WhyDrinkBeer - Adventures In The Craft Beer World

My Move To The Great Northwest - Lucky Move #13

2011-12-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

After some unfortunate events in early 2011 I made the tough decision to move back to Madera from Santa Rosa. The seven months I spent in the North Bay were filled with more beer events than the last five years combined. Craft beer is part of the culture up there and a booming industry in this wacky economy (just ask Lagunitas). So it was with a heavy heart that I left my new friends and a wonderful city to come back to the black hole of the craft beer universe: California's Central Valley. It took me five months to get my shit together and make a decision. I absolutely had to be part of an active, vibrant community that not only offered a plethora of outdoor activities, encouraged physical and mental fitness and worked hard to improve education and decrease local crime but most importantly (ha ha) embraced a quality craft beer culture.

I almost immediately ruled out the East Coast. No offense but I just really love the West. Denver was about as far east as I considered and what a wonderful city it is. Other options were places I am already partially familiar with: Seattle, San Diego, Portland, and Vancouver. The last one, Bend, Oregon, was my favorite and probably the least familiar. I knew it was a small town of close to 80,000 people and that the craft beer industry was doing very well. Nestled up against the Cascade mountain range I assumed that the summer months offered a huge amount of camping, hiking, backpacking and rafting options.

Back in 2006, we had backpacked south of the Sisters peaks for a week and thoroughly enjoyed the area (and our quick trip to the Deschutes pub afterwards). One of the main reasons for putting Bend at the top of my list was of course my parents' decision to retire to the area in the next few years. My father, if you don't already know, is my best friend and drinking buddy through and through and my mom fuels my creativity and keeps me from doing too many things I might later regret.

So the first week of November I answered an advert for an after school teaching position that started in three weeks. Not something that can pay the rent by any means, but a reason to get me up and moving. I promised to be in class on Tuesday the 29th and by golly I would be there. So for the ump-teenth time, my dad 'volunteered' to help me move. This would be a thirteen hour drive one way for him, since we had to make a stop in Santa Rosa to pick up a few things. I treated dad to a few beers in town including some at the Platypus Pub and the Deschutes pub downtown. We had a great time in only a few hours and I can't wait for him to come back.

I do understand now that this can get out of hand quickly. I live within 5 miles of 10 Barrel, two Cascade Lakes locations, GoodLife, Silvermoon, Bend Brewing, McMenamin's, Below Grade, Noble, Deschutes, Boneyard and Old Mill Brew Works. This is ridiculous. I need to do this with a bit of restraint, willpower and sanity. I have discovered something new all ten days I have lived here and I plan on making that a routine. So here is to a new exciting year in 2012 and I look forward to hosting at least a few of you in this amazing forested, high desert of a town in the near future.

Slainte, Prost, Salute, Na zdravje & Budmo!

*Editor's Note: I am writing this at Cascade Lakes' 7th Street pub in Redmond, OR while drinking a King Kong Imperial Porter and watching the Steelers beat the Browns.

Portland Here I Come!

2011-08-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

PDX. Beervana. Beer City USA. Mecca*.

Many names meaning many things to millions of people from around the world. I first visited when I was a wee lad, only knee-high to a duck as my dad would say, in 1985. Alas, no beer experiences that time, and a tour of Olympia Brewery doesn’t count.

Fourteen years would pass before I turned 21 and embarked on my 48-state Great Cross Country Trip of ’99. Even then, the only brewery I visited was Widmer (not a bad start I might add). I had just begun to delve into the burgeoning world of craft beer and looking back I wish I had been paying more attention, but I just didn’t know what was possible and what some amazingly inventive brewers were attempting.

I returned to visit family in 2003 and to meet up with the one man who started me on this beer-journey, the respectable Ryan LaMar. He had built a mini-beer shrine in his Vancouver apartment, which I soaked up over the course of three hours of muppet porn, Iron Maiden talk and my first beer ice cream float, but we didn’t venture out into the City.

2006 was finally the year that I dipped my pinky toe in. Dad, Uncle Ed, cousin Mike and I drove up from Madera, CA to the Sisters Wilderness outside of Bend, OR for a week of backpacking, stopping at brewpubs along the way. After making the unavoidable visit to Deschutes, we drove as fast as possible to Portland and began to plan the next day. Pre-iPhone days meant loosey-goosey organization, although we found our way to Lucky Labrador, New Old Lompoc, and Bridgeport before realizing we were ignoring local family.

Fast forward to 2011 and one particular member of that family happens to be turning 90 years old. Perfect excuse to make a weekend of it, as if I need an excuse. My knowledge of the craft beer industry has grown tremendously since even 2006 and I even started home brewing beer last year. I have a trusty iPhone with the BeerMapping app locked in on the Portland area, plus I have padded my visit with a couple of days that I am sure my family won’t miss me. I am using Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to gather ideas and suggestions regarding how to get the most out of my visit. The only thing I am missing is a breathalyzer.

Email me with tips: miles@whydrinkbeer.com

* I don't live a religious life so I thought I would borrow the word Mecca and apply it to what means the most to me.

