Weyerbacher's IPA Project

It was announced earlier this month that Weyerbacher would be replacing Hops Infusion with a new and hopefully improved IPA for their year-round lineup. It was a welcome surprise when their NJ Sales Rep Natalie broke the news at the February ALEiens Homebrew Club meeting. Weyerbacher is up there among my favorite American breweries, I think they are a rock solid company with some fantastic brews but I've always found Hops Infusion to be their red-headed step child. Their Double Simcoe IPA (especially unfiltered) is top notch but their standard IPA was never up to snuff in my book so I was thrilled to see that they would be doing something about it and they are calling it their IPA Project.

They will be releasing six new experimental IPA's over the next six months to the Philly area for thirsty drinkers to sample and critique. Each new brew will be available on draft in very limited quantities, they're only doing 15 barrels per batch once a month from now until August. Participating watering holes will have comment cards available for patrons to fill out and score each IPA. You'll also be able to go to Weyerbacher's website and give them feedback that way. Once all six IPA's have been released, drunk, and pondered upon Weyerbacher will take into account what their fans felt about each and replace Hops Infusion with the most popular (and hopefully the most deserving) IPA. I for one love the idea and give them kudos for shaking things up (I'm also looking forward to their rebranding but that's a different story altogether).

The first in this series they are calling Batch #3743 has been released upon the masses. I grabbed myself a pint yesterday at The Hulmeville Inn (a full list of participating locations can be found here) who also had a pin of Old Heathen "dry-hopped" with chocolate and coffee which was pretty intense. I must say that the test IPA didn't leave as strong of an impact on me. It's a great looking beer, hazy golden straw with clean white head and pleasantly hoppy and grainy aroma. It was an enjoyable brew but lacked a hop profile that I look for in an IPA, seemed more like a standard American pale ale to me reminiscent of Yards' Philadelphia Pale Ale actually. There were some great citrusy hop flavors there with enough maltiness to balance it out taking away any sort of bite, really smooth and refreshing but not what I'd hope to see become their new IPA. I'm not saying I need something outrageous or exceptionally strong when it comes to an IPA, I love a great sessionable IPA but I think Weyerbacher can do better than this batch and I look forward to next in the series.

I'm sure this is going to be a tough experiment because a lot of IPA's would look like red-headed step children when they stand next to Double Simcoe!

The future is in our hands...get out there...drink...vote...cheers!

Unnecessary, Stupid, & Silly Beer Laws

When our Founding Fathers were hanging out in Philly taverns discussing The Declaration of Independence, thinking about the future of this new United States of America, I highly doubt they realized that the system of law that they were establishing would one day become riddled with so many outrageous beer-related laws and regulations. I believe they would be down right ashamed of what some states are doing in this day and age that make selling, purchasing, and even enjoying a beer so damn difficult.

Working with beer in Pennsylvania has given me first hand experience with some of the absurdity that exists in the law books when it comes to everyone's favorite fermented beverage. If you want to buy more than 12 beers you should by all means be able to carry more than 12 beers out of the store but you can't. At least not at a six-pack shop, go to a distributor and you can buy all the kegs and cases your heart desires...AND carry them out to your car all by yourself. Now where is the logic in that?

A lot of these laws are simply outdated, put in place long ago by a bunch of Quaker prudes. They end up causing merchants and consumers all sorts of troubles including on occasion, fines. The state knows people need their beer and they'll find a way to squeeze a few dollars out of that need whether in taxes or fines. This is motivation for quite a few of these sorts of laws and regulations but after doing some reading and snooping I've come across a slew of beer laws that seem to come out of absolutely nowhere and are just plain old stupid. Some of these make Pennsylvania seem almost ahead of the curve. Almost.

Grab yourself a beer, you'll need it. Here are some of the worst.

