It's On: Great American Beer Festival 2011

Philly represented at GABF 2010 @ the Cheeky Monk

 Ooohhh Haaa! It's time for a little beer gathering in Denver.  Today is the kick off of the Great American Beer Festival.  A three day (Sept 29-Oct1) extravaganza dedicated to the world's best beverage. Last year I experienced it first hand and it's a trip that should be made by anyone who suffers from good beer lust. There is no need to go into all the many reasons why the pilgrimage is a must. It's already been done here.  Simply trust me on this and make plans to attend next year. There's obviously a reason why all the people above are smiling. Cheers!

Yard's: Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em

This is the 3rd Annual Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em at Yard's Brewing Company.  I've had the chance to attend the last two and if you are a smoke beer fan with a fondness for BBQ then don't miss this. Unfortunately do to prior engagements (hanging with Ava) my attendance streak will come to an end. However, that should be good news to everyone in attendence. Since I ate a criminal amount of BBQ last year I gaurentee there will be more food available this time around. Cheers!

4:30-8:00pm
Tickets
$50.00 in advance
$60.00 at the door
Designated driver $25.00

Pictures from Smoke Em 2010 and Smoke 'Em 2009

Dogfish Head Celebrates Pearl Jam



Looks like Dogfish Head is continuing it's blending of beer and music. Following in the path of last year's Bitches Brew (Miles Davis) and the release of Hellhound Ale (Robert Johnson) earlier this year, Faithfull Ale will celebrate Pearl Jam's twentieth anniversary and the album TEN. A release date has not been announced.

(Label)

Faithfull Ale is a celebration of Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary and their seminal album Ten – In recognition of these milestones this Belgian-style golden ale is delicately hopped to 20 IBUs and fruit-forward from 10 incremental additions of black currants over the course of the one hour boil. 7% ABV.

The Cameron Crowe film Pearl Jam 20 was released in theaters September 20th on a limited run.  The film will be shown on American Masters (PBS) on October 21st.  

This is a blatant opportunity for me to post a Pearl Jam Video. So be it.

YIKES, The Invasion of the Pumpkin Beers!!!

Beer people tend to have either a love it or hate it relationship with pumpkin beers. While I lean heavy on the love side, seeing pumpkin beers in late July (finger pointed at you Smuttynose) had me grimacing and screaming foul. However now that the weather is turning, a slight chill is in the night air and the last days of summer are upon us, it's time for the flavors of Fall. Unleash the pumpkin brews!

The abundance of pumpkin offerings this year is staggering. More breweries than ever are making it their big fall seasonal. Sorry, Oktoberfest lovers the squeeze for shelf space is on. Some companies like Elysian offer multiple styles: Night Owl (pumpkin ale), The Great Pumpkin (imperial pumpkin) and Dark-o-the-Moon (pumpkin stout). With so many options I stuck with a few tried and true beers and then mixed in several bottles that were new to me.

When it comes to pumpkin beer they tend fall on a sliding scale. At one end there are the pumpkin pie wannabe's. All the spices of pumpkin pie coveniently in liquid form. The over used, "pie in a glass" applies here. On the other side are beers with less of a sweet pie complex. The pumpkin is there with spice but the hops and malt are more pronounced. The following beers are all judged on the Pie-In-a-Glass scale (aka P.I.G scale). 1 denotes it's less pie like, while 5 means breakout the whip cream.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

Thank you Dave for putting this in my hands. This is getting high praise over on that advocate site so my interest was peaked going into the first sip. This screams pumpkin pie spice as soon as it's poured in the glass. Cinnamon is the muscle spice here with a nutmeg back-up. The clove barely creeps in. The pumpkin is all pie quality. Think Grandma baking on Thanksgiving. This one will have you forgetting it's beer. With an 8% abv this could make for a dangerous dessert. If you dig the pie this is for you.

P.I.G scale 5 (Did my Grandma make this?)

Dogfish Head Punkin
Hello old vampire shark friend (see the label). It's been awhile.  This may of been my first pumpkin beer and remains a beer I purchase every year. The pumpkin pie spices are there but don't call it pie. The brown ale base is very noticeable with nutmeg and allspice mixing in well with the hops. It's a treat but not an overly sweet candied one. It happily maintains it's beer bite.
P.I.G scale 2 (Yum, I can tell I'm drinking a beer)

O' Fallon Pumpkin Beer

This is where things get interesting. Real pumpkin comes forward in the aroma, not just pie spice. However the same isn't true when it comes to the flavor. The pumpkin fades and spices come forward with cloves running the show. There's even a slight cider flavor detectable. The P.I.G is there but only if your grandma's pies were covered in dry clove buds.  Finally, this was also the thinnest of all the beers which didn't make for the best drinking experience.
P.I.G scale 4 (only if you love cloves)

River Horse Hipp-O-Lantern Imperial Pumpkin Ale

This is the non offensive pumpkin beer out of the bunch. Somewhat of a surprise since it has the "Imperial" tag. Everything here leans to the light side. There's pumpkin and pie spices but they don't strike big. Sweet, malty cinnamon and nutmeg balance out the bitterness. The booziness that lags at the end is the only hint that this wants to be known as an imperial ale.
P.I.G scale 3 (Imperial ?)

South Hampton Pumpkin Ale
This is another middle of the road offering. The aroma is light roasted pumpkin and pie spice. The flavor is pumpkin bread upfront with a good balance of cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar appearing later. Sweetness is under control and nothing over powers so you know there is an ale under the spice.
P.I.G scale 3 (Middle of the road pumpkin)


This is only the begining of the season. Prepare for more beers from the cellar. The Invasion of the Pumpkin Beers Part Deux........ coming soon!

