This pic speaks for itself

The Score (pic by Joe Flaherty)

This morning I awoke in Seattle to a foggy morning filled with expectations.  Mount Rainier was on our minds as my brother and I prepared for our camping excursion to get lost in her charms.

After a requisite trip to the REI castle here, we hit up Bottleworks, the local craft beer store where we unleashed the geek demons.  Led through the store by a trusty employee who embraced us like young lambs looking to get lost in West Coast craft beer, we spent nearly an hour scouring the fridges.

What we walked out with could, frankly, keep a platoon of soldiers content for many a night under the stars.  Check this list out and prepare to drool, craft beer lovers.  (That or you can meet us at the base of Mt Rainier; we’ll be the ones sitting by the fire and singing Irish drinking songs…)

The Great West Coast Beer Stash

• Firestone Walker, Union Jack IPA, CA (7.5%) – 650 ml
• Ninkasi, Maiden the Shade, OR (6.8%) – 650 ml
• Roslyn, Roslyn Beer (Munich Dunkel), WA (?) – 650 ml
• Green Flash, Imperial IPA, CA (9.4%) – 650 ml
• Hopworks, IPA, OR (6.6%) – 650 ml
• Russian River, Damnation Golden Ale, CA (7.75%) – 375 ml
• Brasserie Dupont, Foret Organic Saison, Belgium (7.5%) – 750 ml
• Hale’s Ales, Kolsch, WA (4.5%) – 12 oz
• Dick’s, Dick’s Danger Ale, WA (5.2%) – 12 oz
• Dick’s, Silk Lady Belgian Style Golden Ale, WA (4.4 %) – 12 oz
• Oskar Blues, Gubna Imperial IPA, CO (10%) – 12 oz
• Avery, White Rascal White Ale, CO (5.6%) – 12 oz
• Victory, Prima Pils, PA (5.3%) – 650 ml
• Dogfish Head, Aprihop IPA, DE (7%) – 12 oz
• Dogfish Head, Punkin Ale, DE (7%) – 12 oz
• Mad River, Jamaica Red Ale, CA (6.5%) – 12 oz
• Sierra Nevada, Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, CA (5.5%) – 12 oz
• New Belgium, Hoptober Golden Ale, CO (6%) – 12 oz
• Hanssens Artisanaal, Oude Gueuze, Belgium (6%) – 375 ml

——–

(pic by Joe Flaherty)

(pic by Joe Flaherty)

The Brewer’s Association is a top-secret society composed of beer ninjas, homebrewing warlocks and malt-driven shapeshifters.  Their nerve center/elite training grounds are rumored to be located in an underground bunker some 20 stories below the idyllic streets of Boulder, Colorado. 

For those of us in the beer community, their word is gold.  And, once again, the association has spoken.  With mega-computers and high-speed microprocessors running 24 hours a day, they are uniquely tapped into the craft beer cerebral cortex of the US and capable of compiling valuable data at break-neck speed. 

"Ah, gee! Oskar Blues made the list!"

Just last week, they released their much-anticipated list of the “2009 Top 50 Craft Breweries” which I received like Charlie and his golden ticket to the Chocolate Factory.  I printed the list, folded it up with the lightest of touches (so as not to disturb its prized contents) and carried it to my secret place where I could unfold it and digest it without interruption. 

“Craft breweries” are classified by those having production levels of less than 2 million barrels a year.  So, with no further adieu, the Top 50 Craft Breweries of 2009: 

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies
(Based on 2009 beer sales volume) 

