego Pale Ale,” Garrett Oliver said.
“Our West Coast brethren seemed to enjoy Blast, but they still seem oddly meek about claiming their bragging rights.”
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 14 and 15.
For the sake of public discussion and viewing, I'm gradually posting sections of the new, evolving beer list at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House. Information is as yet incomplete, and I look forward to feedback. The current plan is to launch this effort in late January, which means that there'll be close-outs periodically as we offload and reload.
The goal remains using the bottled list to educate, and simplifying it so that the beers on it are always on it, every day. There'll be seasonal and specialty offerings, too, as compiled on other lists.
Previously:
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 10 - 13.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 6 - 9.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 2 - 5.
No worries: Still a Lite-Free Zone, with no 1A allowed.
The goal remains using the bottled list to educate, and simplifying it so that the beers on it are always on it, every day. There'll be seasonal and specialty offerings, too, as compiled on other lists.
Previously:
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 10 - 13.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 6 - 9.
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 2 - 5.
No worries: Still a Lite-Free Zone, with no 1A allowed.
14. INDIA PALE ALE (IPA)
14A. English IPA
*Brooklyn East India Pale Ale … NY; 6.8% … $.$$
14B. American IPA
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale … MI; 7.1% … 4.00
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA … DE; 6% … 4.25
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA … CA; 7.2% … 3.75
Stone IPA (India Pale Ale) … CA; 6.9% … 22 oz … 6.50
Victory HopDevil … PA; 6.7% … 3.50
14C. Imperial IPA
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA … DE; 9% … 5.25
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA … CO; 10% … 22 oz … 11.50
Stone Ruination IPA … CA; 7.7% … 22 oz 8.25
15. GERMAN WHEAT AND RYE BEER
15A. Weizen/Weissbier
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse … Germany; 5% … 16.9 oz … 5.50
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier … Germany; 5.4% … 16.9 oz … 5.75
15B. Dunkelweizen
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel … Germany; 5%. 16.9 oz 5.50
Schneider Weisse … Germany; 5.4% … 16.9 oz … 6.25
15C. Weizenbock
Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock (Schneider) … Germany; 12% … 7.25
Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock (Schneider) … Germany; 8.2% … 16.9 oz … 7.75
15D. Roggenbier (German Rye Beer)
(Only sporadically seen outside Germany)
Saturday, January 01, 2011
C2 recipe specs ... not just yet, but very close to release.
All the way back in March, NABC's Jared Williamson reported on the second in a series of collaborations, one destined for a circuitous path from concept to palate:Jared's C2 brew day report.
Now, as the release date draws near, Jared is back with more details.
---------
C2: Smoked Belgian Dark Strong Ale
C2 is a malt-forward bomb of a beer, with the batch split into various wine casks for aging. Two of the wine casks are Missouri-built, and spent five years in Napa Valley aging Silver Oak Cabernet. The other two wine casks are Kentucky-built and have been at the Huber Winery in Southern Indiana aging various Ports for the last 12 years.
Once fresh fig season arrived in September 2010, a portion of figs were smoked and then the figs were split up and added to one of each of the two varietals of wine casks. The barrels have aged eight months total, and the batch will be blended back together in early January to age a short time together before being packaged for draft.
C2 will be released in mid-January or thereabouts. There are only 8 bbl of C2, so it will be an extremely limited release.
Malts: Castle Pale, Weyermann Rauch, Castle Biscuit, Briess Smoke, Castle Aromatic, Castle Special B
Adjuncts: Belgian dark candi sugar, Brewer’s Crystal, Molasses
Mash Hops: Mt Hood, Crystal
Kettle Hops: Magnum, Slovenian Celeia
O.G. 1097
ABV: 10.7%
IBU: 20
Thursday, December 30, 2010
It's the end of an era on Friday at the Pizzeria & Public House.
I will be at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House at lunchtime tomorrow (New Year’s Eve) smoking a cigar, because when we reopen for business on Monday, January 3, ours will be a newly minted smoke-free facility.
We first made the announcement in August …
The NABC Pizzeria and Pub will be smoke-free as of January 1, 2011.
… and now the appointed time finally has arrived, although in an odd, seemingly premature way. It was the subject of my Wednesday Weekly column last week:
Wednesday Weekly: Sadness at the passing of a regular habit?
Transitions of any sort are challenging, and I think way too much – always have, and probably always will. Just the same, the overwhelming motifs in my consciousness as we prepare to move forward into a brand new year are images from the past, which are becoming very dim in the rearview mirror. That’s because in 2011, NABC will be doing its level best to reinvent itself in a future tense, and to some extent, history will be both made and relegated.
Those who know me best always say that it isn’t necessary for me to try to explain myself; it invariably gets me into trouble, but it’s something I can’t turn off. As much as I might like to qualify it, the fact remains that the beer business with which I’ve been associated for almost twenty years always has been an extension of my own personality, and so when it comes to making policy changes like implementing a smoke-free workplace and radically reforming the guest beer program – simultaneously – there is a rigorous self-examination prefacing the public’s knowledge of the new direction.
