AB/InBev Aquires Goose Island

Yesterday the mysterious Kelleigh returned from NYC with Goose Island Matilda, 312 and IPA.  This morning I read from Jack and Lew that the Goose has been gobbled up.  The masters of macro muck have wrapped their hands around Goose Island Brewing and added it to their portfolio.  I'm sure that many craft beer fans will have a problem with this.  I can already hear the mass chant of,  "No more Goose Island, no more Goose Island".  For me the Matilda goes on a shelf in the cellar and the IPA and 312 are already cooling in the beer fridge. When the time comes I doubt I'll have a problem enjoying them.

Below are several links for more information on the subject and a letter from Goose Island Founder John Hall posted on the GI website.

Chicago Tribune

HuffPost Chicago

Chicago Breaking Business

Time Out Chicago

March 28, 2011


Dear Friends,

When I first started Goose Island Clybourn in 1988, drinkers were just beginning to explore new beer styles and "craft beer" was a term that no one had even thought of. I couldn't imagine the explosive growth that craft beer has had in the last few years, or the amazing creativity of so many new brewers, and the discovery of the amazing possibilities of beer by a whole generation of drinkers.

I am very proud of Goose Island's contribution to this craft beer movement, of the many awards won by our brewers, our growing number of employees, our support of the communities and life of Chicago, and the friendship of so many beer lovers in Chicago and elsewhere.

Over the past five years our partnerships with Craft Brewers Alliance and Anheuser-Busch have enabled Goose Island to reach a growing number of beer drinkers. This has fueled our growth to the point that demand for our beers has outgrown the capacity of our brewery. Recently, we’ve even had to limit production of some classic and medal-winning styles. To keep up with growing demand from drinkers we’ve explored a variety of paths to secure new capital to support our growth.

Today’s agreement to consolidate ownership of Goose Island under Anheuser-Busch will provide us with the best resources available to continue along our path of growth and innovation.

I am more excited than ever about Goose Island’s future. With the support and financial backing of our new partner, we will continue to brew our authentic classic styles, develop new amazing beers, and serve our drinkers.

Cheers!

John Hall

     

Beer Groupon is On!

Recently I took my first dip in the giant sea that is Groupon. The additively popular online savings site is making spending a whole lot more fun by typically giving customers a savings of 50% or more on a variety of products and services.  My first purchase was a couple weeks ago for food and drink at Sly Fox in Phoenixville.  I haven't used it yet but will have no problem making the most of it.  My second purchase, done just today, is for Rust Belt Brewing Company in Youngstown Ohio.  Another no brainer considering my frequent trips to Pittsburgh.  Now I have the perfect excuse to check out a brewery I've never been to, sample several beers and take home some cool beer swag. Not a bad deal for $9.00.

I hope more of the local better beer establishments follow in the footsteps of Rust Belt and Sly Fox and run with some creative offers.  It's great advertising, creates a stir and gets new people in the door.  All things any restaurant/brew pub/brewery would love to have.

Wedding Beer

No one is stopping here for the latest on the royal wedding.  However, since this is beer related I figured I'd run with it.  Does this give me paparazzi status? 

Kiss Me Kate for Royal wedding


Castle Rock brewery has announced plans to celebrate the marriage of HRH Prince William to Kate Middleton in the best way it knows how – by brewing a special real ale.

Called Kiss Me Kate, it will be available on draught at Castle Rock and many other local pubs for the full month in the run up to the wedding on Friday 29 April. A limited amount available in bottles for memento collectors and for laying aside to toast future royal events.

Castle Rock’s head brewer, Adrian Redgrove, says it will be a great British beer full of British hops and barley. “Kiss Me Kate will be elegant, tasteful and British to the core. It’ll be brewed to 5%, pale in colour and, we’re sure it’ll be the ideal way to toast the couple’s future happiness. We’ll certainly be enjoying it in our celebrations here at the brewery.”

Please send any enquires regarding Kiss Me Kate to:

kissmekate@castlerockbrewery.co.uk

Do You Believe in Black Magick

Black Magick has made it's way into the Philly market and like so many high octane Bourbon Aged beers brings with it ultra hype. The Imperial Stout (Big Black Voodoo Daddy) is aged for a year in 13 1/2 year old Elaigh Craig bourbon barrels.  The bottle conditioned ale is suitable for cellaring up to 5 years.  Since it's only released every two years and highly sought-after buy it when you see it. It's not staying around for long.

