Craft Beer: Be Careful What You Ask For!

Years ago when I was really starting to get into craft beer I was working with a guy that was big time into wine. He had a nice cellar at his house and would regularly purchase bottles that cost well into the $100 range. As I became aware of what went into making great craft beer, I questioned why something that in many respects was more complex than wine (especially barrel aged beers) was so much less expensive and less valued for its qualities. Flash forward to the last few years and now it is easy to find bottles of craft beer at some pretty mind numbing prices. I thought back and kicked myself for complaining that craft beer was to cheap.

This weekend I made it down to Stone to meet up with some friends to grab lunch and kick off a real quick brew tour. It was a Sunday and I checked the calendar before going and nothing was going on, so I was very surprised that there wasn't even a single spot in the parking lot. After parking across the street and trekking over to the front entrance, I was a bit surprised to see the crowd of people that were getting dropped off at the front - It was a bunch of kids and old people (old is a relative term, but for me it means the grey haired crowd). I was taken back a bit at the thought of all these intruders invading one of my favorite man cave destinations. I'll have to admit that the thought of yelling across the table to the server to order an Arrogant Bastard while there was a table of 2 years olds right behind me was a little awkward.

Although the title of this post is "Be Careful What You Ask For!" you might think that I just ended up being unhappy with expensive beer and a bunch of intruders at Stone. I actually had quite a moment of clarity though (after a few pints of high gravity beer...) leading me to a few thoughts:

1) Although I am a total tightwad, if it weren't for the market accepting high craft beer prices, it probably wouldn't be economical for places like The Bruery to make some of their exotic creations if they were only able to ask $7 for a 750 ml bottle. So even though I hate giving away my hard earned money, if that's what it takes to get a brewery within 30 minutes of my house with a lineup of killer barrel aged sours, then so be it....

2) Every time a new brewery opens up I ask myself "How long can this last?" I realize that the universe of beer geeks is relatively finite, so there must be a limit to the number of craft breweries that the market can support. Even though at first it felt strange to have a bunch of kids and old people at Stone, I think they might have found the answer... For every new person that gets exposed to the craft beer world, that opens up one more wallet to the industry (I am making the assumption that everyone that is exposed to craft beer falls in love with it because that is the only logical conclusion!). For each new wallet that gets opened up, that just means that the next generation of craft breweries/brewpubs is that much more sustainable. And for each new brewery/brewpub that is sustainable, that is another one that I get to enjoy!

So I welcome high priced beer drinkers, little kids running amok in tasting rooms, and cool old people that like to drink great beer. For each of you I have some thanks for making my hobby/sport/obsession that much more enjoyable. And in the end, the only thing constant is change, so we might as well embrace it!


P.S. Maybe my logic is a little self serving, because eventually I am going to be the guy with my kids running around the breweries and then some years after that I am going to be the cool old grey haired guy hanging out in tasting rooms telling youngsters what craft beer was like in the early 2000's...

Home Brew - Batches #1 - #9

It's kind of funny. One of my original ideas for starting this blog was to document my home brewing exploits. Here I am a few months in and I don't have even one post about my brewing. So here we go....

A little over two years ago my wife made the mistake of getting me a really nice starter home brew kit for Christmas.

I hoped to have the motivation here to go back and give a little detail on the batches that I have brewed up in the past, but I can't seem to quite get there.

So I though I would just make a list of the batches that I completed prior to starting this blog. These were mostly packaged extract kits from my local home brew shop O'Shea Brewing (Laguna Niguel, CA):

Batch #1 - Nut Brown - my first home brewed beer, so of course it was great!

Batch #2 - All Citra IPA - this one was insane! When you popped the bottle open it smelled like slicing open a grapefruit. Still might be my favorite home brew batch of all time.

Batch #3 - Hefeweizen - changed the yeast to White Labs Hefeweizen IV (WLP 380) and fermented a bit warm. The banana aroma was off the chart. This one fermented so fast that it actually blew the top off of my fermenter bucket. I thought it would be contaminated, but it turned out just fine.

Batch #4 - Red - wasn't my favorite at first, but over time it got better.

Batch #5 - Belgian Pale - turned out nice. Finally got tired of bottling with the 12 oz. bottles that came with my brewing kit, so I switched to 22's.

Batch #6 - Imperial Nut Brown - couldn't get this one to carbonate. I even tried popping a cap and adding a little extra yeast to one bottle. That didn't work. Turned out that the bottles were just too cold. They were sitting on a tile floor in my pantry right next to an exterior wall. Moved the bottles to an interior pantry and they were ready to go in a week!

