Beer Magazine 2009-09-10

www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.
com
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com
THE INGREDIENTS
The RegulaRs
6 Cheers
Simple
8 Buzz
News and nonsense
Sept / OCt 2009 ISSue 12
14 Beer Mail
46
Dear beer...
17 Calendar
Dates and drinks
Horsepower
18 Ask Beer Beer makes these things move!
Beer answers
Everything drinks beer...even pigs! Wait the animal not us.
20 Here’s to You
You look marvelous
22 Beer Kitchen
Soups up
26 Beer Anatomy
Blondes
45 The Brewery
Comic strip
50 Beer 201
Oh just right
56 Home Brew
Fun times
77 Taste Tests
12 more to drink
98 Tapped Out
Stuff on a string
FeaTuRes
32 Beer Shots 84 Boonville Fest
Drop in! Pirates and mustache girls
42 Be Better At: 92 Beer Games

Pinball Three man...or woman
61 Beer Recipes
38
Bob Crocker
62 Build a Kegarator
Who needs a fridge for food?
Kobe and
66 Behind The Brew Kurobuto
Cold Spring Brewing Basting live with
beer? Yum!
74 SD Brewers Guild
Uniting beer
[ 04] :

Editorial
Executive Editor: Derek Buono
Editor-At-Large: Brad Ruppert
Editor-At-Large: Geoff Cozine
Contributing Writers
Rob Sterkel, Jay R. Brooks,
Matt Simpson,
Seth Martin, Johnny Fincioen
96 Todd McElwee, Jacob McKean,

Jennifer Litz, Don Osborn, Brandon
Hernandez, Luke McKinney
Beer Of Art & Photography

Art Director: Joanna Buono
The Month Senior Graphic Artist: Dave Palacios
One delicious Butte Graphic Artist: Mike McMahon
Senior Staff Photographer: Carl Hyndman
Photographer: Jason Boulanger
Contributing Photographer: Marc Piron
Production/Advertising
Production Director: Bob Mackey
Circulation Manager: Tom Ferruggia
Circulation Assistant: Sonya Velez
Advertising Account Exec: Zary Lahouti
Advertising Account Exec: Brian Roberts
A Think Omnimedia
Publication
Publisher: Mike Velez
Subscriptions &
Change of Address
Phone: 1.866.456.0410
Phone (International): 1.818.487.2045
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Gear, Sales Info
Phone: 1.888.200.8299
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advertising claims, errors, and omissions. Beer
Magazine is put together in Southern California.
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Drink Beer Frequently. Read Beer.
Printed in the U.S.A
: [05]

CHEERS
THE RANTS
SIMPLE PUBLISHER
MIKE VELEZ
IS GOOD A PHRASE I OVER USE... What’s the problem?

A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE...
Of course I’d like another...
A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... You know
what they say...
I
watch probably way too much “effin’” Gordon Ramsay
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
for my own good.1 I know I say “basil,” “shallots” DEREK BUONO
A PHRASE I OVER USE... You’re a douche!
and “shit” entirely way too much. Since I began my
overindulgence into his world, I’ve learned a lot of Your money is no good here.
A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... It is what it is.
things. I now look at restaurants more closely and pay (what the hell is “it”?)
attention to their cleanliness, I’m less impressed by food
and I think we tend to over-complicate things to make them ART DIRECTOR
JOANNA BUONO
more appealing.2 A PHRASE I OVER USE... One of these days...
Hey thanks!
In his show Kitchen Nightmares Ramsay goes to restaurants that are failing and tries to
A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... Would you like to
turn them around. One of their common plagues, aside from terrible food, is that many Super-Size that? At least when it’s referring to food.
What would a Wu-Tang inspired beer have in it?
places try to be upscale by serving overly complicated dishes that are over-garnished
and combine too many flavors. He refers to this as dated ’80s and ’90s cooking.3 SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST
DAVE PALACIOS
A PHRASE I OVER USE... I don’t think I have an answer.
A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE... It’s on the
I think some beers might be going this direction and I think the beer geeks who dictate
house. Free stuff is always good.
high-end beer might be guiding the new drinkers along that route too.4 Most of the A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... It’s more of a text
reviews I read about beer don’t give the simple beers much respect; they tend to award phrase, but “LOL” needs to go away. No body ever
really Laughs Out Loud... do they?
the beers that have a spice rack of flavors mixed with a candy store and fruit stand the
highest praise. Don’t get me wrong. I’m in love with heavy, thick stouts; imperial porters; BEER DRINKING ARTIST
MIKE MCMAHON
IPAs of all kinds and everything in between; but we’ve reviewed a few beers recently A PHRASE I OVER USE... It is what it is. (Well “it” is
what “it” is)
that were refreshingly simple. Sometimes I don’t want to sit there and ponder what I can
A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE... Thanks
“find” in the flavor of my beer, I just want a beer that tastes good and is refreshing. Beer for being you.
geeks (aficionados) seem to sort of drink one of these “simple beers” and just say it’s A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... anything using
the words: ciabatta bread, going green and hardcore.
average. Well, sometimes I think average hits the spot and quenches your thirst.5 I think
it’s okay for a coffee porter to basically just have coffee flavor. It doesn’t need chocolate, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
CARL HYNDMAN
espresso, caramel, vanilla and every sweet/bitter flavor under A PHRASE I OVER USE... What comes before
part b? Partah!
the sun. While it’s interesting, we might be dating
ourselves with wanting a cornucopia We’ve decided to give you a raise.
of flavors in a drink. So if you’re A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... Time to step it

up and put your best foot forward.
a drinker or brewer, think
about if you’re just adding CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
BRAD RUPPERT
a list of ingredients that A PHRASE I OVER USE... Is a frog’s ass water tight?
could out-spice India and A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE... I was
drunker than 10 Indians.
remember that sometimes
A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... No I won’t have
just simple, good ingredients sex with you.
and brewing make
great, simple, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
ROB STERKLE
amazing beers.6
A PHRASE I OVER USE... Cool.
A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE... Beer me!
A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... Thinking
Godspeed, outside the box.
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
JAY BROOKS
A PHRASE I OVER USE... Beauty, eh.
Derek Buono A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE... Can I
Executive Editor buy you a beer?
derekb@thebeermag.com A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... Would you buy
me a beer?
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
1. I think it’s taking the piss out of me—see, I’m Euro now! 4. Not that there’s anything wrong with making those, we just have GEOFF COZINE
A PHRASE I OVER USE... “In a nutshell” (Let’s face it. It
to remember that some people don’t want that. rarely is with me.)
2. Like girls who wear too much makeup or guys driving expensive
cars and wearing gold rings and necklaces. 5. A simple bock, pilsner, pale ale or even the “taboo” light lager are A PHRASE I THINK SHOULD BE USED MORE... You want
fries with that? (At the bank... church... proctologist’s?)
very refreshing on hot days.
3. Is it a strange coincidence that many brewers and beer geeks A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... The government
came into their beer-maturity in that era? Is that like wearing a 6. Don’t get hung up on all the “big beers” is what I’m saying. will solve ______. (Break, yes. Solve, no.)
“Members Only” jacket today and still thinking it’s cool?
[ 06] :

THE BUZZ
words: Geoff Cozine
THAT EXPLAINS THE HAIRCUTver the July 4th weekend, news wires were buzzing
O
about a launch in North Korea. Not the one you
think, though. Kim Jong Il, the diminutive leader of
a Communist country that’s lost millions to famine
since 1990, began using his limited food resources
to brew beer. Not content with starving his
soon-to-be drunken subjects in silence, he then
created the first North Korean beer commercial.
State-controlled TV aired a 3-minute ad for Taedonggang Beer
touting how the “Pride of Pyongyang” improves your health and
longevity. Search for “Korea Beer” on YouTube now. It’s hysterical.
What’s even funnier, though, is that one of the only commercials run on
North Korean television in decades brags about how this protein—and
B2 vitamin—laden rice brew also reduces stress!
Two pieces of advice, Mr. Il? First, stop paying your barber in
Does cancer fighting beer encourage drinking?
Taedonggang Beer. Second, pointing your missiles away from U.S. soil
will lower your citizens’ stress level a lot more than cheap beer and a
Photo courtesy of Sunday River.
God-awful Mr. Sparkle commercial.
Probably not
Noah Webster what she has
HAS NOTHING ON in mind...
Prince Ludwig
Y
our significant other wants to do
more as a couple, right? Well,
How can you not love Oktoberfest? We’re here’s your chance! On Saturday,
talking about an entire population famous for being disciplined and October 10, Sunday River’s 10th
rigid that holds a 16-day-long kegger every year and invites the annual North American Wife Carrying
entire world to join in the debauchery! Much like the proverbial Championship will present a unique
preacher’s daughter, things are bound to get wild when those opportunity to spend some quality time
fräuleins finally loosen their tight German buns. (We meant with your gal (marriage is not required)
their hair. What were you thinking?) That’s why the official or, at least, to run around with her face
Oktoberfest website includes a list of important terms you won’t buried in your sweaty ass and her
find in that German-English dictionary you bought at the airport. thighs wrapped around your head. (Any
Here’s a few of our favorites, but be sure to check out the rest at
position is legal, but the pseudo-69
www.oktoberfest.de/en/.
“Estonian carry” maximizes balance and
Aufmischen: (v) To spank or wallop. ability to surmount obstacles, like the
hills, hurdles and pools of water found
Bierdimpfe: (n) A notorious beer drinker; “tavern potato”.
on the 278-yard course.)
Bieseln: (v) “To take a leak”; unfortunately too many want to save a
couple of cents and use the option “wild bieseln”.
Why risk a severe hernia for a stronger
relationship? The winning team gets the
Eihebn: (n) When you’re dizzy because of too much beer and have
to cling to something. woman’s weight in beer plus her weight
times 5 in cash. That is what we call
Fingahackln: (n) Bavarian sport. Two men hook their middle
fingers and try to pull the opponent over the table. Popular “incentive,” especially for we who spend
activity at the Oktoberfest. more time pigging out than working out.
Flidscherl: (n) Tart, floozy. You can even put the woman on the
fuaßln: (n) Above the table people hook fingers, but when bottom to maximize your payout, but
people secretly have toe-to-toe contact under the table, it you’re going to be called “the wife” for
usually gets more interesting. entire competition, so you’d check your
Gaudinockerln: (n) Luxurious breasts. manhood at the door.
Moosbummerl: (n) Hillbilly, redneck. Of course, if Maine isn’t an exotic
Noagerlzuzla: (n) Person who drinks the last remainders from enough locale for your impending
abandoned glasses, also used as a cuss. divorce, consider attending next year’s
Obandeln: (v) To flirt, mostly with one explicit intention. World Championships where it all
Schoaß: (n) Methane containing, foul smelling puff, often caused by began, in Sonkajärvi, Finland.
digestion procedures. Not popular in the beer tents. www.sundayriver.com
[ 08] :

What’s the opposite of Reinheitsgebot?
E
ver wonder why we make such a big deal about the
German Purity Law? You won’t after reading this! See, the
Bavarians outlined their beer-ingredient hot list in 1516,
back when most of our ancestors were living in filth and dying
at the ripe old age of 30. In comparison, the copycat Ruskies
began to discuss the same thing... a few months ago.
Yes, stop the presses. Russian lawmakers are considering
(note, still only “considering”) a law that would restrict certain
ingredients in domestic beer production. Fruit? Adjuncts?
Caffeine? Try lead, arsenic, cadmium,
mercury, radioactive nuclides, cesium, WHO ARE YOU
pesticides, ticks, and other toxic
substances. To answer our own
GOING TO BELIEVE?
question, we don’t know what the Ah, beer goggles. The ultimate
defense for regrettable encounters. The savior of
opposite of Reinheitsgebot is, but we’ll
the unfortunately featured. The exposed hoax?!
bet it’s spelled with the Cyrillic alphabet.
According to Dr. Vincent Egan of the University
As the perfect epilogue, we read that
of Leicester, they are. He flashed hundreds of
retail beer sales in Russia have declined
random people with the pictures of women he
6.5% from January to May 2009.
was carrying in his pocket... like you do. The
Apparently, a beer isn’t a brewski until
result (besides a few black eyes and 911 calls,
it makes you sterile and toothless.
we’re guessing) was that “Overall, participants
who drank alcohol actually rated all the women
in the photos as less attractive.”
Thankfully, a group of scientists at the University
of Bristol conducted their own study in a less
creepy, more scientifically controlled setting. They
found “a roughly 10 percent increase in ratings
We didn’t mention it but the also sell a “wine rack!”

of attractiveness” by those who drank just a
single shot of vodka over those given a placebo.
Why the difference? Most of the boozers
interrupted by Dr. Vinny were probably... um...
busy. Their lower ratings no doubt sounded more
like, “Oh, no, baby. You’re much hotter than she
is. Wanna go back to your place?” Besides,
millions of independent studies on this exact
subject are performed every weekend... Ever
heard anyone admit that beer goggles are B.S.?
CANNIN’ BEER FOR BAHLER HORNIN’
S
omething’s amiss in Anderson Valley. It’s not strange talkin’ locals or antlered bear mascots*, though.
After 22 years of crafting Legendary Boonville Beer, Anderson Valley Brewing Co. is putting it into cans.
Given their commitment to eco-friendliness, it makes perfect sense. After all, cans recycle more efficiently,
are lighter to ship, require less energy to cool, and crush down smaller, making them perfect for a
brewery looking to reduce its carbon footprint or for leave-no-trace hikers preferring to pack out what
they pack in. And, depending on which side of the can vs. bottle cock-a-fister you fall on, it may taste better because
it’s protected against UV and oxidation. Those kimmies ottin’ didn’t stop there, though. AVBC also tapped Pak Tech
for a specialized 6-pack handle that’s recyclable, reusable, and if still in good shape, returnable for a pair o’ bucky
(ten cents) a piece at AVBC, where they’ll be inspected, washed, and put back into service.
Canned Summer Solstice and Poleeko Gold are now available in 6-packs across the U.S., and Boont Amber is
rumored to be on the horizon. (All three will continue to be
bottled, too.) Oh, and those of you who don’t know what
bahler hornin’ means can brush up on your Boontling,
Boonville’s own regional lingo, at www.avbc.com.
* What do you get when you cross a bear with a deer?

Get it? Beer!
: [09]

THE BUZZ
Surf’s Up with Coming to

Pacifico’s Epic Adventure REFRIGERATORS
The makers of the bronze medal winner from our Mexican Beer
Shootout (Issue #4) are having a gnarly contest right now. The grand prize is a NEAR YOU!
S
4-person, 5-day trip to Oahu for surf lessons from longboard legend Joel Tudor! ummer is over. But, don’t get too depressed as you
And, better yet, all you have to do is upload three pictures of yourself trade in your flip flops for snow boots. That just means
on an Epic Adventure. Don’t worry if you’re more turf than surf, it’s time for Oktoberfest! You’d think that America,
though, because whether you’re shootin’ the curl, climbing a mountain, not Munich, was the origin of our favorite excuse for
or painting the town red, they’re interested. Just keep in mind that excess, what with all the fest-themed releases popping
winners will be picked based on aesthetics and degree of “epic-ness” up around this time. And, if they’re not your thing, you can also
by Pacifico brand managers and Surfer Magazine’s Grant Ellis. choose from a heap of harvest ales and even a few holiday-
As always, there can be only one inspired winter warmers from those brewers who just can’t wait
grand prize winner, but five runners for their annual visit from Santa.
Isn’t beer supposed to maintain in a down market? Who lied?
up will get their choice Surftech

boards, and fifty others will get a
year’s sub with Surfer. As long as
you don’t live in California or Utah • Abita Fall Fest • Goose Island Imperial Brown Goose
(sorry, guys... you’re sitting this one • Appalachian RauchBock • Great Lakes Nosferatu
out), hop online and sign up before • Arbor Phat Abbot • Gritty’s Halloween Ale
September 30. Who knows, you
• Avery Old Jubilation Ale • Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire
might just be epic enough to win!
• Bell’s Octoberfest • Karl Strauss Oktoberfest
www.mexicoviapacifico.com • BJ’s Oktoberfest • Kona Pipeline Porter
• Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale • Lancaster Oktoberfest
• Boulevard Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest • Long Trail Harvest
• Breckenridge Autumn Ale • New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest
• Capital Autumnal Fire • Shipyard Pumpkinhead
• Coney Island Lager™ Freaktoberfest® • Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA
• Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA • Victory Festbier
• Dogfish Head Pangaea • Victory Moonglow Weizenbock
• Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale • Weyerbacher Harvest Ale
• Erie Heritage Alt Beer • Wild Goose Pumpkin Patch Ale
• Flying Fish OktoberFish™
• Appalachian Pennypacker Porter • Magic Hat Roxy Rolles

• Bell’s Best Brown Ale • Odell Isolation Ale
• Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury ... Ale • Pyramid Snow Cap
• BJ’S® Pumpkin Ale™ • Redhook Winterhook
• Clipper City Winter Storm “Category • Schlafly Christmas Ale
5” Ale • Schlafly Coffee Stout
• Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine • Schlafly Winter ESB
• Fish Tale Winterfish • Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale
• Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve • Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
• Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine • Smuttynose Winter Ale
• Goose Island Christmas Ale • Southern Tier Cuvée Series One
• Gordon Biersch Winter Bock • Sweetwater Festive Ale
• Granville Island Lions Winter Ale • Trout River Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
• Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono • Weyerbacher Winter Ale
• Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ • Widmer Brrr
• Legacy Bruin Ale
Keep in mind this is only a partial list. If you don’t see

your favorites here, contact your local watering hole or
store. Better yet, throw an e-mail to the brewery!

THE BUZZ
Sam and Ken Make a Beer

STICK WITH
W hen two guys get together to
brew a beer, it rarely registers
ZYWIEC,
on our radar. When those two guys are
Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione and DRINK
Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman, and
they’re brewing two limited-edition,
FOR FREE
style-defying beers, that’s another story! Are you 21? (Hint: You’re
Due out this November in both 24-oz. reading this, so the answer had
bottles and draft, Life & better be “yes.”) Do you own a
Limb will be a 10% ABV car? Do you feel like driving to
sipper made with maple Brooklyn or Chicago? If so, and
syrup from the Calagione if you’re willing to put this see-
family farm and barley from through vinyl graphic on your
Isn’t beer supposed to maintain in a down market? Who lied?
the Sierra Nevada estate. back window, then the good

Natural carbonation will be folks at Amtec are willing to
courtesy of Alaskan birch give you a free case of Zywiec! Keep
syrup. Draft-only Limb & it on for a month, then stop back to prove it’s
Life, a 5% session brew still there, and you’ve got yourself another free
born from the residual case. Keep it on yet another month... well... you
sugars of its bigger get the idea. As long as that decal stays on your
brother and fortified car and looks nice, you’re looking at a free case
with American hops, will of Polish potables each month. Just pop onto
debut a month earlier in Zywiec USA’s website and make your appoint-
select restaurants and ment to get things started!
bars as a teaser.
www.zywiecusa.com
www.dogfish.com
www.sierranevada.com
ANOTHER REASON
TO WORK PAST AGE 65 The World’s
Molson brewery pensioners get 36
cases of free beer each year, as do those currently Best-Selling Beer
on the payroll. Almost makes it worth putting up
with the funny accents, hockey lust, and socialized
medicine for 25 years, but don’t pack yet. In a recent
Strikes Golden
L
cost-cutting move intended to standardize perks ooking to repeat the success of Bud
across the country, the maple leaf–emblazoned Light Lime, the King of Beers’ low-
brewery shocked its Newfoundland workforce by cal cousin is expanding again. This
cutting their allotment of free beer from 72 to 52 time, though, A-B is entering the
dozen bottles a year. Worse yet, retirees’ share will increasingly popular world of weizen
plummet to 12 dozen bottles a year from now and, with Bud Light Golden Wheat.
in five years, will disappear altogether. As you can According to Keith Levy, VP of
imagine, the news hit hard, but at least the economy Marketing for Anheuser-Busch, it’s not about
is doing well, so Molson’s 2,400-plus formerly loyal trying to out-craft craft, though. Instead, it’s
seniors still have their robust stock portfolios to live about giving “drinkability” lovers a new, refreshing
off of... Hmmm... If you’re already retired, is it too experience—namely the sweet, then tart, then
late to strike? citrusy flavor journey derived from brewing with
wheat malt, coriander and orange peel...
not to mention the signature haze of unfiltered
goodness. It’s about the personality of Bud Light
made in a different way. With 118 calories, 8.3
grams of carbohydrates, and a 4.1% ABV, Bud
Light Golden Wheat measures up favorably against
the original. Look for it to hit nationwide in 6-packs,
22-ounce bottles, and half barrels on October 5.
www.budlight.com
[ 12] :

BEER MAIL
RANTS&
RAVES
H
ERE’S YOUR CHANCE to tell us how you
We prefer you subscribe than steal it online...we’re watching you Bittorrent!
feel. Hate us? Love us? We want to hear.

The world wants to hear. Send you
comments, suggestions, poems or toasts to
derekb@thebeermag.com
MESSENGERS OF THE BEER GODS

T
hank you very much for the article on Rauchbier in the July / Aug issue. About 8 years ago I tried a beer that I remembered
tasting like summer sausage. It was amazing but that afternoon was the only time I’ve seen it in a bar and I’ve not met
anyone that’s heard of it since. I was starting to think that maybe I’d imagined the whole affair. This evening I was walking
by the magazine rack at the grocery store and noticed in big letters “Cooking with Beer”. I had to take a quick peek. As I
thumbed through I saw the article on Rauchbier and the smoky flavors. I started to think that I hadn’t imagined the whole
smoked sausage beer experience and then right there at the bottom of the first column of the Rauchbeir list was
Rauchenfelser Steinbrau. I’m not nuts! From what I could tell, it was the only issue of your magazine in the
store so obviously this was a message from the Beer gods. I will be subscribing.
I’m looking forward to years of good drinking and reading ahead.
Thanks
Dan Heringer
You
Win
A. ..
You’re probably still nuts and thank you for confirming our thoughts that we are beer gods!
FREE
Actually we’re kidding, but it’s good to hear you bought the last copy in that store! –Derek
BEER WA
RS
DVD
[ 14] :

ARMY BRAT-WURST Recommended Places
D
So I am out here in Iraq, was at the PX erek, I am not an employee of the Tap and Table in Emmaus PA, but a fan
and there it was a mag about beer I’d like of your magazine and just recently ate a wonderful dinner at the Tap and
to think I know my stuff, but man was Table in Emmaus, PA. Do yourself a favor and check this place out! If you
I wrong. It’s an awesome mag I had to consider yourself a beer lover and a foodie it’s the perfect place. I recently saw their
get more so I subscribed. I would love to advertisement in the local paper and had to check it out. They are currently offering
open my own brewpub/pool hall when over 125 bottle beers, 3 cask and I believe 6 draft beers. I consider myself a beer snob
I get out of the army I am learning a lot and I didn’t recognize half of the menu (no bud light on this menu!). The restaurant is
about brewing from you guys so that illuminated with candlelight and they offer live music ever night of the week, which in
helps. Oh yeah my name is Myles Lovell itself is nice, but then add the extensive and unique
from Garden Grove CA. That’s sweet that beer menu it’s quite special.
the gunnies is coming from my home
Thanks a lot! I Living on the east coast I’m blessed with many
love what you bars that offer some of the best micro brews
all are doing and European offerings that a beer lover might
keep them ever wish for. But, when you put together a great
coming! atmosphere, great food and GREAT beer, you have
Pvt Lovell a winning combination that must be talked about.
US ARMY I’ve only been to this place once, but I can tell from
my first visit that it’s something special.
Myles stay
safe and If you get the chance to check it out please let me
when you get know. I’m one of many locals that have found this
back swing diamond in the rough, and am very proud that we
by our office have yet another establishment to call our own.
for a beer!
–Derek Thanks,
Mike Mangold
Xxxx
KEGS STANDS RULE!
H
ey Derek. First off, I admit I was a bit layout, especially the reviews. Nobody else gives
skeptical as well as excited when I saw a guide of the states where the beer is available—
your first issue on the magazine rack. I great idea.
thought it was aimed at the keg stand crowd,
and though I like to participate in that event, Please check out my site, www.
I don’t drink many of the beers typical of the AbqBeerGeek.com, when you
kegs involved. get time. I write about anything
worthwhile in Albuquerque
I am happy to see that the magazine has brewpubs, beer bars and beer
continued to improve each issue. In fact, I have stores. Though we are located
been reading the July/August issue and am here in the high desert, there is
seriously amazed at the amount of information actually a thriving beer culture!
you included this month, specifically the Kegging
Your Homebrew article (and off-topic, the Wiffle Thanks again for a great mag!
Ball article—I have a Summer season going with - Patrick
my younger brothers and we keep all the stats.
What a great game!). Patrick thanks for keeping
an eye on us, we don’t
I have subscriptions to All About Beer, Zymurgy, really think we’ve strayed
Draft, and Beer Advocate, all due to birthday from our original concept. We are
presents from my girlfriend. She was supposed to targeting the keg/college crowd, but we’re
take the hint when I presented her the two for one trying to get anybody that like beer to love
subscription you offered during the early months, it and want to know more. I think some that
but I guess she lost the insert. Either that, or may have thought we were just a bunch of
she didn’t like all the competition in the magazine kids initially didn’t really look at the big picture
(and I mean the beer pictures, not the girls). when we first came out. We have improved
and will continue to as we figure out what we
I will be adding your magazine to my like and what we don’t. So thanks again for
subscriptions. For the money, I feel yours gives reading and we hope next year you feel the
the largest variety of information plus the best same way. –Derek
: [15]

Beer Mail
Angels Are singing Librarian?