Thanks to Brian at Craft Ale House I had a chance to sample some of the Magick.  Even with a small pour the immediate aroma is full of bourbon and chocolate. Smelling it longer, coffee, vanilla and hints of tobacco are detectable. The taste is hype worthy.  The roastiness and chocolate come out first, quickly followed by warm bourbon, vanilla and oak. It's all very sweet and syrupy but not cloying.  I'm sure as the beer warms even more complex flavors appear. The surprise is the smoothness factor.  At 15.5% you might expect an overly hot alcohol bomb.  Not so. The alcohol is comfortably hidden. Still, it's a sipper and even though it's only a 12oz bottle Black Magick is built for sharing.

As far as uber hyped Bourbon Aged Stouts go this one falls slightly short of KBS, The Abyss and Bourbon County Stout.  It will be interesting to see what aging does for the flavor. If budget allows buy one for the cellar and another to enjoy now.

Chadwick's in Audubon for Beer?

A couple nights ago the mysterious Kelleigh and I did the unusual for a week night and snuck out after 7:30 to grab a bite. We ventured a short distance to Chadwick's in Audubon. The close proximity to home was the main contributing factor in breaking the vice like hold of our couch and TV.

Chadwick's is part of The Club at Shannondell and sits adjacent to the golf course along Egypt Road. Not the first place most would think of for craft beer. I always figured it pulled in golf types searching out mixed drinks, Corona, Heineken and Stella after knocking around on the links. Or it served as a watering hole for corporate types flowing in from nearby office parks. On a previous stop nearly a year ago I remember the draft list being far from impressive. Oh how times have changed. Like many places in the area the owners must of realized patrons want more than bland, fizzy, yellow, macro muck. A few months ago a roadside banner promoted a weekly Victory special and now Thursdays are craft night. Four sample pours for $4.00 ($1.00 off the regular price). Alongside the macros and imports were tap handles for Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, Harpoon, Victory, Stone and Flying Fish. That night to accompany my Chadwick's Chophouse Salad I had a sampler consisting of Brooklyn Pennant Pale Ale, Fly Fish Hop Fish, Dogfish 90 Minute and wait for it...........Stone Ruination IPA. Not a bad IPA line up and the big bitter punch of Ruination was a pleasant shocker.

Chadwick's won't get listed with Capone's, TJ's or Craft Ale House anytime soon as a great beer destination but its good to see another traditional BudMillerCoors/import place getting more adventurous with what they serve. If they plan on keeping up with the craft selection I'd suggest the website promote it. I'm sure there are many who are still unaware of the change. People in the Philly area know their beer. Bars that want to keep up with the competition have to keep the taps interesting. It's great to see Chadwick's is moving in the right direction.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Friends don't let friends drink green macro. 

Stoned not Stabbed @ Local 44 on the Ides of March

In 44 B.C. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Ides of March. At Local 44  everyone gets Stoned.  An impressive list of Stone drafts are set to pour.
3/15, 6pm, PAYG.

Levitation

Stone IPA

Ruination

Sublimely Self Righteous
Stone Pale Ale
Smoked Porter

Vertical Epic 09.09.09

13th Anniversary

Double Bastard
Belgo Barleywine
Saison Du Buff 

Highway 78 (a super rare collaboration between Stone, Pizza Port and Green Flash Brewing)

44 B.C. and Local 44, coincidence? Hmmmmm, just make sure to come out of the evening better than Caesar did.

Another Big Beer Saturday in Philly

Stating that it's a big beer weekend in Philly is akin to reporting that the Schuylkill River is wet and flowing.  It's a given.  Just how big a beer weekend is the better question.  Today is full of enough choices to have any beer centric individual frothing at the mouth.