Which is to say: These matters impact me, too.
A seismic shift in my professional “beer life” commenced about three years ago, and the aftershocks finally have awakened me to the next phase, to where I need to be, and where I hope many of us are heading. I’m grateful for the wake-up call. If you are out and about at lunchtime on Friday, December 31, I’ll be smoking a cigar at my own bar for the last time, so join me.
As a postscript, the smoke-free workplace may soon be a statewide phenomenon. In his most recent column in the New Albany Tribune, State Representative Ed Clere had this to say:
We first made the announcement in August …
The NABC Pizzeria and Pub will be smoke-free as of January 1, 2011.
… and now the appointed time finally has arrived, although in an odd, seemingly premature way. It was the subject of my Wednesday Weekly column last week:
Wednesday Weekly: Sadness at the passing of a regular habit?
Transitions of any sort are challenging, and I think way too much – always have, and probably always will. Just the same, the overwhelming motifs in my consciousness as we prepare to move forward into a brand new year are images from the past, which are becoming very dim in the rearview mirror. That’s because in 2011, NABC will be doing its level best to reinvent itself in a future tense, and to some extent, history will be both made and relegated.
Those who know me best always say that it isn’t necessary for me to try to explain myself; it invariably gets me into trouble, but it’s something I can’t turn off. As much as I might like to qualify it, the fact remains that the beer business with which I’ve been associated for almost twenty years always has been an extension of my own personality, and so when it comes to making policy changes like implementing a smoke-free workplace and radically reforming the guest beer program – simultaneously – there is a rigorous self-examination prefacing the public’s knowledge of the new direction.
Which is to say: These matters impact me, too.
A seismic shift in my professional “beer life” commenced about three years ago, and the aftershocks finally have awakened me to the next phase, to where I need to be, and where I hope many of us are heading. I’m grateful for the wake-up call. If you are out and about at lunchtime on Friday, December 31, I’ll be smoking a cigar at my own bar for the last time, so join me.
As a postscript, the smoke-free workplace may soon be a statewide phenomenon. In his most recent column in the New Albany Tribune, State Representative Ed Clere had this to say:
CLERE: Session will require resolve from all
... Typical New Year’s resolutions are also relevant to state government ...
... Quit smoking: A statewide smoking ban seems inevitable. Indiana is among a dwindling number of states that do not have some type of statewide ban. Support for a ban appears to be growing. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has made a total ban on smoking in the workplace one of its 2011 legislative priorities, and earlier this month, Gov. Mitch Daniels said he would sign a ban. First, of course, the legislature would have to pass one, and the Senate has snuffed out recent attempts.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
NABC label ink at beernews.com
It's the great Internet news source where I go to view labels and read press releases from breweries across the country, and perhaps NABC's inaugural appearance there: http://beernews.org
New Albanian bottles to debut later this winter
(New Albanian, IN) – Look for some new bottles in the Hoosier State coming early next year ...
Bacchus reconsidered, and just in time.
See, it's what I've always told you: Art and alcohol go together -- and what better time than Saturnalia!
Juiced in time: BacchusGod of ritual madness, abandon and ecstasy, Bacchus is the true deity of the season, inspiring artists from Titian to Twombly, by Jonathan Jones (Guardian)
Been drinking at Christmas? Planning a drink for the new year? Then let's celebrate the true god of this season: Bacchus.
Wednesday Weekly: The 'Ville, Indy and the base of the craft beer pyramid.
I’ve always maintained that Louisville is a great beer town, given the circumstances of geography and history which might otherwise argue against the city’s prospects.
Louisville is Southern, but it isn’t Mississippi, either. It’s a rather Northern version of Southern, with bits of the best of both worlds.
Louisville generally represents the highest cultural and educational aspirations to be found in Kentucky, the hinterlands of which perpetually resent the state’s biggest city precisely because of its cosmopolitan strivings, causing me to respect Louisville’s upward arch all the more.
Louisville’s tenure as an Ohio River port is helpful, although being a seaport would be even better; then again, proximity to the ocean hasn’t much helped New Orleans or Miami become great beers in the sense of Seattle, Baltimore and San Diego, which amply prove my “ports as great beer towns” rule of thumb.
Louisville enjoys a diverse and profuse restaurant and dining scene, and maybe some of this depth of appreciation for good food spills over into the realm of better beer, informing our pursuit of more challenging beverages.
Louisville has been home to top-shelf founding beer evangelists, and boasts watering holes of upper-echelon quality, with people and places in it for the long haul, including owners, brewers, bartenders and staff at Rocky’s and the sadly defunct Fat Cat’s (1980’s); Silo (also dead), Bluegrass Brewing Company, Rich O’s, the Irish Rover, the O’Shea’s pub empire (1990’s); and Cumberland Brews, Browning’s and too many second- and third-generation establishments to count in the past ten years. Louisville attracts beer business gamers and lifers, adds constantly to the list -- and the quality shows.