• North Dakota - It is illegal to serve beer and pretzels at the same time. FUCK YOU.
• West Virginia - Of course it's illegal to furnish alcohol to minors...except if you're related by blood OR marriage. That would've come in handy.
• Indiana - You can't carry your own drink from the bar to a table...an employee is the only one legally allowed to do so.
• Missouri - If you love sitting on a curb and drinking beer out of a bucket don't go to St Louis because that is illegal. Quite specific.
• California - If a store sells both motor fuel and alcohol, the alcohol cannot be within 5 feet of the cash register.
• Georgia - The sale of beer over 6% ABV is prohibited. Boo!
• Iowa - Pay attention. If an officer of the law is having a drink in a bar and the bartender pours water down the drain the water is then considered an alcoholic beverage "intended for unlawful purposes"...?
• Indiana - It is illegal for a bar to give you a drink on the house.
• Texas - You can't buy beer after midnight on Sundays but you can purchase it at anytime on Mondays. Come again?
• Hawaii - Apparently underage drinking is not exactly stated or prohibited.
• Minnesota - They specifically state that it is in fact NOT a crime to be intoxicated in public. I like it.
• Florida - Containers can only be sold in four sizes: 32, 24, 12, or 8 ounces. They're just missing out.
• Indiana - Liquor stores cannot sell cold sodas or soft drinks...they have to be unrefrigerated.
• Michigan - It is illegal for any sort of establishment to serve alcohol on Christmas Day.
• Nebraska - A bar cannot sell beer unless they brewing a kettle of soup at the time.
• Missouri - I would've had one less chore as a kid. If anyone underage takes out the trash and it has even one single empty container they can be charged with possession.
• Colorado - The sale of any alcohol is prohibited by law on Election Day.
• Utah - There is a 3.2% ABV limit on draft beer. Damn shame.
• New Hampshire - You must be sitting down when served an alcoholic beverage.
• Texas - They have a few. It is illegal to take more than three sips, swigs, or gulps of beer while standing.
• Kentucky - You can go to jail for five years for just sending a bottle of any alcoholic beverage as a gift.
• California - A brewery can't release any list of retailers that actually sell/serve their beer.
• Virginia - If you are the passenger of a drunk driver and you yourself are also drunk you, the passenger, can be charged with a DUI.
• New Jersey - If you get a DUI you'll have to wait 3 years before you're allowed to apply for a personalized license plate. Get a real problem.
• Iowa - Apparently you are not allowed to run a tab there. If I ever end up there I'll probably end up not tipping because I'm just so annoyed.
• Texas - The beloved Encyclopedia Britannica because it has what is essentially a homebrew recipe in it. Get over it.
• Iowa - It is illegal for the fine gentlemen of Ames to have 3 sips of beer while they are in bed with their wife. I wonder if they that applies to all other women?

This is just a mere spattering of what I found to be the most appalling, there are plenty of other less-entertaining laws that paled in comparison to this list. Some are inane, some amusing, and some just simply made me quite angry. From what I've gathered here, living in Texas or Iowa is just a rough life. So if you're sitting around getting angry about your state's own beer laws take a look at this list and you'll probably feel a little bit better, I know I did.

Cheers!

*Texas Readers: Please make sure you're sitting down before cheers-ing. Just in case.

Drink With Pride This St. Patrick's Day

"St. Patrick -- one of the few saints whose feast day presents the opportunity to get determinedly whacked and make a fool of oneself all under the guise of acting Irish."

-Charles M. Madigan

With the damn Erin Express wreaking havoc throughout The Best Beer Drinking City in America it got me thinking of better ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day for those of us who prefer just a bit of dignity while acting Irish this Thursday. Just say no to green beer and resist the urge to guzzle Guinness after Guinness. There are other options out there for the thirsty masses that would make St. Patrick proud.

I've put together a few of my favorite alternatives here for anyone in need of an escape from the same old same old this St. Patrick's Day:

Great Lakes - Conway's Irish Ale

  Sweet caramel malt and nutty/doughy flavors but still smooth and oh so drinkable.

 Cigar City - Patio Tools

 Rich and creamy yet dry and roasty with a kick of bitter chocolate thrown in there.

Sly Fox - O'Reilly's Stout

  Easy to drink without being weak. Great coffee and malt flavors with a hint of smoke.

O'Hara's - Dry Irish Stout

A bit of a sweeter stout with dry coffee overtones, surprisingly light bodied and sessionable.

Victory - Donnybrook Stout

Felt compelled to add this but my real advice would be to man up and grab a Storm King.

Sierra Nevada - Stout

A classic and underrated American Stout...dark chocolate and toasted malts dominate with a bitter backbone.

Sly Fox - Seamus' Irish Red

Sweet and malty, a great take on the style with no bitterness to be found. A little earthy and grainy.

Guinness - Foreign Extra Stout

 Much more enjoyable than their Draught which I find watery. Full, roasted, bready, with a shockingly bitter finish.

Oskar Blues - Ten Fidy

  For the ballsy St. Patty's Day drinker. I love this one but can get in a bit of trouble with it. If you're not in for a marathon on Thursday grab one of these and enjoy.