Hopheads among us rejoice with Hopfest @ The Drafting Room noon tap time and Bitter Rivalry @ Iron Hill North Wales,1-5pm.  Looking for variety get on the bus for Craft Beer Express 11-9pm or trek to Phoenixville for some strolling and sipping at the Phoenixville Pub Crawl 12-6pm. Want beer with your breakfast go here, Teresa's Next Door 4th Annual Stone Brunch or Johnny Brenda's Third Annual Stout Brunch. Now the choice is yours. Cheers!

PtY @ Monk's

By announcing this, although most who are seeking the mystical elixir are already in line, do I add to the uber hype? Maybe.  However, with my number of followers I don't think I'm creating uber anything.

After last year's flow of bad words about how the release of Pliny the Younger was handled at Monk's they have gone in another direction.

Monk's Mad Monday - Russian River Monday, February 28, 2011 11:30AM cash bar

OK Campers,
It’s time for another Monk’s Mad Monday. As always, things kick off at 11:30AM. You really need to be here early for the event. This week it’s our 4th Annual Russian River Day and yes, we do have one sixtle of Pliney The Younger. We figure that there will be around 50 glasses of Younger available.


We are charging a ridiculous amount ($15) for a glass of the Younger, but 100% of those sales goes to charity. We will pour the Younger at 11:20AM so it is ready to serve when you walk in the door. Please have your $15 in cash ready - exact change will be very helpful, but feel free to give more. $20 would be great. We want everyone to be able to relax and not go crazy about whether you will get a glass of Pliney The Younger.


We figure to raise $750 from the sale of Pliney The Younger and Monk's will add $250 to bring the donation to $1,000.


***THIS JUST IN (2/22): Natalie & Vinnie just told me they are going to kick in an extra $250 to the charity, bringing the donation up to $1,250 - it will ALL go to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.


***ANOTHER UPDATE (2/25): Jeff Benjamin from Vetri/Osteria/Amis will be adding another $1,000 to the charity kitty. Woo hoo.. now we're up to $2.250!


***YET MORE COOL STUFF (2/26):...Mat Falco, Philly Beer Scene mag, is donating one his four custom made, ceramic growlers for a raffle. Fifty $5 tickets will be sold and one luck person will walk away with this $200 piece of art. Take a look at this gem @ http://www.beerscenemag.com/2011/02/pliny-the-younger-and-win-a-growler/


Let's try to raise some serious cash for this worthy charity. So pliney up, er pony up, some extra cash for these children.


Thank you,
Tom

Here’s Monday’s Lineup:

The "tions"


Russian River Consecration (CA) Strong brown ale aged in a cabernet saugvignon barrel (Silver Oak) for six months with fresh currants The wine, oak and currants are well integrated in this stunning beer. 10.5%abv


Russian River Damnation (CA) Vinnie’s take on a Belgian strong blonde ale obviously influenced by Duvel. Great aromas of banana and pear. Medium body with flavors of pale roasted malt and spice from the hops. Lots of hops in the finish give it a nice bitterness and a crisp, dry finish. 7.75%abv


Russian River Redemption (CA) Their Belgian-style Single. A bit of citrus & spice in the aroma and taste from the Westmalle yeast. Blonde ale with a substantial hop finish. Vinnie’s beers are always excellent. This is a session beer. Enjoy. 5.48%abv

Russian River Sanctification (CA) Fermented with 100% brettanomyces. Funky and fruity. Enjoy. 5.75%abv
Russian River Temptation (CA) Blond Ale aged in french oak chardonnay barrels for twelve months. Vinnie adds his house strain of brettanomyces that adds a sour component and a bit of fruitiness. 7.25%abv


The IPA's
Russian River Blind Pig IPA(CA) Perhaps my favorite West Coast IPA. Solid hop aromas and finish backed up by the perfect balance of malt. Dare I say “quaffable”? 6.1%abv.