• 1  Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
• 2  Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
• 3  New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
• 4  Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TX
• 5  Pyramid Breweries Inc. Seattle WA
• 6  Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
• 7  Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
• 8  Magic Hat Brewing Co. Burlington VT
• 9  Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
• 10  Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
• 11  Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
• 12  Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
• 13  Kona Brewing Co. Kailua-Kona HI
• 14  Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
• 15  Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
• 16  Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
• 17  The Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
• 18  Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
• 19  Summit Brewing Co. Saint Paul MN
• 20  Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
• 21  Shipyard Brewery Portland ME
• 22  New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
• 23  Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
• 24  Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing Co. Newport OR
• 25  Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
• 26  The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
• 27  Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
• 28  SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
• 29  Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
• 30  Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
• 31  Flying Dog Brewing Co. Frederick MD
• 32  BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery Huntington Beach CA
• 33  Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
• 34  Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
• 35  BridgePort Brewing Co. Portland OR
• 36  Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
• 37  Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT
• 38  Stevens Point Brewing Co. Stevens Point WI
• 39  Mac and Jack’s Brewery Redmond WA
• 40  Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA
• 41  The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. St. Louis MO
• 42  Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
• 43  Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants Chattanooga TN
• 44  Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont CO
• 45  North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg CA
• 46  Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
• 47  Utah Brewers Cooperative Salt Lake City UT
• 48  Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Houston TX
• 49  Boulder Beer Co. Boulder CO
• 50  Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA

This year, there were three breweries that were welcomed to this esteemed group:  Oskar Blues Brewery, Saint Arnold Brewing Co and Bear Republic Brewing Co. 

All hail the Brewer’s Association!  All hail craft breweries! 

Now get out and support them.  Tell em Charlie sent  you… 

"You simply must check out my craft beer waterfall"

In an attempt to further my beer education, I caught a ride to Brooklyn’s Bierkraft and began grabbing single bottles of anything that looked unfamiliar or whispered my name in a sweet Irish brogue as I walked by it on the shelf (“Psst, O’Flaherty, you wee bastard, pick me…free me from my shelfish prison…”).  I ended up with mostly an array of bizarre Belgian, Italian and French beauties.

But I also focused on two styles in particular:  Porters and Pilsners.  Admittedly, and somewhat surprisingly, I rarely find myself ordering up a pint of these two types of beer.  And so it was, that I walked out on a fine Friday afternoon with 24 random beers, including 4 Pilsners and 3 Porters.

The mission?  Get savvy on the history and nuances of these styles to better understand them and then declare a winner.  (Note:  all winners will be gloriously displayed on my kitchen table for 48 hours and will get a silent nod of acknowledgement as I pass by).  The beers were poured by my trusty co-brewer (aka my wife) while I was in the other room, so I would be completely objective in the tasting.  Now, let the homework begin.

PILSNERS

First brewed in the Czech town of Pilsen in Bohemia, Pilsner is one of the most popular styles of lager beers in Germany, and in many other countries (you ever heard of Budweiser?  Yep, an “American-Style Lager” which is a lighter version of the original Czech Pilsner).  Classic German Pilsners are light straw to golden yellow in color with a nice dense and rich head.  They are generously hopped with a spicy herbal and floral aroma and flavor with a bitter, dry finish.

The Contenders:

1. Lagunitas, PILS Czech Style Pilsner, California (5.3 % alc)
2. Oskar Blues, Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Colorado (5.3% alc)
3. Pinkus Muller, Organic Ur Pils, Germany (5.2% alc)
4. Left Hand, Polestar Pilsner, Colorado (5% alc)

PORTERS

Let’s travel now to London, where the development of porters evolved.  A dark-colored style of beer, the name “Porter” was first used in the 18th century because of its popularity with the street and river porters of London.  A few styles emerged, with the Stronger Porters being called “Stout Porters” or “Extra Porters”, which would eventually become simply “Stouts”.  Porters are generally brewed with dark malts with balanced use of hops and an average alcohol in the 4%-7.5% range.

The contenders:

1. Smuttynose, Robust Porter, New Hampshire (5.7% alc)
2. Avery, New World Porter, Colorado (6.7% alc)
3. Geary’s, London Style Porter, Maine (4.2% alc)

And the winners after a rigorous, laughter-filled tasting were:

PILSNERS

#1

#2

#3

#4

PORTERS

#1

#2

#3

Don’t worry, Mrs Stevenson, my dog didn’t drink my homework this week, it’s right here!  Now can I go out for recess and have a pint?