---
As for me, having lived this good beer life since the first Reagan administration, and passed my time both as active participant and periodic voyeur as years have gone by and changes unfolded, Louisville’s status as great beer town makes me feel proud and vindicated, although of late, to be honest, I find myself a bit troubled.
Are we falling behind?
These thoughts are an effort to put my tremulous finger on what’s bothering me; accordingly, I don’t pretend they’re entirely formed, or finalized to any firm degree. You see, if you scroll down to the bottom, you’ll find a lengthy list of links that chronicle existing and forthcoming breweries in the city of Indianapolis, two hours to the north.
Not so long ago, there were only two main areas of choice for locally-brewed craft beer in Indy: The three chain brewpubs downtown (Alcatraz, Ram and Rock Bottom), and the two independents in Broad Ripple (Broad Ripple Brewing and Brugge Brasserie).
There also were a handful of “good beer bars,” as in the case of the Marvin-era Chalkie’s in Castleton and Mike DeWeese’s BW3 downtown.
Now, five or so years later, there has been a veritable explosion of better beer options, and gazing at the boom from afar, it appears that brewery start-ups are leading the way forward, which is precisely as it should be. By early 2011, the Indianapolis metro area’s working brewery population easily could double in number, dwarfing Louisville’s roster.
As noted here previously, Indiana’s list of distinct brewing companies is approaching 40, and may already be there. When beer writer John Holl’s book about Indiana breweries is published this spring, it will be the third such volume in a year. Indiana is hot.
Obviously, donning my business-sized fedora for a moment, I hope to capitalize on this brewing profusion by rededicating the Public House’s draft lines to emphasize these Indiana beers, of which we brew just a few, too. It will give us a product that cannot be found to the same extent across the river.
But I digress, and this isn’t the point of today’s rumination.
---
Rather, it is this: Why is it that until only recently, given Indianapolis’s urban clout and its economic strength, both as crossroads of America and as state capital, it clearly underperformed when it comes to beer brewed locally within its metropolitan parameters, but now is going stratospheric?
And, why is it that Louisville, previously hitting way above its economic and geographic weight in terms of locally brewed beer, is stagnant in terms of brewery start-ups?
Apart from the brewery expansion projects undertaken by three of its pre-existing brewers (BBC St Matthews, Cumberland and NABC) and the presence of two contract ventures lacking bricks and mortar, we’re standing stock still. Where’s the new blood to impel evolution?
Yes, I know. Indianapolis is different from Louisville in many ways. Yet, it seems to me that in Indy, an area not lacking in the best American craft beers and world imports as provided by homegrown wholesalers like World Class and Cavalier, the focus turns increasingly toward an expansion of locally brewed craft breweries – those clearly comprising the foundation of the craft beer pyramid as it should be anywhere that purports to be a great beer town.
Isn’t it axiomatic? How can a town really be a great beer town if the prime focus isn’t on its own, unique, locally brewed beers? Would you go to Bamberg just for the Café Abseits, as wonderful as it is? Or do you go because there are nine breweries there?
In Louisville, we’re just not spawning new breweries, with the pre-existing expansions and contract exceptions already noted. Overall, Louisville as a still-great beer town seems largely content to protect consumer comfort zones, and indulge in the habit of looking further afield to adopt as its “local” beers those coming from other places.
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that, although it raises an eyebrow, doesn’t it? In my experience, the quality of locally brewed beer in Louisville is uniformly excellent. There’ll always be unique specialties and rarities, but on an everyday basis, why look elsewhere?
Am I forced to conclude that as a beer town, Louisville still is suffering through a small market, “inferiority complex” phase, having less to do with quality than perceived image? Is it that locally brewed craft beers are considered insufficiently trendy or not hip enough, and instead, palates are diverted to other locales to provide panache, star power and RateBeer tasting comments memorized by rote, if not actual experience?
These questions plague me. Maybe I worry too much.
Does this quasi-attention-deficit disorder owe to a neglect of the metro market by local brewers? Is it because local brewers in Louisville have not provided beers worthy of attention? Are we somehow screwing up?
On all counts, no, I think not.
Wonderful beer is being brewed in Louisville … as well as in Indianapolis, except that in Indy, it’s leading to greater interest in locally brewed beer and new start-up investments in locally brewed beer. In Louisville, outside of reinvestment by existing brewers (admittedly, a very hopeful phenomenon) it is not, and because of this, diversity and innovation surely suffer.
That’s why I fear we’re slipping, and that shelves groaning with beers from other cities, once a cause for joy, instead is impetus for mild concern in today’s evolving marketplace.
I may be right, and just as easily, I may be wrong.
Feel free to debate, affirm and disprove.