Russian River Pliney The Elder (CA) This is the original Double IPA, made by mistake, natch. More hops balanced by bigger malt. Aromas of grapefruit dominate. Finishes surprisingly dry, yet not too bitter. 8%abv


Russian River Pliney The Younger (CA) This is the original Triple IPA, and this one was not a mistake. Vinnie just wanted to see how far he could push the envelope. This is a Big Beer! Pliny the Younger is hopped three times more than their standard IPA, and is dry hopped four different times. 10.5%abv


$15 glass of Younger- CASH ONLY...
100% of the “Younger” money goes to Charity: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

New Jersey Wood (Bourbon Barrels) and Bugs (Brettanomyces)

THE WILD BEERS

Heywood – Strong Belgian Golden Ale fermented in oak with 100% Brett L. Tart, dry, sour, phenolic and funky. 7.5% abv

Eddy - Strong Belgian Golden Ale fermented with the Duvel strain in stainless, then spiked with Brett L and aged in oak. Dry, fruity and phenolic with a refreshing tartness. 7.5% abv

Brett Quad - Strong Belgian Dark Ale fermented in stainless then spiked with Brett L and aged in oak. Rich, malty and complex with just a hint of fruitiness and mild phenols. 10.0 % abv

Brett Pete’s Celebration – Strong Belgian Dark Ale fermented in stainless, then spiked with Brett L and aged in oak. Malt complexity mingles with a touch of spiciness and pie cherry aroma from the Brett and a warming alcohol character. 11.0% abv

Wine Barrel Wee Heavy – Strong Scotch Ale fermented in stainless then aged in a freshly emptied Pinot Noir barrel spiked with Brett L. Rich malt character and a touch of roast complimented by a subtle but distinct red wine character and spicy phenolic notes. 8.8% abv

F.red Flemish Red Ale - Malty reddish-brown ale fermented in stainless with the Roselare blend then aged in used Pinot Noir barrels for 9 months. Malt sweetness and toastiness followed by an assertive but pleasant sourness. 5.3% abv

THE BOURBON BEERS

Porter – Our award-winning Pig Iron Porter aged in bourbon barrels with whole vanilla beans. Roasty malt and pronounced bourbon flavors with a nice vanilla aroma, served on nitrogen. 6.0% abv

Eisenhugel – Imperial Weizenbock aged in bourbon barrels. Rich and complex due to a huge percentage of specialty malts and Bavarian ale yeast with the added character of wood and bourbon. 11.0% abv

Wee Heavy – Our Strong Scotch Ale, aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels. A distinct sweet malt character entwines with bourbon and vanilla flavors. 9.0% abv

Imperial Pumpkin Ale – Big notes of bourbon and vanilla layered with pumpkin pie spices backed by a firm caramel malt body. 10.0% abv
Winter Warmer – Strong dark ale finished with winter spices and aged in a bourbon barrel. Christmas in February. 8.0% abv

Pete’s Celebration – As if this beer weren’t already rich enough… Big, chewy Belgian Strong Ale aged in used Bourbon barrels. 10.3% abv

We’ll be offering two separate samplers of all of the wild beers and all of the bourbon beers. Each will be $12.00 for 4 oz of each of the 6 beers.

WOOD? 2.0 @UJ's Inn on the Manatawny

"If I would could you?"

Wood heads converge on Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny this Saturday (2/26) to experience a barrel aged promised land. The draft list pretty much speaks for itself.  If you've never made the trip to UJ's make sure to hook up the GPS and a designated driver is a good call for this one.
12:30pm-12:30am, PAYG. Cheers!

WOOD? 2.0 BARREL AGED FEST

Avery Rumpkin (rum barrel)
Founders Nemesis
Laughing Dog The Dogfather (bourbon barrel)
Philadelphia Shackamaximum
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Dogfish Head Burton Baton
Nebraska Hop God (chardonnay barrel)
Port Older Viscosity
Lost Abbey Angels Share (brandy barrel)
Allagash Interlude
Allagash Confluence
Allagash Odyssey
Bells Hell Hath No Fury (bourbon barrel)

More to come....

It was a toss up between this and The Beatles "Norweign Wood"



Sweet Blending aka Liquid Love

This year Valentine's Day brought the obligatory heart shaped boxes of candy, roses and cards filled with sappy prose, but the best sweet treat came in liquid form. A couple of weeks back I purchased several beers for a small tasting and realized I had the makings of an interesting blending experiment.  I'm not such a beer purist that I can't have a little mixing fun.  It doesn't happen often other than the occasional Black & Tan or Dirty Ho (Hoegaarden and Lindemans Framboise). However, with a bottle of Southern Tier Choklat on the shelf and a Samuel Smith Organic Raspberry Ale in the fridge I couldn't resist. Come on! Chocolate and raspberry, perfect.