I
was recently at my local Marsh
T
his is definitely the best
grocery store in Indianapolis when
beer magazine of all! I
I stumbled upon your magazine. I
have enjoyed reading
rubbed my eyes in disbelief and I
every single quip, quote,
think I heard angels sing. I never new
question and quandary written in
such a periodical existed. I love beer...
this informative and innovative beer
must have magazine :). I am seriously
magazine! Kudos to you beer lovers
considering getting a subscription.
and information gatherers! Just
I have never seen a magazine so
signed up for a subscription and
packed with information, even the
can’t wait to have my own issues
advertisements are informative. The
to ponder (have been borrowing a
timing of this discovery is also perfect.
friend’s copy...having a little trouble
In a couple of weeks is the Broadripple
returning it).
brewfest (Brewers of Indiana Guild). I
already have my ticket and I am excited
Thank you:)
about going, it will be my first one. I
Victoria Lemieux
have always enjoyed drinking different
kinds of beer and learning about them.
Also just recently we here in Indiana
Angel, devil...what’s the difference really?
finally get Fat Tire beer. I can’t tell you

how happy that made me. I have been
drinking that beer for almost 10 years
but only when I could get out west or
get someone to bring me back some. If
you haven’t already this year maybe do
a feature on Fat Tire or Belgium brewing
co. Right now though I am pulling off a
pint of Summer Shandy from my friends
kegerator. I love that thing :) I will
definitely be getting future issues.
Your new fan,
Jason Cox
Indianapolis, IN.
We actually have a little setup in the

newsstand. Whenever somebody
looks our cover model in the eyes
I love ny!
While I live in NYC and its a great place to go out for
you hear angels sing. Do it too long
a beer with the many bars that carry a nice variety its a
and a “pervert” alarm goes off and
disappointing place for the person who wants to a buy a few
the angels come down and poke your
bottles for the home selection. Since in NY State beer is sold
eyes so you stop staring. –Derek
in grocery and convenience stores the selection is often limited
by space. I have seen in my web searches many different online
beer stores that can ship to NY however, I am a bit weary of them. I was wondering
if there are any you or your staff could recommend that is reliable to ensure the
freshness of the beer as well as proper shipping to ensure the freshness remains
and doesn’t get messed up by extreme changes in temperatures?
I hope you have some insight cause I am tired of the same old stuff and want to try
some new things.
Cheers,
Seth
State law on shipping beer varies a lot, but there are stores that will ship beer to
you. How it arrives really depends on their packing and how fast you want it. I’m
not sure, but most ground freight is going to be subject to temperature changes.
So you might want to order beer in the cooler months and avoid summer. You can
upgrade to faster shipping and reduce the transit time. Another thing to consider is
that some beers are made to withstand some heat better. A thick heavy stout might
not be as subject to damage as a lager. –Derek
[ 16] :

THE BUZZ
SEPTEMBER
2009
September 4–7
CHAMBLY BEER AND FLAVOUR FESTIVAL
Chambly, QC OCTOBER
www.bieresetsaveurs.com 2009
September 4–5 October 2
SAVANNAH CRAFT BREW FEST SILVER CITY BREWFEST
Savannah, GA Meriden, CT
www.savannahcraftbrewfest.com www.valencialiquor.com
September 5 October 2-4

HIGH COUNTRY BEER FEST 10TH ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST- BY- THE- BAY
Boone, NC Pier 48, San Francisco Waterfront
www.hcbeerfest.com www.oktoberfestbythebay.com

MOUNT SNOW BREWERS FESTIVAL YAKIMA FRESH HOP ALE FESTIVAL
West Dover, VT Yakima, WA
www.mountsnow.com www.freshhopalefestival.com
September 6 October 3
BLUEZ AND BREWZ FESTIVAL HOOD RIVER HOPS FEST
Manteo, NC Hood River, OR
www.bluezandbrewz.com www.hopsfest.com

EMERALD COAST BEER FESTIVAL WORLD BEER FESTIVAL
Pensacola, FL Durham, NC
www.emeraldcoastbeerfest.com www.allaboutbeer.com/wbf
BREW AT THE ZOO BETHLEHEM HARVEST FESTIVAL
Denver, CO Bethlehem, PA
www.denverzoo.org www.bethlehemharvestfestival.com

NEW YORK CRAFT BEER WEEK BIG LAKE BREWFEST
New York, NY Carlton, MN
www.nycbeerweek.com www.biglakebrewfest.com

BREWS ON THE BAY KENNETT BREWFEST
San Francisco, CA Kennett Square, PA
www.sfbrewersguild.org www.kennettbrewfest.com
That beer is half full!

THIRSTY TROLL BREWFEST MARYLAND BREWERS’ FEST
Mount Horeb, WI Timonium, MD
www.trollway.com www.dasbestoktoberfest.com
September 13 October 16–17

JENKINTOWN JAZZ AND BREWFEST MIDWEST BEERFEST
Jenkintown, PA Wichita, KS
www.jenkintownjazzandbrewfest.com www.midwestbeerfest.com
September 18 October 16–17

SAN DIEGO FESTIVAL OF BEER THE RETURN OF THE BELGIAN BEER FEST
San Diego, CA Boston, MA
www.sdbeerfest.org www.beeradvocate.com

TELLURIDE BLUES & BREWS FESTIVAL BREWING UP A CURE
Telluride, CO Pittsburgh, PA
www.tellurideblues.com www.brewingupacure.org
September 19–October 4 October 17

OKTOBERFEST LIGHTHOUSE BEER FESTIVAL
Munich, Germany Wilmington, NC
www.oktoberfest.de www.lighthousebeerandwine.com
September 19
GREAT LAKES BREW FEST
October 17
DECATUR CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL POUR
Racine, WI
www.greatlakesbrewfest.com
Decatur, GA
www.decaturbeerfestival.com
October 17
MONTH
September 19
LEHIGH VALLEY BREWFEST NAME: Alex Zerega
CAPITAL CITY INVITATIONAL BEER FESTIVAL
Harrisburg, PA Easton, PA AGE: 25
www.abcbrew.com/harrisburg www.lvbrewfest.org
FAVORITE BEER: Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale
September 19 October 22–24 LEAST FAVORITE BEER: I thought it was dark
CALIFORNIA BREWERS FESTIVAL BEER FESTIVAL OF THE SOUTH beers until they gave me a blind taste test at
Sacramento, CA Orlando, FL
www.floridabeer.org the office!
www.calbrewfest.org
OUR BLIND TASTE TEST RESULTS:
September 24–26 October 24 We chose 3 craft beers out of our fridge and
GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL KNOXVILLE BREWERS’ JAM had her sample blind. Buffalo Bills Pumpkin
Denver, CO Knoxville, TN
www.knowvillebrewersjam.com Ale, John Henry 3 Licks Ale, and Michelob
www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com
Amber Bock and she chose the Pumpkin Ale
September 26 October 24–25 as her favorite. Alex also thought she didn’t
TREASURE COAST BEER FEST NORTHERN VIRGINIA BREWFEST like dark beer but found out she did.
Fort Pierce, FL Centreville, VA
www.novabrewfest.com HER LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEER:
www.treasurecoastbeerfest.com
The amount of exercise needed after to say
in shape.
: [17]

ASK BEER
Sometimes people talk to their beer, and sometimes that beer will answer your questions. If
you’re one of those people who don’t hear the beer talk back, but want to know the answer to your
questions about beer, this is the column to turn to. Ask Beer is where you get to ask a question and
receive an answer without looking like the crazy person at the end of the bar. Got questions?
Email AskBeer@thebeermag.com
words: Matt Simpson
I HAD AN IPA RECENTLY

AND IT WAS VERY MALTY.
I THOUGHT THESE BEERS
Have beer will travel...note from England at the time.
WERE SUPPOSED TO BE
REALLY HOPPY, NO?
T
he history of the IPA is long and
storied, but the style is really
British in origin. In a nutshell, the
beer traveling from the British Isles
wasn’t quite making it to the troops
and colonies over in India. They
certainly couldn’t have that, so
they started playing around with their recipes. After
some trial and error, they realized that the batches
to which they added more malt (for more alcohol)
and more hops made it to the thirsty recipients
on the other side of the world, all safe, sound
and ready to drink. Ergo, India Pale Ale. These
days, even those British versions of the style
are pretty tame and malty, compared to many
of those brewed in the US. You see, not to
be outdone, we’re the kings of kicking things
up a notch. And those crazy West Coast
breweries take things to whole new, crazy
levels: They’re the creators of the imperial
IPA, after all. So chances are, if the IPA you
had was made by a left coast brewery, it’s
been sitting for a while, and it definitely should
be hoppy. Balanced, but hoppy. Now, if it’s
an East coast IPA, it could go either way.
Many brewers on the East Coast (especially
in New England) take their recipe cues from
the traditional English styles. So if your beer
came from the Northeast, or England, it was
probably brewed to be more skewed to the
malty side of the flavor and aroma equation.
Got that, Limey?
[ 18] :

DOES THE HOW LONG DOES IT
BEER SERVING TAKE TO MAKE BEER?
GLASS REALLY Short answer: It all depends on the
MATTER? style of beer. Oh, you want more? Man,
A:
you guys are demanding. Okay. Keep in
mind that the actual brewing and bottling
O
f course the serving glass for good craft beer matters!
Every beer generally has its own glass. Seriously. In processes are relatively short (maybe a
Europe (especially Belgium, where beer is regarded day for each), so they don’t really take
as an art form and a part of their history and society), almost lots of the time for a beer to make it from
every brewery has a special glass for their beers ... sometimes grain to glass (GtG). Most of the time to
several, to reflect the various styles they produce. In the U.S., make a beer is in the fermentation. You
most breweries use shakers (pint glasses), with their logo simply already know (because I’ve told you like
printed on them. And that’s fine, for many styles. But they 1,000 times), that yeast eats the sugars
only use ’em because they’re cheap and nearly unbreakable. in the wort to make alcohol and carbon
The glass you use should include a stem (for swirling the glass dioxide. The more sugars you have for
without warming it), a wide bottom, narrow middle and flared top. the yeasties to chew through, the more
This shape allows for a deep pour, while leaving room for a big, alcohol that’s produced and the more
fluffy head. It also permits all the essence and aroma of the beer ha-has you and your buds have at your
to concentrate at the top, while leaving sufficient room for your Friday night poker game. But besides
schnozzola to get into the glass and fully partake of the aroma. In that, the more sugar the yeast has to eat
the absence of a fluted glass like this, for big, aromatic beers, through, the longer the beer will most
a simple brandy snifter will do. Brandy snifters showcase likely take to ferment. Of course, it also
roughly the same characteristics as fluted tulips—except that depends on the type of yeast and types
their lack of flared tops doesn’t project the aromas up and out of sugars used (rice sugars—used to
as much. That said, prepare for a few “white tipped noses” while trying thin out some American macrobrewed
Time to make the doughnuts...and beer.

to dive in deep enough to sniff. lagers—and Belgian candi sugars are
more fermentable than malt, so they
And in keeping with our “glassware” theme… get eaten first and fastest). So, light
lagers and brown ales might take two to
three weeks for a beer to go GtG, while
barleywines, imperial stouts and Belgian
quads may take upward
of two to three
BEER TASTES months. We can talk
about sour beers
BETTER IN FROZEN some other time.
GLASSES, RIGHT?
Of course, you don’t want to serve your
A:
beer in frozen glasses! Unless you like the taste
of water, that is. Well, maybe the beer won’t taste exactly like
water, but being ultra cold really does dull the flavor and aroma
of what’s in the glass. It’s the same for beer as it would be for
wine. In fact, a frozen glass fails on two counts. First, as I just
mentioned, the cold temperature tightens up all the molecules
of the beer (“tightening up” being a true scientific phrase …
not: technically, it slows them all down), in effect, subduing its
flavor. Think of beer as the food it is. What happens when you
heat up leftovers in the oven? It excites the molecules and brings the food back to life,
flavor-wise. So what temperature should I serve my beer? Well, your rough guide for
serving temps is to ask yourself how big the beer is. If it’s a light German beer or American
lager (think hefeweizen or Yuengling lager), serve that sucker fridge cold. If it’s a bigger
craft beer (say doppelbock or Scotch ale), serve it at fridge temp, but let it warm up a hair
as you drink it. And if it’s a huge barleywine, imperial stout or Belgian quad, serve it at
cellar temp (50-60°F) and let it warm up even more in your glass. Cold beer is for being
refreshed and drinking fast. And if you’re guzzling barleywines, don’t bother reading any
further here … I’m done with you, frat boy.
: [19]

here’s to you
HERE’S W hat’s better than reading about

beer? How about reading
about you? This is where we will feature
our readers love of beer. Want to see
to you words: You photos: You

Yourself in HTY? Send your request to
YOU@thebeermag.com
Submission must include a high-

resolution picture of you drinking a beer
and the answers to the questions.
Name: Victor
ia Sels
age: 24
OccUpatiO
N: Server
lOcatiON:
Dixon, Illinoi
FavOrite B s
ar: I prefer
FavOrite B a porch
the better!
eer: Spiced
wheats, IPA’
s, and the da
Man our readers are HOT...and and artistic!
BOttle, ca rker
N, Or tap:
FavOrite H Tap!
with sour cr aNgOver FOOd: Gre
eam asy bacon
mOst mem and chedda
O r fries
clove and gi raBle Beer: New
nger! Glarus Stone
least Fav Soup. I love
Orite Beer the
mOst mem : Bud Light
tastes like an
O r a Ble Bee
d I’ll always r: Guinness. I’ll neve
remember r
least Fav
O I don’t care forget what it
was I thinki rite Beer: Bud light for it
ng in College? and Natural Ic
e. Man, wha
t
n
Name: Jeff Jamerso
age: 26 years old y
cer, Token Black Gu
OccUpatiON: Boun , Fa t Ca ts and Johnny B’s
Ra bb it’s
FavOrite Bar: Jack er IPA, Bud Light,
inness, Long Hamm
FavOrite Beer: Gu e
Tan, Miller High Lif
Yuengling Black & always welcome.
p: Tap, but bottles are
BOttle, caN, Or taing a Bud Light
nn
Cans if I’m shot gu ffet does the trick
er FOOd: Chinese bu
FavOrite HaNg Ov t beer when I was 14
,
e Beer: Either my firs d
mOst memOraBl while I got head the first time, or the Bu
ing
the beer I was drink my friend Josh’s
I dra nk wit h my all my friends after
Lig ht s
l straw
wedding with cerea g Beer, Golden Mo
nkey,
least FavOrite Beer: Any Flying Do
and Heinekin
Name: Sarah Scott

age: 27
OccUpatiON: Ch
ocolatier
lOcatiON: Culve
r City, CA
FavOrite Bar: Fa
ther’s Office
FavOrite Beer:
Allagash
BOttle, caN, Or
beer,
tap: Cans are for
fishing, and the be chea p
tap at the bars. I ach. Bottles at ho
don’t discriminate! me
FavOrite HaNg
Over FOOd: Advil
and Ihop
[ 20] :

H.
Name: Aaron
Chief
age: 25 hawk Crew
ti O N : U S Army Black
Occupa n
Tokyo, Japa a Bahamas
LOcatiON: Tw o Tu rtles, Exum
O r it e B a r :
Fav made IP A
eer: Home
FavOrite B ta p : Tap thank yo
u
N, Or
BOttLe, ca FO O d :
aNg Over
FavOrite HBurrito
Spicy Bom
b y first warm
m e m O r a BLe Beer: M
mOst
t” y hand
“natty Ligh e kind in m
t Fa v O r it e Beer: Th
Leas
lic)
(non alcoho
Name: Lesley
Darrah
age: 24
OccupatiON
: Banker
LOcatiON: Hen
dersonville, N
FavOrite Ba C
And others will kill you with a .50 caliber machine gun!
r: Hannah Flan
FavOrite Be nagan’s
coun
er: Does a blac
t? I can drink k & tan
them
all night
BOttLe, caN
, Or tap: Tap
FavOrite HaN
Leftovers with g Over FOOd:
a
cheese doritos side of nacho
mOst memO
r
you see me dr aBLe Beer: The one
in
married wom king—my first pbr as a
an!
Leas t FavOrite Be
Probably Iceh er:
ouse
Name: Derrell Winowich

age: 42
OccupatiON: Brewer/Owner
LOcatiON: Phenix City, AL
FavOrite Bar: The Cannon Brewpub,
Columbus GA
FavOrite Beer: Chattahoochee Brewing
Company’s (High Handed IPA), my beer!
(go figure)
BOttLe, caN Or tap: Tap, then it depends
is
on the Beer..... Oskar Blues (Dales Pale Ale)
great poured from the can
FavOrite HaNgOver FOOd: Chicken and
eggs from the Waffle House!
mOst memOraBLe Beer: The last one I
had a few minutes ago
Least FavOrite Beer: Bud, (gives me a
I
headache), and any other light lager. Just so
am not looking overly critical, I don’t care for
any light lager by style
: [21]

BEER KITCHEN
Waiter there's a beer in my soup!
SOUP DE JOUR...
MMMM THAT SOUNDS GOOD
words: Brein Clements photos: Jason Boulanger
T
his is one of my favorite times of the year.
Our September garden is still giving us
our lovely tomatoes, squash, eggplant,
peppers, and, of course, first butternut
PREP TIME: 3 ½ Hours
squash. You see, September and October
COOKING TIME: 2 Minutes
are great months for a chef because of the DIFFICULTY: 4
late summer remnants and new autumn SERVES: 7
harvests. Butternut squash will first appear in September, OVEN TEMP: 375° F
and if you’re lucky, keep going all the way through November. STOVE TEMP: Medium-High
This is the perfect time to show off a nice butternut soup that SUGGESTED BEER:
Inland Empire Brewing
has a touch of brown ale and curry spices. Company Brown Ale
[ 22
30] :

Ingredients
2 Large Butternut Squash—cut in
half lengthwise, seeds removed
1 Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Madras Curry Powder
2 inch piece fresh Ginger, peeled
and sliced thin
1 lb. Butter, cut into cubes
Fresh Sage, as needed
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
2 Brown Onions, Sliced thin
1 Cup Brown Ale
3 qt. Chicken Stock
3 1 qt. Heavy Cream

Serves 7
• Chef’s knife
TOOLS
• Large sheet tray
• Cutting board
• Aluminum foil
• Mixing bowl
• Blender
• Wooden spoon
• Heavy bottom
Cooking is always easy when all the ingredients are prepped!

sauce pot
CHEF TIPS
• IF YOU DON’T WANT TO ROAST THE
SQUASH FIRST, then just buy the pre-cut
squash and add all of the ingredients to
a pot and cook. However, you will be
amazed at the depth of flavor the soup
has when the squash is roasted whole. It
really is a whole different ballgame.
• IF YOU CAN’T GET BUTTERNUT
SQUASH, use kabocha.
• CAN’T EAT CHICKEN STOCK? Use
vegetable. Can’t make your own?
Use low sodium.
: [23]

BEER kitchen
5 The Method
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Wrap a large sheet tray in foil and

place the squash, cut side up, on the tray.
3. Liberally season the squash with

brown sugar, followed by the curry
powder, sliced ginger, half the butter,
sage, salt and pepper.
4. Place a cup of water on the bottom

of the tray and tightly wrap in foil.
Place in oven for two hours or until the
squash are tender and easily separate
from the skin.
5. Once done, discard the ginger and

sage from the squash and scrape the
meat of the squash into a bowl; reserve.
Make more baked squash to eat as "raw" soup!
6. Place a heavy-bottom saucepan

8 over a medium-high flame. Add the
remaining butter and let foam. Add
the sliced onion and a pinch of salt.
Stir with a wooden spoon often and let
cook until nice and soft.
7. Add the brown ale and let cook for

one minute, stirring frequently. Add the
squash and stir to combine. Add the
chicken stock and let cook for about 45
minutes or until reduced by about one-
fourth and slightly thickened. Adjust the
seasoning and add the heavy cream.
Cook for 20 minutes more.
8. Carefully transfer the soup to a

blender and blend for a minute until
smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning;
serve sprinkled with a touch of the
curry powder.
W
hat I like about this soup is the addition of the curry
powder. It’s not really your basic squash soup with
cinnamon and nutmeg. It is perfect for either a
warm September day outside or an October night
by the fire.
[ 24] :

BEER ANATOMY
ANATOMY OF A
BLONDE ALE
GOES DOWN
SO EASY
Brad likes blondes. Ask his wife!
words: Brad Ruppert photos: Jason Boulanger
L
et’s say you walk
into a bar and ask
for a light beer.
If it were 1985
you might get a
blow torch in the
face or a disco
ball may drop out of the ceiling
in accordance with Budweiser’s
famous commercials of the day:
“Gimme a light. No, Bud Light!”
Typically, asking for a light beer
means you’re looking to wet your
palate with a refreshing lager of the
Bud, Miller, or Coors variety. Now
if we run that same scenario in a
brewpub that makes their own beer
on the premises, chances are they
may not serve a macrobrewed lager
so you’ll most likely have to upgrade
to a more flavorful golden ale known
as a blonde. The blonde could be
considered a gateway beer for the
diehard lager lovers that aren’t
accustomed to those heavily hopped
ales or blackened stouts. On a hot
summer day, overflowing a frost-
covered pitcher, its straw-colored
transparency glows like the sunrise
over a field of grains and beckons
to be lapped up like sweat off Anna
Faris’s bikini-clad ass.
[ 26] :

HISTORY
W
hile the blonde ale may not blonde ale as opposed to the darker amber
have the legends or folklore original. This lighter color was actually more
of the stout, pilsner or lager, appealing to those accustomed to drinking a
its youth and beauty provide plenty of traditional German lager and people began
eye candy for us summer beer lovers to drinking it up en masse. But one thing’s for
gaze into as we consumer her from top to sure, if you were used to throwing back six
bottom. The blonde ale has several origins or seven lagers at 5 percent ABV in one
stemming from the English, Belgians, and us sitting, try doing that with the 8.5 percent
microbrewing Americans. While its actual Duvel and you’ll find yourself waking up face-
style may not be entirely new, its popularity first in your neighbor’s bush with sprinklers
was truly revitalized when the Belgian hosing you off at 6 a.m. It’s called time travel
brewery Moortgat changed up the recipe and you can see the outcome of that if you
for Duvel and came out with a light golden google “Duvel Challenge.”
THE INGREDIENTS:
This light colored and sometimes mildly flavored (depending on the brewer) ale relies upon the
standard four ingredients of almost every beer. You’ve got barley, which is a crystal malt of the pale variety that imparts the light
golden color onto the brew. The water is of the purest variety, being the primary ingredient, and provides that refreshing and
thirst-quenching backdrop for the perfect blonde ale. Hops are the stabilizer or mildly bittering agent that level off the beer’s
initial sweetness from the malted barley. And the final ingredient is yeast, which is the most delicate of all four because it is a
living organism and is very sensitive to temperature changes. Like your blonde supermodel, the yeast is very high maintenance.
She requires delicate handling as she is added to the beer and will not perform her duties unless given the proper temperature.
So if it’s too hot or too cold, she’s not going to get her groove thing on. Yeast’s magic is turning sugar into alcohol and carbon
dioxide. If only your blonde supermodel could do that, it might give new meaning to golden showers.
WATER: The liquid of life and primary ingredient in all temperatures than with a bottom-fermenting or lager yeast.
beer is clean and refreshing water. Beer was actually a Some typical yeasts used to make blonde ales would be
Great now our Belgian friends will think they invented blondes too!
replacement for water back in the day when drinking water White Labs WLP013 London Ale yeast, or Wyeast 1098
by itself could kill you. It wasn’t that long ago when water British Ale yeast.
gathered from lakes or streams that hadn’t gone through
a purification process may have been full of bacteria and BARLEY: Barley is a cereal grain that’s ground up and
parasites that could make you deathly ill. This is why many boiled in hot water to impart flavor and provide some
countries even today still rely primarily on drinking beer or overwhelming influence on the beer’s appearance. It
tea with every meal instead of water. Too bad this custom typically comes in two varieties: two-row and six-row. The
never made its way to America, but if you hop on a plane six-row is used to brew American lagers and is usually
over to Europe or Asia you’ll find this is still the norm. higher in protein but tends to be cloudy so clarifiers need
The characteristics of water including its composition, to be added to the beer. The two-row barley has less
hardness, and mineral levels will each have an impact protein and is higher in fermentable sugars. This means
on the taste of the beer and its beautiful appearance. that two-row barley is capable of outputting higher-
Water collected in England, the origin of ales, will have alcohol beers. Knowing that barley influences the color of
a drastically different taste than water collected from the beer and that the blonde ale is in essence “blonde,” it
Germany, which is the origin of lagers. Ales are traditionally doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the barley used to
composed of harder water, which accentuates hop make it is of a crystal or pale malt variety and color.
bitterness and provides for greater complexity of body.
HOPS: With all that sugar provided by the barley, the
YEAST: If there were a step in the brewing process beer needs some sort of bittering agent to balance the
whereby you could wave a wand over your brew and flavor. This is where the almighty hops come in. Just like a
officially declare it a beer, it would be just after the pitching grape could be considered the icon of wine, the hop is the
(addition) of the yeast. Yeast is a eukaryotic microorganism, foremost symbol of a great beer. Similar to little green pine
meaning that, like plants and animals, it has complex cones in appearance, the hops are equipped with a pair of
cells enclosed with membranes. But instead of eating stiff nuts at their base covered in aromatic, yellow glands
pastrami sandwiches or Kobe beef like us carnivores known as lupulin. This lupulin is made up of acylphloro-
or absorbing sunlight like plants, yeasts feed on sugars glucides or bittering substances, which are resins that not
to make alcohol and carbon dioxide. Having that ability only act as a preservative but also impart bittering flavors
certainly qualifies them to be a part of the FunGuy (fungi) and aromas. Unlike a pale ale or India pale ale, (IPA),
kingdom. Fortunately we are a little higher on the food known for their overwhelmingly hoppy smell and taste, the
chain and get to reap the rewards of their eating habits. blonde ale uses only subtle notes of hops and relies on its
The blonde ale relies upon a top-fermenting yeast, meaning malt to provide its characteristic flavor. Some typical hops
the yeast begins the fermentation process on the top of used in brewing a blonde include Hallertauer, Hersbrucker,
the beer. This fermentation process takes place at higher Liberty, Saaz, or Northwest Golding.
: [27]