Batch #7 - Belgian Wit - Hoegaarden clone for my wife. Turned out really clean, but not too much orange peel or coriander came through. I actually submitted this one for the OC Fair home brew competition, but I didn't plan ahead and the bottles didn't have enough time to carbonate. Better luck next year...

Batch #8 - Belgian Saison - Liked this one a lot. Fermented a bit warm and it seemed to have some good spiciness to it.

Batch #9 - Oatmeal Stout - my grain sack for steeping was too small so I didn't get a good soaking of the grains because the oatmeal swelled up. It ended up tasting OK, but was a bit light on the flavor and maltiness.















I learned a ton making these beers, and luckily didn't have any major screw ups, so I decided to take my confidence and start with all grain batches...

San Clemente 3rd Annual Micro Brew Fest

Saturday, April 20th was the 3rd Annual San Clemente Micro Brew Fest hosted by Left Coast Brewery. There were 16 breweries on hand from Orange County, San Diego County, and the Inland Empire. Combined with a couple good friends, some good music, and perfect weather.... it was bound to be a great day!






My first stop was Mother Earth Brewing Co. because I haven't had the chance to try their brews. I went for the Hop Diggity Double IPA and it was really good. Next was Inland Empire Brewing Co. (another one that I had yet to try). I went for the Victoria (American Strong Ale). Over to Bootlegger's Brewery for their Golden Chaos. Check in at The Bruery for a quick taste of White Oak (this is some great stuff). Time to head back to the shade to visit Left Coast Brewery for some Hop Juice (one of my favorites).


We started off strong so we took a few minutes to enjoy some good music from Aloha Radio.











Back to work... The day wouldn't have been right if we hadn't stopped by Hangar 24 for their Double IPA. I would have to say that this one is right up there with my favorite Double IPA's, especially on warm days because it goes down so smooth (It's kind of scary for 9% ABV).







Slowing it down a bit we used our last 4 taste tickets for Beachwood BBQ & Brewing's Pole Position IPA. Then off to Noble Ale Works for a Big Whig IPA. Last, but certainly not least was another stop at The Bruery for some Loakal Red and then finishing off at Hangar 24 with an Orange Wheat.













Overall this was a great event. For $25 presale (included 10 4-oz. tasters), I thought it was reasonably priced. The crowd was great and the brewery selection was good. The only real thing that needs a makeover was the food that was pretty run of the mill. If the weather is as nice as it was this year, I will definitely make it back next year!

Craft Beer in Japan (Tokyo)

My wife and I were fortunate enough to make it over to Japan for a week. Unfortunately though, I only had one day to hit craft beer places in Tokyo...

It really seems like from reading online and talking to people who have been there before that the craft beer scene is really starting to take off big time. And its not just bringing in a bunch of killer craft beers from San Diego County (although they do have a lot!), but there are some great Japanese craft breweries that are producing beers that could go head to head with anything from Southern California.

I have to start with a side note. I am a huge IPA fan, but I usually try a variety of beers. After 6 days in Japan surviving on yellow fizzy beer, combined with a lot of the Japanese craft beer selections being IPA's, most of the brews I tasted were IPA's. So here we go.

My first stop was Craft Beer Market (Toranomon, Tokyo). This was first on my list because it was one of the only ones that I could find that was open around lunch on a weekday. A side benefit was that this place is known as having the most economical prices in Tokyo (under $10 for a pint!). Their craft beer menu was all Japanese.

I tried the Ryujinshuzo Ozenoyukidoke IPA, Shigakogen AfPA (they told me the style was an African Pale Ale!), Baird Brewing Suruga Bay Imperial IPA, Baird Brewing West Coast Wheat Wine 2012, and the bartender's choice for my last beer before they kicked me out to close after lunch the Iwatekura Oyster Stout served by beer engine (they assured me that real oysters were not used in the brewing or fermenting process, just oyster shells...).




While tasting the brews I tried their set menu lunch with a small soup and a plate with a bunch of curry beef and rice. It really hit the spot when washing down those IPA's!

My next stop that evening was Good Beer Faucets (Shibuya, Tokyo). These guys are known for their good selection of beers from around the world with quite a few being from Japan.

Dede the owner was there when I came in. I tried Nide Beer Monster C IPA (Japan), North Island IPA (Japan), Nogne #500 Imperial IPA (Norway), and another taste of Baird Brewing Suruga Bay Imperial IPA. While there I met a really nice Japanese guy that was crazy about craft beer. He let me know that one of his favorite beers was on tap at a craft beer place not too far away. It was actually on my list to visit, so we walked over together.