The blending was done in a snifter, courtesy of TJ's 7th Anniversary celebration. Three parts Choklat to one part Raspberry Fruit Ale created a magical elixir.  The rich sweet chocolate blended perfectly with the sweet tart raspberry.  Choklat is often seen as a big, overly sweet chocolate bomb of a beer.  The Sam Smith's tartness helped to bring in some balance and add to the dark fruit notes already present in Choklat. I played with the balance going heavier on the raspberry, but the best combinations where the ones with raspberry as the background flavor.

All in all it was dessert in a glass. Perfect for Valentine's Day.  If you have a sweet tooth and happen to have access to each try the experiment for yourself.  Better yet wait until you have a few people over so that you can share the liquid love.

SLAM @ CAH

I dig Craft Ale House.

I love what Gary and Melissa do with beer and food.

I have a Pavlovian response when I hear about fresh HOPSLAM. On TONIGHT at CAH, 6pm.

However, Im 90% certain the true reason for mentioning this tapping is to have an excuse to post this video.

SLAM!!!

Bar & Restaurant Owners Greg Koch Says Go Craft for Profit

SellingCraftBeer

Wood'ja @ Nodding Head and Prism @ Capone's

Head to the city: 

This time Nodding Head's second Saturday event takes on big wood. It's all about the barrel aging with 3 beers provided by the house and one from a special guest. Sat Feb 12, 3pm-6pm, PAYG.

(Cask Two-Year-Old) Wee Heavier, (9.5%ABV) which is a strong, Scottish-style ale that has been aged in a wooden cask that once held Calvados brandy, and more recently JW Lees Harvest Ale. This ale is very dark in color, and full-bodied with a 'roasty' character and sweet malt flavors. It'll make your belly happy. (Disclaimer: the two-year-old barrel aged beer could possibly be volatile or magnificent. Either way, we have plenty of great back up beers - it's all part of the fun).

Pho-Tay, (7%ABV) which is our O-Tay aged in the Phunk Barrel. This beer started off as a golden ale brewed with eighty-four pounds of organic buckwheat and Belgian yeast, giving it a unique spicy character. It then, of course, picked up oak and brett characteristics.

Saison De La Tete, (6%ABV) which is a blend of a young saison, and a sour barrel aged, low alcohol, hoppy pale ale. Then, we added flavors of brett and oak to the slightly funky saison character.

ALSO: SPECIAL GUEST BEER FROM FRIENDS AT RUSSIAN RIVER

Consecration, (10%ABV) which was aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. They not only use Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus, but also add currants to the beer while it is aging in the barrels.

Journey to the burbs:

Join Rob DeMaria of  Prism Brewing at Capone's for something on the unique side.  So ya like bacon and ya like beer? How about fruit and peppers? Prepare for a taste assault with the tapping of Prism's Insana Bacon Chocolate Stout and  LOVE is EVOL Strawberry Jalapeno Brown Ale.

Insana Stout (7% abv, 50 IBU)  Pours chocolaty and goes down smoky. Using an enormous amount of cocoa and vegetarian friendly bacon, this beer makes you want breakfast for dinner, or as we like to say "BFD". Enjoy it with steak or portabella if you are animal friendly - or with pancakes and scrapple if you want the true BFD experience.

LOVE is EVOL (5.5% abv, 34 IBU). Some say that Love is evil. We say if you spell love backwards its evol. Our Strawberry Jalapeno brown represents that notion with the love of strawberries and the evil nature of Jalapenos. Leaving some seeds in and some seeds out we balance the spiciness and flavor of the Jalapenos to meld well with the strawberries and brown ale. Using earthy English hops combined with some traditional American ones weve created something special for your tongue. So dont be shy and tell us did you find love or evol?

Sat Feb 12. Rob is in house @ 12:30.

