I fee like I’m falling. I took some heat for my mood last week.It’s probably well deserved.I was a little rough in my melancholy rant concerning my experiences with writing about beer.Still, I don’t think an apology is in order.I write from the heart and will continue to do so.As we approach the new year, expect more rants and raves that come just as much from my heart as they do my liver.
This last weekend I was able to slip away to the
Peninsula to explore foamy destinations to our south.I guess I’m still a Cheechako from the standpoint that despite living here for 30 years, I have problems understanding what it takes to get around in the deep winter.I thought I could easily fly to Kenai, drive to Homer, explore Ring of Fire Meadery and Homer Brewing Company, then head back through Soldotna for a meal and beer at St. Elias Brewing Company a quick run through at the Kenai River Brewing Company then out to Nikiski to visit Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop.Stupid me.With icy roads, sub-zero temperatures (minus 14 when I got up on Sunday) and formidable distances, I was only able to explore Homer’s suds before turning back to make a mandatory company Christmas party at .So, I’m off again this weekend to hit the remainder.I was especially jazzed with a wheat-based mead from Ring of Fire Meadery which was actually a 2007 mead that’s all gone now, save meadmaster Lawrence Livingston’s discovery of a hidden stash that I’m suspecting it would take armed robbery to separate him from.I also grabbed a bottle of mead Ring of Fire produced to commemorate Alaska’s 50th Anniversary.This is for sure destined to be a collector’s item, and I’m suspecting it’s only available at the meadery.The label on the bottle is a commissioned piece of art work and depicts a picture of the Alaskan flag in a field of berries.It’s really beautiful and if I didn’t want to risk exposing the coveted contents to the ravaging effects of lights, this bottle would be featured prominently in my wall unit in my living room.A really good buddy of mine from the Peninsula joined me at a private company party that was catered by a local caterer on the
Peninsula.As usual, it chapped my ass that my company, that waves the local hire and supporting local business flags didn’t support their local breweries.The party was held in Kenai, and flanked on either side of this hamlet are the brewing institutions of Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna and Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop in Nikiski.Instead the caterers brought in your dictionary definition swill including Bud Lite, Heineken and one token Alaskan beer, Alaskan Brewing Company’sAmber Ale.At least there was one decent beer in an ocean of shit, but I would have preferred something much more local.And, being the vociferous whiner that I am, I made my feelings known to both the employer and caterer.I didn’t have quite enough beer in me to make an asshole out of myself, but I did remonstrate them pretty good, especially since this was the SECOND time I’d talked to them about this.So, I have a mirror image party to go to this weekend and we’ll see if my little “chat” had any net effect.So, in protest, this buddy of mine had been out to Kassik’s and at about mid-party, smuggled in a growler of Kassik’s Holiday Spiced Cream Ale.We tore into that stuff with abandon and it was truly a delight from the standpoint that most spiced holiday ales are big and somewhat cloying and are designed to be had in small proportions.This light, effervescent, perfectly spiced beer was like a session holiday ale, something I really appreciated.It was easy to toss back the entire grolwer in nothing flat and I found myself wanting more.The clean, easy-drinking, dry finish was a welcome alternative to the heavier beers of the season, and for sure, the quality of this fine beer far surpassed the bottles of swill floating around in a lukewarm tub of water.I only went back to drinking Alaskan Amber when the growler was gone.I also dispatched Ms. Fermento back to the room to fetch one of two coveted bottles of Homer Brewing Company’sCelestiale, another holiday treat from the