BEER ANATOMY
THE
PROCESS
M
aking blonde
ale can be
easier brewing
than more
complicated
beers like lambics, IPAs, barleywines
or pilsners. All beer goes through
a similar process of a brewer first
mashing up the grains, boiling them
in water to make wort, adding hops
Good thing blondes are NOT shaped like a beer bottle.
and continuing to boil, cooling to

room temperature to add the yeast
and then storing it all at a constant
temperature for several weeks
to allow fermentation. After that,
PRESTO!—you’ve got beer. While that
may seem quite a bit oversimplified,
for those that have never brewed
beer before, it’s not as frightening
or as big a mystery as it may seem.
One word of warning: Making Blonde ales just like blonde women: They come in all shapes
beer and making GOOD beer are and sizes and have varying levels of complexity. The English blondes
are relatively simple in nature, share a similar light golden tint, and
not synonymous. Let’s give credit to
are moderately hoppy at best. The American blondes have a bit more
those exceptional brewers like Vinnie
character on the flavor spectrum, ranging from the relatively bland
Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing (looking to copy a pilsner) to a bit fruity and sweet, and some are even
that gave us Damnation ale or John moderately hoppy in nature. Both the English and American blondes
Maier from Rogue Ales that gave us are relatively low on the alcohol scale; trying to please the masses, they
Oregon Golden Ale. Both of these are stay between 3.5 and 5.5 percent. But if keeping it light gets the ladies
to drink, I’m all for it. But the Belgians stepped into this arena and made
exceptional blonde ales of the Belgian
certain the carpet didn’t match the curtains on their lovely blondes.
and American varieties, each complex Despite the complexion and light golden transparency, some of these
and unique their own way. One could beauties are packing an alcohol content upward of 15 percent, which is
only image the number of sleepless enough to shed 30 pounds off that slump-buster you were so reluctant
nights spent hovered over a brewing to talk to at the beginning of the night.
kettle, sampling each batch until the
perfect recipe emerged. Slaves to
their work, these brewers devoted
buckets of blood, sweat and beers to
their passion.
[ 28] :

BEER ANATOMY
CHARACTERISTICS
APPEARANCE >
As the name would imply the blonde
ale is “blonde” in color, quite similar to
a lager only slightly more of a copper
or golden hue. First impressions may
resemble that late-afternoon or mild
dimming of the sun on the horizon
before it begins to set. These beers are
very crisp, making them the perfect
transparency for scoping the bartender’s
cleavage as she leans over to wash
glassware in the sink. Its effervescence is
very aggressive and these beers tend to
Lobsta and beer! Shipyard knows how to do it!
have a large white head that dissipates

rather quickly.
SMELL >
Aroma is not an overwhelming
component of the blonde ale because
its ingredients are not as extreme as
other styles like the heavily hopped IPA
or roasted porter grains. The crystal
barley will provide a mild sweetness,
more so than a pilsner, but nothing
like a barleywine. For the American
blonde, you’ll probably notice a slight
hoppy scent because us Yanks love our
hops when compared to those limey
bastards on the other side of the pond.
There may even be a slight fruity aroma
depending on the brewer and his level
of creativity. The Belgian blonde tends
to have a slight citrusy aroma that raises
the heartbeat.
TASTE >
Refreshingly smooth like a lager with a
mildly sweet aftertaste like you’d expect
from an ale would be the best way to
describe first impressions. Leading in
with your schnozz first won’t offset your
expectations, but rather will enhance
the malty characteristics paired with a
crisp effervescence. The carbonation
may provide an initial sting that will
be drowned out with cool refreshment,
followed by a slight alcoholic warming
sensation. The American blonde ales
may have a mild fruity aftertaste from
some unique ingredients snuck in by
the brewer. The Belgian blonde will
provide a noticeable alcoholic warming
aftertaste but it’s surprisingly well
disguised in comparison to other beers
of that weight class.
[ 30] :

SERVING
GLASS: Most pubs, restaurants and five-finger-discount glassware collectors (you
know who you are) all have the proper serving pint for the blonde ale. The standard
shaker cup, or 16 oz. pint glass, was designed for this type of beer. They’re rough,
rugged, versatile and wide-mouthed for easy quaffability. Blonde ales are light, crisp
and mighty refreshing, which makes them the perfect 60 oz. pitcher-served beer
shared among a group of friends. (This also makes a barmaid’s life that much easier.)
The Belgian blonde ale, due to its potential impact if consumed in large quantities, is
typically served in a tulip-style glass, sort of like a snake warning with its stripes. These
beers are to be savored and moderately sipped with the pinky out for you beer snobs.
TEMPERATURE: Finding the right temperature means serving the beer cold enough
to have it refreshing yet warm enough that you don’t lose out on the flavor or aromas.
Always avoid the frosted mug if possible because this will only freeze your tongue and
FOOD numb your taste buds. With the price of beer these days, I’d think you’d want to get
PAIRING your money’s worth. Most American and English blonde ales are best when consumed
at about 45-50 degrees, which is typically what most refrigerators are set at anyway. So
N
othing’s finer than waking crack one open and begin consumption before the foam reaches the top of the glass.
up early Saturday morning, Another fortunate component is that most bars keep their beers at one temperature:
realizing you don’t have to COLD. So chances are, this will be the right temperature for the blonde as well. Because
go to work and having a nice golden the Belgian blonde ale will probably have a higher alcohol content, it can benefit from
blonde ale with some scrambled eggs being served at slightly higher temperatures, around 50-55 degrees. So take your time
and bacon. While the girls are throwing drinking this beer and it will warm up on its own.
back their mimosas or bloody marys,
try a fried egg and bagel sandwich
with an Eel River California Blonde
COMMON BLONDE ALES
The Bucket List of blonde ales?

Ale. If you’re throwing together some
appetizers or looking for some snacks 21st Amendment South Park Blonde DuClaw Bare Ass Blonde Ale
to pair with your blonde ale during the Alcatraz Searchlight Golden Ale Eel River California Blonde Ale
pregame show before football starts Arcadia Lite Fish Tale Blond Ale
up, try some calamari, hummus, or Astoria Da Bomb Blonde Fullers Summer Ale
spinach dip in a sourdough bread Bayhawk Beach Blonde Golden Valley Grand Island Golden
bowl. Nothing’s finer than a Pizza Port Beach Bum Blonde Ale Goose Island Blonde Ale
Beachcomber Blonde Ale with some Bear Republic Blonde Ale Hales Drawbridge Blonde
warm spinach-artichoke dip and tortilla Beer Works Summerworks Ale John Harvards Summer Blonde Ale
chips. If you’ve got a craving for fish Big Horn Blonde Kona Dukes Draft Blonde Ale
in the mid afternoon sitting under the Big Horse Big Easy Blonde Liberator Golden Ale
shade of your tree, seared ahi tuna or Big Time Sunbreak Blonde Ale Lucky Labrador Organic Golden Ale
grilled trout is the perfect complement Blue Corn Atomic Blonde Ale MacTarnahans Oregon Honey Beer
to a Brooklyn Summer Ale. Having Blue Frog Blonde Frog Ale Moylans Celts Golden Ale
guests over for dinner? Try some Bonaventure Blonde Pelican Surfers Summer Ale
pulled pork or roasted lamb with a Boulder Beer Buffalo Gold Premium Ale Pizza Port Beachcomber Blonde Ale
Sierra Nevada Blonde Ale to bring out Boundary Bay Blonde Ale Port Townsend Chets Gold Golden Ale
the richness and juices of the meat. Brooklyn Summer Ale Red Rock Blonde Ale
Just about any farmer’s breakfast, Capitol City English Summer Ale Rogue Oregon Golden Ale (Shark Tooth Ale)
football-watching appetizer or food hot Central Coast Topless Blonde Ale Russian River Depuration
off the grill will pair perfectly with the Clipper City Gold Ale Sierra Nevada Blonde Ale
blonde ale of your choosing. Coast Range California Blonde Ale Snipes Mountain Extra Blonde Ale
Cooperstown Nine Man Ale Steelhead Barracuda Blonde
Deschutes Cascade Ale Widmer Brothers Blonde Ale
Dock Street Ambitchous Blonde
STATS IBU ABV

ENGLISH BLONDE ALE > 20-40 3.5-5.5%
AMERICAN BLONDE ALE > 20-40 4.3-5.5%
BELGIAN STRONG GOLDEN ALE > 20-50 8.0-15%
: [31]

BEER COCKTAILS
Your Beer
Could Use A
i f f D
Shetn Your Beer r i n k
W
Just Isn’t Enough!
Does manly mean it tastes terrible?
words: Geoff Cozine photos: Carl Hyndman
I
n Issue 9, we presented you, dear readers, with our guide to
beer cocktails. The recipes—most of which even tasted good—
combined beer with other beer, wine, soft drinks, and even ice
cream. A number of you noticed, however, that there was
a certain oomph, shall we
say, lacking from most of the drinks.
Well, you wanted more
punch from your pint, so get
ready for a black eye!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Manliness Factor
How a beverage makes you feel after you drink it, and how it caught with one, you’re looking at a 1. If we had to buy a pickup truck with
makes you feel while you’re drinking it are two very different things. The a gun rack before we were worthy of tipping one back, it’s a sure-fire 10.
alcohol in a pink slushy number with an umbrella poking out of the glass Understand that this isn’t to say you shouldn’t try them all... It is,
does the same job as an ice-cold beer served on a stripper’s rock-hard however, to say that you might prefer to wait until your friends aren’t
abs, but the second leaves you with a great deal less to prove. around before wading into the shallow end of the manliness pool. We
To ensure you know exactly where you stand before ordering, we felt suggest ordering one for your girl, then accidentally spilling it (down your
compelled to rate the ‘Manliness Factor’ of each recipe this time around. throat) when she’s in the bathroom and no one’s looking.
If we’d sooner sit front row center at Mamma Mia on Broadway than be
[ 32]:

THE EXCEPTION
OUR BEER COCKTAIL
COOKBOOK STRIKES BACK TO THE RULE
I
rish Cream is a liqueur made by blending
We’ve all heard the saying, “Beer before liquor, never sicker.” Or is it, “beer after whiskey with honest-to-goodness cream.
liquor, never sicker”? For some of us, it’s more important to be right than it is to be upright, so why Going against both common sense and
risk failing the poetry test? Put them both in the same glass and resign yourself to an inevitable, wide-spread myth, Irish Cream does not need
but predictable, future! to be refrigerated because whiskey naturally
preserves cream and prevents it from spoiling.
And, because it’s homogenized, it won’t
ALE FLIP BOILERMAKER separate under normal conditions.

The problem is that, when you make a
Other than the beer, every ingredient in this salmonella The name conjures up images of grizzled, dirt-streaked
welders fusing plates of steel together into smoke-belching Carbomb, you create what scientists call
lover’s dream is optional, except for the one we wish was:
locomotives. And, while the steam engine has gone the “abnormal conditions”. That’s why, unlike with
the raw egg. Unfortunately, cracking a pre-chicken in your
way of the dodo, this go-to brew of the work- the other recipes we listed, you really only
beer à la Rocky Balboa is what makes an Ale Flip an Ale
Flip. Some do say that eggs are a great hangover cure, but
we prefer ours scrambled with bacon and cheese, thanks.
ing man will forever be the standby of guys
looking to leave a hard day’s labor behind
10 have one choice for delivery method—depth
charge—when you mix Irish Cream and Irish dry
them. Or, at least, guys looking to appear as stout. Fancy explanations aside, it only takes
AKA: Flippant Hen, Flip a second for your drink to look less appealing
if they just left a hard day’s labor, and not an
MANLINESS FACTOR: 5 out of 10. than Derek in a bikini, so you’ll enjoy your
Apollo Creed may be shaking in his boots, but 5 ergonomically correct desk job, behind them.
MANLINESS FACTOR: 10 out of 10.
Carbomb a lot more if what happens to it
we’re not. happens in your stomach.
Straight out of a George Thorogood song and into Since we lived to tell the tale, we originally
RECIPE*: Lager • Raw Egg your glass. planned on just saying that globs of
• Gin (optional) • Sugar (optional)
RECIPE*: American Lager coagulated Carbomb are perfectly safe to
• Ginger or Nutmeg (optional)
• American Whiskey drink... or eat, technically. But, then, our
Man gauge should have been a fat guy with a red face.
• Lemon Juice (optional)
journalistic consciences got the better of us,
so we contacted R & A Bailey & Co. to get the
information straight from the source. According
to spokesperson Peter O’Connor, “mixing
BAILEYS® Irish Cream with an acidic liquid such
as beer or fruit juice can cause a reaction
which changes the form of the liquid but does
not sour it.” [Editor’s note: “changes the form
of the liquid” is apparently marketing-ese for
“gets all clumpy and spongy.”]
So, what’s it all mean? It means we were right
all along and did all that research for nothing!
Oh, and by the way, we were also told that
combining standard servings of Irish Cream
and Irish dry stout exceeds the 0.6 fluid
CARBOMB ounces of alcohol recommended for a standard

drink in the United States, so Baileys does not
Remember how we advised against ordering a Black & Tan in Ireland? It goes double for the Carbomb. For some encourage it. In other words, don’t invite the
reason, the Irish don’t appreciate being reminded of their troubled (recent) past by arrogant tourists. If you’re stateside, local BAILEYS® rep to your next party.
though, this chocolate malted of the beer world is a must-have. Another must? Put the Irish Cream and whiskey in a
shot glass, drop the shot glass right into your stout, and drink fast. You’ll thank us later.
AKA: Belfast Carbomb, Irish Carbomb, Irish Guy
MANLINESS FACTOR: 7 out of 10. Let it sit for a
minute first, and it’s an easy 9. Disgusting,
but a 9 nonetheless.
RECIPE*: 7
• Irish Dry Stout
• Irish Cream
• Irish Whiskey (optional)
* Start with a total of one shot and fill the remaining void with beer. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, go easy on the liqueurs and cordials.
That said, the only limits on whiskey, rum, vodka, etc., are your plans for the night!
: [33]

BEER COCKTAILS
PICK YOUR POISON

W
hen you’re mixing booze with brews,
you’ve got three basic options on how
to get them both into your body without
medical equipment or the need for an X rating:
Chase, Mix, or Drop.
CHASE: “’Cause I’ve got friends in low places. Where

the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues
away. And I’ll be okay.” Preach on, Garth. Whether it’s a
Boilermaker or some random lager-and-liquor combo,
this old-school tactic relies on getting a full shot
down the hatch ASAP. Then, you can savor your beer
as your worries melt away. It’s also good for getting
the worst part over with if you’re not partial to the
hard stuff.
PROS: You get to taste each ingredient separately; the
3 booze kicks in faster
DR. PEPPER
Anything added to Corona helps the taste.
CONS: You don’t always want to taste each ingredient

Trying to turn your beer into a unique blend of 23 kid-friendly flavors is not a good way to impress the separately; requires two hands
ladies, but 151-proof rum is a good way to forget the unavoidable rejections. What do a moped and a
fat chick have in common? They’re both fun to ride until someone sees you doing it. The same goes for MIX: Mixing is smack dab in the middle of the beer
drinking a Dr. Pepper. cocktail road. Just dump your shot in a glass and top
AKA: Flaming Dr. Pepper (use a shot of 151, then light it on fire before dropping it into your beer) it off with the ale or lager of your choice. The simple
act of pouring, in combination with the tilting of
MANLINESS FACTOR: 3 out of 10. Add a few points if you light it on fire first, then take them all away for your glass as you drink, will be enough to mingle the
calling your drink “flaming.” ingredients without making them too flat, so keep
RECIPE*: Light Beer • Amaretto • Rum • Grenadine your spoons to yourself.
PROS: Consistent taste; not too fancy or old-fashioned;
DIRTY WATER you only need one glass
5 File this one under “Y.” Sorry... typo. That’s “why?!” If you’re seeking flavor without the ABV, a beer-meets-cola
Broadway is a decent call. If, instead, you want high octane, a Rum and Coke is a great choice. If you’re dumping
CONS: Some ingredients do not play well with others...
See “The Exception to the Rule” sidebar
them into the same glass, your judgment is obviously impaired, and you should consider switching to water.
DROP: The drop, or depth charge, method is for the
AKA: Aussie Dirty Water, Steel Bottom (sans Cola, plus Jamaican ingredients) showman in each of us. Throw caution, and your
MANLINESS FACTOR: 5 out of 10. Somehow, putting beer in a Rum & Coke actually makes it less manly. inhibitions, to the wind, drop your liquor—shot glass and
all—into a partially filled pint, and start chugging. Add
RECIPE*: Lager • Cola • Rum
personal touches to spice up the routine, but either do
not open your mouth too wide or do cover your teeth with
DOG’S BOLLOCKS ISAR WATER your upper lip... unless you really miss your dentist.
Oh, and we shouldn’t have to say it, but
Who names these things anyway?! We were going The Isar River is an important tributary of the
to joke that the Dog’s Bollocks was named after Danube that flows through Munich, the hallowed
your pooch’s testicles because they share a sweetly home of Oktoberfest. More importantly, though,
tangy taste, but now we’re being told that would is that many popular nudist resorts have sprung
be going too far. So, instead, we’ll say that they up (pun intended) on its banks. What do nude
can both be responsible for a kennel-sized headache Bavarian fräuleins have to do with mixing a PROS: Looks freakin’ cool; nice
and a tale you’d rather not see on the front page of hefeweizen and a blue, orange-flavored liqueur
tomorrow’s paper. from the Caribbean? Not a damned thing, but
MANLINESS FACTOR: 3 out of 10. Not sure that’s okay. CONS: Chipped teeth;
if molesting your dog would raise or lower MANLINESS FACTOR: 2 out of
this one. (My wife insists the correct
answer is “lower”, so let’s go with that.) 3
10. We love naked ladies, but let’s
face it, this drink’s for them. 2
RECIPE*: RECIPE*:
• Pale Ale • Wheat Beer
• Melon Vodka • Blue Curaçao
• Lime Cordial or Lime Juice • Apple or Orange Juice
[ 34] :

BEER COCKTAILS
LIVERPOOL KISS LUNCHBOX

We’re so confused. Liverpool has a reputation of being a
rough-and-tumble port city, right? Sure, it spawned the [Enter witty banter here.] We were going to say something funny about this drink’s name, or about its 1
Beatles, but they themselves were a bunch of ne’er-do- ingredients, or maybe even about an unrelated, yet utterly hysterical, topic. But, at the end of the day,
wells before hitting the big time. Long story short, you’re introducing your beer to Amaretto and OJ so that it tastes like a Creamsicle® Pop. Enough said.
it makes sense that a Liverpool Kiss is slang for AKA: Wisconsin Lunchbox
a head butt. What doesn’t make sense is why 4 MANLINESS FACTOR: 1 out of 10. “Can I have my lunchbox, please” sounds like you’re begging
you’d use black currant liqueur to make one. the class bully for your milk money. You’ll be going home alone.
MANLINESS FACTOR: 4 out of 10. RECIPE*: Pilsner • Amaretto • Orange Juice
There’s liqueur in your beer, but at least no one
can tell by looking at it.
RECIPE*: Stout or Porter • Crème de Cassis
LOADED CORONA
Imagine you’re sitting at a bar, chatting up the redhead next
to you. Your Corona arrives, and by jamming the obligatory
wedge into your bottle, you squirt lime juice into her eye.
Judo chopping a drink is freaking awesome.
Blinded by searing pain and citrus, she is then showered with

cerveza mas fina when you turn your beer upside down with-
out covering the top completely. Next time, save your
dignity and ditch the fruit for a shot of flavored rum.
6 AKA: Corona Limón
MANLINESS FACTOR: 6 out of 10. It
might be higher if you didn’t need to be so careful
pouring in the shot.
RECIPE*: Bottle of Corona • Lemon
and/or Lime Rum
PIPE WRENCH 8
Call it the Boilermaker of the craft beer movement. Gin SAKÉ BOMB
lends a touch of class that Kentucky sour mash can’t Call it old-fashioned American binge drinking meets Asian flair. Two chopsticks hold a carefully placed shot
compete with, and the IPA is, hands-down, the poster of saké suspended over your beer. When you’re ready to drink, pound the table to drop in the saké, then chug
child of our beloved microbrewery, but buyer beware. away. Each one even comes with its own sobriety test. Blind yourself with a chopstick, and you’re cut off!
It may have gotten a wardrobe upgrade from MANLINESS FACTOR: 8 out of 10. You’re not messing around when you reach for the saké, but you lose a
its blue collar roots, but as its name implies, a
Pipe Wrench still packs the power of a tried-
10 couple points for needing props.
RECIPE*: Japanese Lager • Saké
and-true Boilermaker.
AKA: Dog’s Nose (with Pale Ale instead of IPA)
MANLINESS FACTOR: 10 out of 10. The
name alone puts this one at the top of the chart.
RECIPE*: IPA • Gin
[ 36] :

TOM BASS
The Tom Bass takes its name from Bass Ale, but
any pale ale will do. Who Tom is, or was, remains
shrouded in mystery; however, our research (i.e.,
a night of drinking Tom Basses) has discovered he
was undoubtedly determined to reverse millions
of years of evolution. “What makes humans so
special that they don’t walk on all fours like the
other animals?” we’re sure he thought
to himself.
9
2 MANLINESS FACTOR: 9 out of
10. You could stir Jäger and estrogen
together in a Care Bears cup using a
SKIP & GO NAKED tampon, and it would still get a 3.
Ah, college. Nowhere else will people line up, cups at the ready, eager to ladle an unholy witches’ brew out of a RECIPE*:
hopefully new (but probably not even clean) garbage can. If, instead, you make this frat favorite in a pint glass • Pale Ale • Jägermeister
or pitcher and use ingredients bought for quality over quantity, it’s actually not bad and, luckily, still has the same
effect that it did back in the good ol’ days.
AKA: Hop, Skip, & Go Naked, Skippy
MANLINESS FACTOR: 2 out of 10. Give yourself an
extra point for every girl you hand one to.
RECIPE*: Cheap Beer • Lemon, Orange, and/or
Lime Juice • Generic Gin, Vodka, or whatever else you can
find • Grenadine
Your $3 beer now is a $13 beer!

