On Wednesday June 28th, I was honored to take the initial steps of participating in the production of the Moose’s Tooth Brewing Company’s 12th Anniversary Ale in anticipation of the big party that will be held down the road a bit on July 26th. Details are emergent, but we’re brewing an interpretation of the saison style with perhaps an interesting twist. Our warm up exercise consisted of sampling seven saisons of international acclaim to get a feel for the style and discuss where we wanted to go with it and how we were going to make it uniquely Alaskan. Some of our samples included Saison Dupont North Coast’s La Merle, Fantome Saison, Ommegang Hennepin and Jolly Pumpkin’s Bam Biere. These are all great beers, but the Fantome emerged as my favorite. Recipe formulation is taking place and with my limited mastery of the style on the brewing side, Tyler Jones of the Tooth is putting it together. My only input was that I wanted the beer to be hugely drinkable, manageable on the alcohol side (begging repeat samples) and interesting. This will be my second commercial brewing experience. I initially got my feet wet at the Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company when I assisted in the production of Spartan Warrior Imperial Stout. I’m excited about the Tooth beer because saison is one of my favorite styles. At this point, the Belgian yeast is being propagated at the brewery and when it crops up to standard, we’ll Brew! Woo Hoo!
If you missed Celestial Meads’ open house last month, don’t despair. Meadmaster Mike Kiker is hosting another one on June 21st. This will be a mirror image of last month’s with the gig running between noon and 5:00 PM. It’s free and samples of Celestial’s top notch mead 
will be provided along with snacks. With enhanced distribution and more accounts in town discovering mead as a solid alternative to wine and beer, you should be able to find the products in a lot more locations. If you’re traveling to see relatives outside, this uniquely Alaskan product would make a fine gift in the nicely appointed, beautifully labeled 750 ml bottle.
The 16th Annual Great Alaska Homebrew and Craftbeer Festival was held last weekend in Haines. I didn’t make the gig. Feedback indicates that I missed a grand time. I would have loved to have traveled to Haines and spent some time with our lesser-realized breweries in the state that are under-heralded because their beers just don’t make it as widely into the far reaches as beers from the rest of the state seem to. I just received the results of the homebrew competition integral to the event and Anchorage didn’t fare as well as it did in years past. I’m not sure if that’s because our brewers didn’t enter as much or because Southeast Alaska has come of age and is starting to kick some ass in local competitions. I hope that’s the case; it’s always good when the quality bar is raised a bit. I heard that the weather was great and the sudz were rather free flowing, and that’s what I remember so fondly of the event!
Down at the Tap Root Café, Midnight Sun beers are proudly featured and this week so expect to see Sockeye Red IPA, Kodiak Nut Brown, Oosik Amber, Melt Down Double IPA and Old Whiskers Hefe-Weisse. Also from Alaska is the Sleeping Lady Brewing Company’s Wit and Beavertail Blond and Roughneck Stout from Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop. Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale is on from back east along with Bavik from Belgium. These are all good, solid fermented reasons to visit the Southside joint and enjoy some good food and great local music featured most nights.
If you duck into Café Amsterdam, although you won’t see it on the menu, ask for the blend of Celestial Meads Marriage and sparkling lemonade. Café’s calling it a Sour Marriage and it too is getting some health reviews. I haven’t tried it yet but plan to this week. Here’s what else awaits you:
Avery 15th anniversary (gotta love the brett), Bitburger Pils, Dupont Bier de Miele, Alaskan Jalapeno IPA, Ayinger Brau Weisse, Elysian Jasmine IPA, Delirium Tremens, Unibroue Maudite, Unibroue Ephemere Apple, Kodiak Sweet Georgia Brown (almost gone), Midnight Sun Earth, Midnight Sun Old Whiskers, Midnight Sun Sockeye, Kassik’s Imperial Honey Wheat, Grotten Brown, Chimay Triple, and Magners Irish Cider
Plan on attending McGinley’s Irish Pub’s First Friday event where the first three Midnight Sun Planet beers will be featured. This gig runs from 5-8 pm and costs a paltry $8.00 for the samples that you can enjoy at your own place.