Women's Brew Day! - Saturday June 11th 2011

2011-05-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

This will be the first annual Women's Brew Day and our homebrew club saying about time! I just read an article about the female market being the one that is going to drive craft beer sales over the next few years. Women need to be aware of how diverse craft beer can be and it isn't just aggressive, angry young men or cantankerous old farts who grumble and won't try anything new. Craft beer can be just as delicate and complex as wine, and as my wife always likes to point out:
'There is always food!"

This is taken directly from the homebrew club's MeetUp site:
“FOR ANY WOMAN WHO EVER WANTED TO BREW HER OWN BEER… Or, anyone, male and female, who wants to learn about home brewing craft beer.”

Come and learn from women brewers as they demonstrate how to brew a craft beer. You can taste a variety of home brewed craft beer, participate in the brewing demo’s, learn about the brewing techniques, materials and ingredients involved in creating a craft beer. This event is for all members. Everyone is encouraged to show, bring a pot-luck and some great home brew. Come out and support the women of the club as they demonstrate brewing techniques and help other women learn about craft brewing. We will be expecting people outside of the club to be showing up as we are using the local press to advertise for us. It would be great to enlist some more new members! For any other information contact Cathy Portje at portje56@yahoo.com.

http://www.sonomabeerocrats.com

Nanos, gravity readings and yeast?

2011-02-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

This last week I spent my free time recovering from the Double IPA festival at The Bistro during SF Beer Week, reading up on some of the most interesting Nano-breweries in the country, studying up on hydrometers and how to read Original and Final Gravities and contemplating a yeast library.

I know, I know...that is a lot to think about in a single week. But with my current job being as boring as possible, I need to focus on something productive and enjoyable. So I sit and think about the last beer we (Eudaemonia Brewing) brewed the weekend of January 29th. This was the first time I fully understood the reason for taking the Original Gravity. I used to think this was a complex measurement followed by a more complex calculation. Not so, friend. And now, after looking around online, I found an Excel sheet that will not only calculate the potential alcohol percentage, but it will make the necessary correction if the temperature is off at the time of reading.

Thursday, I made the inaugural trip to my new local homebrewing store: The Beverage People. This place is a huge step up from my old homebrew shop, and the employees are all members of the Sonoma Beerocrats homebrew club, which I will be joining in the next few weeks. This place has just about everything you need to start and day-to-day, including barrels of grains and a refridgerator full of a diverse selection of yeast. I picked up two Brew Your Own special edition magazines that focused on growing and using hops, and 250 clone recipes, which I decided is what I am going to start with when I buy my own setup in the next few months.

I also watched a recent Brewing TV episode where they visited a homebrew club that was lucky enough to have a yeast specialist as one of their members. For some reason I find culturing yeast very interesting... not sure why. So after I figure out the dry hopping, sparging and yeast starter aspects of homebrewing... I will begin to explore the wonderful world of culturing.

Lastly, I discovered a great nano-brewery list on Hess Brewing's site that kept my attention for about 72 hours straight. This has to do with my desire to connect and volunteer/work with a brewer who is taking the next step into the world of commercial brewing. I could read the progress blogs of pico and nano breweries for hours. These entreprenuers are living the dream! You can find the list here: http://hessbrewing.blogspot.com

New Discoveries (Sent to Bay Area Beer Bloggers for SF Beer Week)

2011-02-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 25th 2011
New Discoveries (Sent to Bay Area Beer Bloggers for SF Beer Week)
I just discovered Monkey High Five at Bear Republic. A bit north, but I still consider it North Bay, sorta. What a delicious, umm...what style was it? A belgian IPA? Cascadian Dark Ale? A Black IPA? Great balance of hops and slight roasted malt. Beautiful dark, slightly transparent brown with clinging foam lacing. I can't believe they aren't promoting this on their site.
Puddle Jumper Pale Ale from Third Street Aleworks was an old friend that I became re-acquainted with. Reminded me of the first time I tasted Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and how surprised I was with amount of hops it contained for a pale ale. No wonder it is an award winner.

And lastly, Rejection from Russian River. This beer does everything but turn me away. I look forward to being welcomed by its depth of flavor every year as Valentine's approaches. A Belgian Dark Ale with only a minute bit of sourness, similar to Back In Black IPA, but with a much more complex malt profile. Wish it was year around, but it gives me a reason to enjoy V-day.

Exploring Santa Rosa

2010-11-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

Local Markets
I made a stop at the local Whole Foods in Santa Rosa last night and stumbled upon a 'Tap House' inside the store! 16 taps with everything from Dogfish Punkin to Old Rasputin to Allagash White.

Only open for 6 weeks, the bartender was super excited, talked about what taps they had already gone through, and explained that a local home brewer was going to start holding meetings there. This place is going to be a regular stop for me...right in the middle of a grocery store!

San Francisco Examiner article: http://www.examiner.com

Marketing Plan

2010-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have not reached this point in the business plan process but came across this post today on Twitter. I thought I would stash it away until it is time but share it with you now since I will be asking all of you these same questions (some of you have already provided valuable feedback; thanks again!).

How to Write a Marketing Plan with Five Questions -
by Matt Heinz

Ask 20 marketers how to write a marketing plan, and you’ll get 20 different answers. Some have more strategy than tactics, some get tactical immediately without a strategic foundation.