One thing I can say is this: My energies in 2011, and in the years to follow, will continue to be devoted to advancing “betterbeerthink” as it pertains to the cause of locally brewed beer in Louisville. Thanks for reading, thinking and drinking.
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: New and Proposed Breweries in the Indy area
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Alcatraz Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Barley Island Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Broad Ripple Brewpub
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Brugge Brasserie and Brewing
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Oaken Barrel Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Ram Restaurant and Brewery
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery - College Park
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery - Downtown
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Sun King Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Other Breweries in the Greater Indy Area
Louisville is Southern, but it isn’t Mississippi, either. It’s a rather Northern version of Southern, with bits of the best of both worlds.
Louisville generally represents the highest cultural and educational aspirations to be found in Kentucky, the hinterlands of which perpetually resent the state’s biggest city precisely because of its cosmopolitan strivings, causing me to respect Louisville’s upward arch all the more.
Louisville’s tenure as an Ohio River port is helpful, although being a seaport would be even better; then again, proximity to the ocean hasn’t much helped New Orleans or Miami become great beers in the sense of Seattle, Baltimore and San Diego, which amply prove my “ports as great beer towns” rule of thumb.
Louisville enjoys a diverse and profuse restaurant and dining scene, and maybe some of this depth of appreciation for good food spills over into the realm of better beer, informing our pursuit of more challenging beverages.
Louisville has been home to top-shelf founding beer evangelists, and boasts watering holes of upper-echelon quality, with people and places in it for the long haul, including owners, brewers, bartenders and staff at Rocky’s and the sadly defunct Fat Cat’s (1980’s); Silo (also dead), Bluegrass Brewing Company, Rich O’s, the Irish Rover, the O’Shea’s pub empire (1990’s); and Cumberland Brews, Browning’s and too many second- and third-generation establishments to count in the past ten years. Louisville attracts beer business gamers and lifers, adds constantly to the list -- and the quality shows.
---
As for me, having lived this good beer life since the first Reagan administration, and passed my time both as active participant and periodic voyeur as years have gone by and changes unfolded, Louisville’s status as great beer town makes me feel proud and vindicated, although of late, to be honest, I find myself a bit troubled.
Are we falling behind?
These thoughts are an effort to put my tremulous finger on what’s bothering me; accordingly, I don’t pretend they’re entirely formed, or finalized to any firm degree. You see, if you scroll down to the bottom, you’ll find a lengthy list of links that chronicle existing and forthcoming breweries in the city of Indianapolis, two hours to the north.
Not so long ago, there were only two main areas of choice for locally-brewed craft beer in Indy: The three chain brewpubs downtown (Alcatraz, Ram and Rock Bottom), and the two independents in Broad Ripple (Broad Ripple Brewing and Brugge Brasserie).
There also were a handful of “good beer bars,” as in the case of the Marvin-era Chalkie’s in Castleton and Mike DeWeese’s BW3 downtown.
Now, five or so years later, there has been a veritable explosion of better beer options, and gazing at the boom from afar, it appears that brewery start-ups are leading the way forward, which is precisely as it should be. By early 2011, the Indianapolis metro area’s working brewery population easily could double in number, dwarfing Louisville’s roster.
As noted here previously, Indiana’s list of distinct brewing companies is approaching 40, and may already be there. When beer writer John Holl’s book about Indiana breweries is published this spring, it will be the third such volume in a year. Indiana is hot.
Obviously, donning my business-sized fedora for a moment, I hope to capitalize on this brewing profusion by rededicating the Public House’s draft lines to emphasize these Indiana beers, of which we brew just a few, too. It will give us a product that cannot be found to the same extent across the river.
But I digress, and this isn’t the point of today’s rumination.
---
Rather, it is this: Why is it that until only recently, given Indianapolis’s urban clout and its economic strength, both as crossroads of America and as state capital, it clearly underperformed when it comes to beer brewed locally within its metropolitan parameters, but now is going stratospheric?
And, why is it that Louisville, previously hitting way above its economic and geographic weight in terms of locally brewed beer, is stagnant in terms of brewery start-ups?
Apart from the brewery expansion projects undertaken by three of its pre-existing brewers (BBC St Matthews, Cumberland and NABC) and the presence of two contract ventures lacking bricks and mortar, we’re standing stock still. Where’s the new blood to impel evolution?
Yes, I know. Indianapolis is different from Louisville in many ways. Yet, it seems to me that in Indy, an area not lacking in the best American craft beers and world imports as provided by homegrown wholesalers like World Class and Cavalier, the focus turns increasingly toward an expansion of locally brewed craft breweries – those clearly comprising the foundation of the craft beer pyramid as it should be anywhere that purports to be a great beer town.
Isn’t it axiomatic? How can a town really be a great beer town if the prime focus isn’t on its own, unique, locally brewed beers? Would you go to Bamberg just for the Café Abseits, as wonderful as it is? Or do you go because there are nine breweries there?
