Help Launch Brew Candles!
They're finally here! Well, almost. We have all the details figured out, we just need some funding to make the first batch.
Click here to view the project page, and please share it with the world!
Updated project ticker:
News
The 100 Best Beer Bars in America
There are some real goodies on this list compiled by Draft Magazine, and we've been to a few of them! Are there any in your neighborhood? According to the article,The list celebrates those special haunts with less than three locations and one passionate focus: beer. There might be darts and a jukebox or candlelight and a turntable; there might be five beers or 500. But in every spot on our list, you’ll find an excellent brew in your glass and people—staff, owners, barflies—who care about that as much as you do.
Doorbuster deals making you thirsty? Get in line for Black Friday beer from Lakefront Brewery
Black Friday is just around the corner and many are studying up on how to get the best deals on their holiday gifts. As Tom Rotunno at CNBC reported, "There's finally a really good reason for beer lovers to wake up early on Black Friday morning." That reason: Black Friday Imperial India-Style black ale from Lakefront Brewery.
Lakefront touts this buzzworthy mash-up of shopping tradition and craft beer as having a bold combination of dark malts with a hoppy finish, all under a 10% a.b.v. And, in true Black Friday deal fashion, this craft beer anomaly can only found for a very limited time - until supplies run out on Black Friday at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As if a great limited beer release wasn't enough to get you to travel to Milwaukee; Lakefront will also be having a Black Friday party, with food, music and, of course, brewery tours.
Sources: CNBC - Drink Up This Doorbuster: Black Friday, The Beer, Image: Blackfridaybeer.com.
Suds and Sun - 5 Craft Beer Styles to Help You Beat the Heat
Thanks to this wonderful gift of sun and humidity, we're hot right now. Really hot. So hot that we've swapped our t-shirts for beer, in fact. Since the shirts are off and the beers are in hand, we thought we'd throw together a list of 5 craft beer styles that pair perfectly with heat and sun. Put these on your to-drink list for the summer!
Sometimes referred to as "all-malt," this category of beer refers to lagers brewed without cereal adjuncts (mainly rice or corn). Though often still yellow and fizzy, these beers will display a broader depth of malt flavor and a more complex bitterness vs. their adjunct counterparts (like those produced by Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, etc.). A lot of these beers are known as "gateway" beers for their ability to convert people into craft beer drinkers!
Fruit beers can include a wide range of styles and brewing processes, from American wheat beers with fruit additions to Fruit Lambics. In the case of Fruit Lambics, whole fruits are traditionally added after spontaneous fermentation has started. Kriek (cherries), Frambroise (raspberries), Pêche (peach) and Cassis (black currant) are common fruits, all producing subtle to intense fruit characters respectively. Once the fruit is added, the beer is subjected to additional maturation before bottling. Malt and hop characters are generally low to allow the fruit to consume the palate. Alcohol content tends to be low.
Saison (French for season) is a farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the United States.
This is a very complex style; many examples are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.
American Pale Lager
Sometimes referred to as "all-malt," this category of beer refers to lagers brewed without cereal adjuncts (mainly rice or corn). Though often still yellow and fizzy, these beers will display a broader depth of malt flavor and a more complex bitterness vs. their adjunct counterparts (like those produced by Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, etc.). A lot of these beers are known as "gateway" beers for their ability to convert people into craft beer drinkers!
American Pale Lager
Cream Ale
Spawned from the American light lager style, cream ales are brewed as an ale (using top-fermenting ale yeast) but are often cold-conditioned like a lager. Adjuncts (as would be used in a lager) such as corn or rice are used to lighten the body. It is not uncommon for smaller craft brewers to brew all malt Cream Ales. They are often pale straw to pale gold in color with low hop bittering and some hop aroma though some microbreweries have given the style more of a hop character. They should be well attenuated and highly carbonated.
American Wheat
American WheatThese beers range within the pale to golden range in color and are reminiscent of a Hefe Weizen in appearance, unless filtered. They typically have a long-lasting head with a light to medium body with higher carbonation. Often served with a lemon wedge (popularized by Americans) to either cut the wheat or yeast edge, which many either find to be a flavorful snap ... or an insult and something that damages the beer's taste and head retention!