But the biggest problem most marketing plans have is that they’re company-centric. They’re written from your point of view, based on what you want from the market, and they fail to reflect or take into account your customer’s perspective.
The same is true for the sales process most companies use today. It’s easy to define the process you want your sales team to go through in working leads into opportunities and, eventually, closed business. A more valuable exercise may be to map the buying process. How do your customers buy, what stages do they go through, what triggers or accelerators drive them closer to making a decision?

So for your marketing plan, take that same customer-centric approach and apply it to five questions.

1. What/who are your targets?
2. What do they care about? What outcome are they seeking?
3. Where do you find them?
4. What or who influences them?
5. How do they want to engage and (eventually) buy?

These five questions are the foundation of your plan. The answers should give you a blueprint for what to do, where to do it, what to say, and how to match your marketing and messaging to the way your customer already thinks and operates.

An Old Article - Perfect Topic

2010-07-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was going through my old MySpace account and was looking through my dozen or so blog posts (I left MySpace because I had a limited audience) and found a very appropriate topic that I thought I would share with everyone. This was from 2006 so I must have had this on my mind at the time. Some things persevere.

Sunday, July 23, 2006 (This article was originally posted in All About Beer Magazine Volume 24 Number 5 November 2003)

What makes a great beer retail store? We asked our beer friends about the best places to buy beer, and their comments read like a how-to list for any beer retailer who aspires to be the best.

Broken down to the basics, here are the elements of greatness, in order of rarity:

Diversity: The retailer offers lots of choice. Locals are happy to find rare domestic and imported beers, and visitors are happy to see local beer well represented.
Beer Care: Beer is kept cool and out of harmful light. The beer is fresh, never outdated.
Customer Service: The store hires great staff who are passionate and knowledgeable about beer. The staff will place special orders, or contact beer enthusiasts when special beer arrives.

Education: The store hosts beer tastings for the public. There is information wherever you look. The store stocks a selection of beer literature: books, magazines, newspapers. The retailer supports experimentation by encouraging mixed six packs or single bottle sales.

Other Products: Great food doesn't hurt. Kegs, party planning, food and beer advice are all welcome additions. The store stocks appropriate beer glassware and other breweriana.

Exceptional Education: The store conducts tastings to educate its own staff, and helps out staff members who want to improve their beer credentials through homebrewing, judging, or travel.

Service Above and Beyond: The dream store stocksand lovingly tendsa range of choice of vintage beers. It reaches out to customers through the web or newsletters. It supports visiting speakers, lends it name to festivals and beer events, organizes beer dinners, serves as a catalyst for beer advocacy, and offers classes in cooking with beer or homebrewing. The store is a resource for local restaurant and bars that are interested in the best in beer, as well as homebrew clubs. A great retail store has a welcoming atmosphere that is fun to visit!

Blog #20 - Tasting #8

2010-07-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Friday night was a ridiculously good time tasting beer. Not only was it the first time Nikki and I had hosted an event since Tasting #1 a year ago, we sampled more beers than ever before and we added new friends who brought knowledge, discerning palettes and energy to our tasting event.

I continue to wonder if I should introduce more organization and structure to each tasting but as I look around at each group as they are conversing about a wide range of beer related topics I think at that moment how relaxed everyone is and how rules and form might disrupt the natural flow of the evening. If i knew what particular bottles were going to make an appearance at each tasting i could do research on the brewery and the style. I might try asking each attendant to do just a tad bit of homework before they arrive and then give a quick spiel when we pour their beer. Is that information you would want to hear if you attended?

Here is our delicious lineup for Tasting #8:
-Ommegang: Witte
-Hofbräu: Maibock (Urbock)
-Unibroue: Blanche De Chambly
-Marin: Hefe Weiss
-Einbecker: Mai-Ur-Bock
-Hopf: Helle Weisse
-Hacker-Pschorr: Weisse Bock
-Paulaner: Weissbier
-Ayinger: Ur-Weisse
-Lost Coast: Tangerine Wheat
-Samuel Adams: Imperial White
-Sierra Nevada: 30th Anniversary- Charlie, Fred And Ken's Bock
-Schneider: Weisse Weizenhell (Hefeweizen)
-Weihenstephaner: Hefeweissbier Dunkel
-Dogfish Head: 90Minute IPA
-Darren & Kris' IPA
-Schneider: Aventinus
-Paulaner: Salvator Doppel Bock
-Grand Teton: Tail Waggin' Double White Ale
-The Bruery: Hottenroth Berliner Weisse
-Fuller's: Vintage Ale 2007
-Ballast Point: Wahoo Wheat
-Spaten Franziskaner: Hefe-Weisse
-Russian River: Blind Pig
-North Coast: Blue Star
-Eudaemonia: Creamed Brunette

SMART Objectives

2010-07-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

This section was as easy as the Mission Statement. This is kind of a wish list, but not unreachable. These are very reasonable goals...even the last one. I did not include any mention of profit or revenue because I haven't even began to broach that subject. SMART Objectives are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and have a Timeline.

-Send out distribution/company dossier to every brewery (that bottles) on the West
Coast within 6 months.