Peninsula.Although this beer was bigger, bolder, more aggressively spiced and heavier, my buddy and I joyously split the bottle as a nitecap (for me at least) and reveled in the season for a bit.Although I didn’t make it to St Elias Brewing Company this trip, I did hear from brewer Zach Henry as I set up a visit for this upcoming weekend.Right now the brewery/brewpub has eight beers in tap including Even Keel Kolsch, The Farmer’s Friend, Puddle Jumper Pale Ale, Williwaw IPA, Irish Stout, Winter Ale, Half Moon Wit and Belgian Blonde. With that list in front of me, I’m suspecting my visit will quickly become a designated driver event!Zach indicates that although the brewery will be attending this year’s GABBF, they won’t be submitting a barleywine for evaluation.According to Zach, the brewery had a great year and is finally garnering some breathing room to start branching out into some more interesting styels of beer.Pay them a visit when you head to the
Peninsula.They’re located on the west side of the
Sterling Highway
just north of the Fred Meyer Store in Soldotna.At the Kenai River Brewing Company, brewer Doug Hogue stashed some 2007 Single Hop IPA series beer and has decided to release them.If you happen to be in Soldotna, stop by and see what’s pouring because the selection varies by the day.Anticipate that the brewery will be represented at this year’s GABBF, which is always good news.If you’ve got some disposable income left over after the holidays, be sure and capitalize on a big sale that’s going on over at La Bodega Liquor Store.The big sale starts today (January 02) and features everything in the store discounted by 10 percent.The sale will run between January 02 – 09.Proprietor Pamela Hatzis also says she’s going to do some awesome promotions in conjunction with this year’s Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival, so keep an eye out.Glacier Brewhousebrewer Kevin Burton is out screwing off somewhere, so I don’t have a dose of his witticism for you this week, but I did talk to brewer Drew Weber.Weber indicates that there’s not a whole lot going on at the brewery and that they’re “…just finishing off the new year” at this point.The goal for completing the brewery expansion next door into what was formerly Bagoy’s Flower Shop should be complete by February first, affording the brewery a little more roon to work in.Weber did bait my palate with tap temptresses including Glacier’s 2007 Imperial Stout, 2007 Double Barrel Barley Wine (on cask, no less), and the super aggressive four year old Lambic that was released a couple of weeks back.Holiday traffic should be done and things downtown should be a bit slower, so parking may not be such a pain in the ass affording a chance to duck in for something special this weekend before the holiday runs out. Don’t forget that the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival looms ahead.Undeniably, this is
Alaska’s biggest fest of the year and brings in beers and dignitaries from near and far.This is a crowded, rowdy event, but full of vigor if you drink beer for effect or if you drink it for enjoyment.The two concepts don’t always mix well, but one thing’s for certain, you’ll be surrounded by countless other beer freaks that all have their own agenda, so you’ll just have to pick your company and pick your beers accordingly.This is an event that you may not need to practice for, but you certainly need to prepare for.First and foremost, this is a designated driver event.The samples may be small, but the choices are huge and abundant.Mismanagement of scrip (beer tickets) may afford you the opportunity to drink beyond your allotment, so account for that and understand that without a doubt, you’re probably going to leave the event impaired by definition of Alaska drinking and driving law.Arrange for a ride BEFORE you attend and try to remember where you park if you drive so that the next day you can find your ride.Second, be kind to your body.Sure, it means nothing when you start out, but you’re going to pay for it the next day if you don’t take heed and hydrate plenty throughout the event, eat before you go, drop some ‘Ceddies before you go to bed and allow extra time the next day for a lie-in.I try to drink water ounce-for-ounce with the beer which isn’t hard to do with a little bit of discipline.Since the servings are not much bigger than a shot of booze, fill the same amount of water in your sampling glass after each sample and toss it back similarly.Third, drink judiciously.Oh, there are tales a-plenty of fest-goers that have managed to sample every beer over the two day event, but why should that be an objective?Arrive early and grab the program.Go grab a maintenance sample and stand back and go through the program and circle the beers that are important to you and seek them out first.You’ll be disappointed if you finish up your time only to