Pub Crawlin’

Because everyone else is talking about it, I feel like I should, too. Just some random finds:

DuClaw patrons received a letter from David Benfield, President, and Jim Wagner, Brewmaster concerning the future of Venom Pale Ale. This is an excerpt:

As you have probably already noticed, our beer prices increased in January. A combination of low grain supplies and a worldwide hop shortage (that has left many varieties of hops completely unavailable) has lead to an industry wide price increase for beer. When grain prices double and hop prices triple, beer prices must follow.The hops shortage has had other sobering effects (no pun intended) on the brewing industry as a whole and DuClaw specifically. The hops used in the recipe for Venom are simply no longer available. Rather than offer you a pint of something called Venom, that looks similar but tastes nothing like your favorite APA, we’ve decided to pull it from the lineup until the hops are once again available. This wasn’t an easy decision. In fact, we’re angry about it. Angry enough to raise some hell…

COMING SOON: HELLRAZER, our new American-style India Pale Ale. HELLRAZER boasts a light amber color, citrus aroma, smooth hoppy finish, and devilish 6.2% abv. This new IPA will more than fill the void for you hop heads out there during Venom’s absence, but we promise, Venom will return with the hops.

It will be interesting to see how different places handle this in the upcoming year(s).

A restaurant that I really wish I’d known about when we were in San Diego did a great post about the shortage and rising prices of beer in general. Except for the sausage, I think I would have loved this place. 

And finally, let me end by repeating the good news. The Samuel Adams® Hop Sharing Program is offering 20,000 pounds at cost to brewers who need them. What a generous offer by Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch.

As the crisp air of autumn begins to fall upon Pennsylvania, the mind wanders to beers of the season. 

On Friday, and again today, D and I made it to Selin’s Grove Brewing Company for the annual tasting of Pumpkin Ale.  The ‘07 version was made in a bigger batch than any previous, so the spices came out a bit differently - much stronger than ‘06 - but certainly not in a bad way.  Cinnamon is the primary essence that comes through on the nose.  A nitrogen pour gives this ale a creamy head, and a smooth mouthfeel.  It’s reminiscent of the creaminess of pumpkin pie (or the whipped cream on top!)  It has a beautiful dark copper hue and is a real treat for the season.

Now, just because the batch was bigger, don’t think you can delay your visit!  When we arrived today with a table of 8, Derek got the first pour and Ellen got a half…it looked as if the rest of us might be out of luck.  But Steve came through and put on another within minutes.  That’s three kegs of it kicked already, and they are dissuading people from filling growlers (because of the nitro), so this is going fast by the pint.

The Hop Nouveau was still on as of today, and there are many things to look forward to: Saint Fillin’s Scotch Ale in November, and in December, Kriek and Old Frosty IPA (the only thing better than the regular IPA!)

Back at home tonight, we gathered at Scott’s house to brew the second of our two Christmas ales (the first - made with cinnamon, fresh ginger and orange zest - was brewed on a camping trip at Watkin’s Glen; this second one is made with star anise and honey.)  As we brewed, he popped the cap on one of our ‘07 pumpkin ales.  Scott and I agreed our ‘06 was a really good pumpkin ale (sort of a pumpkin IPA.)  Our ‘o7 has a wonderful aroma.  It’s still a little young; it’s thick and has a biting tingle right now, but with a little mellowing from age, it should be good.

Also worth mentioning…  Troeg’s released Mad Elf in 12-oz bottles last Monday and will release it in jeraboams before the end of the month.  Otto’s is serving Five Year Ale - a sweet and spicy ale that comes in around 10.5% - and, on cask, the deliciously smooth and light Arthur’s Amarillo Pale Ale (not holiday related, but worth mentioning since I’ve had about 5 glasses of it this week!)

When we parted ways from the Bier Garden, I could have easily gone back to the hotel and collapsed, but D wanted to stop by the Asheville Brewing Company (the downtown location) to see if we could catch up with Mark at the Drinking Liberally meeting.  We sure did, and we also had a chance to try some beers we hadn’t had at the Pizza & Brewing location. 