In Louisville, we’re just not spawning new breweries, with the pre-existing expansions and contract exceptions already noted. Overall, Louisville as a still-great beer town seems largely content to protect consumer comfort zones, and indulge in the habit of looking further afield to adopt as its “local” beers those coming from other places.
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that, although it raises an eyebrow, doesn’t it? In my experience, the quality of locally brewed beer in Louisville is uniformly excellent. There’ll always be unique specialties and rarities, but on an everyday basis, why look elsewhere?
Am I forced to conclude that as a beer town, Louisville still is suffering through a small market, “inferiority complex” phase, having less to do with quality than perceived image? Is it that locally brewed craft beers are considered insufficiently trendy or not hip enough, and instead, palates are diverted to other locales to provide panache, star power and RateBeer tasting comments memorized by rote, if not actual experience?
These questions plague me. Maybe I worry too much.
Does this quasi-attention-deficit disorder owe to a neglect of the metro market by local brewers? Is it because local brewers in Louisville have not provided beers worthy of attention? Are we somehow screwing up?
On all counts, no, I think not.
Wonderful beer is being brewed in Louisville … as well as in Indianapolis, except that in Indy, it’s leading to greater interest in locally brewed beer and new start-up investments in locally brewed beer. In Louisville, outside of reinvestment by existing brewers (admittedly, a very hopeful phenomenon) it is not, and because of this, diversity and innovation surely suffer.
That’s why I fear we’re slipping, and that shelves groaning with beers from other cities, once a cause for joy, instead is impetus for mild concern in today’s evolving marketplace.
I may be right, and just as easily, I may be wrong.
Feel free to debate, affirm and disprove.
One thing I can say is this: My energies in 2011, and in the years to follow, will continue to be devoted to advancing “betterbeerthink” as it pertains to the cause of locally brewed beer in Louisville. Thanks for reading, thinking and drinking.
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: New and Proposed Breweries in the Indy area
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Alcatraz Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Barley Island Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Broad Ripple Brewpub
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Brugge Brasserie and Brewing
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Oaken Barrel Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Ram Restaurant and Brewery
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery - College Park
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery - Downtown
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Sun King Brewing Company
Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Other Breweries in the Greater Indy Area
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Kopke a smash hit at Pants Down Potluck Port Drinkers Circle.
Thanks to Kopke for doing it right, to David DuBou of Vintner Select for an entertaining and informative presentation, and to Amy Weatherford for the photos.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Knights of the Beer Roundtable: Top Three finish for Beak's
There's nothing wrong with 3rd place with competition this fierce. Follow the link and read the comments for all the beers considered in 2010 ... the lineup's impressive, indeed.
The 2010 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Brugge Brasserie's Spider
Brugge Brasserie Spider 16.0 pts.
People's Hopkilla 9.5
NABC Beak's Best 7.5
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sundays in Indiana?
A number of blog readers have sent links from various news outlets previewing this story. When the curtain rises on the 2011 legislature, it will be the same basic outline as before: Grocery and convenience stores wish to dismantle remaining Sunday alcohol sales restrictions and discard the time-honored ban on cold beer at places also selling to-go gasoline (among others), while package store interests see the beginning of the end for the small family liquor store if competition is opened up. Both "sides" are right, in their own way.
Now what? I suppose that's why we elect these folks.
Now what? I suppose that's why we elect these folks.
New Effort For Sunday Alcohol Sales To Be Launched In Indiana, by Gabe Bullard (WFPL)
The Indiana General Assembly will convene next month, and among the first bills introduced will be a measure to lift restrictions on alcohol sales. Some lawmakers and retailers are making yet another attempt at easing regulations.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Wednesday Weekly: Sadness at the passing of a regular habit?
The announcement was made some months back, and consequently, everyone involved has had plenty of time to prepare for it.
Now, it’s almost here.
On January 3, when NABC’s original Pizzeria & Public House re-opens for business in 2011 following two days closed (New Year’s Day and the usual Sunday), we’ll be smoke-free.
Beginning on the 3rd, smoking no longer will be permitted inside the building at 3312 Plaza Drive – the entire building. No hidden nooks and crannies, and no exceptions, at least if I have anything to say about it. If we’re going to do it, it should be done correctly, or not at all.
Human nature being what it is – customarily dilatory – there was a flurry of “pro” and “con” comments just after the original announcement, and then relative quiet; now, as the “dreaded” day draws near, the prospective policy change has been mentioned a couple of times in conversation, and I’ve started thinking about it again.
My conclusion?
There isn’t anything dreadful about it, not at all, at least for the majority of patrons and workers.
It continues to surprise me that even the employees who smoke support the idea of a smoke-free building; in fact, they’re the ones who reintroduced the idea in the first place. Servers are on the front line, and no one knows daily conditions better than they do. If they’re willing to step outside at intervals in order to ensure a full dining room (and more tips), it’s a powerful argument in favor of modernity.