discover that there were some killer beers you wanted to sample but wasted your liver on beers of a lesser God in your fervor to fire for effect.Forth, be polite.The only entity that’s making any money on this event is Aurora Productions and the charity institution that the event benefits, not the servers, distributors, brewers or hard-working volunteers that bring this gig off.It’s not their fault that you can’t be poured a full pint of your favorite-est beer in the house and it’s certainly not their fault that as certified servers, they legally have to cut you off if it appears that you’ve had too much.If you end up on the curb, there’s a 99-44/100 percent chance it’s entirely your own fault.Play the game by the rules and play for the long run.Fifth, show up early and if you attend on Saturday, plan on attending the Connoisseur’s Session.Understand that this session is the one part of the fest that directly benefits our hard working local brewers.The event is hosted by the Alaska Brewer’s Guild, an entity devoted to ensuring that
Alaska’s beers are featured, prominent, and marketed here and abroad.There’s a reward.At the Connoisseur’s Session, each participating brewery has to provide and exclusive beer that’s only served, or at least debuted at this event.This is the place where the really good stuff rolls out.Sixth:Volunteer.This should be higher in the list.This festival cannot happen without the dedicated efforts of beer lovers and consumers alike.Call
Aurora Productions at(907) 562-9911.Consider as well events related to this venue that actually start before the main gig.On Wednesday, January 14th, you’re going to have to make a very tough decision because simultaneously on that night you can attend either the Kinley’s Restaurant and Bar’sLeft Hand Brewing Company Brewer’s Dinner or the annual GABBF Brewers and Dignitary’s Dinner at SubZero Microlounge.The Left Hand dinner at Kinley’s will feature six delicious Left Hand Brewing Company beers paired with Kinley’s upscale, specially paired and prepared foods.The gig starts at and costs $45.00 per person.The meet and greet beer will be the
Colorado brewery’s Sawtooth Ale.The brewery’s Haystack Wheat will be paired with a tempura soft shell crab, Daikon raddish and carrot salad with Ponzu Vinaigrette, sweet chili aioli and toasted cashews.This will be followed by a serving of the brewery’s Juju Ginger Beer paired with a miso mushroom souop with pork dumplings.There are two “main” courses.Twin Sister Double IPA will be paired with wasabi and sesame-crusted chicken,
Napa cabbage and Asian pear slaw.The brewery’s Snowbound, a winter seasonal ale will pair with shichimi-togarashi braised short ribs as the second “main” course.For the dessert serving, expect Left Hand’s Milk Stout paired with chocolate makizushi.This sounds like a tasty line up indeed!Details on the GABBF Brewer’s and Dignitary’s Dinner are emergent and hopefully I’ll have something more to report in next week’s piece.I’d seen beer from the Fire Station 5 Brewing Company around town for a couple of years now, but haven‘t expressed much interest in going through them.This is because I can’t discern where the beer is really coming from.Cursory web research indicates that the beer comes from a “Beer
Marketing Company.”This translates into the fact that the beer is made exclusively for the Fred Meyer grocery chain asa contact beer which is made by Portland Brewing Company, which is now owned by Pyramid Brewing Company.Is that complicated enough for you?It needn’t be.Just look at it this way.Federal law says no-no to grocery stores selling their own brand of beer.So, don’t expect a Carr’s IPA or a New Sagaya’s Oak-Aged Porter any time in the near future.But you might experience a beer you’re not familiar with from a marketing company that’s making a beer through someone else exclusively for an entity or chain.Such is the case here.The other nice thing is the price.This stuff is priced significantly lower than the other beers in Fred Meyer Liquor Stores, and although I can’t vouch for the Freddies’ on the south side of town, I can tell you from personal experience that the prices at the east side and mid town stores are close to gouging in my opinion. I don’t shop there for beer; the stuff is overpriced.But, I saw a coupon in the holiday sales inserts in the paper that advertised a half rack of an assortment of Fire Station5 Beer for $13.99.That’s cheaper than most anything else out there, but before you fool yourself, recall that