YORSH
Forget the steamy Russian saunas and even steamier
Russian women you see in the movies. If you had to MANLINESS FACTOR: 4 out
stand in line for three hours a day in a Siberian blizzard of 10. Sounds like a page out of the
to get a hunk of moldy cheese, you’d want to spend Kama Sutra, but you’ve basically just
the other 21 getting as drunk as possible, too. Enter put candy in your beer.
the Yorsh. “Copious” best describes how much vodka to
use. “Unconscious” best describes the desired result. RECIPE*:
• Ale
4
AKA: Beer Buster (Hot Sauce and no Cuke), Spiked • Dark Rum
Brew, Orange/Lemon/Peach Glow (Wheat Beer, • Molasses
Flavored Vodka, and no Cuke)
MANLINESS FACTOR: 6 out of 10. 6
Forget the cucumber, and we’ll give you a 9. WHISTLE BELLY
Lick the salt off the cucumber, and you’re Those crazy Colonials apparently loved warm ale and rum mixed with a dollop of molasses. At first, we figured the name came
a party of 1. from the whistle people let out when they’ve enjoyed their beverage. But, then, we learned that the molasses served to mask the
RECIPE*: Beer • Vodka funk of often spoiled beer and that, sometimes, chunks of bread were even thrown in for good measure. So, we’re sticking with
• Salted Cucumber Slice the modern-day definition of “whistle belly”: the whistles that come from your belly when you’ve got the trots.
AKA: Whistle Belly Vengeance, Whip Belly
WHERE CAN YOU GO FROM HERE?

O THE BEER MAGAZINE WEBSITE,
T OF COURSE! We’ve got a Beer

Cocktails thread ready for you
on the Beer Forum. Admit it.
You’re dying to say how awe-
some this feature was (or, more likely, that
we f***ed up and overlooked the world’s
best recipe). So, get up there, click on
“Beer Styles,” and let us know what’s on
your mind!
: [37]

KOBE & KUROBUTA
Be er - fed
BOLLOX
We are guessing the average beer drinker is also very marbled.
words: Jennifer Litz
W
hat’s better than a fat, juicy, well-marbled USDA Prime beef steak? A snowflake-marbled steak of Wagyu.
Wagyu beef—or, as it goes by its designer name, Kobe—is probably the most misunderstood animal
slain this side of Japan. Bacchanalian foodies’ ears perk up when they hear rumors of its lavish lifestyle—
that it is fed a diet of barley, beer, even sake leaves in between regular massages, and certainly, has a
longer feeding time to supply all that “pinpoint” marbling, which translates to a longer life for the pig.
Some of that is a bunch of bull. Especially when Wagyu is raised in the states.
And what of its pork counterpart, Berkshire, which was supposedly gifted to the Japanese by English diplomats in the
1800s, and then deemed Kurobuta (“black hog”) when they made the animal their own, feeding it beer (or did they?) and
letting it go for swims? Much of that is bollocks, too, or at least rump-backwards.
Which parts of these storied livestocks’ lives are true? Both really are super-fatty, premium animals with farms cultivating
their prized meat in America, Japan, the UK and beyond. Both have a maelstrom of misinformation surrounding them, which
will often differ depending on the restaurateur or purveyor you’re talking to. And both have juicy, well-marbled flesh just begging
to be paired with a beer.
“On the right is an A5 ribeye from

Kagoshima, Japan (beer-fed),”
says Anthony Carron of Michael
Mina restaurant group. “Note the
color, marbling and the stamp. On
the left is a USDA Choice ribeye.”
Courtesy Anthony Carron.
[ 38
30] :

ARE KOBE BEEF AND KUROBUTA PORK
REALLY THE PARTY-ANIMAL BEER GUZZLERS
OF THE LIVESTOCK KINGDOM?
KOBE IS A BASKETBALL PLAYER
… Beyond that, it’s tricky to say what else that word describes.
The Hyogo Prefecture (capital city: Kobe) is an area in Japan where Wagyu (“Japanese
cow”) were used circa 200 years ago to cultivate rice in isolated Japanese mountains.
Somewhere along the line, supposedly the Japanese decided these fatty friends were
better to be eaten.
But true Japanese Wagyu, an amalgamation of months. American Wagyu, conversely, is fed on about half the price of Japanese Wagyu. There
cattle indigenous to Japan, is not always raised grain, often mostly corn, according to Geller. are some ranchers here, too, who will raise their
in the Kobe region. The final difference? Streaky marbling Wagyu free-range and grass fed. But if you’re
American-raised Wagyu is often crossbred in American Wagyu, as opposed to a more gonna live … live, dammit.
with Angus cattle, which has a whole different omnipresent, snowy “pinpoint” fat pattern in There aren’t a lot of places that will support
history of cultivation. So you can see why Japanese Wagyu. And preferable size: Gellar the price of Japanese Wagyu, especially in
names like “Kobe-style,” “American Kobe” says an American strip loin is 12-15 pounds— this economy—which is why many of Michael
and others are, at best, misunderstood and, at about half the length of a Japanese strip. Mina’s Kobe-carrying restaurants are located in
worst, wrong. Still, restaurateurs like to call their Now: This isn’t to slander American Wagyu, casinos, where the hotel or a business may be
beef by the recognizable designer moniker. which is a wonderful taste experience. footing a dinner tab. You can also order the beef
“There are lots of regions in Japan that raise beef According to Carron, it has about twice the from some online stores, such as Geller’s own
in the same style [as Kobe],” says Anthony Carron, marbling as USDA prime, which comprises Geller International (www.gellerinternational.
corporate chef for Michael Mina restaurants that the top 1 percent of American beef, and costs net) or (http://1-800-kobebeef.com/).
include Michael Mina in San Francisco; Stonehill
The Bull on Your Beer Bottle
One point for the American beer drinkers being better than the Japanese original.
Tavern at St. Regis in Dana Point, California;
Seablue Las Vegas and more. “Some are even
better than Kobe. Ours actually comes from two
F
different regions called Kagoshima and Miyadako. or those who really want their beer and Kobe beef to be in the same place, Rogue Ales has got
… Most if not all is coming from beef prefectures you covered. Before Rogue owner Jack Leroy Joyce owned one of America’s best-selling craft
besides the Kobe prefecture. But it’s the same style breweries, he was a lawyer that raised cattle, so he knew a thing or two about beef. Once, Joyce
of beef, ultra fatty.” was reading an in-flight magazine about a company in Idaho providing high-grade cuts of Kobe beef.
In other words, not all Wagyu is created He wondered what they were doing with the rest. He thought it would make a damn good hamburger.
the same. He was right. Now that company—Snake River Farms—produces all the beef for Rogue’s Kobe
So what’s the difference? Plenty, from the burgers, Kobe chili, and Kobe taco meat. Heck, there’s even Kobe on the beer—the St. Rogue Red Ale,
sight to the taste. It’s all in how you raise it. which pays homage to Fukutsuru, Snake River Farm’s late prize Wagyu bull, on its label. Joyce says he
There’s actually precious little true “Kobe” loves to tell good stories, and the label certainly does: “Over 50,000 units of Fuku’s pride is in the freezer
beef imported to America, or, more correctly, for future breeding,” it reads. “In his final days, Fuku was given the opportunity to ‘socialize’ with some
little 100 percent Japanese Wagyu. Part of that fine, young, cows. Instead he chose to take a nap.”
has to do with its fetching price. Carron says
he has to charge about $160 for an A5-grade Rogue Brewing Co. has a partnership with Snake River Farms to serve its American Wagyu at Rogue’s public
6-ounce steak of Japanese Wagyu to make a houses. This 2006 dry-hopped red label brew commemorated SRF’s prized Fukutsuru breeding Wagyu bull. As
profit. Compare that with American Wagyu, for the label describes, “Fuku” was quite a rogue (and his kin go great with this brew). Courtesy Kristin Thornton.
which $70 would be fair.
But the way Carron describes the taste of
Japanese Wagyu, the experience is worth the
money. He describes a rich, sweet, nutty flavor to
the flesh, whose liberal amounts of unsaturated
fat doesn’t stick to your palate. When cooked
correctly (he prefers just past medium rare), the fat
melts right when it hits your tongue.
All these characteristics have to do with
how this cattle is raised besides its pedigree.
“The entire process is very different,” James
M. Geller says of American versus Japanese-
raised Wagyu. There’s a longer feeding process
for the latter type, he says, which are corralled
and kept sedentary for a feeding program that
includes high-quality grasses, hand-chopped
veggies, barley, and yes, beer to stimulate their
appetites during the warmer, more lethargic
: [39]

KOBE & KUROBUTA
Some would trade their lives in to be a pig that gets beer and then becomes delicious bacon.
Some say pigs store

their food directly
as fat. Beer-flavored
pork, anyone? Photo
courtesy Lucies Farm,
www.hmdp.net.
PORK-WORTHY PORK
There’s even less truth to the supposed lavish lifestyle of
Berkshire pork, despite some of you who may have seen
Gordon Ramsay chasing a black pig around with a saucer
of beer on his F Show.
In the states, people who raise pork say it is simply too expensive to feed pigs
The Berkshire pigs at Lucies Farm in Worcester, England,
beer. And those PETA nuts would probably cry foul, even though the singular may be the only ones of their kind to chug a daily
elements of beer are usually incorporated into the animals’ diets anyway. brewski. Photo courtesy Lucies Farm, www.hmdp.net.
There are only a few hundred Berkshire pigs love their daily chug of lager, and will slurp it is why some hogs in Italy are famously fed
left in their native Britain. And the stories right out of the can. Unfortunately, they don’t acorns to make proscuitto ham. Greenwood
about Japanese-raised Berkshires—deemed ship their pork to the states, but they’d love Berkshire pork is fed the raw milk from their
“Kurobuta” (“black pig”)—being fed beer and for you to visit if you’re ever in the area natural-raised Jersey cows to impart a creamy
massaged with sake cannot be substantiated. (www.luciesfarm.co.uk). flavor. Unfortunately, the pigs aren’t also fed
Neither can stories that a British monarch gifted Walsh says he used to feed the pigs premium beer—but they are turned into a variety of
Japanese diplomats with the hogs in the 1800s. beer from a small craft brewhouse near the zesty, garlic-butter and “tailgate” brats, perfect
Ask hog farmer Craig Walsh, who farm, but that was more expensive, and kegs for pairing with ales that can stand up to their
paid a researcher to document took longer to tap than buying whatever is on unctuous goodness. Try them by ordering off
it from the National Archives sale at his local grocers and feeding from the www.greenwoodfarms.com.
at Kew. He came up empty- can. Now the pigs get Stella, Heineken, and So, beer and pork fans, it seems as though
handed. How the pigs got to other Euro-lagers. you’ll have to be content to have a beer with your
Japan is a mystery. They are In the states you can look for Berkshire pork steak instead of in it, if you’re buying stateside.
not native. from a few Midwestern farms like Boise, Idaho’s The costs of feeding lager to livestock on this side
Now the good news: Walsh Snake River Farms, which helped popularize the of the pond is too high, especially for a nation
has taken it upon himself to premium pork, hot on the heels of the cooling that runs its cattle on cheap, abundant corn,
make more of the lore a reality. Wagyu trend. despite how that changes the animal’s saturated
He ensures his Berkshire pigs Holly Atkinson of Newburg, Missouri’s fat profile (for the worse). Perhaps you can raise a
have a stress-free lifestyle via beer Greenwood Farms says a pig’s diet and lifestyle couple of Berkshires in your backyard, feed them
feedings and swims at his Lucies Farm directly affect the taste of its meat. Hogs directly your favorite brews, and then consummate your
in Worcester, England. He says the pigs convert to fat whatever they’ve been fed, which friendship over dinner.
[ 40
30] :

beer GAMES
Ah the good old days...now we have Wii pinball!
JAIL HOUSE WIZARD

words: Seth Martin photos: Carl Hyndman
[ 42] :

o you remember pinball? That’s right,
the game that you played at an arcade
not in your living room. The one
where you controlled the steel ball
for as long as possible trying to rack
Hairy arms make all games look more “manly.”

up the most points? If you have no
idea what I am talking about, chances
are you were born after 1990 and are still living in your
parent’s house, in which case—go ask them about it! But if
you do recall the sickest of arcade classics, then sit back
and prepare for a time warp to the golden age of gaming
before Xbox and PlayStation were even ideas. This month
we are going to provide you with some basic pinball tips
that may help to improve your skills enough to battle for
the title of Pinball Wizard. That is, if you can even find a
machine to play on.
Pinball is a game of skill where the player has to
manipulate a steel ball in an enclosed playing surface in
order to score points. The surface of the game is on a
slope designed to bring the ball, via gravity, back toward
the player. The player then must redirect the ball, using
the flippers, to keep the turn alive and continue to add
points to the score. If the ball passes by the flippers to the
drain, that turn is over and the player must then put a new
ball in play. Sounds easy, right? Let’s start with the basics
and go from there.
: [43]

Flippers
BONUS POINTS • The flippers are the paddles controlled by buttons
• Each game has its own custom on the sides of the machine. The button on the
bonuses. The challenge is figuring right side controls the right flipper and the button
out how to activate them and then to on the left controls the left. Be sure to look over the
achieve them consistently. machine, for some machines have more than two
flippers. In this case, the button or buttons on the
• Look and listen: The pinball
corresponding side will most likely control all of the
machine has lots of lights, sounds
flippers on that side of the machine.
and displays that will guide you in the
direction of the bonus areas. Many • The most important rule of Pinball is not to
bonus areas are only available for a flip both flippers at the same time. Only flip the
short time, so pay attention to the flipper that you need to use and let go of the button
scoreboard and the lights to gain after you use it. Flipping both or leaving the flippers
maximum points. When in doubt, try up after use makes you look like a fool and it also
to hit any targets or ramps that are lit creates a large hole, which, at times, will allow for the
up. This is usually where extra points ball to drain and therefore lose a turn.
and bonuses are hidden.
• “Drop catch” is the art of catching or stopping the
• Multi-ball is a very common bonus ball dead on a flipper by pressing and holding the
in most pinball machines. The amount flipper button at the right moment. This technique
of balls differs but the concept of will allow the player total control of the ball and also
We ran out of female models?
multiple balls being played at once is aid in more accurate and consistent shots.
constant. Keep in mind that a good
• “Dead flipping” is when the ball hits a flipper and
strategy is to drop catch one or more
the player does not press the button. This technique
balls in order to have better control
allows the ball to softly bounce off the flipper, which slows the ball down and makes it
over the remaining live balls. Randomly
easier to drop catch. Be careful, if not done correctly the ball can drain and the player will
hitting the flippers will cause chaos and
lose a turn.
may even eliminate any bonus scoring
activated prior to the multi-ball.
BALL CONTROL
• When hitting the ball, keep in mind that the closer to the tip of the flipper the ball
is, the farther it will travel to the opposite side. Also, the closer to the base of the
flipper, the more likely the ball is to travel to the same side. Consistency is the key,
so practice shooting and soon you will be able to accurately place the ball wherever
you like.
• Keep the ball alive: The longer you keep the ball in play the better chance you
have to score and activate bonuses. This requires good-hand eye coordination as
well as concentration. Remember to keep your eye on the ball!
• Tilt: This is when the player nudges or moves the machine to

manipulate a ball that looks to be going down the
center into the drain. Nudging the machine is a
legal move and may help you prevent the loss
of a ball and turn. Be careful: Machines have tilt
FINAL SCORE sensors; if the machine is moved too much, the
T hese basic pinball tips can help

raise your score from zero to hero.
I wish I could say that being a Pinball
display will show “TILT” and that will end your turn.
Ending a turn on tilt will also cause the player to lose
any end-of-ball bonuses that were earned during play.
Wizard is cool, but chances are you
will be made fun of and ridiculed often This can make or break your game depending on the
with that kind of title. So break out the amount of points lost.
vintage 1970s t-shirts and tuck away
your pride. I am sure there is someone
out there that will be impressed with
your newfound Pinball Wizardry … right? If
not, grab some cold beer and some good
friends and take a trip back to a time before
computers ruled the gaming world!
[ 44] :

BEER FEATURE
ING
That’s about $200K per car...yikes that’s a lot of beer.
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[ 46]:

#36 PAPAS &
BEER TECATE
FORD
Class of Racing: Unlimited 2,
Lucas Oil
Off Road Racing
Owner: Rodrigo Ampudia
Driver: Rodrigo Ampudia
Sponsors: Tecate Beer, Lucas Oil,

Papas & Beer, BF Goodrich Tires,
Fox Shoxs, Mastercraft, Simpson,
K&N Filters, Pro Power Engines,
Caltime, Mexicana Logistics,
J & H Transmissions
Chassis: Stamper,
Related Fabrication
Drive Train: 2WD
Engine: Pro Power Ford 3
90 cubic in., 850 hp
Fuel: VP late model plus 114 octane
Speed: 0 – 60 under 3.5 seconds
Top Speed: 115 mph
Suspension: Front: A-Arm, 16
It’s Miller time!

in. travel, Fox Shox 3”- 3 bypass
suspended coil spring;
Rear: 4 link, 18 in. travel,
Fox Shox 3”- 4 bypass suspended
coil spring
Cost Of The Truck: Too many
cases of beer (Around $200,000)
Wins: Coming soon, but four
podiums, second and third places
and two second places (third place
July 25 Lake Elsinore)
#2 MILLER LITE DODGE

Class of Racing: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Speed stats: 0 – 60 mph in four seconds
Owner: Roger Penske Top Speed: 200 mph
Driver: Kurt Busch Suspension: Front Suspension: Independent double
A-arms; Rear Suspension: Full floating live axle with
Sponsors: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger trailing arms and panhard rod
Cost of the car: $200,000+
Chassis: Front steer Penske chassis Special notes: Kurt Busch—NASCAR Cup Series
Drivetrain: Front engine, rear-wheel drive Champion (2004); IROC Series Champion (2003);
Engine: R6-P8 V8 Dodge Magnum 5.9-Liter NASCAR Truck Series Rookie of the Year (2000)
(358 cubic in.) Wins: NASCAR Cup Series – 19
Horsepower: 850 hp www.kurtbusch.com; www.penskeracing.com
Fuel: Sunoco unleaded gasoline
: [47]

BEER FEATURE
BUDWEISER/LUCAS OIL TOP FUEL DRAGSTER

Class of Racing: NHRA Chassis: Magnesium and carbon fiber of Budweiser sponsoring the team and unfortunately it
Owner: Kenny Bernstein Drivetrain: RWD was also its last. We’re upset to see such an iconic car lose
Driver: Brandon Berstein Engine: Supercharged 500 cubic in. TFX aluminum hemi sponsorship, but we’ll bet the team is back and even
V-8 block, bore and stroke 4.19 in. x 4.50 in. better next year.
Maybe we can solve the energy crisis with beer...cars running on actual beer! Used beer even better!
Sponsors: Budweiser, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools, Matt Cordeiro Horsepower: 7,000 to 8,000 Wins: Kenny has 69 wins in Budweiser-sponsored cars
Enterprises, Summit Racing Equipment, Inc., Cordeiro Fuel: Nitromethane throughout the 30 years along with 6 NHRA championships,
Brothers Trucking, La Paz Products, PJ1, Ringers Gloves, Speed stats: 4 in Funny Car and 2 in Top Fuel.
Akerly & Childs Piston Rings, Bill Miller Engineering, ARP, Zero to 100 miles per hour in .8 seconds Brandon has another 17 victories!
Boninfante Clutch Parts. Autolite XP Sparkplugs, Clevite 77, Zero to 275 miles per hour in 3 seconds www.kennybernstein.com
CNC Performance Engineering, EGT, Fram Filters, Goodyear, Zero to 330 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds
J.E. Pistons, Lincoln Welders, MainGate, Meguiars, MSD Top Speed: 330-plus mph
Ignition, Oakley, PAC Valve Springs, S.C.E. Gaskets, Simpson Suspension: None
Safety, Technicoat, VP Fuel, Weld Racing Wheels, XRP – Cost of the car: $180,000 – $200,000-plus
Xtreme Racing Products Special notes: This year marked the thirtieth anniversary
GARY NASTASE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF
[ 48] :

#5 BEAR REPUBLIC
FACTORY 5
Class of Racing: Factory 5 Racing: Camaro/
Mustang Challenge Series instructor car
Owner: Richard G. Norgrove
Driver: Richard G. Norgrove
Sponsors: Bear Republic Brewing Co., RLA

Sheet Metal, RPM Machine and Dyno Tuning,
Healdsburg Collision, Stewart Transport,
American Blastings and Coatings
Chassis: Factory Five Racing

Drivetrain: 86 – 93 RWD Mustang 5.0
Engine: 302 Ford
Horsepower: 225 – 230 hp
Fuel: Pump Gas
Speed stats: 110 mph in the Factory 5 series
at Infineon Raceway
Top Speed: 110 mph
Suspension: Old school: springs, shocks and
no sway bars
Cost of the car: Approximately
$15,000 – 20,000
Special notes: Please visit www.factoryfive.
com or www.ffrchallenge.com for more details.
Dear insurance companies...have a beer and relax.

This car is actually purchased as a kit and raced
in the challenge series. The car is purchased
from www.factoryfive.com.
Wins: 10 at National Championship in 2008
www.bearrepublic.com
VANHAP PHOTOGRAPHY
CHECKERED
B
FLAGeer doesn’t actually make horsepower directly
but it does fund it. The recent turn in the
economy has had some dire effects on motorsports
and really, any sport. Much of our entertainment
isn’t really supported just by ticket sales, but by the
generous sponsors of teams, cars and facilities. It’s
not until these things go away that we realize what
we had. As many companies close their wallets to
these events, we see many forms of racing suffer.
We’d like to thank all the companies that sponsor
these cars and hope that they continue to so we
can enjoy thousands of horsepower racing around
… while we drink a beer. Cheers!
: [49]

BEER 201
GOLDILOCKSand the
THREE BEERS
Finding the temperature
that’s just right for your beer
words: Jay R. Brooks photos: Jason Boulanger
O
nce upon a time, there was a young blonde co-ed named Goldilocks.
She walked into her local bar one night (she was over 21) and, be-
We’d drink the too cold and too warm for her.
ing a poor college senior, looked around for someone to buy her
a beer. She found an empty table in a corner with three pints
of beer just sitting there. She sat down in a chair and took a drink of the
first beer. But she couldn’t taste it because it was so cold it numbed
her taste buds. “This beer is too cold,” she exclaimed, and moved to
the second chair. Goldilocks took a sip of the second beer, but spat
it out because it was almost hot and she could taste all sorts
of unpleasant things. “This beer is too warm!” She proclaimed.
Goldilocks stood up and moved to the third and final chair at the
table. She nervously sat down and reached for the pint of golden beer
in front of her. She took a swig, and smiled. This beer wasn’t
too cold or too hot. It was cool enough to be refreshing
but warm enough to allow all the flavors of the beer
to be enjoyed. It was just right.
What’s the moral of the story? While often over-
looked, the temperature that your beer is served
at is more important than most people imagine.
Why should it matter that much? Beer is designed
so that its full flavors are realized only when it’s
consumed at the proper temperature. Too cold and
your taste buds are literally numbed, robbing you of
actually tasting all of its flavors. Too warm and …
well, we all know what warm beer tastes like. Most
people have never tasted piss, though most have
owned a cat or dog at some point in their lives,
and gotten close enough to smell its urine. Some
beer, and especially adjunct beer made with rice or
corn, gets perilously close to smelling just like that.
Good craft beer, on the other hand, and specifically
styles that are darker and higher in alcohol, will still
taste good as they warm, up to a point.
As Goldilocks instinctively knew, extremes on either
end of the spectrum are undesirable. Advertising the
coldest beer, as some companies do, makes as much
sense as saying you have the hottest soup or the coldest
ice cream. People don’t—or shouldn’t—want the hottest or
coldest anything. They should want whatever they’re eating
or drinking to be at the “proper” or ideal temperature to
maximize their pleasure and enjoyment of the flavors.
[ 50]:

WHAT TEMPERATURE THE PERFECT PINT
DOES TO BEER
Outside the comfort zone, whether too cold or too
Getting the perfect pint, at just the right
temperature, is trickier than you might
hot, aroma, flavor, carbonation, texture and clarity suppose. One problem is that beer is
are all affected by the temperature at which your generally stored at a colder temperature
beer is served. than it should be served. The ideal
Aromas are muted when too cold and temperature setting for a refrigerator is
exaggerated by being to warm, especially the 35-38 degrees. That’s cold enough to
more foul aromas. Likewise, your taste buds substantially slow the growth of bacteria
being numbed by cold temperatures on most food, but not too cold as to
means you’re not getting all the damage most foods and liquids that
flavors and their combinations should not be frozen. The Draught Beer
are distorted. Too warm Quality Manual, recently published by
and your beer is no the Brewers Association, recommends
longer refreshing and the that beer should be stored at between
sensory flavors have gone 34-38 degrees.
haywire, tasting nothing like But they also recommend that
the brewer intended. 38-44 degrees “delivers the best taste
Cold beer retains more carbon experience for most beer styles.” And
dioxide and consequently fills you most experts say that, depending on
up quicker. Warm beer goes flat much style, a range of 35-60 (some would
quicker and many aromas essentially burn off say 38-55) degrees is ideal.
and are lost. Also, at higher temperatures much The basic rule for the serving
more foaming occurs. temperature of beer is, the more the
The closer you get to freezing, the greater likeli- alcohol, the warmer the serving temp.
Penguins probably want warm beer.