At the same time, there are moments in life when you find yourself standing quite clearly on the wrong side of history, and unfortunately for self-identified regulars who smoke, this is one of those times. For them, a smoking ban is a threat, an affront, and perhaps a mortal insult, and in many ways, I sincerely regret the inconvenience to them. Following is a Facebook comment excerpt from one of them, who I’ve known for a very long time.
They're reasonable thoughts, and although I might choose to tackle the clauses one at a time, much of it can be summarized thusly: Bans on indoor smoking are about workplace safety, period.
If second-hand smoke is harmful, and I personally have come to accept that it is, if to a still uncertain extent, there is no way to protect the health of workers except to make the smoking ban uniform. Compromises are impossible to incorporate, and before someone asks, I opposed the New Albany council’s citywide ban (over-turned by mayoral veto in 2008) precisely because it was porous. If universality in my own place, or the entire city, means that I must give up my cherished cigars indoors, then so be it.
However, since I first read the above earlier today, my thoughts have veered away from pure considerations of the indoor smoking issue.
Instead, I’ve been considering what it means to be a regular in this tobacco-laden context. The complaints about the smoking policy change that I’ve heard so far have come almost entirely from frequent customers who’ve spent much time and money seated in one or both sides of the operation, smoking before, during and after eating and drinking.
Not for a moment is it my intention to be anything but grateful for their patronage over the past years, and it is my sincere hope that when a bit of time has passed, that there’ll still be some way to accommodate them at the Pizzeria & Public House. I like them, and I’ll miss them.
Conversely, I need to state this for the record: Given the many, generally positive, qualities to our business as noted by visitors over the years, ranging from the pizza to the ambience, the staff, and of course the beers, I hope I can be forgiven for expressing personal sadness of an almost overwhelming degree when I hear folks who’ve always rightly viewed themselves as the establishment’s backbone of regular patronage cite smoking as a deal-breaker.
So, that’s all it was, all this time?
That’s all we meant to you – a dry, climate-conditioned place to smoke?
No, I’m not offended. I’m not angry. I’m not anything at all, except very sad, and sad to a profound depth that even I’m surprised at feeling, having concluded long ago that it’s rare for me to feel much of anything, any longer.
To be sure, the longtime friend quoted above is showing uncommon understanding about the situation, and so my comments here are not exclusively directed to her. In fact, I’m not sure my comments are directed at anything or anyone other than to me. It’s like something finally has become clear to me after being hidden all these years, presumably behind a cloud of smoke.
So: It is my belief that those individuals and entities unable to adapt are likely to lose out in the end, and my business continues to evolve. It always has, and I hope it never stops evolving.
Furthermore, I’d like to believe that individuals are capable of evolution and reinvention. I’ve tried to be open to these processes myself, with variable results; just the same, I’ve changed. I'm not the same person at 50 as I was thirty years ago. Thank heavens.
On the other hand, apart from cigars, cigarettes have never been my thing. Perhaps I just don’t know, and can’t possibly fathom, the nicotine angle to this “regular” equation. Perhaps it's the nicotine talking, and not the persons.
You guys will be missing so much. The Pizzeria & Public House is poised to kick ass in 2011, and it’s been a while since I’ve been this excited by the prospects, both aesthetic and commercial. It is unspeakably sad that there’ll be some absences during this wonderful time.
Sad. Very, very sad. I'm not sure what else to say about it, so I'll stop writing.
Now, it’s almost here.
On January 3, when NABC’s original Pizzeria & Public House re-opens for business in 2011 following two days closed (New Year’s Day and the usual Sunday), we’ll be smoke-free.
Beginning on the 3rd, smoking no longer will be permitted inside the building at 3312 Plaza Drive – the entire building. No hidden nooks and crannies, and no exceptions, at least if I have anything to say about it. If we’re going to do it, it should be done correctly, or not at all.
Human nature being what it is – customarily dilatory – there was a flurry of “pro” and “con” comments just after the original announcement, and then relative quiet; now, as the “dreaded” day draws near, the prospective policy change has been mentioned a couple of times in conversation, and I’ve started thinking about it again.
My conclusion?
There isn’t anything dreadful about it, not at all, at least for the majority of patrons and workers.
It continues to surprise me that even the employees who smoke support the idea of a smoke-free building; in fact, they’re the ones who reintroduced the idea in the first place. Servers are on the front line, and no one knows daily conditions better than they do. If they’re willing to step outside at intervals in order to ensure a full dining room (and more tips), it’s a powerful argument in favor of modernity.
At the same time, there are moments in life when you find yourself standing quite clearly on the wrong side of history, and unfortunately for self-identified regulars who smoke, this is one of those times. For them, a smoking ban is a threat, an affront, and perhaps a mortal insult, and in many ways, I sincerely regret the inconvenience to them. Following is a Facebook comment excerpt from one of them, who I’ve known for a very long time.
