DrFermento.Net

Beer Geeks and Freaks~

I was at Glacier Brewhouse last night, but only had time for one beer. I chose the Bavarian Hefe. Seems like Burton’s spunked it up some because the clove/phenol components seem a little more forward. The beer’s almost distractingly tart, but I was on the wagon for two days (not by design, just busy) and this was a robust re-entry into the beer realm. The place was predictably packed and even in the bar the table vultures were almost Humpy-esque. Since I was the only person at a four-topper, I invited some impatient looking blue-hairs to sit down, but they looked at my cloudy beer with disdain and moved on. I was eyeballin’ the Imperial Blonde, but discretion was the better part of valor and I scrammed before I got tempted and would then be late to the golf tournament meeting at SubZero.

Homebrewer and GNBC member Jim Fowler and his lovely frau Paula are in Germany. Paula’s stationed over there in the Air Force and Jim’s flying them big ‘ol Boeing 777’s around the globe. This has changed their status from being rather local drinkers up here to global compatriots of good beer.

Jim needs a hand. He’s found out that he and Paula are able to be back in Anchorage on August 11^th. August 11^th is coincidentally the 11^th Anniversary of the Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria. “Bands and Beer” have always been the theme at the anniversary party and Jim and Paula would like to go. Problem is, the gig’s sold out! I told him maybe I could lend a hand and try to score some tickets somehow if I reach out to the rest of you and ask if you know of any resources to obtain two tickets. These guys are flying half way around the globe, and it seems downright criminal that they can’t go. So, if you can, lend the good Doc and the Fowlers a hand and let me know if you can score a couple of tickets.

Shortly after my conversation about the Tooth with Jim, he changed the subject and started rubbing my nose in the fact that he scores Rochefort with relative ease where he’s located in Kaiserslautern, about an hour south of Frankfort. “I have two full cases of Rochefort 10, 8, and 6. They’re the equivalent of like $1.50 a bottle for the 10’s,” he said. I told him it was Monday, it was raining and I had no Rochefort in Anchorage and it wasn’t fair to talk about it.

Clay Brackley over at the Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company certainly hasn’t been sitting idle these days. Here’s what’s on and here’s what’s coming:

Urban WIlderness Pale Ale

McFarland’s Irish red

Elkhorn ESB (possibly on cask as well)

Portage Porter (this new recipe, tastes like pumpernickle bread with hops)

Nitrogen Conditioned Oatmeal Stout Best Bitter (my personal fav next to the stout)

49er Amber Ale Fish On! IPA (Brackley bumped the IBUs up a bit on this one)

Goldrush Golden Bravehart Scottish (more like a scotch actually, according to Brackley)

Ale Old Gander barleywine 2007 (not made by Brackley)

Even though it’s right smack in the middle of tourist season, Brackley’s leveraged enough time to make some new brews. It’s nice to see someone spending so much time in the brewery over there these days.

Upcoming brews:

Dog’s Breath Double IPA;

A braggot made with 120 pounds of fireweed honey added late in the fermentation and in stages to keep the honey flavor intact;

British Northern Brown

More interesting still, Brackley’s planning a recipe based on the mathematical principle of the “golden ratio,” or the ratio of perfect beauty. According to Brackley, the ratio of specialty malts will be in proportion to the entire grain bill, the IBUs will be in proportion to the weight of the hops and the gravity will be determined according to the mash efficiency, but in harmony with the ratio, as the gravity will be the smaller part of the ratio and the volume will be the larger part. This beer will be called Phi after the Greek symbol for the golden ratio and Brackley will be personally hosting a bottling party later this year. A of Phi will be hand bottled in 750 ml Belgian bottles with cork and bail finish. This process is very labor intensive. Phi will then it will be re-fermented in the bottle and cold conditioned for at least four weeks.