hood there is that your beer will develop “chill haze,” Strong beer should be served warmer
where particles will begin to appear. These look like than weaker beer. Dark beer should
flakes, as if it’s snowing inside your beer bottle. be served warmer than light beer. And
They won’t actually affect the taste of the beer— lagers should be served cooler than
it’s only a cosmetic issue—though few people ales. As the Campaign for Real Ale
like a snow globe for a beer. distinguishes the two, “colder temperatures
allow fully attenuated beers such as
pale lagers to be enjoyed for their
THE ICE IN ICE COLD

crispness; while warmer temperatures
allow the more rounded flavors of an
ale or a stout to be perceived.”
But since beer should be
stored colder than
Most people agree that beer can be too warm, but being too cold is not as much of an
you should
issue for many people. Beer companies have made a tidy living persuading people to
drink it, it’s
drink their beer “ice cold,” but the truth is the colder the beer is, the less of it you can
almost a
actually taste, as the closer the temperature gets to freezing (and below it), the more
safe bet
your taste buds are numbed.
that when
At colder temperatures, several volatile components
you get it in
in the beer aren’t released in your mouth and
your hand
disappear undetected down your throat.
it’s going to
The beer’s flavor profile is considerably
be too cold.
narrowed and some tastes disappear
This also makes
completely. Cold beer also affects the
it difficult for most
beer’s balance because hop character
bars or restaurants
survives better than malt or fruity esters.
to serve a wide range
This is the reason bland lagers, which
of beers at a range of
are generally less well hopped, do better
temperatures. Assuming
at cold temperatures and explains why
you can predict how long
ales are generally served at warmer
it will take to order another
temperatures. A good rule of thumb is
beer, the best bet is to order
the colder the beer, the less of it you can
early so the next beer can warm
actually taste.
up before you take the first sip.
: [51]

BEER 201
MICHAEL JACKSON’S I f the guidelines by beer style are too

much to keep in your head—especially
RECOMMENDED SERVING after a night of revelry—legendary beer
TEMPERATURES
writer Michael Jackson once proposed an
easier-to-remember five-point scale for
serving temperatures:
1 Well-chilled
(45ºF) for
“light” beers
2 Chilled (47ºF) for
Berliner weisse and
other wheat beers
3 Lightly chilled (48ºF) for
all dark lagers, altbier
and German wheat beers
(pale lagers)
While others are fighting over his kids, we’re fighting over his beers!
4 Cellar temperature
(55ºF) for regular Brit-
ish ale, stout and most
5 Room temperature
(60ºF) for strong dark
ales (especially trappist
Belgian specialties beer) and barleywine.
THE MYTH OF WARM BEER IN ENGLAND

Many people repeat the lie that British beer Once delivered to a pub, these ales are 52 degrees, with the idea that allowing
is served warm. It’s not. The people who tell kept at cellar temperature, though some it to come up to just the right temperature
you that are idiots. That, or they’re a little people insist it’s room temperature. But if so, makes the most sense.
confused about what “warm” really is. Many they’re talking about the drafty pre-industrial “Personally, I think 11 degrees Celsius
beers, especially the newly popular lagers, rooms before the days of central heating. [51.8 degrees Fahrenheit] is the optimum
are sold just as cold as American beers Generally in Europe, room temperature, for serving temperature for ale,” reasons Jeff
are—that is, too cold. There’s even a variety serving purposes, is about 60 degrees. The Bell, publican of London’s Gunmaker Arms.
of Guinness found throughout the British Isles cellar temperature real ale is served at is “In general, it’s better to go slightly too low
known “Guinness Extra Cold.” You’ll see it generally between 54-57 degrees, which rather than turn off customers with a tepid
sitting right next to regular Guinness, which is hardly warm. It may be warmer than the pint. Cool beer quickly warms up, but warm
is presumably just cold. People will obviously bland lagers most Americans are used to, beer doesn’t get any cooler.”
fall for any marketing gimmick. but at that temperature all of its flavors are
Your misguided friend is undoubtedly released and you can get the full enjoyment
referring to cask beer, a.k.a. cask-conditioned of every taste and aroma the brewer intended.
ale, hand-pumped or pulled beer or simply That’s considered properly chilled or
real ale. What differentiates real ale from cool. And done correctly, you’ll
regular kegged or bottled beer is that real ale find no better example of how
continues to ferment in the cask and is, as such, good a beer can taste
a living product. Other beer, while perfectly than one that’s made
tasty, is chilled and filtered, and all the yeast and served in this
is removed so that no more fermentation is traditional manner.
possible, and then is often pasteurized to make Many publicans
it sterile. As devotees of real ale will remind in the UK even
you, all those steps also remove a great deal of lower their
the flavors and aromas of the more natural or cellar temperature
traditional real ale development process. slightly, to around
[ 52] :

FROSTY THE RECOMMENDED
SERVING TEMPS
BEER BY BEER STYLE
MUG
While there’s no universal agreement
on the ideal temperature, the following
ranges by beer style will be a good start.
Often times a bar or restaurant
will serve your beer in a frosted Amber Ale 45-50° F
glass. Generally speaking, that’s a Barley Wine 50-55° F
terrible idea. A frosted, frozen Belgian Ale 40-45° F
glasses stored in the freezer chemically Belgian Strong 50-55° F
alters the beer and changes its taste, Biere de Garde 45-50° F
and causes foaming due to nucleation Bitters 48-53° F
sites. When beer drops below freezing, the
Blonde Ale 40-45° F
ingredients begin to break down, primarily
Bock 45-50° F
the proteins that come out of solution. This
Brown Ale 48-53° F
causes them to separate and form small flakes
Calif. Common 35-40° F
that swim around in the beer and make it cloudy,
Cream Ale 40-45° F
but this process is often sped up when beer is
Dark Lager 45-50° F
poured into a freezing container like a frosted
Double IPA 45-50° F
glass. Of course, because of the alcohol, beer
Dubbel 50-55° F
freezes at a point that’s already slightly below freezing,
ESB 45-50° F
the exact point depending on the percentage of alcohol.
Farmhouse 45-50° F
Alcohol itself freezes at -173 degrees.
Fruit Beer 40-45° F
Some American domestic lagers do just fine in a frosted
Gueuze 50-55° F
mug because their flavor profiles are already so light that
Just remember it’s better to start with a cold beer. You can’t make it colder when sitting.
serving them at very cold temperatures does little to alter their Hefeweizen 48-53° F
taste. Frozen glasses can cause a beer to foam excessively, Helles 48-53° F
further robbing you of aromas and flavor. The key for frosted Imperial Stout 50-55° F
mugs is that they should be dry before being placed in a freezer, IPA 48-53° F
otherwise a sheet of ice may build up inside the glass. Kölsch 40-45° F
Lambic (Fruit) 45-50° F
Lambic 45-55° F
Macro Lagers 35-40° F
TEMP Malt Liquor

Märzen
35-40° F
45-50° F
WORK Mild
N/A
Nitro Stout
45-50° F
40-45° F
40-45° F
I
t may seem almost ridiculous to put so
Oatmeal Stout 50-55° F
much emphasis on the temperature at Oktoberfest 45-50° F
which your beer is served, but as Old Ale 50-55° F
Pale Ale 45-50° F
Goldilocks can tell you, only the beer
Pilsner 38-45° F
that’s “just right” will fully satisfy. In the
Porter 45-50° F
home, just a little effort to bring your beer Quadrupel 50-55° F
up to the right temperature will make it Real Ale 50-55° F

Red Ale 45-50° F
taste better, allowing it to realize its full
Saison 45-50° F
potential. When out in the world, insist Scotch Ale 45-50° F
that the place where you buy your beer Smoked Beer 50-55° F
Steam Beer 35-40° F
pays attention to your beer’s temperature.
Stout 45-55° F
If they won’t, then they obviously aren’t a Strong Ale 50-55° F
place that deserves your business. Move Tripel 45-50° F

Vienna Lager 40-45° F
on and find the bar that’s “just right,” too.
Wheat Beer 40-50° F
Your taste buds will thank you. Witbier 48-53° F
: [53]

BEER FUTURE
Of
The
FUTURE
We predict there will be beer tomorrow...free beer tomorrow!
Flying car, auto industries that make money…and beer!

words: Luke McKinney
SOLAR POWERED BEER
T
hey had beer in
the past, back to The award-winning craft brewers at Sierra Coupled with a set of natural gas fuel cells the
Nevada prove that going green doesn’t mean brewery can now power itself on sunny days.
5,000 BCE and
living in a tent or giving up the good stuff. The entire electrical grid could fail and they’d
before. We have They’ve installed the third-largest private solar still be brewing. With rising gas prices and
beer in the present (or power plant in the United States, meaning a collapsing economy it looks like the world
you’re reading an imaginary that the sun doesn’t just drive the growth of could go Mad Max at any moment, but even
the hops and malts—it powers the brewery after the downfall of civilization there’ll still
magazine). But what does too. It’s hard to get greener without being a be Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Which is good,
the future hold? Will Buck jealous Incredible Hulk. because in a post-apocalyptic wasteland
Rogers be blasting bad They’ve got 30,000 square feet of solar you’re going to need a drink.
paneling (forming a roof for their car parks
guys with a badass brew
so that no space is wasted).
in his hand, or will we go all
sissy Star Trek without a
real drink in sight? Here’s
a hint: We wouldn’t be
writing about the latter.
Advancing technology
has always benefited beer,
from improved distribution
to brand-new brewing
techniques, but with today’s
super-science brewers
are more like Bond villains:
harnessing the sun, genetic
engineering, even robotic
henchmen, all to help pour
you a cold one.
[ 54]:

SPACE BEER
ANTI-CANCER BEER “Space barley” might be the best-
named and flat-out-coolest beer ever
Students at Rice University are turning beer into
medicine, while most kids in college can only turn made. Sapporo breweries collaborated
it into urine and embarrassing memories. They’re with the Russian Academy of Science
genetically engineering a new form of yeast, and the International Space Station
which will both brew beer and add resveratrol, to brew 100 liters of beer from
the chemical in wine that’s been shown to combat ingredients entirely grown in space.
cancer and heart disease. Oh, and in tests on lab animals it also extends Which just goes to show that humanity
lifespans. It could honestly only be better if they paid you to drink it. can work together across all nations,
Unfortunately it’ll be a while before you can pick up a few anti-cancer and even off the planet, if it’s for
cans. There are still a few steps in the science that need working out, and something worthwhile.
getting genetically engineered yeasts cleared by the FDA is slightly more The barley was part of an experiment
difficult than getting a concealed carry permit in the White House. But it’s on growing crops in space, vital for future
only a matter of time before this (and more) engineered alcohols hit the long-term missions, and once they were
market, and then it’ll really be true when they say “Beer: the solution to harvested Sapporo asked, “You’re not going to
ALL life’s problems.” waste those, are you?” The result is a 5.5 percent
beer that’s literally out of this world (sorry), and
probably the most exclusive booze ever made.
BEER POWER! You can’t even buy it. Instead, chances to taste the
space beer were distributed by lottery.
Remember when we said Sierra Nevada used fuel cells
Ironically, ISS astronauts aren’t allowed to
as well as solar power? What we didn’t mention—
drink beer because of the gas content. The phrase
because too much coolness in one paragraph can be
“as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit” isn’t just a
dangerous—is that those fuel cells run on beer. In 2006
joke. But now we know that even when mankind
they reconfigured their natural gas fuel cells to use
reaches for the stars, he won’t have to be stay
methane generated by brewing—far more efficient than
sober for the trip.
beer drinkers, who only use their methane to clear rooms
Our robot-tenders would be female, but one with a gun for an arm is cool too.
and cause embarrassed silences.
This leads to the incredible situation where the more beer
they brew, the less natural gas they need, so the less they
pay. At full output they can generate 400 kilowatts entirely
from beer byproducts. Between this and the solar panels the
brewery can actually generate more electricity than it needs,
then sell the surplus to the sapped California power grid.
They’ve found a way to brew beer and get paid twice for
doing so. Who says drinking makes you stupid?
ROBOT BARTENDERS
Asahi beer may have made the best robot ever: a metal barman. Why
listen to C3PO’s whining when you could have the mechanical
“Mr. Asahi” pour you a cold one? It’s only a prototype, but the
hydraulic server is perfectly adapted to the task with built-in
bottle openers and a special rotating section, which lets him
serve 16 beers in seconds. It’s also some good press for robots—
after decades of Terminators, finally there’s an android on our side.
While only a PR stunt at the moment, robotenders are a
perfect solution to the worst problem on any night out:
waiting 10 minutes when all you want is a beer. Instead of
queuing up for the human bartender (who’s busy with
five food orders, three martinis and one person who,
um, doesn’t quite, ah, know what they want)
you can get in fast-moving line for the Instant
Beer-o-Matic. It’s like an ATM for beer. And
that’s the best machine idea possible until
someone invents robotic cheerleaders. (To
say nothing of the security benefits: when
your staff includes somebody weighing a
quarter of a ton and made of metal, you won’t
have to worry about troublemakers.)
: [55]

HOMEBREW
Isn’t having fun just drinking it?
HAVING FUN
WITH HOMEBREWING
THROW SOME PRETZELS AND PEANUT BUTTER
IN YOUR MASH words and photos: Rob Sterkel
L
ike many that pursue excellence in their interests, homebrewers can lose sight
of the fun that attracted them to the hobby in the first place. The wonder and
excitement of creating great beer from a pile of ingredients can become lost to
details like mash efficiency, gravity readings and yeast pitching rates.
I’m guilty of this and often fret over minor details that won’t matter to the
finished product, or can be left to do some other time. Author and founder of the American
Homebrewer’s Association Charlie Papazian has had the answer all along: “Relax. Don’t
worry. Have a homebrew.”
A great way to loosen up and just have the science behind different processes and homebrewing the fun hobby it should
fun with your beer is to experiment with ideas, you are also expanding your palate be. They range from fun and creative to
some wacky brewing ideas. The plus beyond the norm and increasing creativity. downright goofy. Cut loose and try a few;
side is, nearly everything you do as a So it’s a win-win situation. if you think they sound amateurish, well, if
homebrewer, even the disasters, are For those with a tendency to be uptight the shoe fits, pick it up and put it on.
learning experiences. While discovering here are a handful of ideas to keep
[ 56] :

A Few Fun Ideas
✱ If you’re an all-grain or mini-mash brewer, pick up a box of
your favorite breakfast cereal. Start with your favorite type of
beer to brew and add the contents to your grain bill.
✱ Brew with soda pop. This one is open to all types of

homebrewers. You can add soda during the mash in place of
some of your water, in the boil or to the fermenter. Natural sodas
work great for this if you can find them. Using a good amount of
healthy yeast will usually overcome any ill effects from chemicals or
preservatives in typical soda. Just don’t use “diet” products: you want
the sugar, as well as the flavor.
✱ Brew a batch with your favorite baked item, like pie, cake,
Pop Tarts or donuts. Have you ever wanted to make a pumpkin
ale but didn’t know what spices to add? Dumping an entire pie in
your mash takes the guesswork out of it. A wheat beer with blueberry
waffles? Add the whole plate, with syrup, to your mash. Mmm …
breakfast on the go.
✱ Pretzels go with beer, so add a bag or two to your brew.

Think salt in beer sounds odd? It’s one of the key ingredients
(along with coriander) in the German beer style Gosebier, and the
wheat in pretzels is fermentable.
✱ Brew with ingredients you find at the grocery store. Yams, soda, fruit, jelly or jam,
baked goods, peanut butter, brown sugar, molasses and ginger, instant rice or potatoes
and oatmeal. RECIPE
12-Gallon All-Grain Wheat Ale
✱ Go wild. Brew a batch and rack half of it to a plastic bucket and set it outside overnight
uncovered to see what wild yeast does to it, compared to your typical fermentation. It
may take a while for this beer to reach its end result, but observing the process is interesting
O.G. = 1.040 – 1.045
INGREDIENTS:
Rob is like a mad scientist of home brewing!

in itself. To avoid contaminating your equipment with whatever wild yeast you may pick up it 12 pounds 2-row
would be a good idea to designate a bucket and any plastic tubing for this purpose, or use a 11 pounds wheat malt
food grade plastic liner inside your bucket. .50# aromatic malt
.25 Crystal 120
.25 Melanoidin malt
16 oz. organic pretzels
Plan For Batches:

At first I thought this experiment
1 cup rice hulls
PELLET HOPS:
1 oz. Willamette 5.1% (60 minutes)
was a little lame. It gave me an
1 oz. Willamette 5.1% (1 minutes)
excuse to try two beers that intrigued
me, but I had never wanted to commit YEAST:
an entire batch to peanut butter beer and S-05 dry ale yeast
spontaneously fermented beer.
MASH SCHEDULE
153° F for 60 minutes
I thought peanut butter in beer sounded
Boil 15.5 gallons, 60 minutes
ridiculous, until I tried one from The
Ferment at 68 – 73° F
Sandlot Brewery, located at Coors Field
O.G. – 1.040
in Denver, Colorado. Better known
for being the birthplace of Blue Moon
Belgian Wit, they also make a fantastic
peanut butter beer.
I’m not a fan of sour beers produced
by spontaneous fermentation with wild
yeast or the introduction of bacteria like
Brettanomyces. However, the process and
whether or not there are tasty yeast lurking
around me was too interesting to pass up. Adding peanut butter.
Since I had no idea how any of these
weird ideas were going to turn out, I decided to brew 12 gallons of basic wheat ale and
split it up into four smaller batches adding different ingredients to each.
: [57]

HOMEBREW
#1
Rack 5-gallons onto a box
of crumbled up Pop-Tarts
(blueberry)
#2
Rack 5-gallons onto a 26 oz.
jar of all-natural peanut butter
#3
Rack one gallon onto 1 quart
of cream soda
#4
Leave one gallon open
overnight to pick up any wild
yeast (no yeast added), then rack
to a one-gallon jug for fermentation.
I like ham sandwiches can we make a beer with that?
Use all-natural peanut butter. Adding cream soda. Adding blueberry Pop Tarts.
BATCH COMPARISONS AND EVALUATION:

POP-TART = FINAL GRAVITY 1.004 • A low CREAM SODA = F.G. 1.002 • Super low FG
FG, but still a hint of sweetness. I don’t pick with a very malty aroma at bottling. After
out anything fruity, which is hard to believe. 10 days of bottle conditioning this beer
I know traditional fruit beers lose a lot of poured with great clarity and a bright
their fruit character when the fruit addition white head. The malty aroma still prevails
is made in the primary fermenter, but with hints of fruit or vanilla in the
I thought there would be plenty of background. Wonderfully smooth and
residual artificial blueberry flavor left surprisingly, not too dry on the palate.
behind. Not so. Tastes like a good, Tastes like some imperial pilsners without
slightly cloudy wheat beer with no real the cloying sweetness and high alcohol
blueberry flavor. Never really noticed any content. The character of this beer stands
blueberry aromatics being blown off during well above the others and is my favorite
fermentation. If you really think about it you of the split batch experiment.
can almost taste the Pop-Tart frosting.
PEANUT BUTTER = F.G. 1.004 • Barely sweet, WILD = F.G. 1.001 • This beer was much slower
slightly tart and I swear, a little bit salty. to ferment than the others and I was uneasy
Somewhat hazy with a fantastic aroma of about bottling something so unpredictable. I
toasted nuts. There’s no mistaking the flavor tried several cloudy samples straight out of
of peanut butter from first sip to finish. A the fermenter; all tasted sour and offensive.
touch of caramel malt would balance this Having never made a spontaneously
well, or the addition of a non-fermentable fermented beer I’m not sure what to expect,
sugar like lactose to add some sweetness. either it’s well on its way, or it’s total crap
Forget the light wheat beer, this would that will explode in the closet. At 1.001 I
rock in a velvety smooth chocolate stout! can’t see how it will change much more. It
The extreme fat content of the peanut smells like old wet leaves or a garden after
butter really didn’t have that bad of an a few sub-freezing fall nights. Its flavor is
effect on the head. It’s not thick and fluffy, surprisingly bland and subtly spicy. Not good
but leaves nice lacing and a solid ring of white really, but interesting enough to leave in the
foam around the perimeter of the glass. fermenter to see what happens.
[ 58] :

Becoming a
HOME BREWER IS
easier than you think.
FRE
abo Ask
ut t
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8 p
ca0
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og.
Beer-M
kits ma
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GR AT ke
GIFE
TS!
Beer & Wine making kits make

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HOMEBREW
Fun BREW
ObsErvatiOns / tips:
• Wet pretzels look and feel like worms.
• I need to have more fun.
• Nothing is above a bath in sanitizing
solution, not even Pop-Tarts.
• Pour off the excess oil from natural
peanut butter and microwave for
60-90 seconds to make pouring easier
(make sure the container is
microwave-safe).
• It would be easier to brew in a bucket
when using peanut butter.
We want some of Robs Pop Tart beer sent to us immediately!
• Wash everything with warm Powdered

Brewery Wash after a session like this.
• Use a piece of screen on top of your
Small Batch Brewing wild beer to let the yeast in and keep
the bugs out.
P
ick up a one-gallon glass jug
and the appropriate rubber
stopper from your local
homebrew store or use a
half-gallon growler from your
local brewery. Brewing batches this size is
especially easy with extract recipes, or you
can split the wort from a batch among several
small fermenters.
Small batch brewing is a simple,
economical way to try different yeast strains,
different fermentation temperatures, fruits and
spices without committing the entire batch.
Group Activities
Hold a group brew session. If you have some homebrewing friends or belong to a club, get
together and plan a beer with parameters for participants like using a set list of ingredients, or allow
brewers to pick their choice of yeast while following the same recipe. The results are surprising and
usually enjoyable.
As a variation of the small batch method, brew together and send the wort home with your brewing
friends. Let them do whatever they want from that point on.
In a few weeks gather the fermented results and have a tasting. You’ll be amazed at the subtle and
not-so-subtle differences between each brewer’s beers.
Host a “stone soup” brew session. Invite some fellow brewers over and have each bring an ingredient.
Formulating a recipe with a random selection of base malt, specialty malts, hops and yeast is not only
fun, it’s a great way to use up those leftover ingredients.
Other Uses
A
side from making beer with weird things, find creative uses for your brewing
byproducts. Use your beer, spent grains or some malt extract in bread, cookies
or pancakes. I’ve even seen homebrewers use hop cones in homemade soap. I
would love to shower with hop soap.
Save your spent grains and add them to a compost pile. Squirrels love spent grain. My
LBS (Local Brew Squirrel) was sitting at the back door once when I opened it to empty
and clean my mash tun. I poured the grain on the ground and soon he was standing on
his head in the still-steaming grain, chowing down.
[ 60] :

HOMEBREW
words: Rob Sterkel
RED ROCK
WHEAT
10 gallon All-Grain Recipe
American Wheat Ale
10 lbs. 2-Row Malt

10 lbs. Wheat Malt
1.5 lbs. Cara Red
1 Cup Rice Hulls
2 oz. Tettnang Pellet Hops (60 min.)
2 oz. Tettnang Pellet Hops (1 min..)
1 Tbsp. Crushed Coriander Seeds (5 min.)
Citrus Zest—2 Lemons, 2 Limes, 2 Oranges
SAISON
10 gallons-All-Grain Recipe
(5 min. in muslin bag) 21 lbs. 2-Row Malt

2 Whirfloc Tablets (10 min.) 2 lbs. Wheat Malt
1.5 lbs. Dingemans Caravienne
Yeast:
1 Vial White Labs 320 American 4 oz. Kent Goldings Pellet Hops (60 min.)
Hefeweizen Yeast 2 oz. Kent Goldings Pellet Hops (10 min.)
1 Vial White Labs 001 Cal. Ale 2 oz. Kent Goldings Pellet Hops (0 min.)
Procedure: 2 Vials WLP568 Belgian Style Saison

Mash at 153° F for 60 minutes and boil Ale Yeast or Wyeast Labs Belgian Saison
13.5 gallons for 60 minutes. Ferment at Yeast—3724
68-73° F.
Procedure:
Comments: Mash at 154-156° F for 60 minutes
Inspired by Shock Top from and boil 13.5 gallons for 60 minutes.
Anheuser-Busch, this is an Ferment at 75-80° F.
easy-drinking warm weather beer. Comments:
I crushed the Coriander seeds in This is a good beer to brew when
a coffee mill and added directly the temperature outside is too
to the boil. high to keep your fermentation
O.G. 1.040 temperature in check. It has
F.G. 1.003 plenty of flavor and body and the
Saison yeast is very tolerant of
temperatures into the 80s.
Spice Tones.
O.G. 1.052
F.G. 1.010
[ 61] :

BEER FEATURE
Don has FOUR tap handles...who isn’t jealous of that? Some bars don’t have that.
BUILDING A
Kegerator
words & photos: Don Osborn
W
HO DOESN’T LOVE DRAFT BEER, WITH ITS SUPPLE CARBONATION, GLORIOUS
COLOR AND THE INDISTINGUISHABLE QUALITIES THAT MAKE IT DIFFERENT
THAN BEER FROM A BOTTLE? Sometimes, though, you don’t feel like trekking to a
bar. Sauntering to the basement or garage, however: you can do that.
Having draft beer available day or night is perhaps one of the more respectable achievements
of modern man. I should know; I’ve had a setup for almost six years. Homebrewers are perhaps
more likely to have draft beer at home because it means they only have to bottle one big container
instead of 50 smaller ones. But beer lovers who like to buy in bulk and love draft beer also have an
interest in building a kegerator.
[ 62]:

It takes a Beer FrIdge
to make a kegerator
It all starts with the fridge. This can be a normal freezer-on-top model, a smaller
dorm-size fridge or even a chest freezer, provided you buy a temperature controller to
allow it to run warmer than designed. Maybe you convince your wife that she needs a
new fridge. You tell her you will “take care” of the old one. Voila, a kegerator is born.
Another option is to find a free or cheap used fridge on Craigslist or another local-area
trading Web site. I have obtained two free fridges this way. One consideration you might
have using an older, less-efficient fridge is
that it will cost more to run. Some people
run the numbers and decide it is worth
it in the long run to buy a new one, but
it is hard to say “no” to your uncle’s free
fridge that still runs well.
Your freezer-on-top fridge may be
made more useful by building a platform
for the inside bottom of the fridge. When
you remove the drawers you will see a
slanted part in the back, which cuts down
on your usable square footage. It doesn’t
have to be fancy, but something that will
allow you to use the full square footage of
the bottom of the fridge while yet allowing
enough height for your kegs and tubing
can be useful (see pic).
A 2 line system is about $275! One line is like $200!!!