“The decision will be bad for most of the regulars, but good for the business (and there will simply be a new group of regulars sprout on the couches like so many potatoes.) I have thought for a LONG time the Sportstime side needed to go non-smoking. There is no division there to separate tables and toddlers. But, I feel the backroom of Rich O’s should stay smoking, at least Mon.-Thurs., when it is full of mostly smoking regulars and there is rarely a wait in non-smoking. Fri.-Sat. may still have smoking regulars, of course, but there is almost always a wait in non-smoking those nights. But policies drawn with wide, straight lines tend to be easier for others to follow. So yes, the smoking will send me out. I cannot imagine that is any kind of surprise, or concern."
They're reasonable thoughts, and although I might choose to tackle the clauses one at a time, much of it can be summarized thusly: Bans on indoor smoking are about workplace safety, period.
If second-hand smoke is harmful, and I personally have come to accept that it is, if to a still uncertain extent, there is no way to protect the health of workers except to make the smoking ban uniform. Compromises are impossible to incorporate, and before someone asks, I opposed the New Albany council’s citywide ban (over-turned by mayoral veto in 2008) precisely because it was porous. If universality in my own place, or the entire city, means that I must give up my cherished cigars indoors, then so be it.
However, since I first read the above earlier today, my thoughts have veered away from pure considerations of the indoor smoking issue.
Instead, I’ve been considering what it means to be a regular in this tobacco-laden context. The complaints about the smoking policy change that I’ve heard so far have come almost entirely from frequent customers who’ve spent much time and money seated in one or both sides of the operation, smoking before, during and after eating and drinking.
Not for a moment is it my intention to be anything but grateful for their patronage over the past years, and it is my sincere hope that when a bit of time has passed, that there’ll still be some way to accommodate them at the Pizzeria & Public House. I like them, and I’ll miss them.
Conversely, I need to state this for the record: Given the many, generally positive, qualities to our business as noted by visitors over the years, ranging from the pizza to the ambience, the staff, and of course the beers, I hope I can be forgiven for expressing personal sadness of an almost overwhelming degree when I hear folks who’ve always rightly viewed themselves as the establishment’s backbone of regular patronage cite smoking as a deal-breaker.
So, that’s all it was, all this time?
That’s all we meant to you – a dry, climate-conditioned place to smoke?
No, I’m not offended. I’m not angry. I’m not anything at all, except very sad, and sad to a profound depth that even I’m surprised at feeling, having concluded long ago that it’s rare for me to feel much of anything, any longer.
To be sure, the longtime friend quoted above is showing uncommon understanding about the situation, and so my comments here are not exclusively directed to her. In fact, I’m not sure my comments are directed at anything or anyone other than to me. It’s like something finally has become clear to me after being hidden all these years, presumably behind a cloud of smoke.
So: It is my belief that those individuals and entities unable to adapt are likely to lose out in the end, and my business continues to evolve. It always has, and I hope it never stops evolving.
Furthermore, I’d like to believe that individuals are capable of evolution and reinvention. I’ve tried to be open to these processes myself, with variable results; just the same, I’ve changed. I'm not the same person at 50 as I was thirty years ago. Thank heavens.
On the other hand, apart from cigars, cigarettes have never been my thing. Perhaps I just don’t know, and can’t possibly fathom, the nicotine angle to this “regular” equation. Perhaps it's the nicotine talking, and not the persons.
You guys will be missing so much. The Pizzeria & Public House is poised to kick ass in 2011, and it’s been a while since I’ve been this excited by the prospects, both aesthetic and commercial. It is unspeakably sad that there’ll be some absences during this wonderful time.
Sad. Very, very sad. I'm not sure what else to say about it, so I'll stop writing.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tony's bomber label design for Elsa Von Horizon.
This one has been approved. Elsa joins Hoptimus and Elector, with Thunderfoot in the queue, and Tunnel Vision underway.
Monday, December 20, 2010
IPA into view for Office Hours, tonight.
Thanks to everyone who made last Monday's Imperial Stout tasting happen. I'm planning on being back in the saddle tonight, as Office Hours rams headlong into the BJCP's Category 14 ... and this means hops, hops and more hops.
We'll be going very light on English IPA owing to the abundance of straight American IPA available for sampling.
Imperial IPA will have to wait until January 3, as the 27th of December is our annual Pants Down Potluck Port Drinkers Circle (this year with guided tasting).
Sampling and commentary at Office Hours costs $5 and runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Public House.
We'll be going very light on English IPA owing to the abundance of straight American IPA available for sampling.
Imperial IPA will have to wait until January 3, as the 27th of December is our annual Pants Down Potluck Port Drinkers Circle (this year with guided tasting).
Sampling and commentary at Office Hours costs $5 and runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Public House.
***Category 14 — India Pale Ale (IPA)
14A. English IPA
Overall Impression: A hoppy, moderately strong pale ale that features characteristics consistent with the use of English malt, hops and yeast. Has less hop character and a more pronounced malt flavor than American versions.