-Draft 10 educational lessons by end of the first year.

-Double our bottle selection within the first year.

-Begin construction on tasting area by beginning of year 2.

-Complete the Belgian Region display (completely stocked) by end of year 2.

-Reach 500 individual beers by end of year 2.

-*Bonus - Bring in Charlie Papazian, Fred Eckhardt, Jim Koch, Tomme Arthur, Vinnie Cilurzo, Kim Jordan, Sam Calagione, Greg Koch, Ken Grossman, Kurt/Rob Widmer, Fritz Maytag, Charles Finkel or Garrett Oliver to speak at the store. (If anyone is unfamiliar with any of these names let me know. I would love to fill you in)

Blog #19 - The Battle Cry

2010-07-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

Both the West Coast and the East Coast have had an effect on my interest and connection with craft beer and the brewing industry. The West Coast has tempted me with reachable beer tasting events and amazing craft beer cities like Portland, San Francisco and San Diego that deliver Imperial IPAs, sour styles and amazing history connected to the rebirth of the industry.

The East Coast on the other hand has opened my eyes to well established beer stores, weekly podcasts and insane special release dates such as Dark Lord Day by three Floyds, Kate Day by Portsmouth and Darkness Day by Surly.

I don’t know about you, but watching videos that show people coming together to talk, trade, discover and drink some unbelievable styles and concepts that were unheard of even 20 years ago gets me excited. I decided after watching some of these (Bruisin Ales, Finger Lakes Beverages Center, Westmere Beverage) that I want to seriously see what it takes to get a store going and keep it running while making at least a minor profit.

So since I started the tasting group last year, put serious effort into updating my 12 year tasting list that is nearing 1000 entries, tasted beer in 6 countries, driven thousands of miles on pubcrawls, worked with every group in Fresno that brews in Fresno (BJ’s doesn’t count) and attended Beer School...I figured I would put the resources of the Central Valley Business Incubator to the test and see if there is any way in hell I can turn my hobby into a viable business. Starting this last Monday I have been staying up every night working on a business plan, step-by-step.

The road is long and trecherous, but it must be traveled. Who’s with me? CHAAARGE!

Vision Statement

2010-07-01T07:54:00.001-07:00

While I am working on the next part of my story, here is the Vision Statement I have crafted so far for the Business Plan I am writing:

The Emporium will grow from a small, possibly strip-mall located, 200 bottle shop into a destination craft beer center that is up-to-date with brewing industry news, history, releases, tastings and education. There will be a weekly combination of visiting brewers (in-house and video conferencing) discussing their usually humble beginnings, work history, upcoming brewing sessions, and brewery events, to in-house history lessons on everything from early Egyptian recipes to European influences to post-Prohibition effects on the industry. Knowing that a trip to the Emporium can be as easy as in-and-out, grab-and-go or they can make a day of spending time with others who share their passion, will be enticing factors in drawing business away from larger chain stores.

Blog #18 - The Resurrection

2010-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Throughout my life my interest in any particular subject rises and falls like the tide at the Bay of Fundy. I seem to have trouble focusing and the cause is usually a lack of money. I had tossed aside the idea of a specialty bottle shop within hours of dreaming it up and would take years to bring the idea back to the table.

Fast forward to 2009 and the beginning of local beer tasting group. This would force me to have beer on my mind all year round by keeping up with brewing industry news, planning tasting events and attending more brewfests. In December a few of us traveled to Russian River in Santa Rosa for the day. Pliny the Younger release party was our reason and even though the availability of the beer turned out to be a bust, we had a great time and even stopped at a few stores on the way back.

Looking back now, I am not sure it even registered in my slightly intoxicated little brain that these might be specialty bottle shops. Monument Wine & Spirits was the first stop and I was not expecting the amount of bottles that dominated the back wall of cold cases and made up the horseshoe of wine crates in the center of the store. Having learned soooo much more about the industry and what brews had become valuable for trade; it hit me like a sobriety check point. And to think...as much as I loved this place for the selection of bottles and clever use of wine crates...it really was just a liquor store with a better than average selection. They still sold Johnny Walker, Mike's Hard Lemonade, enough Bud Light to choke a hippo and cigarettes behind the taped together counter. In fact the only thing appealing about the entire store was the beer.

We spent about 20 minutes browsing & purchasing and then hit the road headed for Livermore. I believe our next stop was Perry's Liquor and they had 1/4 the selection of Monument. I still wish our local liquor stores had this quantity and quality of beer, but this place was a waste of space as far as I was concerned. I guess my problem is that amazing beer that had serious effort and thought put into it by genuinely good people from around the country is mixed in with 5 Hour Energy Drink and malt liquors that punks will use as an excuse to beat their girlfriends.

This was the beginning of the dust being blown off of the rusty gears in my brain and the thought process really beginning to pick up speed. Several times a week I would ask myself as I sat down with a cold pale ale, "If I had a location like that...what would I do? How would I theme it, how would I layout/organize the selections, how would I advertise?" I didn't have exact answers...that would have to be thought out over many nights sitting in front of the computer or tossing around ideas with Dad. But the most important thing was...don't let this idea fade like last time.