The label will explain the golden ratio encourage the drinker to enjoy the ale with something like classical music based on the golden ratio and possibly while looking at art based on the same ratio. I’m guessing with the alcohol content, however, I might quickly become “out of ratio,” and that same classical music will turn to something like Ramstein and I’ll be staring at the floor or ceiling and inventing my own art.

Don’t forget that Saturday, August 4^th is Mead Day according to the American Homebrewer’s Association. In honor of that, Celestial Meads will be hosting an open house from noon until 5 PM at the meadery. Look for free mead samples, some snacks and the featuring of two new meads: a semi-sweet cyser (mead and cider blend) and a semi-sweet cyser with the addition of raspberries and sour cherries. The best way to figure out how to get to the meadery is to call mead-master Mike Kiker at (907) 250-8362 or email him at mkiker@gci.net.

The only problem with this event is that it conflicts directly with the GNBC/Humpy’s Golf Tournament, but the organizers have already thought about that. Kiker’s donated some of his mead to be served at the tournament, so don’t feel that you’re missing out if you’ve signed up to golf or help out at the event.

Over at the Tap Root, the same four beers remain on tap including Midnight Sun’s Kodiak, Sockeye and Hef, along with the token Guinness. But, the most recent newsletter says six new taps are on the way. This is a good thing. The featured bottled selection for the week is KWAK (not to be confused with AFLAC). Would the AFLAC duck drink KWAK? Oh, how appropriate.

La Bodega’s got some cool stuff on the shelves these days. If you want to brush off your style guidelines and study some eclectic stuff, here are some homework beers:

l’Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien (incredibly complex oak-aged stuff) and Cuvee du 7eme, both from Franches Montagnes

From Germany: Reissdorf Koelsch, Aecht Schlenkerla, Einbecker, Klosterbrauerei and St. Georgenbraeu Kellebier.

Gold Rush Liquors has the only bottles of Farsons Lacto Milk Stout we got. If you’re a style Nazi, you’d better chase this one down to round out your sensory impressions for a somewhat rare style of beer. This falls under the sweet stout category in the AHA Style Guidelines, and although we get many sweet stouts here in town, we don’t see a true lacto stout very often. I’m remiss because I meant to chase some of this down and check it out and I intend to, so you’d better get there before I do.

One of the best kept secrets (well, not any more, since I’ve been covering beer) is the Brown Jug store on Old Seward just in front of Wall Mart out toward the street. This cloistered little store is tough to find and parking is quirky when you get there. Just the same, it’s a virtual treasure trove of great beer. Stuff seems to wander in there that I don’t find anywhere else. This is the place where Hoegaarden mysteriously showed up one time and it really wasn’t available in town. It was also $6.99 a six, fully three bucks cheaper than it was anywhere else when it finally came out of hiding. The Oz behind the curtain is Ed Cowger. I met Ed years ago (back in the 90’s). He ran a liquor store out in Eagle River. I was taking night classes through UAA and had to take a course called Film Appreciation out in Eagle River. I think the pre-requisite for this class was basket weaving 101 or Frisbee tossing 101 or something like that, so my favorite trick was to stop in Ed’s place and get some craft beer to slam before class. Then I could nap through the evening’s film. Worked like a charm.

Ed’s managing the Old Seward Store and brings with him the same penchant for great beer. I think he feeds the machine now and again with some stuff from a private stash of goodies he buys and stores for later release. Dunno, he remains a mysterious man! Just the same, great buys are easy to find there and this week especially since Brouerij Het IJ beers from the Netherlands are on sale for $2.00 a bottle until they’re gone.

Did you read Mike Coppock’s piece in the Press last week? He got a feature on the cover for the Southeastern Alaska beer scene. I got some comments on that, although I had nothing to do with the article. I haven’t spent much time in that corner of our state, so it’s good someone’s bringing the news to us. In fact, I used some of his information to plan my itinerary to Juneau on the weekend of the 24^th – 26^th.