I had a pint of the Red Light IPA – a sweeter, less hoppy beer than the Shiva – and D had a Houdini ESP.  The beers, of course, were very nice.  The appearance of the downtown pub is much more toned down than the eclectic Pizza & Brewing location.  The food menu is extremely limited, but it is a temporary condition until they get a kitchen. We enjoyed a hummus plate with chips and vegetables and some peanuts while talking to Mark, and also meeting Danny Kean - the Traveling Piano guy.

But I was still hungry, and a little beered out, so we took the advice of a local and headed out to the 51 Grill for some late-night munchies.  (Actually, we went straight to the Chili’s on Tunnel Road in hopes that Highland Brewing Company’s Cold Mountain would still be on tap, but it wasn’t…so we sought out the local recommendation for food.) 

Yes, it is connected to an Exxon, and we almost didn’t go inside.  But the 51 Grill is open until 4 AM, it’s non-smoking, and we were hungry.  This is one of the cleanest places in town (rated 100% for cleanliness, as did both Asheville Brewing locations), and has a nice menu of sandwiches.  I ordered a whole wheat veggie wrap, which contained warmed vegetables and a creamy garlic sauce.  D had a grilled corned beef sandwich.  He found a descent beer on tap a Highlands Gaelic, but I opted for the water.  As we were told, it didn’t look like much, but it was great!

We had some time to kill before we could get into our hotel, so we headed downtown to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria.  It was easy to find parking in the lot just down the hill, which has designated spaces for the public, and a ticket machine to pay for the space with coins, dollars or credit card.  Barley’s is in a 1920’s appliance store – a large open space on the first floor with beautiful old wood, and a terrific large bar.  There are 45 taps total (25 taps on the main level; an additional 20 in the smoky upstairs billiard area), and there are only a few repeats. Barley’s charges no cover for music, and is non-smoking until 10:00 PM. 

We had a very friendly staff member at the bar, who allowed us small tastes of a few things before making our choices, and when we ordered our glasses, we enjoyed the following:

Catawba Valley Whiskey Brown (7% ABV; from Glen Alpine, NC), which had the obvious flavor of whisky coming through, but I also tasted “tootsie roll” and cinnamon, and found it was a reminiscent of Old Chub.  This brown ale is barrel-aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels for six months and cask conditioned for secondary fermentation, then blended with younger beer.

Vortex 1 I³PA from Pisgah Brewing Company (10.8% ABV; 133 IBUs – served in a 10 oz glass), which had the nose of Tang (instant orange beverage), and a nice dry flavor.  There was not a hint of citrus/grapefruit to this beer, made with Chinook and Nugget hops (one pound of dry hops per barrel.)

Catawba Valley Firewater IPA (5.6% ABV), which I don’t recall having much to say about other than, “Hmmm…that’s good.”  It had a memorable copper color and flavor that would make it “almost” a session beer were it not for the alcohol content; it had five varieties of malt and six hop additions.

While finishing off our pints, we overheard a couple asking for “the new beer store”, which we quickly determined was Bruisin’ Ales.  We gave them directions (just down the street), and I shared my digital photos so they would know what to look for.  When they left, we noticed that Nate Merchant (of Hart Distributing) was sitting at the bar doing some work, and we invited him to come down.  It was great to chat with him for just a few minutes and learn about the import, premium and craft brewed beers that can be found in North Carolina, as well as the process of getting them there.  We really appreciated the time he took to explain it all – with the changing laws from state to state, and so many tricks to the industry, it’s sometimes difficult to make sense of it all.

So, about a month ago (Sunday, January 14), while I was still recovering, we got together for the first brews of 2007.  And this time, we went for an ambitious two in one night!

With five of us, and two turkey cookers, the initial making went really well.  I feel badly that it’s all dropped in Scott’s lap now, but I guess the Belgian will remain in secondary for awhile, giving time for the Rye to be bottled.

The first beer is a Belgian Triple, made with East Kent Goldings hops, candy sugar, Irish moss and dried chamomile…I’m not going to give the whole recipe, but I will boast that it had a starting gravity of 1.1.  We’re naming it Sleepytime Triple.