Bonus: Arrive early for Bell's HopSlam.  It's on at 11:30

Happy Groundhog Day

This morning that furry prognosticator from Punxsutawney looked out of his hallowed hole and didn't see his shadow. Guess that means we will all benefit from an early spring.  Regardless of the positive prediction a wintery mix is preventing the true Groundhog Day celebration from happening.  Tonight's Dogfish Head event at Craft Ale House has been postponed until next Wednesday (Feb 9, 6pm).  So for now be content to gaze upon the list of upcoming draft goodies and plan accordingly.  Spring might not get here by next week but I predict one hell of a good time happening in Limerick.

60 Minute Ipa

75 Minute Ipa - firkin
90 Minute Ipa
120 Minute Ipa '09
Red & White
Black & Blue
Sahtea
Theobroma
Midas Touch
Indian Brown Ale
World Wide Stout
Raison D'Etre being poured through Randall the Enamel Animal filled with ...
and maybe more.

We will be offering a flight with 60, 75, 90 and 120.

Wendy, our Dogfish Head rep will be showing up to do some giveaways sometime around 6'ish. If she comes in and sees her shadow, we will have 6 more hours of partying. Yeah!

Holy Hop Trinity @ TJ's

What natural occurrence is strong enough to pull me out of a

winter hibernation?  A truly perfect hop storm.  Last week a quick stop at TJ's revealed a whole lotta love for hopheads.  On draft were Bell's Hopslam, Sierra Nevada Hoptimum and Troegs Nugget Nectar. Three short pours of each created a true Holy Hop Trinity.

The hype is as big as ever with the release of Slam and Nectar, but after praising TJ's on the holy gathering it was the Sierra Nevada Hoptimum that took me by surprise. This whole-cone brewed DIPA is a sweet, biscuity, tangerine, grapefruit, hopfest. That familiar Sierra pine bitterness doesn't come in until later.  At 10.4% the booze hits and the sticky factor is there. However, it's a big beer that works.  This double more than holds it's own with it's mega hyped counterparts.  If you don't fear going big it's a must try.

12 Bells of Christmas @ UJ's on the Manatawny

Christmas is next weekend but today we all get a sweet beer gift from Union Jack's on the Manatawny.  12 Bell's drafts start flowing at 1pm.  It's the perfect way to end a morning of Christmas shopping or the needed relaxer before heading into retail madness. PAYG. Cheers!

12 Bell's on tap!!

From "What Santa Really Does While Your Asleep"
Created by:  Matthew Inman

Batch 9000

Batch 10,000

Sparkling Ale

Bourbon Barrel Hell Hath No Fury

2008 Java Stout

Christmas Ale

Expedition Stout
Two Hearted
Porter
Rye Stout
Winter White
Oarsman
Firkin of Best Brown to be tapped at 3pm.

Happy 7th Anniversary TJ's Restaurant & Drinkery

Wow 7 years and going strong.  I only discovered TJ's a few years ago after moving from the city. It was one of the places that my wife used to convince me that great beer and food were available in the land of chain restaurants. Along with Capone's, Craft Ale House, Teresa's Next Door, Flying Pig, Sly Fox and Iron Hill  it's made transition to life beyond the Blue Route easy going.  The area is a regular craft beer utopia. This Saturday TJ's becomes the capitol of that utopia.  Always known for a great draft and bottle list the 7th Anniversary celebration takes it to another level.  Congratulations Jeff and Terri. Thank you for continuing to keep amazing beer flowing.

The pours start at noon. PAYG

Featuring TJ's 7th Anniversary Ale

(A British Pale Ale brewed for us by our friends at Sly Fox)

Allagash Fluxus 2010 (Russian Imperial Stout)

Allagash Interlude
Ballast Point Dorado DIPA

Ballast Point Sculpin (FIRKIN)

Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic
Corsendonk Christmas
Dieu du Ciel Aphrodite

Flying Dog Wild Dog Coffee Stout

Founders Devil Dancer

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

Hitachino XH

Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza

Lost Abbey Bourbon Barrel Aged Angel's Share

Mikkeller Black Hole

Port Brewing Older Viscosity

Russian River Consecration

Russian River Supplication

Russian River Temptation

Russian River Pliny the Elder

2009 Troegs Mad Elf

2010 Troegs Mad Elf (Randallized with Brandied Cherries)

Troubadour Magma
White Birch Barrel Aged Elysium Stout

Yards Bourbon Barrel Aged Olde Bartholomew

Roll a 7 with the giant dice on our craps table and win a commemorative "I Crapped Out at TJ's 7th Anniversary" shirt. (Only 72 available)