Next...YouTube and the East Coast.

Blog #17 - The Reality

2010-06-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

The drive from Chico to Madera is a long, flat and unimpressive 4 hour waste of time. Yes the Sierra Nevada mountains can be beautiful during the winter and spring, but the rest of the year they are clouded in a dirty mixture of agriculture dust and carbon monoxide. To pass the time, I subjected my dad to nonstop ramblings of how exciting it would be to run a specialty bottle shop in Fresno. Imagine every week working with a distributor and trying to obtain the latest and greatest releases from everyone's favorite breweries: Stone, Three Floyd's, The Bruery, Sierra Nevada, Russian River, etc.

In true 'father' form, my dad put my dreams to the test by playing devil's advocate and asking every question possible regarding location, inventory, distribution, bookkeeping, & demographics. Well, most of the questions I came up with at least a halfway decent answer, good enough for the car ride home. But none of them would hold up under scrutiny let alone convince an investor or bank rep to loan me money. And I hadn't even begun to crunch real numbers. Electricity costs were probably high because of the refrigeration units. Inventory had to be expensive because of all of the single bottles that had to be purchased. And most important, I had no idea if the Fresno/Clovis area could even support a craft beer retailer.

By the time we arrived home, the idea had faded into a faint memory and although I would think back on the possibility every now and then over the next 7 years, I would never seriously re-examine it until 2010.

Next...Resurrecting An Idea

Blog #16 - The Idea

2010-06-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Birth of an Idea -
Ah...the initial stage of being an entrepreneur. Everything is a possibility, all ideas are in perfect form, and the world is your oyster (whatever that means). At some point, though, you have to allow reality, facts and figures, to begin creeping in and infiltrating your all too perfect dream. Oh well, that's when the work begins and that can be just as exciting as the dreaming stage if done right.

Somewhere between 5 to 8 years ago, my cousin Mike escorted my father and I to a wonderful little store in Chico, California called "The Brew Guild". The location wasn't perfect, and the exterior was very unassuming, but interior layout was grand and the product was mouth watering. I do believe it was the first beer specialty store I had ever set foot in. Before this is was mainly beer, wine & spirit liquor stores that appeared dusty and careless. They may have carried a large selection of craft beers but they played second fiddle to gallon jugs of table wine and 24 packs of Coors Light. The Brew Guild was on an entirely different level.

As I have mentioned before, I think of craft beer like a comic book collector views the newest release of Iron Man or a classic must have Silver Surfer #1. I bide my time, collecting tastes 2 or 3 in a sitting, knowing with a smile on my face that this is a collection that cannot possibly ever be complete in my lifetime. And that is the way I like it. What fun would it be if the chase ever ended?

The Brew Guild consisted of, from what I can remember, an entire wall of refrigeration units that displayed individual 12 and 22oz bottles from around the world. One section of the store contained dozens of different styles of glassware in which to enjoy the hundreds of beers that I had never heard of before. I think they were organized by country of origin, which didn't matter at that point in my life because I was extremely ignorant of 90% of the world of craft beer. After walking the store several times, I made the tough decision of picking only 2 beers I had never tasted. On my way out I was already planning my next trip up to Chico to visit this Mecca of sorts with a little more money in my pocket. Money and knowledge would be my two weapons of choice used to launch a proper assault on this place.

Next...Dad And His Damn Reasoning

Blog #15 - The Legend of Anchor Brewing

2010-06-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

With the news of Fritz Maytag selling the famed Anchor Brewery to a couple of investment/marketing goofballs making the rounds in the beer industry, I need not let my gut reaction get the best of me.

I call them goofballs at first because their background seems to reek of annoying Studio54, Smirnoff sipping (actually Sky Vodka), yuppie type ads that only promote how hip you will look drinking berry flavored malt beverages while trying to shout your conversation over the latest Jay-Z crap playing in the background.

But hey, maybe these guys, who I have seen in a half dozen photos and never a beer in hand, might turn out to be the next best thing for Anchor since Liberty Ale (considered the first American IPA). This tiny bit of optimism rests on the rumor that they want to open a "Center of Excellence" somewhere in the Bay Area. I could see a Brewer's Mecca of sorts in Golden Gate Park or somewhere near AT&T Park. I will give these guys a chance, but they better bring their A-game and not try any new marketing tricks that involve 'light beer', 'fruity' beers (not that fruit can't be an ingredient, just not at Anchor) or any other tactics that taint the Anchor name.
We Generation Y'ers grew up with Anchor and we respect what Fritz has accomplished. We will be watching you guys...with Steam, Liberty, Porter and Christmas Ale in hand.

Blog #14 - Beer List

2010-05-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

The only thing I have had time for lately is updating my ongoing, ever-growing, massive beer list that I have been keeping alive for almost 10 years now. It seems I remember peeling labels off of bottles from a round-the-world pack from World Market in 2000 and taping them in my first beer journal (sadly the one I did not use on my 48-State Tour of '99).

I am a collector. I always have been and there is something about adding to a collection and then standing back and admiring your hard work. Yes that's right...I said drinking over 630 individual beers and then creating a monster database that includes beer name, brewery name and company (can be different), style, ABV, date tasted, draught or bottle, brewery city, state, and country and special notes, is a difficult task.

