Back to the Farm

I'm gonna assume that those of you reading this know the background of David Anderson and his BrewFarm.  (If you haven't, here's a good write up on HeavyTable.com). I haven't been back to Dave's since the Open House almost a year ago.  It's been too long.  Of course, I've been meaning to but...

We were lucky to catch him on a slow night and got to chat. He recently did a very successful practice run at selling one liter carry out bottles of some of his popular big brews and we scored the last 2 bottles of Mocha Diablo, his chocolate stout with hot peppers.  He may do more, with bottles of beer geek and brew wife favorite Aubexxx a possibility.  Once they get set up with more empty bottles, you'll be able to call ahead and get a pre-fill of your favorite or see what's available on their site. Dave's not a fan of from-the-tap growlers and prefers the one liter flip top bottles done with a Blichmann gun that combines Co2 and beer right from the keg, which he thinks has a much better carbonation retention, but can't be done on-demand.

Some highlights of what he had on tap:

The Bruiser - A 10.5% smoked Wee Heavy, this may be the best smoked beer I've ever had, with just the right balance between the smoked malts and a big scotch ale.

Aubexxx - a big 9.5% Belgian Strong Ale brewed with black pepper, this beer is always awesome and is destined to reach some type of bottle release.

Single Hop Amarillo Lager - Wow, did this smell good, and the light lager body really allowed the citrusy hop to shine.  He will continue to do single hop brews with Cascade and Citra coming up.

Saison - Dave's seems to have mastered the Saison style, with each successive one having an amazing complexity but still remaining light and drinkable even at 8.5% ABV.

Somehow, from the lightest to the biggest, Dave's beers always retain an amazing complexity and balance. I can't recommend enough that you make a trip out, especially if you're a homebrewer.  The 8 brew flight is the best $8 I've ever spent. It's a family atmosphere...bring the kids, the dog and some snacks.  And make sure you hold on to your hat.

Barleywine Tasting At Heritage

After a week off for Thanksgiving, the tastings are back with a bang this Thursday, December 2nd. Some are sweet, some are bitter, but they're all huge and called barleywines because they can be as strong as wine. But since it is made from grain rather than fruit, it is, in fact, a beer, usually having an earthy hopiness balanced by a toffee-like sweetness. They are the big brother to Winter Warmers and Old Ales and are sometimes also refered to as Strong Ales. Come, drink, learn...

Our weekly Thursday night tastings run from 5-7PM. 

Odell Mountain Standard

Did you know that BeerAdvocate has now added Black IPA/Dark Cascadian Ale as a style? I didn't, but the list has some damn good beers on it. I've posted ad nauseum about this style, but after I cracked the Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA that just came out, I have to revisit it one more time.  I'm very interested to see this style develop, with beers like Deschutes Hop In The Dark, 21st Amendment Back In Black, Mad River Serious Madness and Grand Teton Trout Hop being readily available ones to try so far.

Every Odell big format release I've had has been stellar, in particular the very interesting Deconstruction Golden Ale blend of three different treatments of the same brew, which I'm not sure would be considered a threaded beer...maybe. Regardless, every one has been impressively crafted and very balanced.  Despite the dark malts, Odell's Double Black pours with a huge pillowy off-white head that slowly recedes.  It's a complex combination of rich chocolate malts and citrus hops (Cascade) with a bit of pine (Chinook) thrown in to give it just enough bitter bite.  All the hops in DBIPA were grown in Colorado, and while very hop-forward in aroma and flavor, it's not especially bitter, with creamy chocolate covering your tongue before the hops kick in. Throughout the pour, that bit of piney hop bitterness continues to power through, intermingling with the citrus and chocolate flavors, with some roasted malt far in the background. It's one of those beers that has more of a "perceived" bitterness that builds and seems more present at the end of the pour than the beginning. Whatever style you call it and whatever your preconceived idea of what a Black IPA should taste like, this beer is definitely one thing...damn good.

Beer for Thanksgiving Dinner...hell yeah.

You're standing in front of shelves of wine, trying to decide what wine to pair with turkey (and with your guests..."Uncle Jeff hates wine!"). Then it hits you...beer! There's many styles of beer that are as good, if not better, than wine to drink with the big gorge.  Beer pairs very easily with many foods, and what do you think the Pilgrims had with their Thanksgiving feast? It's much more likely it was a good ale than wine. You don’t want anything too distinct that it will overpower the flavor of the turkey which is lighter than most roasted meats. So take a quick peek below and you will see all the work is done for you with some of our favorites that should enhance your Thanksgiving day meal and nap.

Belgian- The Belgian style covers a wide range and is predominately in the lighter, more crisp flavor profile which works well with turkey. Both Hoegaarden and Avery White Rascal are Belgian Wit’s with orange and citrus tones that allow the mild taste of turkey to come through and can also fit nicely with a heavier stuffing or cranberries. Saisons like Boulevard Tank 7and Goose Island Sofie have an effervescent tartness that won’t overpower all your hard work in the kitchen. For the hard to please wine drinkers, it shouldn’t be hard to turn them on to a Sour Brown Ale like Rodenbach which has a sourness that can compare to the tannins in red wine. If opening a bottle is one of your traditions, you can choose one of the above styles that is corked and caged which is an elegant choice for the Thanksgiving Day dinner table.

Brown Ale - the new Lift Bridge Chestnut Hill is an excellent nutty brown ale and a great pairing with stuffing, turkey and gravy....plus you're buying local.

Weizenbock - these malty, wheat versions of the bock style are excellent with ham and pair well with many foods without overpowering them. A nice choice would be Capital Weizen Dopplebock.

The added bonus in going with beer for your Thanksgiving Day feast is that it is the best choice in the most important pairing...beer and football.

Smile Sam

This Sunday night at 9PM Central, the craft beer world will stop and stare at Sam Calagione for an hour.  Brewmasters has it's own website and Facebook page, and bars across the country are having viewing parties. His show on Discovery Channel debuts with an episode on their recent release, Bitches Brew, a threaded beer with 3 different treatments of Imperial Stout and a honey ale made with gesho root. That fourth beer could probably considered a Gruit, since gesho root may be the only bittering agent in that thread instead of hops. You might wanna get a bottle if you can, since stores in DFH's distribution range will probably get flooded with calls for "that beer that was on TV last night" (and probably stores that aren't, too).  After hearing about Bitches Brew, I thought this would become the newest fad in brewing and it has, with Stone releasing Lukcy Basartd (a blend of Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard and Double Bastard) and Sierra Nevada releasing Grand Cru (Oak-Aged Bigfoot, Celebration and Pale Ale). I can't wait to try both of those.

Contrary to a vocal minority, I think Sam is very good for craft beer and, in the end, the show should be fun to watch with a pint or 2.  Isn't that enough? It isn't any different than what Gene Simmons, Orange County Choppers or even Billy the Exterminator (my daughter's current fave show) are doing: talking about what they're passionate about. Most of us do that all day without a camera following us around. And we get to drink beer and watch him do it. That's all good from where I'll be sitting...my couch. Set your DVR's.