14B. American IPA
Overall Impression: A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale.
14C. Imperial IPA
Overall Impression: An intensely hoppy, very strong pale ale without the big maltiness and/or deeper malt flavors of an American barleywine. Strongly hopped, but clean, lacking harshness, and a tribute to historical IPAs. Drinkability is an important characteristic; this should not be a heavy, sipping beer. It should also not have much residual sweetness or a heavy character grain profile.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 10 - 13.
Remember: We'll be doing many American Pale Ales (and IPAs, for that matter) on draft, too, so there will be representation galore for this consumer favorite style. Note that Bell's Expedition Stout, while a staple of previous lists, falls through the cracks here because it is not available everyday. I suspect we'll have some around. The goal remains using the bottled list to educate, and simplifying it so that the beers on it are always on it. There'll be seasonal and specialty offerings, too.
10. AMERICAN ALE
10A. American Pale Ale
BBC American Pale Ale … Kentucky; 5.7% … 3.50
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale … California; 5.6% … 3.75
10B. American Amber Ale
New Belgium Fat Tire … Colorado; 5.2% … 22 oz … 7.50
Stone Levitation … California; 4.4% … 4.00
10C. American Brown Ale
*Dogfish Head Indian Brown … Delaware; 7.2% … $.$$
11. ENGLISH BROWN ALE
11A. Mild
NABC Community Dark … on draft, every day
11B. Southern English Brown
(BJCP says: “Increasingly rare.” Unavailable here)
11C. Northern English Brown
New Castle Brown Ale … England; 4.7% … 4.25
Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale … England; 5% … 5.00
12. PORTER
12A. Brown Porter
Samuel Smith “The Famous” Taddy Porter … England; 5% … 5.00
12B. Robust Porter
Founders Porter … Michigan; 6.5%. … 4.00
Rogue Mocha Porter … Oregon; 5.3%. ... 4.25
12C. Baltic Porter
Baltika “6” Porter … Russia; 7% … 16.9 oz … 5.50
Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter … Maryland; 9.2%. … 5.25
Sinebrychoff Porter … Finland; 7.2%. … 6.25
13. STOUT
13A. Dry Stout
Guinness Stout … on draft, every day
13B. Sweet Stout
Left Hand Milk Stout … Colorado; 5.2%. … 4.25
13C. Oatmeal Stout
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout … England; 5%. … 5.00
13D. Foreign Extra Stout
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout … Ireland 7.5% … $.$$
13E. American Stout
*Avery Out of Bounds Stout … Colorado; 5.1% … $.$$
13F. Russian Imperial Stout
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout … Colorado; 9.5% … 22 oz … 11.50
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout … California; 9% … 5.00
Samuel Smith Imperial Stout … England; 7% … 5.00
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Bottled beer list piece by piece: BJCP styles 6 - 9.
Asterisks denote beers we must add to the list; all prices are subject to review, and if not listed, that's because we don't know the cost yet. My standard for selection has been everyday availability, year-round, with preference to American-made beer over imports when sensible.
Obviously, there'll be exceptions. Maybe this would be a good time to ask Sun King if we'll be permitted to buy cans ... details, details.
Obviously, there'll be exceptions. Maybe this would be a good time to ask Sun King if we'll be permitted to buy cans ... details, details.
6. LIGHT HYBRID BEER
6A. Cream Ale
*Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale … Indiana; 5.3%. … $.$$
6B. Blonde Ale
*Southern Star Bombshell Blonde … Texas; 5.25% … $.$$
6C. Kölsch
Reissdorf Kölsch … Germany; 4.8% … 16.9 oz … 6.25
6D. American Wheat or Rye Beer
*Three Floyds Gumballhead … Indiana; 5.5% … $.$$
7. AMBER HYBRID BEER
7A. Northern German Altbier
(I’m still looking)
7B. California Common Beer
Anchor Steam … California; 4.9% … 4.25
7C. Düsseldorf Altbier
BBC Amber … Kentucky; 4.19% … $.$$
8. ENGLISH PALE ALE
8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
(Usually UK cask ale only; few are exported)
8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter
*Schlafly Pale Ale … Missouri; 4.4% … $.$$
8c. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Fuller’s ESB … England; 5.9% … 4.50
Old Speckled Hen … England; 5.2% … 16.9 oz … 6.75
9. SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE
9A. Scottish Light 60/-
(Cask ale only; not exported to the USA)
9B. Scottish Heavy 70/-
(Only sporadically available in good condition)
9C. Scottish Export 80/-
*Belhaven Scottish Ale … Scotland; 5.2% … $.$$
9D. Irish Red Ale
Smithwicks … Ireland; 4.5% … 4.25
9E. Strong Scotch Ale
Founders Dirty Bastard … Michigan; 8.5% … 3.75
*Three Floyds Robert the Bruce … Indiana; 6.5%. … $.$$
Traquair House Ale … Scotland; 7.2% … 8.75
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