Skagway Brewing Company is in full swing with the consistent arrival of cruise ships plying the Southeastern Alaska waters and terminating in Skagway. These big boats disgorge upwards of 4,000 passengers at a time and often there are more than one in port and many of the travelers arrive curious about local suds. This keeps the little 7 bbl brewery quite busy. I got a recent report about a number of the brewery’s beers:
“They have about 8 beers on tap. I tried 4. The IPA was more of a pale, and nothing special. The brown is sweet and tasty, but again not pushing any boundaries. I drank the better part of a neglected growler of it the other night. The oatmeal stout is about like Alaskan’s: respectable, but pretty low maintenance. I liked best the wee heavy. It is high gravity, 9%, and quite smoky. I don’t know if that is to style, but I like it. One of the owners commented that the wee heavy was the only recipe where the brewer was turned loose, the others were recipes that came with the name they purchased from the previous owner, a notorious retailer who was quoted years ago saying that if it was up to him the beer would all be the same, just dyed different colors.”
I spoke extensively with Skagway brewer Trevor Clifford in support of an Anchorage Press article a couple of weeks ago about the brewery. Clifford concedes that some of the beer is based on existing recipes that need a tweaking, but he got busy not only building and completing the brewery, but rousing it from an icy winter and jumping in to get beers in the tanks ahead of the cruise ships. His tutelage as a brewer back east prepared him well for his position and with time and a little breathing room, he’s destined to stretch his brewing wings and start creating beers all his own. I expect greatness. If you happen to get down there, fire me off an update.
Thanks to the efforts of Specialty Imports and in particular Rob Weller, welcome back the incredible line of beers from Brasserie Fantome of Soy, Belgium. Soy is in Wallonia and the brewery is named after the famous ghost of Countess Berthe de La Roche of La Roche-en-Ardenne who purportedly can still be seen strolling along in the castle’s ruins. I say “welcome back” to the Fantome line because if memory and my remaining brain cells serve me, we used to get a couple of the Phantome beers up here before. Fantome is a “Johnny-come-lately” in the Belgian world of archaic and monastic brewing pinnacles. Established in 1988, the brewery primarily produces classic saisons and spins on the style that include a whole cornucopia of wild ingredients with varying degrees of success. Notable is brewer Danny Prignon’s “okay then” attitude concerning the relative absence of hops in his beers amidst the bigger hopped beers not so much of his peers, but of the west coast critics. He really didn’t care for a long time, then lashed back with his version of a big hop beer: Brise-BonBon. This translates approximately to “ball buster” and I think that was Prignon’s intent, but the bitterness falls short of the American standard of over the top big hop monsters, but that’s no defect at all in my opinion and I find the beer much more drinkable as a result. 
Brise-BonBon pours really hazy to the point that it’s described as a snow globe and almost ghost like, which is entirely fitting not only for the brewery’s image, but in deference to lots of yeast and hop particulate within the non-filtered beer. Grow some balls and go for it, it’s good for you. There’s plenty of vitamin B-1 in the yeast and other residual compounds in the bottom of the bottle. Use a big glass, preferably a goblet and pour carefully; served properly at 50-55 degrees, the head is prodigious and frothy. Expect a well-rounded hop aroma, but not a big Amarillo or Cascade bomb as is common in the United States. This is a more refined, tamer aroma and some of the malts and spice characters actually come through from underneath.