Wow, Those Are Some Seriously Big Beers My Dear: Oktoberfest is On

With such a focus on what's happening in and around Philadelphia sometimes I forget to widen the lense for a bigger view of the beer world. Last week I managed to miss the start of Oktoberfest in Munich Germany.  The world's largest festival, at 5 million plus attendies, launched on Sept 17 and runs until October 3.

As much as I'd love to attend this mondo beer fest that day will have to wait. If you plan on keeping it local here are two options that will put a twist in your dirndls and lederhosen. PROST!

Brauhaus Schmitz 3rd Annual Oktoberfest

Saturday Sept 24. Noon-? PAYG

This is the real deal. Skip the flight and stay in Philly for German food, music and of course the beer. Anytime you can shut down a block on South Street for your party it's gotta be good.

6th Annual Midtown Village Fall Festival
Saturday October 1st, Noon-8pm
So what if it's not offically an Oktoberfest. It's a "five block block party". Have a beer and enjoy!

Tailgating Bastard





Last week I the started the 2011 NFL season tailgating at Met Life stadium for the Jets/Cowboys game. In a massive sea of green clad Jets fans, sparking up grills to prepare various forms of seasoned meats, the beers most often seen were of the fizzy yellow variety. However, one cooler held a secret. Mixed in with the chilled cans of Miller Light was a bottle of true relevance.  An old micro friend. Something a tad tastier than the common mans micro muck, a bomber of Stone Arrogant Bastard.

The one thing I never understood was why someone would spend time grilling up big flavorful pieces of meat cover them in big bold spicy sauces then wash them down with flavorless swill. It's the equivalent of picking off a pass, running it down the field, avoiding multiple defenders, reaching the 1 yard line only to sit down and not score. What the hell? If you start strong finish strong. 

Arrogant Bastard's strong abrasive hop profile matched perfectly with the charcoal cooked meats. From brats to dogs, burgers and grilled chicken the beer flavor never got lost. Overall, the best combo was Bastard and marinated steak.  The garlic, onion, season salt and lines of black char from the steak melding with the roastiness and bitter hops of AB was an intoxicating flavor marriage. Not that Bastard is the only beer suited for a big grilling occasion, it's simply a damn good one. The bonus of the day was that there was even enough to enjoy once we broke out the cigars. Consider Arrogant Bastard a true tailgate necessity.

For the Love of Dogs and Beer: The Beer Yard/Troegs/Teresa's

The Murph

This one is for Murphy (any reason to get my dog's photo up) and all those who love dogs and beer. Troegs, the Beer Yard and Teresa's are combining forces for the Delco SPCA on Sat (9/3).  Since Mr Curtin's words over at the Beer Yard site say it best I'll just copy and paste them below.

Labor Day Weekend Tröegs/Teresa's/Beer Yard Event for Delco SPCA September 03, 2011 - September 05, 2011 - The Beer Yard


Saturday, Sept. 3: 1-4 pm, in front of the Beer Yard. Award-winning beers from Tröegs Brewing Company will be available for sampling and accompanied by a variety of tasty food treats from Teresa's Next Door. Every case of Tröegs beer sold during the event will benefit the Delco SPCA to the tune of $5.00 and all profits from the food menu, which will feature $2 hot dogs as a specialty, will also go to that worthy cause. Sales Rep Nick Johnson will be selling Tröegs do collars with proceeds going to SPCA. Additionally, every customer buying a case of Tröegs will receive a free logo-ed pint glass.

All Weekend & Labor Day: $5 goes to Delco SPCA for any case of Tröegs beer purchased; write SPCA on your bill at Teresa's and 10% will also go the Delco SPCA.

Firestone Walker Abacus with a Kicker

Lately I've been on a Firestone Walker journey.  A few roll backs on the mouse wheel and you'll see a review of Parabola. Before that, although not reviewed, I poured a bottle Double Jack . This past weekend I yanked a bottle of Abacus from the cellar and rode out the hurricane.

David Walker @ Capone's

The first time I experienced Abacus was during the Philly launch of FW back in April. David Walker was doing his best Sam Calagione impersonation by making the proper promotional rounds and explaining the magic behind his beers.  Since most of what he was showcasing packed a serious abv punch the extreme beer heads (myself included) were happy with Philly's newest offerings. Abacus made enough of an impression that I have three two bottles collecting dust in the beer cellar.

With the first drops hitting the glass it's obvious this is a big beer.  The aroma is all telling; Sweet bourbon, dark fruit, vanilla and toffee with some roastiness.  I feared an overly sweet first sip but thankfully this barley wine's sweet malty side isn't over the top. The taste is in line with the aroma. Cherry, fig and chocolate flavors mixing great with the soft bourbon background. The booze is there but more warm than burning. Very well done and so far my favorite from Firestone Walker.

Abacus with cherries added, SWEET!

Looking at the photo your eyes are not deceiving you there are some serious floaters in the glass. Those globs are fresh Bing cherries I added to my second glass of the evening.  The sweet cherries were a nice little kicker and worked even better than expected. They obviously pumped up the dark fruit flavors and the bourbon combined with fresh cherry juice created an ultimate evening sipper. The bonus was all those Abacus soaked cherries once the beer was finished. A glass just keeps on giving. No better way to spend a stormy evening.