And at 630, I know I still have dozens of pages of notes I haven't entered yet from the Great American Beer Festival, Boonville, Firestone Anniversary & Oaktoberfest, Worthogs, and the countless pub crawls dad and I do every year. So at least I am not bored. Far from it...this is one of the great things I love about "hunting" down great beer. The adventure, and the list, continues.

Miles "On his way to Bear Republic, Lost Coast & Wild River this weekend" Wilhelm

Blog #013 - Intro to Beer Tasting

2009-09-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

On August 28th we had our first tasting group session. I invited everyone in the Fresno/Clovis area that I have met in the past 5 years that I thought might enjoy talking and tasting.

It was a Friday night and there were 6 of us total (I think that had to do with it being about a week's notice). The layout of beers included Hen's Tooth from GreeneKing-Morland Brewing, Liberty Ale from Anchor Brewing, Freestyle Belgian Style Blonde from Black Diamond (which I can't find on BeerAdvocate), Sierra Nevada's Anniversary Ale, Lost Abbey's Carnevale Ale and an Duchy Originals English Ale from Wychwood Brewery.

Now I know that we had zero organization and the beers were not of a similar style or from a single brewery. But tonight we are going to spend some time discussing how to better organize future tastings and what the members want to achieve. I am bringing Paddy's Irish Style Red Ale from Moylan's and the next beer in the Coney Island series from Schmaltz: Human Blockhead. Thanks in advance to Zach Reinhold for offering to host tonight's mixer.

Blog #012 - Beer Summit?

2009-08-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

I know that everyone and their mother has commented on last week's 'Beer Summit' at the White House involving Pres. Obama, VP Biden, Officer Crowley and Prof. Gates. Whether or not I believe this meeting was worth the hoopla or not, we can all agree the choice of beer was less than inspiring.

Bud Light, Sam Adams Light, Buckler Non-Alcoholic & Blue Moon. The Sam Adams & the Blue Moon are barely decent choices, both consumed by the Cambridge guests (Sam Adams was a last minute substitute for Gates' usual Red Stripe). The president disappointed millions of beer drinkers and home brewers by choosing Bud Light, not only because of its lack of flavor but because AB is now completely owned by foreign companies. And unless the Vice President has a health condition that will not allow him to consume alcohol, he might as well be sipping lemonade instead of Buckler; what a waste.

After a little research just to back this blog up, I discovered a plethora of beer stores carrying a multitude of beers in the Washington D.C. metro area, all right down the street from the White House. Some of my summer brew recommendations would have been: Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis Hefeweizen @ Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Allagash Fluxus 2008 (Witbier) @ Rodman's Discount Gourmet Grocery, Odd Notion (Summer 09) from Magic Hat @ The Wine Specialist, and Southern Tier Heavy Weizen (unfiltered Imperial Wheat Ale) @ Modern Liquors, Inc.

All delicious brews that would have caught the attention of beer lovers, brewers and teetotalers alike. I would like to personally volunteer my time to the president so that the next Beer Summit starts off on the right foot.

Blog #011 - The Mystery Purchase

2009-07-21T20:05:00.001-07:00

I met up with someone last week that I had been meaning to see for a few months now. I decided in March to look around on BeerAdvocate for anyone in the Fresno area that might come close to appreciating beer as much as I do. My long term goal was to form a tasting group, the kind that exists everywhere else in the country, just not Fresno.

I never had an opportunity to meet up with Rich at the Boonville Beerfest in May, but he emailed me recently regarding a personal shipment of beer he had received from down south; the San Diego area specifically. Having just returned from a trip to Oregon where he secured several cases of Rogue and Deschutes, Rich was at the breaking point, within his storage closet and with his wife. I agreed to drop by and give him a hand with a few bottles. Here is the list of treats I now hold:

-Alpine BC - Alpine Ale 5.5%

-Great Divide - Titan IPA 6.8%

-Caldera Brewing - Pale Caldera Ale

-Ballast Point - Dorado Double IPA 9.1%

-Port Brewing - 3rd Anniv. Ale 10%

-Port Brewing - Brother Levonian 6.5%

-Deschutes - Red Chair IPA 6.4%

-Deschutes - Hop Henge IPA 8.75%

-Ballast Point - Victory At Sea 10%

-Avery Brewing - The Czar Imperial Stout 10.77%

-Lost Abbey - Carnevale Ale 6.5%

The only one I have had before is the Titan IPA from Great Divide but Rich threw that in the mix for free. I plan to have at least 3 tastings with Dad and more than a few hours of discussion on what makes these beers so sought after. Now if I could only get my hands on a Dark Lord.

Blog #010 - Stout & Panini Pairing

2009-06-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

The other day I created what I believe to be a masterpiece of a sandwich that I paired with Stockyard's Oatmeal Stout. The recipe includes the following in this order:

Tomato & Olive Focaccia Bread (top side)

Spread of Grey Poupon Mustard

(2)Kosher Dill Sandwich Sliced Pickles

(1)Slice of Sargento Natural Pepper Jack Cheese

(1)Slice of Columbus Italian Style Turkey Breast

(1)Slice of Trader Joe's Provolone Cheese

(1)Slice of Columbus Naturally Smoked Pastrami

Spread of Giotto's Genova Pesto

Focaccia Bread (bottom side)

Butter for grilling

I grilled this on a Panini Press until the cheese melted and ran down the sides and the bread was a dark brown. What a great combo when paired with the delicious stout!