Examples: Bell's Oberon, Magic Hat Circus Boy, Smuttynose Summer Weizen
Fruit Lambic
Fruit beers can include a wide range of styles and brewing processes, from American wheat beers with fruit additions to Fruit Lambics. In the case of Fruit Lambics, whole fruits are traditionally added after spontaneous fermentation has started. Kriek (cherries), Frambroise (raspberries), Pêche (peach) and Cassis (black currant) are common fruits, all producing subtle to intense fruit characters respectively. Once the fruit is added, the beer is subjected to additional maturation before bottling. Malt and hop characters are generally low to allow the fruit to consume the palate. Alcohol content tends to be low. 
Fruit Lambic
Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Saison (French for season) is a farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the United States.
Saison/Farmhouse AleThis is a very complex style; many examples are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.
Taste of Summer: Our Favorite Pizza and Craft Beer Pairings
Do you like pizza, good beer, or both? So do we. We're thinking summer, and summer to us means awesome food and awesome beer. Check out some of our favorite pizza and craft beer pairings. Why not try one of these combos tonight?
Hawaiian Pizza + Unfiltered Wheat Beer
The savory Canadian bacon and sweet and acidic pineapple flavors pair well with the light wheat and tropical notes of the Columbus, Tomahawk, and Zeus hops in Tallgrass Halcyon. Other wheat beers suggestions: Bell's Oberon and Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat.
Jalepeño Bacon Pizza + IPA
The grapefruit notes and assertive bitterness in a beer like Summit's Saga IPA help cut the heat and savory fat flavors in the herby and zippy jalepeño bacon pizza. Other IPA suggestions: Surly Furious and Founders Centennial IPA.
Vegetable Pizza + Bock Beer
Sweet, earthy notes in a mushroom and pepper vegetable pizza compliment the light sweetness, caramel, and low bitterness of a beer like Alaskan Birch Bock. Other bock suggestions: Anchor Bock and Shiner Bock.
Margherita Pizza + Belgian Tripel
Creamy fresh mozzarella, meaty tomato, and spicy basil are well complimented by the smooth sweetness and peppery fruit notes of a Belgian Tripel like the Westmalle Tripel. Other Tripel suggestions: La Trappe Tripel and Leffe Tripel.
Minneapolis Brewpub Releases Monster 23% ABV Beer
Toripuru, Japanese for “liquid soul slaughterer”, is a beer crafted by the Herkimer, a German brewpub in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood of Minneapolis. It follows the craft beer microtrend of “bigger is better” that has yielded extreme beers like Sam Adams Utopias (27%), BrewDog Sink the Bismarck (41%), and Brouwerij ‘t Koelschip Start the Future (60%). Are these beers actually enjoyable, or is this just a ploy to attract attention for the breweries and brands that brew them?
How it actually works
A handful of these gargantuan beers do not use the traditional brewing method to achieve such high levels of alcohol. In many cases they brew as high of ABV beer as they can then freeze the final product and allow all of the alcohol to drain out of the solution, greatly increasing (sometimes doubling or tripling) the ABV of the final product.
Is it really beer?
Technically, yes. Although the alcohol is boosted by using non-traditional brewing methods, the base product is indeed a high-gravity beer. The alcohol for this “base beer” is obtained by fermenting higher-than-normal amounts of sugars that are extracted during the “mashing” of the beer brewing process.
Is it worth trying?
Big beers are big beers. If you like them, you’ll keep trying them. If you don’t, you won’t. This particular beer might be slightly different than its most recent boozy predecessor, but ultimately it will taste nothing like beer. Rather, it will taste like some combination of wheat wine, cordial, and hard alcohol. In short, if you like gimmicks, flavors of the week, or want a novelty gift for that beer geek in your life, then yes it’s probably worth it. If you’re in search of good craft beer, however, this might not be the best place to start.
Oh and, Toripuru is actually Japanese for “triple”. Gotcha.
Comments
0 Comments