Deschutes and Alaskan products used to be priced around that point somewhat regularly.Just the same a penny saved is a penny earned, and enough of them add up to a six pack, half rack or case in my book.I bit and bought.The first one I cracked with the Fire Station5 Fire Hydrant Hefeweisen.The beer poured frothy into my favorite Aventinus wheat beer glass and what settles under the white, rocky head is a just slightly hazy, very pale yellow/gold beer.The aroma nailed this one as a distinct American-style wheat beer because absent was the signature clove/banana (estery/fruity) and even bubble gum aromasthat would emanate off a German style hefe.I did get some wheat tartness in the nose, though.Nonetheless, American wheats abound so I sampled onward.As an American style hefe, the beer hit most of the marks adequately enough.The wheat essence was easily found in both tartness and flavor in the beer.The beer was effervescent enough and evenly hopped with bitterness propping up the low-to-medium malt presence in the beer.Just a slight twinge of hop flavor spiced the beer and a clean bitterness did its job then stepped into the background.I don’t know if the brewery was taking a stab at a creamy mouthfeel, because I didn’t sense that and rather got sort of a watery thinness in the end that was the only real detractor in the beer, but not a serious enough one that I’d avoid reaching for another if I were the in the mood for an American wheat beer.Next came a very fresh IPA.Steam Pumper IPA poured just slightly hazy, but after I had my face in the glass and luxuriated in a very fresh dry-hop aroma, the haze became understandable.Dry hopping can lend some haze to a beer.Clean grain and malt notes also came forth under the uneven, well-developed head.Flavor-wise, I could easily pass this beer off for a slightly robust American pale ale.As Americans, we’ve conditioned ourselves to expect hop bombs rather than well-balanced IPAs, but this one falls just sort of the mark either way.A slight, tart tinge was also somewhat distracting, but I couldn’t identify where it came from so I let it be.The bitterness was hardly aggressive and actually rather fleeting, leaving well before the finish that was clean and smooth, so the beer gets good points for all of that.I suppose neophytes to the IPA style might enjoy this beer, but the tried and true hop heads might be disappointed.Finally, I gave Fire Boat Amber a go.This is another hazy, off-amber beer.I was a bit surprised at the head I got when I poured the beer.It was way bigger than I’d expected for an amber and took a long time to settle.The nose was subtle and only a very light, sweet indiscernible hop aroma wafted off the top, followed by clean, light grain notes.The flavor reminded me more of a very pale ale.Missing was the elements of medium malts and some toasty and perhaps light caramel (malt) elements I might expect from an Amber, but I guess this is no defect in an overall unassuming, drinkable line of beers.I got a good amount of fruitiness right up front.The beer livened up a bit with some warming and seemed to get a bit sweeter with each swallow.Maybe it was a bit too sweet for my taste, but it wasn’t bad and as far as I’m concerned would make a good session beer.In fact, I’d buy more of this just for that reason because overall, it’s a clean, albeit unremarkable but good beer.Another odd beer piqued my curiosity.A line of beers from the Tap Room Brewing Company can also be found at Fred Meyer’s and as far as I can tell, no where else in town.It was tough to find information on this beer, but thanks to one of my favorite research sites, BeerAdvocate (www.beeradvocate.com) I narrowed it down to City Brewing Company, LLC of LaCrosse, Wisconsin.This was odd because the label says it comes from
Rochester, New York, so obviously this is some sort of contract brew.I tried their Pale Ale.This smelled like an American pale ale with decent earthy and slightly pine-y dry hop aroma on top with evidence of medium malts underneath.Overall, the nose was clean.The head rocked up nicely and held mostly through the duration of the glass.The beer is very clear and brightly colored in the glass with tons of carbonation bubbles racing to the top.The beer tasted clean as well and very even-keel as a pale ale goes to the point where I’d actually call it respectable.Again, if you’re a hop fanatic and use something like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale as a benchmark, you might be disappointed because the hops aren’t nearly as aggressive.Just balancing