Printemps is Fantome’s spring saison. At 8 percent alcohol by volume, it commands some respect so don’t make it your lawnmower beer. It pours frothy at first, but the head settles quickly leaving a thin topper on the beer. The aroma is somewhat floral and at the same time spicy with doughy edges probably from the yeast. Oddly enough, at the very first sip reminded me of pizza for some reason, but it could have been my glass (although I’m pretty anal about using clean glassware for beer. It could be the combination of spices as well. The flavor is as expected, replete with herbal, spicy notes, light malt, yeast and hints of pepper, coriander and a slight saltiness. The mouthfeel is surprisingly thin for style, but this is hardly a defect. Amazingly, the alcohol is not noticeable in either flavor or heat. Can you say “dangerous?” This beer is entirely too drinkable for the boozewhacker element, so be careful.
Next, I tried the “regular” Fantome Saison. I don’t know if this is the original brewery beer, but given that the brewery has over 40 beers on record, it’s hard to determine. Regardless, it’s hugely distinguishable from the rest because if nothing else, the aroma is to die for. A complex mix of apples, pineapple, sweet must, delicate hops and light grain, along with an almost Christmas candy like sweetness assuage the snauze when the beer is decanted and brought forth for the sip. I could take nose hits off this one all night long! The beer pours almost clear light orange, but under a volcanic head that requires some strategy to get everything in the glass from the bottle. The flavor follows the aroma almost perfectly; smell it and expect the same great flavor with plenty of tropical fruit, a slight peppery spiciness and ample carbonation with “ice points” to tickle the tongue along the way. Although convention suggests otherwise, I enjoy this beer best on the cold, rather than “cellar” temperature side. The 8 percent alcohol is as invisible as the ghost on the label. The beer finishes dry and squeaky clean. This is a beer easily paired with salmon, cheeses, or vinaigrette salads. This is definitely not a beer to miss even if you’re new to the style. Die-hard saison imbibers might up-nose as the flavor aggressiveness, but if they do, serve them a glass of Budweiser and tell them to shut the fuck up.
Fantome’s Black Ghost is a Belgian style stout weighing in as well at 8 percent alcohol. What started out as a Belgian Irish-style stout has morphed into a muddy brown, dark amber at best beer with an interesting combination of spices that seem to change from batch to batch. The stout style is evidenced in some very light roast and faint dark malt elements and a very light burnt character in the nose and flavor in this overall thinish beer. The spices are hard to identify but I sense perhaps anise? Heather? A resounding tart element envelops everything else. Blindfold me and I wouldn’t call this beer a stout, but I wouldn’t call it a bad beer either. It’s is interesting but for me the jury’s out until I try another bottle.
Fantome makes upwards of 40 different regular, seasonal and specialty beers, and given what I had with the regular Fantome Saison, I hope more diversity heads our way. Remember, at least for now, these beers are fleeting so I’d grab my stash if I were you. For sure Brown Jug Warehouse, La Bodega, Gold Rush Liquors, and if you’re up Fairbanks way, Gold Rush Liquors in Ester carry the brand while it lasts.
Deschutes Brewing Company is again proud to release Twilight, an American pale ale, just in time for what we’re getting of a summer up here. This summer seasonal ale boasts four different hop varieties and a big, sweetish malt backbone in a medium bodied light amber beer that’s not necessarily lawn-mowerish, but easy to toss back at 5 percent alcohol and an easy 35 IBU’s. It’s a Fermento favorite and a gold 
medal winner at the 2005 North American Beer Award celebration and at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival. It’s Deschutes 20th Anniversary, and I’m awaiting word on if we’re going to get Black Butte XX (A Deschutes Reserve Series beer) and the brewery’s 20th Anniversary Wit. Black Butte has been around for 20 years and helped define American porter as a style. Porter’s been around forever but in America, it took a while to revive when the craft beer movement had its resurgence in the 1980’s. It took a while for Americans to espouse dark beers again. Here’s a quick credit to Anchor Brewing Company, another forerunner in resurrecting the style with Anchor Porter, but I digress. Full credit to Deschutes to infusing a benign dark beer with plenty of American hop attitude. What makes Black Butte XX celebratory is the infusion of Bellatanna coffee, Theo Chocolate cocoa nibs and aging in Stranahan’s whiskey barrels. If this beer shows up here, buy a number of them because it’s hardy enough to vintage and quite worthy to do so. At 11 percent, it commands a huge amount of respect. Expect oak and whiskey notes (according to reviews) in a huge, somewhat alcoholic beer that might seem thin for the imperial style. I’ll reserve judgment for my own personal sample.