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Just a few suggestions to mix it up this St. Patrick's Day. With a couple exceptions they are all pretty easy to drink so I don't want to hear any complaining and in any case...quality over quantity.

Choose wisely.

Cheers!

Washington Crossing Brewfest

Washington Crossing is the historic area of Pennsylvania where George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night with a surprise attack on the Hessian troops in 1776. Over the years the grounds have been preserved and protected but lately the organizations that do so have come under hard times which has resulted in some cut funding for the park. What better way to help save this treasured landmark than to throw a beer festival later in May?!?

The 1st Washington Crossing Brewfest will take place on Saturday, May 14th from 12:30-4:30 pm and is boasting a pretty impressive list of breweries for their first time out. The event is being sponsored by Friends of Washington Crossing Park and all proceeds from the festival will be going directly towards saving the park and traditions like the reenactment of the crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day. There will also be some live local music and plenty of food to get you through the afternoon. Here is the list of confirmed breweries...so far:

• Allagash Brewing Company
• Arcadia Ales
• Avery Brewing Company
• Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
• Bells Brewery, Inc.
• Boulder Beer Company
• Breckenridge Brewery
• BrewDog
• Brooklyn Brewery
• Central Waters Brewing Company
• Cigar City Brewing
• Climax Brewing Company
• Coronado Brewing Company
• Cricket Hill Brewing Company
• Dark Horse Brewing Company
• Dock Street Brewing Company
• Elysian Brewing Company
• Firestone Walker Brewing Company
• Flying Dog
• Flying Fish Brewing Company
• Franziskaner Weissbier
• Great Divide Brewing Company
• Great Lakes Brewing Company
• Gritty McDuff's
• Harpoon Brewery
• Lagunitas
• Left Hand
• Lindeman's
• Long Trail Brewing Company
• Nebraska Brewing Company
• Otter Creek Brewing
• Philadelphia Brewing Company
• Riverhorse
• Samuel Smith
• Sierra Nevada
• Sixpoint Craft Ales
• Sly Fox Brewing Company
• Smuttynose Brewing Company
• Southern Tier Brewing Company
• Spaten Brewery
• Sprecher Brewing Company
• Stone Brewing Company
• Terrapin Beer Company
• Triumph Brewing Company
• Troegs Brewing Company
• 21st Amendment Brewery
• Weyerbacher Brewing Company
• Wolavers
• Yards Brewing Company
• Yuengling Beer Company

That may have been excessive but I'm really impressed when a smaller beer festival has such a far reaching brewery list.

Tickets can be bought online here, Isaac Newton's in Newtown, or Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope. Regular admission is $40 and designated driver tickets are only $10. The brewfest itself will be held in the upper park behind Thompson Neely House, click here for a map and directions. If you are in the area and need something to do on a May afternoon this event should be on the top of your list.

See ya there!

Victory Turns 15 With Headwaters Pale Ale

Yesterday I made the much-longer-than-I-recalled trip to Downingtown for Victory's big Fifteen Years of Character Anniversary Party where their new year-round brew, Headwaters Pale Ale, would be flowing. The lively brewpub was the place to be yesterday for any local craft beer lover. I made my way through the crowd to the bar and proudly ordered a couple pints of Headwaters from the hand pump and toasted to one of the most consistently awesome breweries in the area.

I was thrilled to see that Victory was releasing an anniversary beer that would not require camping out at the brewery just to get a bottle or one that called for slow and steady drinking. Instead they've added a fully flavored and sessionable pale ale to their already solid year round line up to celebrate their fifteen years of brewing. This is a beer that will appeal to the masses, loved by hop heads and beer geeks but accessible to those who are little less adventurous. The two pints I had were both from the hand pump so I'm not sure how it is on tap or from the bottle but I really enjoyed this new brew. I can see myself really loving this once the weather warms up a bit. It is a golden pale with a creamy helping of head and a fresh and hoppy aroma to go with it. There was some underlying malty character that finishes up with a very light but noticeable hop bitterness, I loved the slight Citra presence at the end. Headwaters surprised me with some strong earthy flavors as well. It's clocking it around 5% ABV which is wonderful to see because you'll want more than just one of these. It's a uniquely satisfying pale ale, I especially enjoyed the balance that came out with the German malts. I for one can't wait to have some of these in my fridge, definitely a case-worthy brew.

