Beer Wisdom from Henry Lawson
"Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer."
-Henry Lawson
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Craft Beer and Movie Pairings: Oscar Edition
Do we need another excuse to drink good beer? Nope. Did we find one anyway? Yep. Cue up one of these Oscar-winning movies of years past and enjoy one (or three) Acadamy-approved pairings.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004 Winner) British Pale Ale
Beer was the most popular drink in middle earth, and it was often consumed in large quantities out of metal steins. The British Pale Ale style was originally brewed with very rich, hard water (something that would have likely been available in the shire), and typically has low alcohol content. This noble choice would not impede one's ability to protect the ring.
Million Dollar Baby (2005 Winner) | Porter
The dark, bold, and roasty flavors often found in porter-style beers will be your ringside companion for this edgy drama. Historically an English style, the newer American-style porters are often available in a range of alcohol content, from lightweight (4%) to fairly heavyweight (8%).
Commercial examples: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, Founders Porter, Deschutes Black Butte, Sierra Nevada Porter
Crash (2006 Winner) | American IPA
Known for its spicy, citric, and bitter flavors, the American IPA pairs well with the hard-edged grittiness Crash's plot and characters. The film is set in Los Angeles, and California is one of the main stomping grounds for the ever-popular West Coast IPA style, further solidifying these partners in crime.
Commercial examples: Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Russian River Blind Pig, New Belgium Ranger IPA, Harpoon IPA, Surly Furious
The Departed (2007 Winner) | American Rye Ale
American gangsters are synonymous with back room deals and strong drinks. This uniquely American style of beer that often flies under the radar (like a good mobster deal) can have notes of spice, slight sourness, and rye whiskey.
Commercial examples: Founders Red's Rye PA, Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, Sixpoint Righteous Ale, Boulevard Rye-On-Rye
No Country for Old Men (2008 Winner) | Bock
Set in 1980's Texas, this thriller is deserving of a beer that is is dark like oil but drinkable enough to quench desert-crossing thirst. Also known as a "symbol for better times to come", the bock is a perfect match for this talkie.
Commercial examples: Shiner Bock, Anchor Bock, Samuel Adams Winter Lager, New Glarus Back Forty Bock
Slumdog Millionaire (2009 Winner) | Light Lager
The mild bread and malt flavors of Indian (or Indian-inspired) lagers will serve as an unassuming yet welcome companion to the dramatic trials and triumphs of this spicy, savory, and sweet story. And, you should be able to acquire some for less than one million rupees!
The Hurt Locker (2010 Winner) | American Strong Ale
What could be more American and strong than an American Strong Ale? Pair this intense, forceful military flick with an equally strong liquid comrade.
Commercial examples: Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot, Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, Great Lakes Nosferatu, Sierra Nevada Life & Limb
The King's Speech (2011 Winner) | English Bitter
English culture and English Bitters can be described using the same three adjectives: dry, clean, and unoffensive. England's staple beer of both past and present, the Bitter is often served with low carbonation and close to room temperature and - leaving more room in the fridge for leftover bangers and mash.
Commercial examples: Fuller's ESB, Redhook ESB, Shipyard Old Thumper, Honker's Ale
The Artist and the Bière de Garde style both exemplify romance, art, and French culture. Known for toasted malt flavors, noble hop aromas, and fruity esters, the Bière de Garde is a complex yet balanced beer that will keep your mouth happy during this silent film.
Commercial examples: Ommegang Bière D'Hougoumont, Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza, Two Brothers Dumaine DuPage, New Belgium Biere De Mars
New Belgium Brewing: Now 100% Employee-Owned
New Belgium Brewing's Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) has bought out the remainder of the company shares, making it 100% employee-owned. These guys make some of our favorite beers (La Folie, Ranger IPA, and Le Terroir) and have some pretty awesome themes to their organization - bikes, sustainable energy, and umm... beer. Congrats, guys!
Craft Beers of the United States (One Beer Per State!)
First We Feast recently published an article on the best craft beer in each of the 50 United States. Yes, that's right, one beer per state! A daunting task if you ask us.
The authors acknowledge the list is colored by their personal taste, but it sounds like many simply do not feel represented by the beers that were chosen to represent their state (at least that is the sentiment on Reddit). They'd like to see some consideration of "the people's opinion".
Although there are some great choices, it seems a bit unfair to narrow a state's preferences down to one brewery and one style. Sure, hop heads are going to like Russian River's tastebud-scorchingly bitter Pliny the Elder (brewed in California), but what if some Californians are partial to the refreshing crispness of a lager or the meaty depth of an imperial stout?