The second is a Red Rye, and the highlight of this beer is the Amarillo hops!  The wort smelled wonderful, and I’m hopeful it turns out well (I’m such a fan of the Amarillo!)

 We also sampled the Breakfast Stout clone (made in November.)  It is an oatmeal stout made with Kona and Sumatran coffees and dark and milk chocolates.  It was still really young, and the rich coffee flavors were pretty overwhelming.  I don’t mean that in a bad way…I really liked it…but I swear it could have used a touch of cream.

The week was busy, and I didn’t get to Selin’s Grove as soon as I wanted to (like, in time be one of the first 120 beverage buyers and get an etched glass), but I did get there on the evening of the 23rd to fill growlers and enjoy a piece of anniversary cake!

The Razz Merry was on tap - it was tart and tasty, but there were a few other appealing beers that overshadowed it for me.  The X Solstice Dubbel Ale was the anniversary beverage - a blend of the ‘03 and ‘06 Dubbels.  The Chipolte Porter was back - I didn’t ask questions, but suspect they found some sitting around?  The Barleywine continues to be on tap (really nice as a blend with Razz Merry and the Triple!) 

But my new favorite Selin’s Grove beer is the Old Frosty IPA.  It’s a darker, higher alcohol IPA than what they usually serve.  The hop flavor and aroma were so intense and earthy.  Intuition tells me the Old Frosty is what was left after the firkin was filled…

(Above: D sporting his Bullfrog attire (tattoo not pictured) while proudly displaying a bottle of Bourbon Trippel.)

The post title was the tagline of the night!  On August 12, the Bullfrog Breweryin Williamsport, PA treated old friends to a party like no other!  By invitation only, D and I were part of a fabulous evening of food, drink and celebration. Steve, Bob and Harriet Koch (owners), invited former employees and Pub Club members to a reception at Jeremiah’s (the upper level banquet hall) for a terrific reception. 

For $10, we were treated to a wonderful spread of food and nice variety of Bullfrog craft brewed beers. We each received a take-home magnum bottle of Bourbon Trippel (more on that later!), and completely enjoyed a few hours catching up with old friends and making new ones.  [Note to Lycoming College friends: I especially enjoyed reconnecting with one of Bobert's favorite professors, now one of D's favorite Pub Club members - Dr. David Rife.  He is quite the Beer Traveler!]

In order for all visitors to join in the celebration, 10-year veteran chef Ron Micklow brought back the original menu, and pint prices were rolled back to 1996 levels.  A free show by Mike Swavely and the Chrome Magnatones had everyone dancing and enjoying themselves.

And now for the beers…  Brewmaster Terry Hawbaker paired up with original brewer Charley Schnable (now owner and brewer at Otto’sin State College) to create two terrific anniversary treats.  The first was for guests at the reception - sample glasses flowed from the bar, and hand-corked, caged and foiled magnums went home with everyone - and the second remains on tap for all to enjoy.  The descriptions are plagiarized from Bullfrog Brewery materials:

10th Anniversay Barrel-aged Bourbon Trippel: Trippel Trubbel, aged for a full year in a 12-year old Elijah Craig bourbon barrel - this hand bottled and bottle conditioned wicked elixir will age gracefully for years developing greater complexity.  A labour of love to our loyal Pub Club members!

10th Anniversary Red2: To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Terry and Charley collaborated on a double version of the original Ribbit Red. Massive amounts of malt are packed into the blood red color, giving this double Red its lusciously rich body and juicy palate.(7.2% abv)

The morning was so nice! After a cooling overnight shower, things were greener and extremely pleasant. Tim treated us to his home roasted coffee, and his mom made pancakes for all of us. It was a great time to chat with her, and relax a little.

By 11:30 AM, we were ready to get out to do something, and our first stop was Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant. This place was named for prohibition era custom of exhibiting stuffed tigers in the window to indicate that bootleg alcohol was available. And although they closed an hour early on Monday night, they opened an hour early on Tuesday. (more…)