After a short walk we made it to Craftheads (also in Shibuya not too far of a walk from Good Beer Faucets). It was down in a basement and was pretty busy. We immediately went for the 3 Floyds' Zombie Dust (Indiana).










After enjoying a few $13 pints of Zombie Dust we called it a night. Sorry about the blurry picture. It was pretty dark in there.












Overall, you could really tell that the craft beer scene is taking hold in Japan. I look forward not only to getting back over there again, but to finding some of the great Japanese beers here on tap somewhere.

One really cool thing about Japan... they sell beer in public vending machines and it is legal to drink in public!

The Bruery: 2013 Reserve Society Initiation Celebration

OK, March was a bit crazy with work, a trip overseas (more on this later!), and then getting sick - so I'm a bit behind here.

On March 2nd, The Bruery held their 2013 Reserve Society Initiation Celebration at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim, CA. This is my first year as a Reserve Society member so I was excited to get a chance to make it to the event.

First thing when my buddy and I got there we saw a ton of cars. We found a parking spot and then got in a huge line to get in. Luckily it went fast.

Once inside the fence they had a huge tent with a bunch of tasting stations.













Out on the grounds was a refrigerated truck with taps and various stations around the yard with more tasting. The weather was perfect.










Now down to the real business. Here is a copy of the tasting list. I tried the following:

• Two Turtle Doves - Thought I needed to get caught up a bit with the folks that have been Bruery fans for years. This is their second year holiday beer brewed with cocoa, pecans, carmalized sugar, and carmel matls (12% ABV).
• Barrel Aged Four Calling Birds - Fouth year holiday beer. Strong Dark Ale with gingerbread spices (11% ABV)
• Old Richland 2012 - a hoppy barley wine. Sounds like a Double IPA to me, but The Bruery doesn't make IPA's.... Either way, it was really good (10% ABV).
• White Oak - 50% White Oak Sap / 50% Mischief (11.5% ABV). Probably my favorite of the day.

Talk to Patrick Rue for a few minutes. Back to business:

• Marron Acidifie - dark sour aged in oak barrels (8.5% ABV)
• Mocha Black Tuesday - Their 19% ABV imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with a special addition of coffee. I am not a big coffee drinker, but this was great.

Break for lunch. It was catered by Haven Gastropub (the folks that are taking over The Provisions store in Orange, CA). Pulled pork, mac & cheese, beans, and cole slaw. You pretty much can't go wrong with that. The food was great..... Back to business:

• Imperial Loakal Red - a 12% ABV imperial version of their standard Loakal Red
• Saison de Lente - 6.5% ABV
• Grey Monday - Black Tuesday aged on hazelnuts (19.5% ABV)

And a couple that were on the tasting sheet, but I didn't make it over before they ran out:

• Hottenroth with Fruity Pebbles (Yes, the cereal)
• Sour Blonde with Pop Rocks (the candy!)
• The Wanderer - Dark sour aged with blackberries and cherries. The line for this one was crazy and I think it was the first to run out.

If you are wondering why there aren't that many pictures, I forgot to take my camera.... Amateur... So I was stuck snapping a few pics with my phone.

Overall a great day. Can't wait to go next year...

Cheers!!!

The Bruery: Otiose

ABV 8.2%

I'm a huge fan of sour beers, the nastier the better! Right out of the bottle I could smell that Otiose from The Bruery was going to be a good one. It's a brown ale, but all I could smell from the get go was the sourness and I was excited.

This one pours out a dark brown with good carbonation. At first just the sourness came through, but as it warmed up a bit there was a nice brown flavor (guess I should have followed the recommended serving temperature on the back of the bottle!). The guava adds just a hint of flavor and is always right there in the background.

I have to admit that taking down a real sour beer like this on my own with no food was a challenge, but I think I have the courage to take it on again!

Bear Republic Brewery: Racer 5 IPA

7.0% ABV  -  75+ IBU's

I have to admit up front that Bear Republic Brewery's Racer 5 IPA is on my short list of consistently great IPA's.

Straight out of the bottle you get hit with a great citrus hop aroma. It pours out a bit lighter than most IPA's and is just a tiny bit light on maltiness for me, but that makes the hopiness really crisp and in your face.

The other thing that really gets me excited it the price. At around $4 for a 22-oz. bottle at most places it can't be beat!