Okay so we're happy they took the time to write the piece, because it gives us beer geeks something to talk about - whether positive or negative!
And here's a comprehensive map of the breweries in the US that we sell, followed by a map of the US comprised of popular breweries in each state.
Nuclear Bombs Ain't Got Nothin' On Our Beer
A document that addresses a question that has been eating away at us for decades has recently resurfaced. That question, of course, is,
"Is it okay to drink beer that has been exposed to high levels of radioactivity?"
In short, the answer is yes.
According to a 1957 U.S. government study called "The Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages," after being exposed to an actual atomic explosion,
"These beverages could be used as potable water sources for immediate emergency purposes as soon as the storage area is safe to enter after a nuclear explosion."Number of U.S. Breweries Hits 125-Year High
According to a report published by the Brewers Association, the brewing craze is still booming. Some highlights from the report include:
- An estimated 6 million barrels of beer were sold in the first six months of 2012.
- The U.S. now has 2,126 breweries—an increase of 350 additional breweries since June 2011, and there are 1,252 breweries in planning.
- There are 2,075 craft breweries, which means that 97 percent of U.S. breweries are craft breweries.
- The industry currently provides an estimated 104,000 full-time and part-time jobs.
Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association, also notes that, "Beer drinkers are responding to the quality and diversity created by small American brewing companies. India pale ales, seasonal beers, Belgian-inspired ales and a range of specialty beers are just a few of the beer styles that are growing rapidly.”
Think about all of those brewers and beer drinkers that will need craft beer shirts and beer soap! Oh, and, check out this nifty graphic:
BrewDog: Never Mind the Anabolics
The boys over at Scottish Craft Brewery BrewDog (who are famous for their gimmicks) have released their response to the 2012 London Olympics, in the form of a beer.
A jab at olympians who endorse fast-food companies and sugary drinks, the beer is loaded with "performance enhancing" ingredients like creatine, coffee, guarana, ginseng, gingo, maca powder, matcha tea and kola nut. The base is a 6.5% abv India Pale Ale.
Did you catch the reference to the 1977 Sex Pistols album, Never Mind the Bollocks?
See the video below for BrewDog's take on the olympics, performance enhancing drugs, and their new beer.
Hops: America's New Cash Crop
Lots of Americans are converting land into hop-growing fields in order to cash in on the demand for locally produced Humulus lupulus, one of the four main ingredients in almost every single beer.
According to St. Louis Today:
"Many of the new hops growers are idealistic first-time farmers who are passionate about beer, and some are lured by the fact that hops are a high-cash crop that can be grown on a relatively small piece of land. (An acre can produce 2,000 pounds, enough for about 2,000 barrels of the average craft ale.)"
Could Hops be the next big cash crop? With breweries popping up left and right (and with people now offering hop-infused soaps), domestic demand for hops will only continue to grow. As homebrewers and backyard hop growers ourselves, we're hopeful that the scent of fresh hops could one day permeate the country air from coast to coast!
Kare 11 weighs in: Tapping into the booming craft beer business
How many breweries do you think Minnesota had before prohibition...90? ...100? Nope, not even close: 400! Although Minnesota's current brewery count is just over 10% of what it used to be, at 43 breweries (and counting), the craft beer revelucion is manifesting itself all over the state and across the country.
Kare 11 recently did a piece on the growing interest craft beer which brings to light more interesting facts about brewing in Minnesota. Take a looksie:
My question for you: Does it really matter how many craft breweries we have in MN or across the U.S.? Or do you just care about drinking good beer no matter the variety of breweries?
Either way, breweries like Lucid and Boom Island Brewing are offering up more and more opportunities to drink locally in Minnesota. And, with the successes of specialty beer stores like Four Firkins and pubs like Barley John's Brewpub and The Republic that are committed to selling nothing but the best craft beers, we can all rest well tonight knowing that good beer is here to stay!
Breckenridge Brewing tells it like it is
We've all seen the latest beer commercials where the nation's largest brewers showcase their latest gimmics. Breckenridge Brewery created a campaign that takes a shot or two at these gimmics in their campaign of tv commercials called "Truth in beervertising."
Now, we can't knock on big brewers too much. Many of us have probably had a beer with "light" in the title more recently than we'd like to admit, so we can't help but laugh at these clever commercials. Which is your favorite?
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