A platform allows you to fit more kegs and bottles
in your fridge.
You Wanted the Rest, You Got the Rest

T here is a lot of choice in how you assemble the rest
of the needed parts. You can spend a lot and get the
best equipment and options, or you can cobble together a
cheaper system by shopping around, buying used, looking
for deals and doing it yourself. You can also buy kits that
include most of what you will need in one easy purchase.
However you do it, many components are required. We
recommend shopping at www.midwestsupplies.com.
Use caution when

drilling through
the side of the
fridge. You can
leave the carbon
dioxide tank
inside if space is
not a concern.
Putting the CO2 tank outside
leaves more room for kegs inside.
: [63]

Beer feature
CO2 tank and drilling thrOugh fridge • For most people a 5 lb. tank
The default gauge on this
will be sufficient. Shop around welding supply or homebrew stores for
regulator went up to 300 psi,
the best deal. If you are going to have more than one keg you will need
making it hard to set it at 10. I got
a CO2 distributor to split one line of CO2 into one line for each keg.
this 0-60 gauge for under $10.
The placement of the CO2 tank is up to you. You have more room for
kegs and beer bottles if you have it outside the fridge. Having it outside
also means you can monitor and adjust the pressure without having to
open the door. However, it means you will have to drill a hole through
the side.
Before drilling, do some research on your fridge to locate the cooling
coils, because they may be on the side. If you drill into one of them, set
your drill down and say hello to your brand new, fridge-shaped paper
weight, because that is all it will be good for. Some people try to drill
from the inside out first so they can break through the inner plastic and
then use another sharp object to carefully poke through insulation to
Check to see if other handles fit BEFORE you have beer flowing....
make sure there is no cooling coil there before drilling out through the
outside metal.
After drilling, file the metal edge of the hole slightly so it won’t cut
the plastic tubing. Caulk around the hole once the tubing is in place to
minimize cooling loss.
fauCets • You have a lot of options when it

CO2 regulatOr • This allows you to control comes to dispensing your beer. Picnic party
the pounds per square inch (psi) pressure your taps (aka cobra taps) are cheap and easy,
tank will use. Depending on the regulator you but you will have to open the fridge door
might end up replacing the gauge but that is each time you want a beer. Door-mounted
pretty cheap. For most of us a single economy faucets are cooler, easier, and more fun,
regulator is enough, but you can get other but they cost more. Chrome, plastic, brass
regulators that allow for different psi settings and stainless steel are some of the options
for different kegs. You can get a regulator that Measure and mark the holes for the to consider, varying in price and durability.
purports to tell you how much CO2 you have faucets. Make sure they can go into a Some of the faucets now are “forward
left, but these cost more and I have been told are good place (shelf, butter tray, etc sealing,” which helps minimize sticking from
not very accurate. leftover beer drying up.
If you are using a smaller dorm-size
fridge you could get a tower faucet that
mounts on top.
A nitro faucet is yet another option for
pouring creamy stouts, but in addition to a
different faucet you will also need a tank of
beer gas (nitro/CO2 mix).
Tap handles can make your kegerator
uniquely your own and give it personality.
You can often purchase the same eye-
catching tap handles you see in the bar,
but the cheap and simple black plastic ones
ultimately work just as well (and are easier
to manage).
Get a friend with a hole

saw to come over and
drill holes for the shanks.
You might want to use a

board to give the shanks a
sturdier backing than the Stainless steel forward-sealing faucets, shanks, clamps
plastic of the fridge door. and black plastic tap handles.
[ 64]:

kegS • Cornelius kegs are the silver, tall, slender soda pop kegs.
ShankS • If you have door-mounted faucets you will need They are popular with homebrewers because they are easy to set
shanks. A shank goes through the fridge door and is what the up and maintain. They can be cheap and were easy to find but
faucet screws on to. It is also what the beer tubing connects to in are slightly less so now. They should still be around, maybe from
order to send the beer from the keg to the faucet. They can be a brewer getting out of the hobby or with a few to spare. Or try
purchased in different lengths depending on your situation. eBay,Craigslist or other homebrew retailers. For more on setting up
these kegs see Beer issue #11 July/Aug 2009.
A CO2 splitter to split one line into You might consider corny kegs even if you are not a
multiple lines for multiple kegs. homebrewer. Some local breweries are willing to fill your corny
keg! If interested, do some searching and calling for breweries/
brewpubs in your area willing to do this. State laws and brewery
policies vary but in some places this is possible.
Otherwise you will be buying kegs of beer from a liquor store,
putting down a deposit, and going from there. The size of the keg
depends on space and how much you plan to drink…
all-in-one kitS • You can buy just about everything you will need
(except for the keg of beer) in one easy purchase. These kits can
come with the tubing, coupler, tap, shank, even a CO2 tank and
regulator. This might be the easiest way to get started, but perhaps
not the cheapest. Midwest Supplies has kits designed to work with
both so check them out www.midwestsupplies.com
tubing anD ConneCtionS • Whether you have Cornelius

(“corny”) kegs or more common commercial Sanke kegs,
you will need tubing for the CO2 (gas line) and for the beer
(beverage line). You will also need keg connectors (quick
...Ask Derek he spilled a lot of beer screwing it on and finding out it turned the tap on!
disconnects, couplers, etc.). Most likely these can be purchased
from the same retailer where you purchase the
other components.
Drip tray (optional) – It might complete the look of your

kegerator to have a drip tray. Depending on your fridge and
setup, you might want one. If your kegerator is in the garage on
a cement floor, you might not care. But if you have one with nice
faucets in your basement it might be more impressive and keep
some beer off the carpet.
Maintenance.
If you do not buy forward-sealing faucets and you experience sticky taps, you might have to keep them clean after each use.
Tap lines need to be cleaned and possibly sanitized between kegs of beer. If you are re-using kegs as opposed to returning empty
ones to the liquor store, you will need to have the equipment to disassemble, clean and sanitize your kegs.
Other than that though, there is not much to it. Once you have a leak-free CO2 tank/keg/faucet system, there is not much to
maintain on a daily basis. Well, other than keeping a fine beer glass—any size will do—clean and ready to be filled with wonderful
draft beer. A trip to the garage or basement was never so well rewarded.
: [65]

BEHIND THE BREW
Traveling to drink beer is a tough job.
Cold Spring
Brewing Company
words & photos: Derek Buono
A
S I SAT IN A PLANE ON A REDEYE FLIGHT OUT TO MINNESOTA, I got to
watch the sun rise over the Midwest and see the vivid green foliage peak out
of the darkness. If you know your state license plate slogans, Minnesota is
the “land of 10,000 lakes,” and that’s no lie. Speckled between the lush green
were more lakes than I’ve ever seen. I didn’t count 10,000, but there were more than
five– that’s as high as I can count. When I landed, I hopped in my rental car and started
the hour-and-a-half drive to Cold Spring. I was still tired from the flight since the guy next
to me thought it would be a good idea to talk to somebody behind him all night. It’s hard
to sleep with a guy talking right in your ear. I guess that’s the risk of taking a red-eye and
probably why it’s called that.
As I drove out to Cold Spring—which, quarries and provides a lot of granite for and the better the water, the better the
as you can guess, was named after a countertops around the country. I learned beer. So this place definitely has the basis
spring—I started to notice a few things. this after I asked the guys at the brewery for making great beer. That natural spring,
The first thing was a neon sign that said why there were so many. I was also told some of the friendliest people around and
“Amish” at a furniture store, which for that that same granite provided a pure a brewery that dates back to the early
some reason made me laugh a lot. The water source for the area, and a cold 1900s are a good recipe for beer. So when
second was there were about 20 granite spring that literally maintained a frost ring I pulled into the parking lot for the brewery
stores on the street, and unless I couldn’t year-round. That’s pretty impressive since in a town with just over 5,000 people I
see correctly, there were barely any homes it was about 90 degrees and pretty humid. knew I was in for a good tour and a great
around to support giant “rock stores.” Water is something we beer drinkers two days of seeing what the area had to
It turns out the area is known for their love, since it is the basis for our fine liquid offer and drink some beer.
[ 66]:

History
*Taken from Cold Spring Brewing Co.’s own history notes
I N 1857 ON THE BANK OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN AN AREA THAT
WOULD SOMEDAY BE KNOWN AS
MINNEAPOLIS, GERMAN IMMIGRANT
GOTTLIEB GLUEK STARTED THE
MISSISSIPPI BREWING COMPANY. Soon
the name was changed to the Gluek
Brewing Company, and by 1964 Gluek
became Minneapolis’s oldest continuously
operated business.
In 1858 the company brewed 3,996
barrels of beer, and by 1901 the annual
capacity was second only to the two
“giants,” the Minneapolis Brewing
Company (later renamed as the Grain
Belt) and the Theodore Hamm Brewery
Company of St. Paul.
The earliest mode of delivery was by
horse-drawn wagon, which limited the
geographic area that could be served.
Prior to Prohibition, 95 percent of Gluek
sales were in the city of Minneapolis. The
But somebody has to do it!

Gluek Brewing Company maintained a
stable of huge horses to haul a mammoth
beer wagon full of the golden brew. There
were 110 draft horses during their heyday.
Those sleek, powerful teams of Percheron
draft horses, the early trademark of the
brewing industry, soon gave way to
trucks. The horses reappeared briefly on
city streets during WWII, when company
vice president Arthur Gluek put them back
to work to help conserve gasoline and
soft drinks along with other products.
rubber for the war effort.
Nearly half of the Minnesota breweries
Gottlieb Gluek worked hard to keep
would not survive to celebrate the repeal.
his dream going and growing. Even a
When Prohibition ended April 7, 1933,
fire in March of 1880 that gutted the
Gluek went back into producing real beer.
brewery could not defer his dream. No
Alvin Gluek, then-plant superintendent,
life was lost to the fire, but the brewery
was concerned about their customers
was insufficiently insured and the Gluek
and told the local press that “police
family took a $20,000 loss. Despite
protection will be necessary if the
the reservations of others, Gluek used
lame and the halt are not to be trampled
STATS:
family funds to rebuild the brewery, and
underfoot, and fenders and running
it was larger and more modern than its
boards of family automobiles are not to
predecessor. The real cost of the tragedy,
be squeezed and bumped.”
however, was much greater. The strain of
the loss and the effort to rebuild the plant
Gluek kept pace with technology, first Master Brewer: ........... Mike Kneip
by using one-way containers (cans) for their
contributed to the unexpected death of
its founder in October of that year, at the
beer. Then they introduced a revolutionary Brewer:...............Kenrick Carrigan
new malt beverage called “Stite,” a
age of fifty-two.
forerunner of today’s light beer. Some Number of Employees: ............278
By 1920, of the 114 breweries that
drinkers claimed it had a higher-than-
started between 1878 and 1920, 51 Date Founded: ......................1857
average alcohol content and the beverage
had survived to be devastated by the
“noble experiment” of Prohibition. During
gained the name “Green Lightning.” Brewing Capacity: 350,000 barrels
Grudgingly, in 1964, the Gluek family
that period Gluek did what many other
bowed to economic reality. The venerable
breweries did—turned to “near beer” and
old brewery at 20th and Marshall was
: [67]

beHIND THE BREW
Q&A with sold to the G.

Heileman Brewing
Mike kneip Company of La

Crosse, Wisconsin.
And, in the name
of progress, it was
Beer: You’ve got two brewers
demolished two
on staff making beer. Is there any
years later.
conflict of ideas with so many
Although it
“chefs in the kitchen?”
languished in relative
Mike: No, there’s never a conflict. with oats, three varieties of hops,
obscurity and
We design a beer, then our mutual and a great yeast that all comes
changed hands more
goal is to make sure that product together in the lagering process for
than once, the Gluek
is kept consistent and true. One of a smooth, approachable beer with
Brand “Family of
the key elements, and one of the huge flavor.
If you go to the brewery on a Wednesday ask where to get Bologna!
Beers” finally returned

most difficult of any beer is to be
home in 1997.
consistent. Beer: Cold Spring also makes
The Cold Spring Brewing Co. of today is much like its
lots of energy drinks and a few
namesake, dedicated to brewing the finest beer from the
Beer: You (Mike) are the head energy drinks with alcohol. Are
finest ingredients, regardless of cost. The Cold Spring water
brewer and you have two younger there any ideas of mixing the two
source is world famous, bubbling from deep within the
brewers. What advantages do age to make a beer with vitamins that
crystalline granite of Stearns County, Minnesota. The water,
vs. youth have? might taste good?
which requires no additional filtration, produces a beer of
Mike: There are always pros Mike: We’re not looking to add any
extraordinary taste and purity.
and cons to any group of people, sort of vitamin or anything like that
Today the brewery is part of a larger company. They
but when you’re working with to our beers at this time.
produce energy drinks, most for private labels, and the
machinery it creates a certain
brewery is a small part of a huge plant and distribution center.
finesse to know how to make it Beer: What can we expect from
work. The advantage of age is Cold Spring in the future?
knowing how to run that equipment. Mike: With the success of John
I think the advantage of youth is the Henry and the recent trend in
willingness to try anything and try “special beers,” Cold Spring will
to do it in any way possible. I think look to come out with new beers
combining those two traits is a that might not fit into any special
great combination. category. We’ll focus on taste and
being drinkable. We also do lots of
Beer: How hard is it to make contract brewing so we also have
a beer that stands out in today’s that to think about.
market? Everybody makes a
traditional beer and most of them Beer: Has mixing energy drinks
are great--which makes most changed anything you do in the
average. Is this something you set brewing process?
out to do with John Henry? Mike: No, they are two different
Mike: We got the instructions from processes and we keep them
“the boss” to create a beer that was running separate. Sanitation is very
unusual and still drinkable. I think important in both processes, and
it’s easy to make some strange that point is only made more clear
combination of ingredients, but it by doing both.
won’t appeal to the masses. We sat
down and came up with the recipe Beer: While on the tour we
for “John Henry” and it is a very had to wear hair and beard nets.
unique beer that is very drinkable We’ve never seen this before in a
despite being high in alcohol and brewery—what was that all about?
rich in flavor. We’re getting a lot of Mike: Because our brewery is in
positive feedback from everywhere! the same building as the juice
This beer is unique in that we [production] and other drinks
came up with a process to use we make we fall under different
fresh bourbon-age barrel chips to regulations. We’re more of a food
add a new dimension to the beer. plant so we have to follow those
It takes a long time to brew this rules. Beer is always boiled so it’s
beer with our process and the list less of a worry, but some of the
of ingredient makes it even more drinks we make are blended so
unique. We use chocolate malts sanitation is critical.
[ 68] :

The Tour
Tours are given daily and you’ll get a full walkthrough of the
brewery. It was the first time I had to wear hair and beard nets
while on a tour, but they are held to different standards with their
energy drink production. So in order to not have somebody drink
my beard, I strapped on the garb and got a look at the place. It’s
always worth mentioning that everybody I’ve seen in a brewery
seems to be happy. Is that just because they make beer? I don’t
know, but it makes me happy to see people that happy at work.
Watching the bottling and canning lines of a brewery is amazing.
This one was particularly amazing because there was lots of
vertical movement in the lines to maximize space and because
they are one of the few places in the US that has a 32-oz. canning
line. Many might have the same derogatory reaction to that large
of a beer as the much-maligned 40-ouncer, and Cold Spring did
struggle with that in the beginning, but they found a way to change
that perception by calling the can a “double pint,” which people
seemed to accept more readily.
You really get a sense of just how many energy drinks there are
by the amount of cans whizzing by on the canning line and how
much longer beer takes to produce. The best part of the tour is
seeing the mix of history and technology in the brewery. The heart
of the brewery still has the original thick walls and some of it still
runs on the old soul, but then there is the new-age technology that makes sure
the beers taste good and consistent. I love to see the old machinery; it reminds
me of Disney’s Land of Tomorrow and ’60s space ships. The gauges and parts
are very cartoon-like and must be massaged like an old ship to work well.
You laugh but that meal was actually really good.

That sort of thing makes me appreciate the brewers’ efforts, even if the new
technology breweries are more like “stealth fighters” of breweries.
The finish line for any brewery is in the tasting room, and in there you can
sample the Cold Spring line, the Gluek line that still is popular in the area, and
even some of the more rare nostalgic brands like Stite. If you’re in the area and
like beer it’s worth the visit.
Beer STaTS:
Craft brews abV
John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale 9.1
CS Honey Almond Weiss 5.3
Moonlight Ale 5.5
Old Johnnie Ale 5.2
: [69]

COOL PLACES
Brewery
De Halve
Maan
LOCated in One Of
the mOst beautifuL
Cities in the wOrLd:
You guessed it, that means half moon, not half a man.
BrugES, BELgium
B
words and photos: Johnny Fincioen
ruges, Venice of the north (canals and bridges! boat rides!) and
center of the world in 13th and 14th century Europe. Best of all:
everything is still there! Bruges languished from the 16th
century on, and missed
the Industrial Revolution.
You may know Bruges
from the excellent 2008
dark comedy-thriller In Bruges but this
movie only showed one percent of the
city’s beauty and romantic feel.
Wander the narrow cobblestone streets in

between small houses with the typical stairway-
shaped facades. Look up at the exuberant stone
decorations, [I don’t understand this sentence at
all] as lace woven to show the richness of all the
buildings, large and small. So many to admire:
the Belfry tower (365 stairs high), City Hall with
its 48 statues in its façade, the many cathedrals
and churches, the 800 years old hospital, the hands in 2005. Vanneste developed a new
justice palace, and the many art museums. blonde beer and called it “Brugse Zot” (“Bruges
Walk from the Notre Dame Cathedral Fool”) and designed a masterful marketing
(Madonna by Michelangelo!) to the Beguinage, campaign with the image of a joker. This beer
this oasis of quietness where the religious found is sold in every pub and restaurant in Bruges.
sanctuary from the world. Pass the Walplein, Thousands of tourists from around the world
a small old tree-lined square, and notice the walk into or at least in front of the brewery every
seductive and sweet smell of malt. Here, beer day. Its name has spread around the world
must be brewed. together with the fame of the city.
Brewery De Halve Maan “The Half Moon” has Extra fermentation and lagering tanks have
been brewing beer at least since 1546, the date been added around the building. This was an
on a document in the hands of Xavier Vanneste, engineering feat in itself. Huge cranes were
the 30-year-old owner of the brewery. needed to lift the vessels over the historic
“The last three years we [have been] the buildings of the neighborhood. The bottling and
fastest-growing family brewery in Belgium, and kegging is done outside Bruges. “We will never
we plan to brew 20,000 barrels in 2009,” he contract brew. We will always brew our beer in
says. That’s more than double what they brewed the city of Bruges. This is fundamental for the
only two years ago. What happened? Brugse originality and credibility of our beer,” swears
Zot. The brewery came back into the family’s Vanneste by all that is holy.
[ 70]:

nameless beer was so well received the people of Bruges named
HISTORY it after the brewer Henri (Hendrik in Dutch) and added the word
… Proves that beer was brewed on the same site in 1441.
“straffe” (strong) because of the 9 percent alcohol content, almost
The address of the brewery is mentioned in a list of 54 breweries
double a regular lager at that time. Hence, Straffe Hendrik ale.
in the city. It was 1859 when Henri Maes I bought the brewery.
The brewery activities were sold in the 1980s, but not the
Brewery De Wulf was located just two houses down the street. The
brewery itself. The buyer, Riva-Liefmans brewery, ran into problems
adjacent canal with its fresh water was attractive for the breweries.
on its own, which made it possible for the Maes family to regain
In 1885 the daughter of the De Wulf brewery, Clemence Vanneste,
control in 2005.
married Hendrik Maes II—her neighbor—and the two brewery sites
Together with his mother Veronique Maes, Vanneste runs the
were united. But Henri II died early in 1905, so it was Clemence
show today. By early 2009, they were able to buy the brand
who ran and expanded the brewery well into the years past WWI.
name Straffe Hendrik back. The beer had been “neutered” by the
Her son Henri III and his son Henri IV made the brewery a local
previous brewer to a lower ABV. Henry is back home now and
success, although both wars and
boosts its original power in flavor and alcohol.
the German occupation nearly
And we thought a bottle collection only worked in dorms and basements.

wiped it out of existence.
In 1981 the local mayor, Frank
Van Acker, asked the brewer to
brew a special ale to be served
at all the city functions. The
: [71]

COOL PLACES
MUSEUM & RESTAURANT

The building of the brewery is many
centuries old. The whole complex houses
three operations at once: a brewery, fine
restaurant and the best brewery museum of
Europe. The guided tours bring you through
a labyrinth of spaces, full of old and still
older brewing equipment, brewing
paraphernalia—POSes of all kinds as
used for more than 100 years, like glasses,
serving trays, old bottles, old kegs, etc.—
lagering tanks, a display of how wooden
kegs were made in olden times, the
malting process, etc. Here you will
see one of the last open fermenting
copper vessels of the world, built in
the roof under bare tiles.
When most breweries
modernized in the 1980s and
threw their old equipment away,
Swine Flu fermentation might catch on!
this brewery was in decline and

eventually sold. This is why all
the equipment and tools of the One of the last open
old way of brewing ales are still fermenting copper
vessels of the world.
here. Today, you can see the new
brewing technology of an active
working brewery in combination with the
old equipment here. BEERS
Group visits of the active brewery and BRUGSE ZOT BLOND: 70 percent of
the museum are organized every day. A production (since 2005); 6 percent
glass of unfiltered Brugse Zot Blond is ABV, 27 IBU, selection of hops to create
offered at the end of the tour; this is the a perfect balance of crispness, maltiness
only place in the world to taste the godly and bitterness. Gold medal, World
stuff. The restaurant offers a wide variety Beer Cup 2006 and 2008. European
of simple vegetarian, fish and meat dishes, Beer Star gold medal award 2006,
as well as more sophisticated fare, from and Australian International Beer gold
beer soup and beef beer stew to medal award 2008.
sometimes rabbit with prunes and beer,
a Flemish delicacy.
Three Pubs Not to Miss BRUGSE ZOT DUBBEL: Dark color; 20
Brugs Beertje (very international—largest percent of production (since end of
selection of Belgian beers, open after 4 p.m.; 2006), 7.5 percent ABV. An IBU of 27
Kemelstraat, 5 p.m.); brings a relative bitterness, rendering it
De Garre (located in a small alley between different from other Belgian ales in the
the Belfry and City Hall, off Breydelstraat); abbey style that have a sweetness to
Cambrinus (400-plus beers; them. Important to know: The malts are
Philipstockstraat, 19) not roasted. Winner of the Australian
International Beer gold medal, 2006.
European Beer Star gold medal, 2008.
STRAFFE HENDRIK: Deep amber color.
This one is 10 percent of production
(since 1981-2009), 9 percent ABV,
35 IBU. The alcohol content makes it
definitely a triple ale. It’s not dry since
it’s not completely fermented, so it offers
a rounder, fuller mouthfeel that is well
balanced by the bitterness.
IN THE USA
Brugse Zot is imported by Global Beer
Network (www.globalbeer.com) and
available in most states. Straffe Hendrik
will be imported by Wetten Importers
before the end of 2009.
[ 72] :