There were tours given throughout the party so I was making my way up to the bar to order a pint of  Milltown Mild to take with me on the tour when I nearly dropped my glass, I hadn't noticed the bagpiper behind me who began playing without any sort of notice. He lead a small procession to an oak barrel of Headwaters that was ceremoniously tapped by Bill and Ron to great delight of every one there. Unfortunately I missed getting a pour from the barrel but the kilted bagpiper would suffice.

Our tour group had a very curious and enthusiastic senior citizen who really took advantage of the question portion but other than that entertaining addition it was a bit of disappointment, since they were actually brewing last night we couldn't get inside the hop cooler...possibly my favorite aspect of any brewery tour. After the tour there was a screening of the short film 'Fifteen Years of Character' which featured interviews with folks from Victory's early days as well as Sam Calagione and Greg Koch. Bill and Ron said a few words, everyone raised their glass, and then at this point I was starving and was dying for something from their throwback menu. I ended up with the Lombardy Pizza and a big soft pretzel which went quite harmoniously with some cask Hop Wallop.

 One of the highlights of the whole event was of course the gigantic cake designed and painstakingly put together by Victory Chef Lynn Tilyou. I got to talk to her a bit and her pride was just shining through. She wanted to create a cake that represented the entire brewing process...and also had beer running through it. Unfortunately she couldn't get real beer to run through since it would have foamed up too much but she succeeded in every other aspect. All of the structures were made out of rice krispie treats covered in fondant which rested on a massive cake split into three sections, chocolate, vanilla, and beer spice. Even the flames under the brew kettle were made out of melted candy sugar. After going through the whole process with me she did let me know that she actually did pour some HopDevil into the pitcher while her boss wasn't looking...the lady knows what she's doing. I had a slice of the delicious beer spice cake later and while I didn't even know that was an actual kind of cake, I left wanting to take some home with me.

There was also a short meet and greet with Bill and Ron who were signing some posters for the crowd. I figured I had to thank the two of them and let them know that the Victory Variety Case was really one of my first craft beer experiences. I usually credit HopDevil with being the first beer to open my eyes to the wonderful world of craft beer so I was grateful to get to meet the two guys behind it and so many beers that I love.

I'm so glad I decided to make the trip out to Victory yesterday, they know how to throw a party for beer lovers. They have so much to do with why I started seeking out interesting and higher quality beers and was glad to be there to celebrate with them. Headwaters should be out everywhere by the end of the week so make sure you give it a shot...I highly doubt you will be disappointed. Unlike most anniversary brews this one isn't going anywhere anytime soon so we all have plenty of time to enjoy it...a Victory in and of itself.

Cheers!

Adventures in Homebrewing: Saison du Senegal Is Bottled

I bottled up my Saison du Senegal a few days ago after only two and a half weeks in the fermenter...that yeast went absolutely nuts in there. It was a great yield, six 22 oz bombers and thirty-eight 12 oz bottles. I wasn't expecting this to reach it's Final Gravity so quickly but am hoping that it will now be ready for my Peace Corps-bound friend's going away party on the 19th. Only time will tell.

Last time I was at the homebrew shop, Joe gave me a pack of Wyeast's Belgian Saison strain in case the French didn't work out. Luckily it did and now I have this extra yeast chilling...I suppose I'll be brewing up a Belgian Saison in the near future. I thought about using the same recipe to see what the difference would be but am getting excited about coming up with something completely new and different from this one. I'm going to be all saison-ed out after the next batch though, I'll have a nice stockpile for the summer I guess.

Cheers!

Homebrewing at The White House

If you're anything like me...I'm sorry.

But if you're actually anything like me, yesterday's game meant absolutely nothing to you. I was working for most of the game but did manage to catch a couple mildly amusing commercials and was rather excited for a couple of the big movie previews. I mean who wouldn't want to see a movie titled 'Cowboys and Aliens' that stars Indiana Jones AND Jams Bond???

However there was some news that came out of the Super Bowl that caught my eye.

President Obama decided to buy a homebrewing kit in order to serve some homemade beer at The White House's Super Bowl Party. This story would be much better if the President had brewed the batch himself but he gave that job to The White House chefs. They used honey from some bee hives found on the property to brew their own White House Honey Ale. There weren't many other details released but the Obamas paid for the kit themselves which is pretty cool in and of itself I think.

This administration has had their share of beer-centric headlines over the past couple years but so far this is my favorite and not as contrived as that damn Beer Summit. I think the Founding Fathers would be proud.

Cheers!