Special toast with Methuselahs (6L) & Jeroboams (3L) of Allagash Tripel at 7:00pm in a TJ's 7th Anniversary Snifter. (Keep the Glass - Only 144 Available)

Sorry no growlers

Break from the Extreme. It's Session Time

After Black Friday at Capone's and before the Anniversary madness this Saturday at TJ's, it's the perfect time to explore the lighter side.  No, I didn't bump my head and suddenly have a craving for a few macro lights. With a momentary break from the extreme why not settle down and go in the session direction.

If anyone were to follow my beer footprint they would think the idea of session beers were completely lost on me. Tongue numbing IPAs, sours, barrel aged beers and high abv seasonals remain my favorite.  However to stay somewhat well rounded and improve my overall beer experience I'm slowly exploring lower abv options. Having a few beers that don't end up hitting like a mammoth fist to the skull makes sense. Besides, retaining the ability to form fully comprehensible sentences only adds to the social experience.

But what is a session beer?  Some will scream nothing over 4% abv. Other opinions take it over 5%.  Who is right? I'm placing my personal ceiling at 5.5%. Having a few drafts ranging between 5.0-5.5% and declaring them in the session range won't sit well with some session purists.  However, if you thrive in the land of big abv, enjoying a few that are slightly beyond 5% seems comfortable and very session worthy.

While talking to friends whose tastes, like mine, tend to lean toward big beer I found that most have the misconception that lower abv means little flavor. I admit it, it use to be the first thing that popped into my head after hearing, session beer.  I want big flavor. Nothing thin and watery in my glass.  The three beers I used in my session experiment had no problem bringing the flavor and one even took it to an unexpected level.

If you're going to try a session beer doesn't it make sense to try one that literally screams session on the label?  That's why

Full Sail Brewing's Session Lager (5.1%) and Session Black Lager (5.4%) seemed like no brainers.  Not so fast.  After some quick research it turns out these beers aren't called session for there lower abv.  Full Sail's Executive Brewmaster Jamie Emmerson explains in an article in The Metro West Daily News.

Emmerson said people should not be confused about the name "session." In beer geek language, session usually refers to a low-alcohol beer, usually less than 4 percent alcohol by volume. Both of these session beers are over 5 percent. The Session actually refers to windsurfing sessions on the Columbia River, although Emmerson said, compared to other West Coast beers, the Session and Session Black are low alcohol.  "In the Northwest, that is a session beer," he said.

Ok, good enough for me. So lets declare them Northwest session beers.  I started with the Session Lager.  Straw like in color, grainy aroma and a thin white head all scream macro. Thankfully it's better than what the big boys are putting out. Clean and crisp upfront with some sweetness. Biscuit/cereal flavors lead to subtle hop bitterness in the finish.  Nothing earth shattering but better than expected.  If it were 90 degrees and I was mowing the backyard this beer iced in a cooler would be a slice of heaven.

The Session Black works better with the current chilly Northeast conditions.  Dark in color with mild bitter roastiness. A touch of sweetness sneaks in with some dark chocolate and smoke. Again nothing off the chart but it's more complex than it's sibling. It definitely serves it's purpose as a flavorful easy drinking beer.  

The real surprise came from Stone's collaboration beer, San Diego County Session Ale (4.2%). Go figure it takes Stone to make a session beer I can truly love.  From the makers of the extreme comes a session beer with some smack.  Ya want bitter and big hops?  This delivers.  The pine hop effect is there with a sharp bitterness and herbal quality that makes you take notice. Where a well balanced IPA or DIPA may have some malt sweetness to balance the bitter bite San Diego Session is a hop show from start to finish. Not a bad thing. Slide a dozen extra spicy Buffalo wings next to a pint of this on football Sunday and you're livin'!

Ok, so whether or not the Session Lager, Session Black and San Diego Session are true session beers is debatable.  The abv on all should have most feeling fine even after a few. If your doing the session thing and need a flavorful smack to the tongue San Diego Session and Session Black make it happen.