Blog #009 - The Soggy Trip to Boonville (part 2)

2009-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Now one might think that after a breakfast beer, 3 samples and 1-1/2 pints for lunchtime and a sharing of 3 true (16.9oz) pints for a mid-afternoon snack...one might be so inclined to halt the flow of liquids through the hole I call a mouth. No sir. Not this weekend. The 25 mile drive along the winding 128 did slosh around the contents of my belly, but as soon as we paid our $12/per person/per night entrance fee into the Mendocino County Fairgrounds...I cracked open an Anchor Steam.
The drizzling rain hastened the setting up of tents as Mike and Heather arrived from Chico, thirsty no doubt. Along with dad's six pack of Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA and my additional 6 of Lagunitas IPA, Mike had secured a 12 of Pyramid's best (hefe, apricot, crystal wheat & IPA I believe).
We were lucky enough to snag a camping spot between members of the Hop Heads of Sacramento Beer Lovers Union, troublemakers I had met online at MeetUp.com. Daniel and Shawn were the representatives and we were lucky enough to share some of Daniel's homebrew. It continued to lightly rain as we cooked Carol's Dish and snacked on cornbread and chocolate muffins, washing it all down with shots of Goldschlager.
I do believe it rained all night, which as usual, did not keep some guests from partying into the wee hours. Breakfast was made up of cleverly fried eggs that were a perfect fit on toasted english muffins and sausage patties. Was there beer for breakfast? Oh yes...there was. Between sips of Lagunitas was talk of the great zombie uprising mixed with what our plan might be for attacking the quickly approaching beerfest. It didn't appear that the rain was going to let up...but we didn't care. We were ready to taste special craft brews from all over the country, as much as we could get our hands on. Would dad find the elusive sour beer he had been hunting for years? Would Heather's soggy pretzel necklace last the entire event? Would Mike trick Nikki into drinking the dreaded Chili Beer? And would Scott ever call us back? Stay tuned...

Blog #008 - The Soggy Trip to Boonville (part 1)

2009-05-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Our much anticipated trip to the booming town of Boonville, CA began bright and early Friday May 1st. After dad and I sampled (read guzzled) a bottle of Broken Halo from Widmer for breakfast, we chased it with a quick selection of baked goods from Yum-Yum donuts and hit the open freeway. Northbound on 99 and hopped up on chocolate milk we raced towards Concord, the home of the E.J. Phair alehouse.
I found our old friend and fellow beer drinker Mike Carr and his wife warming up a table in the middle of a crowded dining room...with a great view of the Belgian beer fridge. Unfortunately the beers were only for on-site consumption and not for take-out. And seeing as how I would end up 45 minutes later with a belly full of Blind Pig from Russian River, half a pint of proprietary hefeweizen, small samples of their brown ale and IPA, and a Ricotta cheese burger...and the prices were a bit high...as enticing as the selection was, I had to move on.
As the rain picked up, we passed by Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and headed northwest towards Sebastopol, outside of Santa Rosa. Wine country appears magical no matter what weather envelopes it.
The exterior of Hopmonk Tavern hints at the perfectly balanced interior setup. Dark wood and a deep orange accent contain just the right amount building so as to attract and invite without being presumptuous. If I were to design a classic tavern, this embodies all of my ideas. Heavy wooden beams, conversation focusing booths and a spacious outdoor beer garden that nearly drew me out into the deluge.
We all crowded into the booth and dad, Nikki and I ordered a pint of each of the house brews. Mike and his wife had ordered a house hefeweizen and what I thought I heard was Stone's Imperial Porter but after checking their web site I don't see it listed. Nikki and I fought over the house Dunkelweizen which presents such amazing notes of banana and cinnamon with just the right amount of sweetness on the mouthfeel. Wonderful beer. Before leaving I was fortunate enough to meet and photograph the manager, owner and chef. Great set of guys.
In the car, soaked from running across the street to take a shot of the location, we steered towards 101 north and our destination...Boonville.

Blog #007 - Of Wheelbarrows & Icewalls

2009-04-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

We can say that life was at least interesting for brewers before the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th century. Time consuming practices including delivery of kegs by way of wheelbarrow (full keg weighs aprx 170lbs) and refrigeration techniques that included filling chambers 25 feet tall full of ice that put 1,150 lb/sq ft of pressure on the holding floor.
It become increasingly easier to brew beer for the masses after the Civil War. Delivery of beer by refrigerated rail car helped fuel brewery expansion. New techinques in architecture allowed brewery buildings to maintain a lower overall temperature which saved money spent on ice and saw more brewers begin trying their hand at bottom fermenting lager beers which require lower temperatures during fermentation and storage. The life span of the brewery was also increased as steel and brick construction lowered the potential for destruction by fire. Louis Pasteur also gave brewers a leg up by providing information on yeast reproduction and its role in the creation of alcohol.
The industry was booming despite the looming shadow of prohibition and taxation following the Civil War. But technological advances would also cause a dramatic decrease in the number of breweries as we approach the turn of the century.