Take your filthy hands off my beer can!

Within the wine, beer and spirits world, passions run deep.  And so do the divisions.  Whether it is beer vs. wine, red vs. white, or vodka vs. bourbon, the warring camps of devotees are steadfast and thirsty for the other’s blood.  Whether it is double- vs. triple-distilled, screw cap vs. cork, or old world vs. new world, you’re going to get some pretty set opinions.  “A screw cap on my wine?  I ought a bust you in the lip and drown you in a vat of Yellow Tail Shiraz!”  Well, one of the most famous is the can vs bottle division, but the lines are being redrawn.  Change in the beer world is coming…. you afraid of the can?  Well, my friend, it may be time to look again.

So often the choices we make in what we drink tell us a lot about the person.  Like wearing an Armani suit, strutting around with a bottle of Sam Adams Utopia is an indicator of class, style and attitude.  I remember when just the sight of my bottles of microbrew was called out as being “fancy”, and I was regularly taunted by can-wielding upperclassmen.  And of course in this case, “fancy” meant arrogant, or high-falutant, like I was some sort of beer dandy or something.  Well, looks who laughing now, you Schlitz-drinkin d-bags…and no, you can’t have a bottle of my homebrew.  And now, the door has opened even further and we’re seeing the unthinkable:  microbrews in cans.  What the f?  A can?!  “But only swill comes out of a can”.  “Only those that care nothing about their beer would disgrace it with such a filthy vessel”, the naysayers rally.  And you’d be surprised just who is saying such things….

A few years ago, Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) shocked the beer world with his blatant disregard of the can. In 2005, he released what he called the “Beer Drinkers Bill of Rights” to ensure better beer for one and all, and stated, “”Beer shall be offered in bottles, not cans, so that no brew is jeopardized with the taste of metal.”  Uproar ensued in the microbrew community, especially at my beloved Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado where they have taken can technology to new heights and are the pioneers in leading the movement away from the beloved bottle.

The evolution of the can is a fascinating one.  As recently as the 1930′s, tin cans could not hold beer without exploding.  And then came the advent of the liner.  Initially made of vinyl (and fancy polymers today), they sealed the can, and prevented all liquid contact with the metal.  Over the years, the technology has improved ten-fold and the fear of tainting our precious bevies with metal has become irrational.  In fact, its seeming more and more like the can is the perfect vessel for beer.

I was fortunate to meet Dale Katechis, the founder of Oskar Blues brewery a few years ago at Brewtopia.  There in the midst of all these breweries and their countless bottles was a table filled with cans.  Huh?  It seemed so strange.  Yet for Dale, it was a subtle war cry; a shot across the stern of the micro beer community.  Dale’s Pale Ale was not just a great beer, but also a new philosophy: the Can is King.  Backed by the belief in “less air, less light”, Dale was upbeat, passionate and grounded in his renegade ways.  And the beer? Unbelievable.  Featuring caramel toffee notes highlighted by fresh hops and an intoxicatingly smooth balance, it is delicious, and was deemed the Top Colorado Brewed Beer by the Rocky Mtn News in November, as well as the NY Times pick as the Best Pale Ale in America in 2005.

So fast-forward a few years, and cans are now popping up everywhere in the craft beer world.  Breweries like Butternuts in upstate New York, New Belgium in Ft Collins, Colorado, and most recently Sly Fox from Pennsylvania, to name a few, have begun canning.   They’re on the band wagon, and are espousing the advantages of the can:  better protection from light and air, easier storage and transport, as well as a quicker cooling time for your tailgate fiestas…So what does that mean for us, the beer drinkers?

Well, frankly, better beer.  Be it canned or bottled, brewers are testing and reinventing the ways we package our prized beverages.  Concerned with the freshness of their beer, every detail is being scrutinized  (and argued over).  But honestly, bottles aren’t going away.  The only thing that’s really changing?  You’re going to find some damn tasty microbrews in cans.  So embrace them, my friends.  Embrace them without shame.  The can will serve you well.