BEER FEATURE
EXHIBIT:
SD
Out here we brew on the beach!
A CASE STUDY ON
ALL A CITY BREWERS
GUILD CAN BE
words: Brandon Hernández photos: Colby Candler
I
t’s no secret that the brewing
industry is highly competitive.
With hundreds of brewers vying
to quench the thirst of a parched
nation, it takes a lot more than just
a knack for making good beer to
build a quality brand, reputation
and following. Brewers must be able to
effectively market their wares if they want
to stand out. That’s no small feat, especially
for smaller operations lacking the manpower
and funds to launch a full-scale outreach
effort. Fortunately for them, there’s safety in
numbers and success to be had through the
concerted efforts of brewers guilds.
[ 74] :

“Guilds provide a heft that can accomplish
things a single business would have no shot at,”
says Brewers Association programs director Pete SAN DIEGO
Johnson. “Individuals certainly have a voice, but
that voice is magnified through the association.”
BEER WEEK
T
he latest innovation to arrive
Like any industry-based consortium, brewers courtesy of the SDBG think
guilds are made up of like-minded professionals tank is bringing home the Beer
sharing a common passion, agenda and region. Week concept that’s proven
The majority of US guilds represent states and so successful in cities like Philly and San
tackle everything from grassroots publicity Fran’. San Diego’s inaugural Beer Week will
initiatives to ensuring the best interests of the take place from November 6 – 15, during
brewing industry are tended to on Capitol Hill. which of all of the Guild’s Allied Member*
A select few, however, have been established at bars, brewpubs and restaurant s will hold
the city level where they can concentrate their special events celebrating the best of the
efforts within a succinct geographical area, region’s copious cache of craft brews. Sure,
leaving legislative representation to their state it’s longer than a standard week, but with
guild counterparts. so much great beer and fun to be had in
sunny, sudsy San Diego, who’s complaining?
Enter the San Diego Brewers Guild, a group
Check out sdbeerweek.org for the skinny
established by a handful of visionaries in 1996
on what’s sure to be one phat week.
that has blossomed into one of the most solid and
The brochure was most peoples’ introduction
successful guilds in the country. Their mission is to * The SDBG inspects local beer venues on
to the SDBG and even warranted praise from
educate citizens and visitors about the outstanding an annual basis and votes in the best as
the late, great beer journalist, Michael Jackson.
craft brew culture in their community by reaching allied members. Eligible establishments must
To date, it remains one of the most prominent
out to the public and providing easily accessible be in operation for at least one year, have an
and trusted guides for locals and tourists alike,
informational resources. educated staff, clean lines, a high percentage
running a close second to the SDBG website
of craft brew on-tap and a devotion and
(sandiegobrewersguild.org), which is updated in
process for promoting local breweries.
real-time by local brewers and contains news, event
info, beer and brewer profiles and locations, and
directions and live tap lists for local breweries, bars
When we read the word guild we think of swords?

and restaurants.
“Our goal is that anybody in or out of town can

get a good taste of the San Diego brewing culture,”
says Chandler, who counts garnering participation
from all of the region’s brewers as an equally
important aspiration. Realizing that ambition
took some time, but as the SDBG’s success grew,
“It’s more brewership versus ownership-focused,” so too did its membership, until it included
says brewer Colby Chandler of San Diego’s Ballast representatives from every brewery in the county.
Point Brewing Co., who had several initiatives
on his do-list when assuming the post of SDBG “We are active, we promote, we cooperate and
president in 2004. The first was to turn San have 100 percent membership. Those are great
Diegans on to the 33-plus craft breweries in their statements for a small guild with no real political
backyard by constructing a comprehensive website agenda,” says Tom Nickel, a past SDBG president
and designing a promotional brochure displaying and owner of O’Brien’s Pub, one of San Diego’s
every brewery and noteworthy beer venue in most popular beer bars.
the county. “It trips people out that we’re competitors, but
“The brochure gave the Guild and the region an can work together,” says Carbonell. “We do it
identity,” says Adam Carbonell, a brewer who for the greater good. If we were adversaries, we’d
has logged time at several of San Diego’s most go nowhere.”
prominent brewing companies (Ballast Point, Karl As the SDBG picked up steam and numbers, it
Strauss, Back Street). was able to flourish by establishing events like
the annual SDBG Beer Festival, partnering with
charities and local vintner and chef associations,
teaming with the City of San Diego and the
San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau to
promote the city as a prime tourist destination and
attract events like the Craft Brewers Conference
and World Beer Cup, both of which were held in
America’s Finest City in 2008.
: [75]

BEER FEATURE
Success in those ventures earned the SDBG

national respect and invites to promote their
COUNTRYWIDE CAMARADERIE
region at beer events across the country including Mapping out brewers guilds across the U.S.
last year’s Great American Beer Festival. “The
more we put into it locally, the more we get out
of it nationally,” says Chandler.
And the more they contribute, the greater their

sense of camaraderie becomes. Despite being
direct competitors, many of the SDBG’s larger
brewing companies take smaller operations
under their wing, allowing them to piggyback off
their opportunities for exposure. Guild comrades
even lend each other equipment and ingredients
in times of need like the recent hop shortage.
“Our support system is a biproduct of

Derek wants to start a Drinking Guild...somebody has to do it!
familiarity,” says Carbonell. “The Guild creates

an even playing field where everyone’s the same.”
“Anyone in the beer trade is welcome to attend

meetings [that promote] interactions that
include setting up nuts-and-bolts business
relationships,” says Jim Crute, owner of
Lightning Brewery, a two year-old operation
based in the San Diego suburb of Poway.
“The Guild allowed me to meet a group of
trend setters and respected individuals that
made it easier to enter the trade.”
Like the majority of his contemporaries, Crute 1. Brewers Guild of Alaska 18. Michigan Brewers Guild
repaid the SDBG by giving back. In 2007, he 2. Arkansas Brewers Association 19. Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild
and fellow Guild members organized the first 3. Arizona Craft Brewers Guild 20. Kansas City Brewers Guild *
San Diego Lager Festival, an event that allowed 4. California Small Brewers Association 21. Montana State Brewers Association
numerous local breweries to shine en masse. “By 5. Northern California Brewers Guild 22. Nebraska Craft Brewers Association
co-promoting San Diego as a beer destination the 6. San Diego Brewers Guild * 23. New Hampshire Craft Brewers Association
7. San Francisco Brewers Guild * 24. Garden State Craft Brewers Guild (New Jersey)
entire industry is increased in status,” he says.
8. Colorado Brewers Guild 25. New Mexico Association of Small Brewers
Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Co. and 9. Florida Brewers Guild 26. New York State Craft Brewers Guild
the SDBG’s first president, adds, “The Guild 10. Georgia Brewers Guild 27. Oregon Brewers Guild
allows us to get to know each other on a non- 11. Aloha Brewers Guild (Hawaii) 28. Pennsylvania Microbrewers Guild
12. Iowa Brewers Guild 29. South Carolina Brewers Association
competitive level and learn from each other,
13. Illinois Craft Brewers Guild 30. Craft Brewers Association of Texas
which helps us to continue to raise the bar.”
14. Brewers of Indiana Guild 31. Virginia Brewers Guild
It’s a simple concept that takes a great deal of 15. Massachusetts Brewers Guild 32. Vermont Brewers Association
determination and hard work to execute, but 16. Brewers Association of Maryland 33. Washington Brewers Guild
17. Maine Brewers Guild 34. Wisconsin Brewers Guild * = city guild
there’s no shortage of passion, drive or elbow
grease in the American craft brew industry and
no reason other beer-centric cities can’t enjoy the
same solidarity and achievement as the SDBG.
Like most good things, it all starts with a beer.
[ 76] :

TASTE TEST
TASTE
TEST WE LIKE
THIS TEST
E
ach month we’ll be tasting a wide range of beers. Our panel
What is the best name for a beer ever? Email derekb@thebeermag.com

Ratings of tasters will range from the average beer drinker to some
60-70 of the most experienced tasters in the country. This method
A Little Rough Around the Edges will help provide a more accurate impression of what a typical
70-80 beer drinker can expect. Of course, every person’s tastes are
Recommended
different, and even if we don’t like a beer, it doesn’t mean you
81-90
won’t. All of our beers will be rated on appearance, aroma, taste/body, and
Highly Recommended
finish. Our weighted scale favors the tasting side of the beer and is based on
91-100
Beer Magazine ’s Top Choice 100-point scale. All testing is performed in the beer’s appropriate container,
in a range of temperatures, and with all scores averaged.
Avery
MAHARAJA IPA
I
f you’re an herbivore you’ll love Maharaja IPA. After you drool over the stunning amber color
and white cap, you’ll dig your nose into a treat. It’s a very earthy, sweet hay aroma with
some grapefruit. Once you are done with the smell the flavor rocks your face off: a very
intense, bittersweet love affair. You’ll get your daily intake of grassy flavors and most of your
recommended grapefruit flavors. It’s hairy and earthy, again—quite something if IPAs make you
giddy. The finish is chewy and deep with that herbal, astringent hop flavor hanging on to your
tongue. This might not be the IPA for everybody, but if you like thick, rich grassy-style IPAs this
may be your temple.
THE RESULTS 70º

65º
Appearance: Classic amber orange with some haziness. Head rises
(out of 10) 10 and sits like it should. 60º
55º
Aroma: Sweet. With a mix of earthy grass and some
(out of 15) 13 floral grapefruit. 50º
45º
Taste: A nice blend of grassy hop bitterness, grapefruit. A
(out of 40) 36 chewy flavor that is pretty intense. 40º
35º
Finish: Carrying on with the grassy notes and a sweet 32º
(out of 35) 32 linger afterwards.
Brewery: Avery Brewing

Style: India Pale Ale
Website: www.averybrewing.com
Price: $8 / 22 0z.
Original Gravity: 1.092° Plato

Alcohol Percentage: 10%
International Bitterness Rating: 102
Glass Recommendation: Stem
Availability: Year-round
: [77]

TASTE TEST
Deschutes
20 ANNIVERSARY WIT
TH
I
you look up what you’re supposed to get on your twentieth anniversary, it’s a set of china.
Seems like a beer would make the man happier, so both men and women take note:
AT
Deschutes’s 20th Anniversary Wit is a refreshing one. It’s light. Light in appearance and
light in flavor, which for some might not work, but as one of our people trying the beer said,
“it’s damn refreshing.” The faint aroma of bubblegum/banana and wheat are there, but in
trace element form. The taste is just as light but opens as it warms. A blend of subtle wheat,
banana, some cinnamon and clove are all there in delicate outlines. It finishes clean and crisp.
This is almost a light beer, as its subtle flavor is not overpowering … just “damn good.”
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance: 65º
(out of 10) 7 Very pale yellow and clear as a crisp fall day. 60º
Light doesn’t always mean bad in beer geek world does it?
Aroma: Light if not faint, but as it warms, delivers traces of

55º
(out of 15) 12 wheat, banana/bubble gum and some spice. 50º
45º
Taste: Perfect for summer. There are light, refreshing and
36 subtle hints of wheat, banana/bubblegum, cinnamon 40º
(out of 40)
and coriander. 35º
Finish: A word that summed the beer up and its
32º
(out of 35) 34 finish: refreshing.
Brewery: Deschutes Brewing

Style: Beligian Witbier
Website: www.deschutebrewery.com
Price: $5 / 22 oz. bottle
Original Gravity: NA
Alcohol Percentage: 5.5%
Glass Recommendation: Wheat beer glass
Availability: Limited production
RAL Firestone Walker

UNION JACK IPA
F
irestone Walker has made a big name in brewing despite only being distributed in a
few states. They usually add some barrel aging to their beer, but this style doesn’t.
R ATI It’s an IPA and in that you get a light amber orange brew with a nice white head
when you pour. Balance was the idea behind this beer; the aroma lets you know there are
hops inside with a pine/citrus note that has what many describe as a pineapple twist to
it. Tasting reveals a well-balanced beer with nice citrus grapefruit and pine flavors and a
little tang tropical twist. It’s a very easy beer to drink and delivers a nicely balanced bitter-
and-sweet mix. Wee really love FFirestone’s style and this one is great.
THE RESULTS 70º

65º
Appearance: Lighter in color than it’s described; still a pretty
(out of 10) 9 orange amber with a hint of brown and a white head. 60º
55º
Aroma: A nice pine and grapefruit scent with a little 50º
(out of 15) 13 tropical tang.
45º
Taste: Very well-balanced bitter-and-sweet mix with 40º
(out of 40) 36 grapefruit, pine and some nice biscuit flavors.
35º
Finish: Nice and clean with a slight linger of that delicious 32º
(out of 35) 34 pine and grapefruit.
Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing

Website: www.firestonewalker.com
Original Gravity: 17° Plato

Alcohol Percentage: 7.5 %
Glass Recommendation: Pint
[ 78] :

O
VERA
L Mission Brewery
91 IPA
L
I
t’s IPA season and that means everybody is using fresher hops. Mission Brewery’s
OUT take on this popular style is a delight to drink. It pours beautiful amber, which should
R 100OF
A be admired in natural sunlight to fully appreciate. The flavor is more earthy than floral.
TIN G
A resin hop aroma and flavor dominates the taste, but doesn’t fully hide the citrus and
spices that are mixed within. The beer gets a little sweeter as it warms, so enjoy the
flavor morph while you think about the lingering resin hoppiness that is left behind each
sip. It’s an art of a bottle with an art of an IPA inside. If you like the more grassy flavored
IPA, this one will do the trick.
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance: 65º
(out of 10) 10 Beautiful amber in color with a rich, lively head.
60º
Aroma:
55º
(out of 15) 13 Hop resin dominant with citrus and spices. 50º
45º
Taste: Grassy and earthy flavors laced with citrus and
35 some sweet grapefruit, which gets more apparent 40º
(out of 40)
as it warms. 35º
Finish: 32º
(out of 35) 33 Nice lingering hop resin flavor.
Brewery: Mission Brewing Co.

Website: www.missionbrewery.net
Price: $5 / 22 oz.
Original Gravity: NA
Glass Recommendation: Pint, stem glass
Have you tried beers you normally wouldn’t? Tell us about it!
Otter Creek VER
RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT
V
ermont cheese, maple syrup and some other “crops” are all good things from Vermont.
Otter Creek is something that will make beer more of a word association with the state;
their Imperial Series is one to check out. Pour this soot-black liquid into a glass and
you might book a flight there today. The velvety looking liquid gets capped with a very dark tan
head. The aroma is a nice mix of brown sugar/molasses, coffee and some chocolate. The taste
brings out all those flavors and also adds in a smoky element that wasn’t expected, but is a
nice addition. The finish is when you might realize that’s a pretty light-body beer for how “big”
it is, and with thatt thought you remember tha
that it’s got some chocolate flavor left, too.
70º
THE RESULTS 65º
Appearance:
9 A thick and black solar eclipse capped with a halo of 60º
(out of 10) dark tan head, rising up. 55º
Aroma: Nice aroma of molasses, brown sugar, coffee and 50º
(out of 15) 13 some chocolate. 45º
Taste: Coffee and espresso bitterness followed by some bacon 40º
(out of 40) 36 and smoky flavors that work very well together 35º
Finish: Lighter than expected for the high ABV, but it ends well 32º
(out of 35) 33 with some final chocolate being there to wave goodbye.
Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing

Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Website: www.ottercreekbrewing.com

Glass Recommendation: Snifter
: [79]

TASTE TEST
Port Brewing
OLD VISCOSITY ALE
T
he name is a curious one and the liquid inside is just as special as the name suggests.
“Not your dad’s wimpy 30 weight” is on the label and when you pour the beer into the
glass you’ll agree. It pours a thick, used-oil black and is capped with a beautiful tan head.
It even coats the glass with an oil film. The smell is what you might expect with coffee mixed
with a burnt sugar and some dark fruit notes mixed in. When you let the beer in your mouth you’ll
get that burnt sugar/caramel flavor, coffee, some bitterness from homes vanilla and some raison
flavor. As the beer warms you get more dark fruit notes, but the last rights of the beer leave you
sensation. If our la
with vanilla and a slight alcohol warming sensa lawnmower made this we’d drink it.
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance:
65º
(out of 10) 10 La Brea tar pit black with a tan head. 60º
55º
Aroma: Lovely coffee burnt sugar/caramel and some
(out of 15) 13 bready notes. 50º
45º
Taste: Burnt sugar, coffee, dark fruit, and some hop
(out of 40) 35 bitterness that is balanced well. 40º
35º
So many good beers to review..so little space.
Finish: A nice linger of vanilla and oak from bourbon 32º

(out of 35) 33 barrels that is complemented with a warmth/burn
from the alcohol.
Brewery: Port Brewing

Style: Barrel-aged Ale
Website: www.portbrewing.com
Price: $6/ 22 oz. bottle

Glass Recommendation: Stem glass
ER AL
Ballast Point
SCULPIN IPA
S
eason IPAs are the best. They offer more aromatics and richer flavors. Ballast Point already
makes some great IPAs but their Sculpin is finally available in a bottle. It’s a wonderful-
looking beer that glows a stunning amber orange and is pretty clear. The aroma is a like
walking through a grapefruit orchard in spring, and that’s because it’s DOUBLE dry hopped! You’ll
get beautiful notes of floral, grapefruit, pine and lots of wonderful subtleties. Just remember the
aroma is the first part of the beer that degrades with time, so this one should be cracked open as
close to the bottling as possible. The taste mirrors that amazing nose with a nice bitter grapefruit,
some sweet caramel, and even some peach notes. It’s a very well-balanced IPA. The finish is
clean, fruity and a little bitter. Sculpin is a fish and we’d like to drink this like a fish.
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance: 65º
(out of 10) 10 Stunning amber with a white cap.
60º
Aroma: Double-hopped heaven. Grapefruit, flowers, pine …
55º
(out of 15) 15 give us more! 50º
45º
Taste: Not overly hop dominant, with a beautiful blend of
(out of 40) 37 grapefruit, sweet caramel, pine and peaches. 40º
35º
Finish: It’s only disappointing if it’s your last sip. A nice clean, 32º
(out of 35) 33 fruity finish with a lick of bitterness.
Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing

Website: www.ballastpoint.com
Price: $8 and up/ 22 oz. bottle

Glass Recommendation: Pint glass
Availability: Limited
[ 80] :

Sierra Nevada
SH HARVEST IPA
S
ierra Nevada is what we’d call “hop addicted” and will travel the world to bring fresh
hops to you. In this case their Southern Harvest does just that: Hops from New Zealand
are flown in to Chico, California, and used within a week of harvest to produce this
delicious IPA. The color is an eye-catching amber with a frothy, lively head. Its smell is subtle but
you do get a nice fresh citrus and pine bouquet. The taste is very familiar as SN beers almost
have a signature balance. They don’t over-hop for bragging rights. The SHH IPA delivers a nice
sweet citrus flavor that’s clean, with a slight hay flavor mixed in. The finished is near perfect
with a clean grapefruit aftertaste. If you need the freshest hop, Sierra delivers that all year round.
THE RESULTS 70º

65º
Appearance:
(out of 10) 10 Lovely amber orange and a lively white head. 60º
55º
Aroma: Not as aromatic as we would have expected but a 50º
(out of 15) 12 lovely light mix of citrus and pine.
45º
Taste: Signature balance of hops and malts. Grapefruit, 40º
(out of 40) 35 citrus and some hay or straw flavors all blended well.
35º
Finish: Clean and near perfect. A little bit of grapefruit and 32º
(out of 35) 34 some bitterness … mmm, good.
Brewery: Sierra Nevada

Style: American Pale Ale
Website: www.sierranevada.com

Glass Recommendation: Pint glass
Availability: Summer
Shipping hops isn’t very eco-friendly!

Victory
STORM KING STOUT
R
ussian imperial stouts make us think of cold winters, people in fuzzy hats and some dark
and high-alcohol beer that warms the soul. In summer they work too, but with less of a
cold, gray vision. The Storm King is a RIS that pours a deep black and delivers a frothy,
tan head. The aroma gives off molasses, chocolate, and slightly hoppy notes that get better as the
beer warms up a bit. The taste mirrors the smell with unsweetened chocolate, coffee, molasses, a
burnt sugar medley and some bitterness from the hops. The finish is good with chocolate being the
last thing you remember and some bitterness to clean the tongue for the next sip. If you must love
Russia for one thing, make it their beer style. This one’s got good flavor and is pretty easy-drinking.
THE RESULTS 70º

65º
Appearance: 60º
(out of 10) 9 It’s black, comrades! The head is tan like a furry hat.
55º
Aroma: If you don’t like the smell of molasses, coffee, malt, 50º
(out of 15) 12 chocolate and some hops we’re not your friends anymore. 45º
Not as sweet as we’d like and a on the bitter side of RIS, 40º
Taste:
(out of 40) 35 but coffee, chocolate, burnt molasses and some smoke
make it a fun adventure to the bottom of the glass.
35º
32º
Finish: Chocolate bitterness mixed with a hoppy bitterness that
(out of 35) 33 isn’t offensive at all.
Brewery: Victory Brewing

Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Website: www.victorybeer.com
Price: $13/ 6-pack

Glass Recommendation: Snifter
: [81]

TASTE TEST
Full Sail
SESSION BLACK LAGER
S
ession beer is a fancy-pants term for a beer that you can drink a lot of. Many of the big ABV
beers are not going down in 6-pack or even 2-pack form. The lighter beers are usually more
drinkable and the sessions line from Full Sail is meant to be enjoyed. Their “cute” 11-oz.
bottles are retro-cool and the brown cola-like beer that pours from it has some red highlights in the
sun. The smell is light caramel with some sweeter hop notes, but you’ll have to stick one nostril in to
really get any chocolate or coffee. The taste is light and refreshing. It’s got a sweet caramel flavor with
some bread and light citrus from the hops. Most “light beer” drinkers might look at this beer strange
because of its color, but in truth dark beers can be light and refreshing too. Give this one a shot.
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance:
9 Dark brown/black, like cola with an off-white head. 65º
(out of 10)
60º
Aroma: Faint but pleasant. Some caramel, grain and the slight hint of 55º
(out of 15) 11 chocolate are all there. 50º
45º
Taste: Refreshing and very “sessionable!” Some light sweet caramel, 40º
35 grains and even some chocolate make for a nice light beer.
Session is a fancy-pants word for drinkable.
e.
(out of 40)
35º
Finish: Smooth and sweet with just enough hops to clean the palate. A lighter 32º
(out of 35) 33 mouthfeel beer that has more flavor than the “normal” light beers.
Brewery: Full Sail Brewing

Style: Black lager
Website: www.fullsailbrewing.com
Price: $6/ 6 pack

Glass Recommendation: Mug
Great Lakes
EDMUND FITZGERALD PORTER
W
hen you name your beer after a ship that sunk in seconds you’re either crazy or
confident. After pouring the cola brown porter with lovely red highlights into our glass,
we thought we’d sink this beer as fast as the ship. Its aroma is malty with some hops
present, but the dominant aromas are chocolate and coffee. The taste delivers a wonderful
coffee and chocolate experience with just enough hops to keep everything in check. It finishes
in the same fashion with some chocolate flavors and a nice little bitter bump from the hops. This
is a great classic porter that delivers its cargo no matter what the weather is out on the lake!
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance: 65º
(out of 10) 9 Cola brown with red highlights that add interest.
60º
Aroma: Hey now, there’s chocolate, coffee, malt, and a little 55º
(out of 15) 11 hop kick in there! 50º
Taste: If you don’t like coffee or chocolate what is wrong 45º
(out of 40) 36 with you? It’s in here. 40º
Finish: A nice ending to a story unlike what the beer is
35º
(out of 35) 34 named after. 32º
Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing

Style: Porter
Website: www.greatlakesbrewing.com
Price: $10 / 6-pack

Glass Recommendation: Pint
[ 82] :

Sweetwater Brewing
DANK TANK
S
weetwater’s “test” brews are brewed in what they call a “one hitter,” and this one
produced a Dank Tank barleywine. Sweetwater has more pot references—we don’t think
they are any more subliminal than in Cheech and Chong movies, and they are almost as
funny! This one pours a brilliant amber and has some red highlights to it. The head comes up
pretty good too. The smell is something we weren’t expecting in this style. It’s hoppy, to say the
least, and it has some fruity characteristics in there, too. The taste reflects this tease and is filled
with nice hoppy pine, citrus and some melon flavors, and it’s even got the balance of sweetness.
The finish is more of the same, and while this might not really fit the style of a barleywine to a “T”
it does remind of us a killer-double-imperial-super-dank IPA, and we really like it.
THE RESULTS 70º