Blog #006 - 1873?

2009-04-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

In attempting to understand why there were 4,131 breweries in the United States in 1873, I have been reading through BeerHistory.com’s chronology and several articles online. That number is more and more perplexing as I discover multiple states had in place their own prohibition laws during this period. Add to that the number of organizations under the Temperance movement where, although not originally created as a teetotalist idea, the goal was to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed by society in general. The IRS started enforcing barrel tax stamps on all beer leaving the brewery, the first brewery workers strike is organized in New York City and a prohibitionist candidate by the name of James Black runs for office. With all the odds seemingly stacked against the beer industry, what was it that made brewing so attractive? I believe the answer is technology…

Blog #005 - BeerWarsMovie

2009-04-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

I am still researching for my next blog which I hope to share more in-depth the story of the decline of brewing in America in the 20th century. In the meantime I want to give one last shout out to

Anat Baron and her documentary? "Beer Wars'. I don't really care if this is a true documentary or not...I just enjoy the subject matter. The showing is at 8pm on the west coast and will be followed by a live (except west coast) interview session with craft brewery owners and brewers and moderated by Ben Stein.

This is also a reason for gatherings across the nation before and after to discuss the state of the industry, locally and nationally. (BeerWarsMovie.com) I plan on drinking some happy hour beer at the Me N' Ed's Coney Island pub about 20 feet away from the theater at 7pm this Thursday with dad and Eric. Hope you will do the same.

Blog #004 - The Change In Numbers

2009-04-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

When summed up, the history of America's Brewing Industry appears to be quite a rollercoaster ride. The change in the number of breweries tells the story...from 4,000 breweries around 1870, when refrigeration made state to state beer transportation possible, down to a depressing 44 breweries in 1979, and then back up to over 1,400 breweries in 2008.

There is plenty of blame to go around, most of it landing on the United States government for its 'Great Social Experiment', aka Prohibition. I personally like to throw a little blame on the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy & Japan) for sucking us into World War II. In 1942, the only remaining brewers after prohibition were asked by the military to start brewing lower alcohol beer for the troops, thereby forcing men's palettes to become accustomed to light, near-flavorless piss water. Ok, so I am being a little dramatic. But can you imagine that there was a single soldier who returned home, saddled up to his local watering hole and requested a brown ale, marzen, witbier, rachbier, trippel, barleywine or even a pale ale?

Most men just kept drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, Hamm's, Lowenbrau (the American version), Blatz and Miller High Life. It took almost 30 years for the country to snap out of it. And that is where the story gets interesting.

Blog #003 - Tasting #1

2009-04-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I hosted a small tasting of wit (white) beers that included Samuel Adams White Beer, Allagash White, and Hoeggarden White Ale. This tasting was for a couple of newcomers to the beer world so I decided to start off on the lighter side of hops. The dinner was comprised of bar-b-qued steaks, italian spiced cheese bread, parmesian cous-cous and a mexican style green salad.
The Allagash Brewing Co. is out of Portland, Maine and has existed in its current form since 1995, spending most of its time focusing on perfecting the true Belgian brewing style.
Hoegaarden Original White Ale is brewed by Brouwerij van Hoegaarden in Belgium and I consider it to be one of the best examples of a classic witbier.
There were not too many comments on the Samuel Adams, but the Hoegaarden was thought to taste like Juicyfruit gum and the Allagash was thoroughly enjoyed by one member of the tasting.
We finished the night off with Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic for dseesert along with a dish of peach pie and Breyer's French Vanilla ice cream.

Blog #002 - Beer TV

2009-04-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have been watching 'Two Guys On Beer' everyday at work for the past 3 or 4 days. Of all the beer shows I have watched since I first discovered 'Three Sheets', these guys are the most focused and consistent. Usually the hosts are either too comedic (Three Sheets) or too boring (Still Crazy After All These Beers) or too sloppy (some kid on a couch that I can't seem to find now). Several aspects of TGOB that keep me watching are their push to upgrade their production equipment (HD video cam, boom mic), the research they do ahead of the show concerning the beers, brewmasters and breweries, and their relative consistency on making available a new episode nearly once a week for a year. It all comes down to..."I wouldn't mind having a beer with these guys". Catch all 60+ episodes at: http://www.twoguysonbeer.com

Blog #001

2009-03-31T22:27:00.001-07:00

My first official blog (MySpace doesn't count). I have recently become obsessed with beer, brewing, pubs, festivals...the culture and social aspect of it all. The world of beer is filled with sciences such as chemistry, geography, and geology, technology including brewing methods and environmentally conscious energy usage, more history than I can even begin to summarize and great friends and good times. No wonder craft brewing continues to grow as an industry, not only in the U.S. (see GABF attendance numbers), but around the world (see Japan Beer Festival numbers). I look forward to spreading the word and having a drink or two while doing it!

Cheers,

Miles 'Beerman' Wilhelm