I found it interesting that Coppock said that Midnight Sun Brewing Company and Silver Gulch don’t have a strong influence in Southeastern. I take slight exception to his choice of words. If he would have replaced “influence” with “presence” I believe his piece would have been more accurate. What many people don’t understand is the dynamics involved in moving beer throughout our vast state. There’s a strong distribution network between Southeastern and the Anchorage hub, and good beer can travel back and forth, but it comes with expense and some tough logistics. Although beer gets down there easily enough, the stainless it’s wrapped in doesn’t migrate back north quickly enough, and a brewery’s valuable kegs are depleted when each of them is crucial in supporting all of the brewery’s distribution network. Sometimes the kegs aren’t sent back up until the end of the season, which is really tough on the breweries. Also, indications are that at least in the case of Midnight Sun’s beer, it’s sought after and continually requested in Southeast, so “influence” remains inaccurate. In that vein, I wonder why Coppock didn’t discuss the Southeastern beer’s “influence” in Anchorage?

Both Kodiak Island Brewing Company and Haines Brewing Company don’t send their beers north, but that’s not because we don’t like them up here. These breweries suffer the same logistical nightmares that our breweries here do when it comes to distribution, and on top of that, we’re not considered primary markets for breweries that can scarcely slake their own local thirst. We’re lucky to see these two brewery’s’ beers show up sometimes at the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival, but that’s usually about it. Homer Brewing Company is also very geocentric but we do get thrown an occasional beer bone from those folks. They’re gracious enough to bring some up when they have enough to give us a taste, and we’re very appreciative of that. Kassick’s Kenai Brew Stop Beers are up here with increasing frequency, and although new up here, Kenai River Brewing Company beers are now formally distributed to Anchorage, so we should see plenty of their beer flowing soon. I’m covering KRBC next week in the Press and talking about some of the distribution effects.

I won’t quibble about Coppock’s piece because his coverage was thorough and fills an important gap in beer coverage. Remember, we can never get too much information about good local beer in our state.

Okay, I’m getting chatty here, so I’ll wrap up the blog with Café Amsterdam’s list. Note that KRBC beers are ON. Pray for my liver. Saturday’s the GNBC/Humpy’s Golf Tournament and I’m piloting a beer cart. Have a great beer week/weekend!

BNC Fermento

Magners - Original Irish Cider

17 kinds of apples go into this old world libation. (I can only taste 14) (Ken Pajak’s words)

Abbey of Scourmont Chimay - Cinq Cents

Triple of hazy golden color & fine nose of hops. goblet only

Het Anker - Gouden Carolus Triple

Refined character, rich and noble in taste. goblet

Kenai River Brewing - Resurrection Summer Ale

Crisp,dry, and refreshing. With a light citrus hop aroma

Huyghe - Melle Brewery - Delirium Tremens

Fruity after taste. Rich body and rich mouthfeel 9% goblet

Paulner - Weisien

A wheat of hazy golden color & always inviting

Brasserie d’Chouffe - Houblon Chouffe

American double IPA+English IPA+ Belgian Triple = Houblon goblet

Lagunitas - IPA

All the way from Petaluma CA. Rich, golden IPA. Very refreshing

Kenai River Brewing - Skilak Scottish Ale

Malty aroma with smoky background. Smooth, sweet malty after-taste

Unibroue - Maudite

Strong red ale. Subtle coriander with spices and a hint of hops. goblet

Gulpener Bierbrouwerij - Mestreeches Aajt

Flanders Red ale brewed in Netherlands. Almost a Lambic style, goblet

Avery - Collabboration not Litagation Ale

What happens when two breweries have the same name for a beer

Alaskan Brewing - Coffee Brown

In the “rough draft ” series. Mild tone of coffee in the background

Alaskan Brewing - Raspberry Stout

Another in the series of “rough draft”. Hints of berry in a great stout

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 at 1:09 am and is filed under Beer News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.