Appearance: Stunning amber with some red highlights that make it beautiful 65º
(out of 10) 10 to look at. 60º
55º
Aroma: Normally not what you’d think from the style, but a donkey
(out of 15) 13 punch of hops, fruit and some sweet caramel. 50º
45º
Taste: Very much a hop-centric beer that gives you lots of pine, citrus 40º
(out of 40) 36 and even some overripe fruit, but doesn’t forget to reach around
and pleasure you with a nice sweet caramel to balance it all out. 35º
32º
Finish: Hoppy pine bitterness but a linger of sweetness makes it
(out of 35) 33 all good.
Brewery: Sweetwater Brewing
Style: Barleywine
Website: www.sweetwaterbrew.com

Glass Recommendation: Pimp chalice
Availability: July – October

BEER FEST
H
er name was Cookie,
at least that is what she
said it was, and I had
no reason not to believe
her. She was standing
up to the ankles of her stylish
galoshes in a thick, pasty brown
mud puddle, in the rain, drinking
beer and smiling wickedly. She
said that she had lost her husband
somewhere in the large crowd, but
that she wasn’t worried—he didn’t
have enough money on him to get
in trouble with. Her yellowish hair was
streaked with mud and laid in plastered
dreadlocked clumps across her face. In her
Who doesn’t want to dress like a pirate?
left hand she held the tattered remains of an

enormous turkey leg, which she gnawed at in
kingly tugs. In her right hand she clutched two small
tulip-shaped glass vessels, each half-filled with a brew
of some sort—which type she did not recall—and each
with the words “13th Annual Legendary Booneville Beer
Festival—May 2, 2009” laser engraved on them in
what was once a nice white font.
She took a swig of one of the glasses and drained
its contents and her eyes rolled up into her head in
what must have been a sign of total satisfaction,
or concentration (I hope), and then she snapped
back and tilted her head sideways to go in for
a pink chunk of bird muscle. As she chewed,
I couldn’t help but reach out with my pointer
finger and point out that her stringy black
fu-Manchu mustache was caught up in her
food, and she thanked me while laughing
wildly and trying to dig it out with her pinky,
and then wandered off into the swirling crowd
of rain-soaked beer drinkers. IN THE MUCK
AT THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL
LEGENDARY BOONVILLE
words & photos: Corby Anderson
BEER FESTIVAL
[ 84]:

Cookie was just one of many mustachioed ladies, not
to mention men, milling through the Mendocino County Fairgrounds.
Apparently, there was a pirate theme to this year’s event, which
seemed to perfectly match the edgy milieu of the Beer Festival in
Boonville, California.
Boonville is a fairly remote North Coast town (about 100 miles
north of San Francisco) situated in the Anderson Valley, which has
been made famous by the Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s
successful brand, and which lies in the transition zone on
the upper fringe of wine country and the southeastern
edge of dope country. It is a beautiful place, a green,
pastoral 16-mile valley filled with creeks and sheep
and goats and a fun lot of hardy locals. The
entire town rallies around the Boonville Beer
Festival in an admirable community effort,
which is appropriate since all of the proceeds
from the ticket sales ($40 in advance, $50 at the
gate) go to various local non-profits.
The Beer Festival originated in 1997, when it served as the grand opening
for the then-new Anderson Valley Brewery. That first year consisted of a free
blowout featuring all of the Anderson Valley brands. It was such a hit that other
breweries were invited in subsequent years, and the size of the crowds, and
Free Mustache rides!

thus the proceeds for such vital local services as the AV Ambulance Service,
the AV Volunteer Fire Fighters Association,
and the Lions Club have grown
exponentially. Without tabulating
this year’s haul into the
equation, the festival
reports having raised
almost $150,000
over the years.
: [85]

BEER FEST
The 13th “running of the beers” seemed

to actually have a bit of luck going for it,
despite the ominous numerological aspect.
Even with torrential (think buckets pouring
down through vertical sheets) rains and
heavy fog, a boisterous crowd made it to the
fairgrounds intact and ready to sample from
the 78 different breweries that tapped a total
of 300 different ales, pilsners, IPAs, stouts,
and barleywines. Many festivalgoers, including
most of the brewers and their families, came
for the weekend, setting up camp in the
middle of a Friday downpour that did not
seem to want to peter out.
Musician Brad Manosevitz came in via a
“terrifying ride on a tiny prop plane through a
severe winter storm” that started in his home
base of Aspen, Colorado. Once on the ground
in California, he was still unsure of his luck
as he made his way to his gig on the Beer
That almost looks like a penis on his head!
Fest stage. “We were literally driving to the

boonies!” says Manosevitz. “The road from
the San Francisco airport to Anderson Valley
was insanely curvy, foggy, rainy. You couldn’t
see a thing, not even a foot in front of the car.
It felt like we were going to die, man. And if
we had wrecked, there was no cavalry coming
to help.” It took a gauntlet-like effort for many
people to actually get to the festival.
Getting inside the gates of the fairgrounds
was a bit of a chore. A long line full of 30 or so
pirates snaked down the block in advance of
the 1 p.m. opening. It was reported that last
year, some attendees had to wait for several
hours outside of the gates to get inside due to
long lines and miscommunication. Learning
from their challenges, considerable energy
was put into fixing this year’s entry procedure
by event organizers, and thus the gate drop
went considerably smoother, though it was
not entirely problem-free, due in large part to
the heightened urgency brought on by the
persnickety rain.
Once entrance was gained for myself and
several thousand fellow beer drinkers, the
race to taste as many beers as possible in four
short hours was on.
The brewers near the entrance were
mobbed immediately, a situation that a few
astute attendees recognized and avoided
by going further down to the end of the long
wooden, A-frame structure that housed
many of the vendors. Seppi Morris, from
Grants Pass, Oregon, decided the best bet
was to stick close to one brewer station and
try several varieties of their beers in quick
succession. “It’s a 4-ounce glass. It goes
down in one gulp,” he said as he posted up
near the Habanero Beer cooler kegs.
As the crowd thickened and movement
became more difficult, my natural inclination
to flee to open space took hold in a powerful
way, and I found myself skirting around the
[ 86] :

BEER FEST
corner to what looked like open grass. Once

out of the crush and around the bend I was
glad to see several large white tents set up
in a large, open field, each housing 20 or
so brewers who worked out of the center
of a hollow square. Manosevitz’s distinct
“Texas counter-country folk rock” blasted
out of an old PA, and a sizable group of
partying pirates danced various forms of jigs
in defiance of the inclement weather, which
had thankfully downgraded itself from hard
rain to drizzle status.
Every now and then, for no apparent
reason, a roar would go through the crowd
in a rolling wave from one side of the
“Mud People” show up at every beer event that gets rainsed on.
fairgrounds to the other. You could hear

it coming at you like an earthquake, or a
propeller plane. The short burst of group
cheer seemed to happen in random intervals,
and its origin was of great curiousity to me
until the answer presented itself directly.
As we walked through the crowd, I found
myself coming face to face with an enormous
straw hat that seemed to have human legs
and most of a female midriff attached. I
tried to avoid the collision, but like a guided
missile, the hat just kept coming at me,
and when I dodged to the left, it too, went
inexplicably that way, and ran right into my
chest at a full marching pace. Having a long
history of running into things, I was prepared hankering for a soft taco made of vertically spit-turned carnitas al pastor, which is capped with a
for the contact, and thus soaked up most freshly corked pineapple, imbuing the pork meat with sweet tang.
of the energy with a big-net hug, but even Out on the edge of the field, near the bratwurst vendor, a crowd had gathered in a circle. It
my powers of absorption couldn’t save the originally looked to be a fight in progress. Closer inspection revealed an impromptu female mud-
hat woman’s commemorative glass from wrestling match. There, in the middle of the circle, several well-endowed ladies were grappling
launching out of her hand and splattering into in the rain and goopy mud, which they gleefully smashed each other into. They were very dirty
shards on the concrete. When that happened, girls, completely covered in the grey-brown sludge, and seemed quite thrilled by the attention
everything stopped for half a second, and until they were upstaged by what turned into a full-on mosh pit of fellows who took no quarter of
then the beer fans around us roared with one another, punching and thrashing each other with brotherly aggression.
cheers and I hear the sound echoing off The crowd hooted and hollered, and finally settled into a Brazilian “ole, ole” soccer chant. An
around the fairground. I realized then why the aging guy who may have been fully blitzed seemed to fancy himself the referee, and stood in
waves occurred. Some things you can only the middle of the pit for quite sometime untouched by the carnage about him, until he too was
really understand by smashing into them. tackled by the belligerents. After several failed attempts to get up from the slick muck, he finally
Just about anything, it seems, can be used succeeded in standing back up. One of the ladies pointed out that the ref’s cell phone, which
to make pirate outfits: scarves, strange vests, was clipped to his belt, was caked with dirt, and instead of cleaning it, he grabbed the phone,
bad hats, fishnet stockings, dreadlocks that held it up toward the low clouds, then unscrewed the top. It was a ruse in cellular form, which he
may or may not have been wigs. The female revealed to all by pouring whatever liquid was contained in the phone-flask into his mouth from a
mustache and/or beard combo was quite good foot above his head. Most of the contents missed the target, but he did not seem to care,
popular, and took some getting used to. I and why should he have? Once you are that muddy, a little spilled liquor only seasons the pot.
noticed quite a few Oakland Raider fans in We progressed around the fairgrounds to another semi-autonomous drinking section, which was
the crowd, identifiable by their black and called the Lamb Palace. The name probably comes from the fact that it actually is a lamb palace,
silver pirate skull and cross-bones logo. At or at least a place for lambs during fair time. The Lamb Palace held some of the more popular
first I thought that it was just normal beer breweries featured at the Booneville Beer Festival, by the looks of things. Beer festivarians were
swilling garb for Raider fans, which would literally squished into the corral, some stuck so far away from the taps that they could only stand
make sense geographically. Oakland is not there helplessly with their useless arms pinned to their chests. It looked like a stampede about to
that far from Boonville. break loose. It was a dangerous scene, and a sobering trial for any claustrophobe.
Lunchtime is always important to the Working my way through the enthused morass of multiply soaked drinkers, I was pleased to
midday beer-drinking experience. Bewitched discover that one of my favorite beer makers, the Marin Brewing Company, was there with their
by an outstandingly sharp and effortless Great newest brand, “Witty Monk”—a Belgian-inspired wheat beer. In barnacle fashion, I was able
White beer from nearby Lost Coast Brewing to attach my shoulder to the wooden post that framed the MBC section of the Lamb Palace,
Company, I mosey over to the vendor section, and spend a good moment discussing the beer with head Brewmaster Arne Johnson, who has
[ 88]:

wily crew of party people. We proceeded to
dig on yet more beer in yet more rain. Due
to the quick-hitting nature of the crowded
Beer Fest tap dance, I may have actually
learned more about beer and the philosophy
of beer making in that one hour of strolling the
campground, going from one brewery camp
to the next, than I had in four and a half hours
at the Beer Fest.
Even the campground had quality
entertainment. The Humboldt Firken Tappers
are a full-sized big band that frequents beer
events, especially the Booneville Beer Fest.
Their motto is “the more that you drink, the
better we sound,” and they sound fantastic
playing their assortment of random covers
from their tarped-in nook at the upper-
camp. The Firken Tappers could be heard
from about a mile away, and served as the
background music for almost the entire camp
scene, except for the area next to our camp,
and technically the area directly next to my
leaky tent.
There, a beat-deficient man played a full
set of drums at John Bonham energy levels,
by himself, sans guitars or vocals, almost all
night long. This didn’t bother us all that much
because we were away from our own camp for
Muddy Pirates, although, might be unique to this one.

most of that time, but as the hours added up
to a new calendar day (and then some), and
been at the Boonville Beer Fest every year (he thinks). Witty Monk is a light, fresh tasting bit of as lying down--or even possibly trying to dry
effervescent goodness that is so new it doesn’t even have a label yet and is only available at the off--began to sound oh so good, I was forced
brewery in Larkspur. I wanted to discuss more, and perhaps catch some of the excellent swag to ask him to “please-for-the-love-of-God-
(including thongs [not for me]) that MBC was supplying, but the moment was fleeting due to the just-stop-that-miserable-racket,” one or three
clamoring tide of humanity that swept me out of the green-gated corral exit. times. And eventually he did, with a delirious
Out around the corner from the Lamb Palace squishfest was a vacuous barn-like building flourish circa 3:30 a.m.
that that spilled internal light and seemed to call me into it like a mother holding out a large blue In the morning there was finally sunshine,
terrycloth towel for a soaked child. It was then that I realized that I had been standing in the rain and much rejoicing about that. We were left
for a good ten hours, including time earlier in the morning getting geared up around the brewer’s in a muddy mess, many with awful hangovers
camp. Every atomic particle of my being was logged with hydrogenated oxygen. Finally standing in and lost belongings. But there were also
the dry barn felt foreign, as if I was missing something dear—perhaps a water-based version of the authentic smiles and abundant laughter as
phantom limb sensation known to amputees. Only here, I could still feel the rain on my face. tents got shoved into car trunks and chairs
Scanning around in the barn I came to see that it was almost totally empty, save for a few were dumped of rain puddles and kegs got
yellow bleachers, and at least three times as big as the Lamb Palace. Why the barn was not packed up into pickup beds.
used for the purposes of Beer Fest instead of, or in addition to, the Lamb Palace, I do not know. On the way out, I stopped by the Anderson
It is hard to keep track of time in a situation such as this. As the clock ticked on and the taps Valley Brewing Company taproom and
started to dry up, the insatiably thirsty crowd began to swarm the nearest open tap. Following scooped up a few excellent tie-dye AVBC
this flocking, I soon found myself drinking a fantastic can of Dale’s Pale Ale from the Oskar Blues souvenir t-shirts. There, a long line formed
Brewery in Colorado. “We were the first micro to start canning our own beer seven years ago,” from the taps all the way to the back of the
Oskar Blues representative Meg Gill said. “We did it for the fresh factor. These cans don’t have merch room. As it turned out, the gold at the
the headspace that bottles have that allows oxidation to occur. Air is bad for beer, and also with end of that rainbow was a special release of
the aluminum cans, minimal light can get to the beer, creating the freshest package.” Dale’s is Anderson Valley’s seven-year aged Port Barrel
a remarkably vibrant ale, with strong punch of hops and a good strong kick on the way down. It Stout—a 750 mL wine bottle released only
has that rare oomph that people want; a distinctive tang. And it made for a great last beer of the to those in the know (who attended the Beer
festival proper, the closing of which was driven home by the roving band of officials who were Fest). Seven is my lucky number, I tell the
spread out and sweeping the grounds like ski patrollers, hollering while gathering everyone up couple in front of me. I was married on 7/7/07.
and ushering the diehards to the gates. So when I pay the man and go out around
A day full of outstanding beers, great food, and bouncy music shared with a crowd of hearty the back of the brewery to get my share out
hopheads in all-out element battle was possibly not even the best part of Booneville Beer Fest. of the cooler and find it’s bottle No. 77, I am
That distinction went to the camping that took place in the fairground camp area. There, I met only mildly surprised. It was just that kind of
up with John Kuhry, the General Manager of host Anderson Valley Brewing Company, and his weekend at the Boonville Beer Festival.
: [89]

BEER GAMES
THREE MAN
Roll’em, drink’em, pass’em
words: Seth Martin photos: Jason Boulanger

Yatzee would be a perfect drinking game...wait we alread drink when playing.
T
his month we are featuring a game of luck known as “Three Man.”
Three Man is a beer game for those in search of fun at a fast pace.
The rules are very simple and play is quick so pay attention and pro-
tect the dice or you will end up the Three Man!
ITEMS
NEEDED
• One set (2) of standard dice
• Minimum of four people
• A table large enough for

everyone to participate
• Beer. You will need to drink as

you play (surprise!)
THE
SETUP
1) Every-
one sits
around a table,
each armed
with a fresh
beer.
2) All the
players
take turns
rolling a single
die until
someone rolls
a three and
becomes the
Three Man.
[ 92] :

OBJECT OF
THE GAME:
To make
the Three
Man drink!
HOW TO
PLAY
Isn’t fishing like a drinking game. Sit, wait, and drink beer?
The player to left of the Three Man
roles the dice.
The player will then follow the rules

regarding the combination that was rolled.
The player will keep rolling until a

combination is rolled that has no rules;
that player then loses his or her turn and
drinks before passing the dice to the
next player.
Play will then proceed clockwise around

the table, each player rolling until they
lose their turn.
If the Three Man rolls a three or any

combination including or equaling a three
during his or her turn, he or she gets
to pick any other player to become the
new Three Man. This is where the true
enemies are made!
: [93]

BEER GAMES
RULES FOR DICE COMBOS

1:1 ............Doubles DOUBLES • The roller hands the dice
1:2 ............Three Man drinks to any player, who must then roll the dice.
1:3 ............Three Man drinks If that player rolls doubles (known as a
1:4 ............Thumb Rule facial) the original roller must drink the
1:5 ............Nose Rule total on the dice (5 and 5 means 10 drinks
1:6 ............Player to the left of the and so on); if any other combination is
roller drinks rolled that player must drink the sum of
2:2 ............Doubles combination shown (3 and 2 means five
2:3 ............Three Man drinks drinks and so on). Also, the original roller
2:4 ............Lose turn may split the dice between two people,
2:5 ............Player to the left of the so each rolls a single die. If for the
roller drinks results come up as doubles the original
2:6 ............Lose turn roller drinks, otherwise each player
3:3 ............Doubles: Three Man drinks drinks what he or she rolls.
TWICE!
3:4 ............Player to the left of the roller THUMB RULE • Last person to place
drinks; Three Man drinks their thumb on the table drinks.
3:5 ............Three Man drinks
3:6 ............Social: everyone drinks; NOSE RULE • Last person to place
Three Man drinks TWICE! their index finger on their nose drinks.
4:4 ............Doubles
4:5 ............Social: everyone drinks! SLOPPY DICE • “Sloppy dice”
4:6 ............Lose turn constitutes automatic Three Man.
5:5 ............Doubles Anytime the dice are rolled and fall off the
5:6 ............Player to the right of the table it is considered sloppy dice and the
roller drinks offender becomes the Three Man.
6:6 ............Doubles
L
ike I said, the rules are simple and the play is fast! So
grab some beer, some friends and let’s get rolling!
Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose, but how
much you can make the Three Man drink.
[ 94] :

beer OF the MONth
Deschutes
words: Derek Buono photos: Carl Hyndman
We say “Butt” instead of “Beaut” and laugh every time.
L
ike with many, my first taste of
Deschutes’s magical flavors
came from its Black Butte
Porter. We’re big porter fans,
and any time you can find one
that’s packed
with flavor and
easy to drink, it’s like winning ten
championships in ten different sports.
It’s that good. So when we got our
newest version of the beer we were
super excited. An imperial version
of one of the best porters on the
market? Can we actually love a bottle?
We’ll try.
For those who can find this limited
anniversary beer, it will have been
worth the hunt, the money and even
the time if you want to age a bottle.
This action-packed black liquid is
made even better with the addition
of Theo’s Chocolate cocoa nibs from
Seattle. It’s “dry hopped” with 100
pounds of Bellatazza’s locally roasted
coffee. A portion of it is also aged
in Stranahan’s Colorado whiskey
barrels. All that turns up the flavor and
creates a truly special beer worthy of
the limited availability and wax seal.
[ 96] :

Head: A giant head isn’t going to float on this
high ABV beer, and even less so in a large snifter.
But a thick, tan head does skate across the top of
the beer and leaves what looks like wispy clouds
in a dark sky.
Appearance: She’s dark and sexy! A very dark

brown, like a black coffee, but when held up to
the light you can see lovely red highlights. It’s not
overly thick and doesn’t coat the glass like some
super-heavy stouts or porters, but it does slide
down the glass much slower than thinner beers.
Aroma: With all the information about the

coffee and chocolate, it was surprising that
little coffee or even chocolate was the dominant
aroma. Instead you got lots of bourbon vanilla,
some dark fruit, oats and, if you really thought
about it, hints of coffee. The aroma was
complex, but not overpowering, and really
masked what you’re in for.
Taste: The look and the smell are like the first
two dates in a three-date system: Not until you
get to the third installment do you get to taste
the goods. With the aroma not leading you on
to what’s inside, the first sip is sort of shocking.
You get immediate coffee flavor and black coffee
We could get any chocolate nibs to use in the photo....we had to drink it!
bitterness. Once you adjust to the taste after the
somewhat misleading smell, the rest of the beauty
of this beer comes to the surface. It’s slightly
sweet, but loaded with coffee, chocolate, dark
fruits and vanilla. It’s lovely and not too thick,
but far from thin. Considering this beer isn’t
suggested to be tasted for another year, it’s hard
to think that you should wait.
Drinkability: This is a big, beautiful beer but

somehow still remains very drinkable. We’re not
recommending you pour a full pint, but if you
did, it wouldn’t be a problem to enjoy alone. Its
medium body goes down easy, and even being 11
percent ABV, it doesn’t really reveal that with any
sort of alcohol burn.
Bottom Line: Having a statement on the bottle

like “Best After 2010” is like having a present
sitting in front of you that says “do not open
until XMAS.” We couldn’t wait a year to try this
beer—and to be honest, saying this beer would
taste better in a year is a little presumptuous of
BREWER: Deschutes Brewery ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 25° Plato
Deschutes … especially when it’s this fantastic
WEB: www.descutesbrewery.com BOTTLE SIZE: 22 oz.
right now. If you can buy more than one and tuck
LOCATION: Bend, Or AVAILABILITY: June 27 until its gone! them away it would be great to sample in a year,
STYLE: Imperial Porter PRICE: $13 / 22 Oz Bottle but we say find it and drink it now. It’s one of the
ALCOHOL PERCENT BY VOLUME: 11% SERVING GLASS: Stem or snifter best imperial porters out there and we’d love to
IBU: 55 SUGGESTED SERVING TEMP: 40-50°F see this beer made year-round!
: [97]

Tapped Out
Fancy Cheese String – Polly-O is string

cheese but a nice smelly cheese ready to eat?
beyond
The preTzel
necklace
Put it all on a string
W
e all know you can get lots of foods
on sticks, and seemingly in direct
competition with those, the pretzel
necklace can be seen at most beer
events—a much better idea than things on a stick,
Yes they make a beer glass necjlace too.
because they require you only to put it on and chew. This

leaves both hands available for beer and maybe also
something on a stick. But we started to wonder why this
ingenious way of holding your food was limited to just
pretzels. What’s stopping us from having other delicious
things on a string around our necks, ready to eat at a
moment’s notice? We thought of some other items that
should be put on a string at the next beer fest or for any
of your daily meals. You’ll never lose your food again!
Fried Chicken On A String – KFC don’t you Fruit On A String – The healthy alternative to Dessert On A String – Who doesn’t love cup-
dare steal this idea! most foods. Sticky and delicious. cakes? Now you can just lean forward.
[ 98] :


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42 Be Better At: 92 Beer Games

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96 Todd McElwee, Jacob McKean,

Beer Of Art & Photography

Back Issues, Beer

Carry Beer in Your

70 Beer Magazine (ISSN 1941-1804) is a publication of

We occasionally use material that we believe has

100% recyclable. Save the planet.

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IS GOOD A PHRASE I OVER USE... What’s the problem?

of ﬂavors in a drink. So if you’re A PHRASE I WISH WOULD GO AWAY... Time to step it

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We didn’t mention it but the also sell a “wine rack!”

CANNIN’ BEER FOR BAHLER HORNIN’

* What do you get when you cross a bear with a deer?

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Surf’s Up with Coming to

up will get their choice Surftech

• Appalachian Pennypacker Porter • Magic Hat Roxy Rolles

Keep in mind this is only a partial list. If you don’t see

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Sam and Ken Make a Beer

the Sierra Nevada estate. back window, then the good

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feel. Hate us? Love us? We want to hear.

MESSENGERS OF THE BEER GODS

I’m looking forward to years of good drinking and reading ahead.

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Angels Are singing Librarian?

ﬁnally get Fat Tire beer. I can’t tell you

We actually have a little setup in the

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September 5 October 2-4

September 5–6 October 3

September 10–11 October 3

September 11–20 October 3

September 12–13 October 10

That beer is half full!

September 13 October 16–17

September 18 October 16–17

September 18–20 October 17

September 19–October 4 October 17

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I HAD AN IPA RECENTLY

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Time to make the doughnuts...and beer.

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HERE’S W hat’s better than reading about

to you words: You photos: You

Submission must include a high-

Name: Sarah Scott

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Name: Derrell Winowich

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words: Brein Clements photos: Jason Boulanger

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3 1 qt. Heavy Cream

Cooking is always easy when all the ingredients are prepped!

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