If your travel plans include Southern California in November, pencil in the November 01 Brews, Blues and BBQ Festival currently being organized by Chris Anderson, a long time Alaskan who was an active member of the Great Northern Brewers Homebrew Club and a fabulous brewer. The festival isn’t necessarily new, but it’s Anderson’s goal to purge the gig of the watery mass-produced beers that have defined it thus far and replace them with respectable craft beers from around the country. Anderson’s even working on Alaska representation 
at the festival which will help continue to put our suds on the map. Stay tuned to drfermento.net for emerging news. If you’re interested in attending this even or just want to head down and give Chris a badly needed hand at that time, contact him at canderson@tatitlek.com.
Here’s the Humpy’s line up as of Wednesday, May 28th. Note the menu enhancement of denoting the local beers. I truly appreciate this and hope it continues.
Wheats / Fruits
(Local) Moose’s Tooth Wild Country Raspberry Wheat
Pyramid Apricot
Pyramid Hefeweisen
Lindemans Framboise ####
Spire Mt. Apple Cider #
(Local) Celestial Clarity Mead
Served in an 8 oz glass for $11.25
Golden Ales / Pilseners / California Common
(Local) Alaskan Summer Kolsch
(Local) Midnight Sun Goldstrike Kolsch
Full Sail LTD (Live the Dream) Lager
Pilsner Urquell *
Stella Artois **
Pale Ales / E.S.B.’s (medium hop bitterness)
(Local) Alaskan Pale Ale
(Local) Moose’s Tooth Polar Pale Ale
Bass Ale *
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Elysian ‘The Wise’ E.S.B.
India Pale Ales (med - high hop bitterness)
(Local) Humpy’s Sockeye Red by Midnight Sun
(Local) Kassik’s Brew Stop ‘Morning Wood’ I.P.A.
(Local) Midnight Sun Meltdown Double I.P.A. * (8%)
(Local) Moose’s Tooth Fairweather I.P.A.
Full Sail I.P.A.
Deschutes Hop Henge Imperial I.P.A. # (8.75%)
Dogfish Head 90 Minute I.P.A. # (9%)
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale * (8.2%)
Belgian Ales
(Local) Midnight Sun Earth Belgian Chocolate Milk Stout ##
Blue Moon Belgian White Wheat Ale
Rodenbach Flemish Sour Red Ale ###
St. Bernardus Grotten Brown ###
Strong Belgian Ales (Alcohol by Volume over 7.5%
(Local) Midnight Sun Big Fish Triple Crown # (9%)
Chimay Cing Cents Triple ##### (8%)
Liefmans Lucifer Belgian Golden ####(8.4%)
Koningshoeven Quadrupel #### (10%)
St Feuillien Belgian Triple ##### (8.5%)
Unibroue Trois Pistols ## (9%)
Barley Wine
Sierra Bigfoot Barley Wine # (9.6%)
Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine ## (11.26)
Amber Ales / Bocks / Dopplebocks / Scottish
(Local) Alaskan Amber Ale
(Local) Midnight Sun Oosik Amber
Mac Tarnahan’s Scottish Ale
Baron Liberator Dopplebock # (8.5%)
Brown Ales
(Local) Midnight Sun Kodiak Brown Ale
Full Sail Nut Brown Ale
Porters / Stouts
(Local) Alaskan Smoked Porter
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Rogue Mocha Porter
Full Sail Imperia Stout * (8%)
Guinness Stout ****
North Coast Old #38 Stout
Seasonal Ales
Elysian Bifrost
Rogue Chipotle Ale
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