bitterness rounded out a clean, somewhat light malt profile with hints of toast and caramel.The beer edges to the sweet side with the hops dropping completely off before the thinning finish in the beer.Still, if you’re an imbiber of the lighter side of craft beers, this is a good pick and at $6.99 a six pack, there’s additional appeal in an otherwise spendy-sided liquor store (Fred Meyer’s).I also tried Tap Room Brewing Company’s Moe’s Backroom Lager.This turned out to be another middle-of-the-road lager that reminded me of even slightly less than mainstream with plenty of dimethyl sulfide compounds and a dust of oxidation to boot.I found this one to be dull and lifeless at best, lacking any hop zest in terms of flavor and bitterness.I hate to say it, but even Budweiser,Miller, and the other big products out there had more liveliness than this one.I didn’t finish it. All in all, if our economy dictates a downshift to more affordable beers, except for the Tap Room lager, these would be good carry-overs, not none stand out as hallmarks within their respective styles.Maybe that’s by design; there’s more appeal to the masses that way and heck, the beer baited me in, so I’ll let you pass your own judgment along to your discerning beer-loving peers. On tap this week at the venerable Tap Root Café are local and international selections worthy of your palate.Consider:Midnight Sun Brewing
Co. Sockeye Red IPA
Oosik Amber
Coffee Porter
Kodiak Brown Sleeping Lady Brewing Scottish
Golden
Porter
Imperial wheat wine Kassiks Brew Stop Beavertail Blonde
Roughneck Stout Ayinger Celebrator Scaldis Noel Avery Old Jubilation AleHumpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse has a typically fabulous line up of craft beers going this week.Pay special attention to the
Midnight Sun Brewing Company Berserker Imperial Stout, Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop’s Imperial Spiced Honey Wheat, Alaskan Brewing Company’s Dunkelweisen, Sleeping Lady’s Chocolate Cherry Wheat on Nitro, and Kodiak Island’s Wingnut Brown Ale, because these are local beers and they’re fleeting.Here’s the lineup…..Wheats / Fruits (Local)Alaskan Dunkelweisen(Local)Kassik’s Imperial Spiced Honey Wheat #(9%)(Local)Moose’s Tooth Wild Country Raspberry WheatPyramid Apricot Pyramid Hefeweisen (Local)Sleeping Lady Chocolate Cherry Wheat (on Nitro)Lindemans Framboise ####Golden Ales / Pilseners /
California CommonKona Longboard Lager(Local)Midnight Sun Goldstrike KolschOregon Honey by
Portland Brewing (Local)Silver Gulch Coldfoot PilsnerPale Ales / E.S.B.’s (medium hop bitterness) (Local)Alaska Pale AleDeschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale(Local)Moose’s Tooth Polar Pale Ale(Local)Sleeping Lady Pale Ale(Local)Alaskan E.S.B.India Pale Ales (med - high hop bitterness)Avery I.P.A. (69 IBU)Full Sail Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale (70 IBU)(Local)Humpy’s Sockeye Red by Midnight Sun (70 IBU)(Local)Midnight Sun Cohoho Imperial I.P.A. # (8%) (85 IBU)(Local)Moose’s Tooth Fairweather I.P.A. (64 IBU)Redhook Long Hammer I.P.A. (38.5 IBU)Stone’s Double Bastard # (7.2%) (Unlisted IBU)Belgian AlesBlue Moon Belgian White Wheat AleShock Top Belgian White Wheat AleOmmegang Crand Cru Flemish Sour Red Ale ###St. Bernardus Grotton Brown ###Stella
Artois **Strong Belgian Ales (Alcohol by Volume over 7.5%)Chimay Cing Cents Triple ##### (8%)Delerium Tremens #### (8.5%)Gulden Draak Dark Triple Ale ### (10.5%)Midnight Sun Saturn Belgian Fresh Hop IPA # (8%)Unibroue Trois Pistoles ## (9%)Harvest AlesAyinger Oktoberfest #Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin AleWidmer OktoberfestSeasonal BeersDeschutes Jubel Ale ed 2007Sierra Nevada Celebration ed 2007Winter Bourbon Cask AleBrown Ales(Local)Kodiak Island Wingnut Brown Ale *(Local)Midnight Sun Kodiak Brown AleAmber Ales / Bocks / Dopplebocks / Scottish(Local)Alaskan Amber Ale(Local)Midnight Sun Oosik Amber Ale NorthCoast Red Seal Amber AleLagunitas Sirius High Gravity Cream Ale (7.8%)Mac Tarnahan’s Scottish Ale(Local)Sleeping Lady Braveheart Scottish Ale * (Cask Conditioned)Barley WineSierra Nevada Big Foot Barley Wine #Porters / Stouts(Local)Alaskan Baltic Porter# ed 2007 (9.8%)(Local)Alaskan Baltic Porter# ed 2008 (9.8%)Deschutes Black
Butte PorterFull Sail ImperialStout # (9.9%)Guinness Stout*** (on Nitro)(Local)Midnight Sun Berserker Imperial Stout ### ed 2006 (10.8%)
The views expressed on the Dr. Fermento blog site are not necessarily those of the drunks he associates with, but rather the exclusive byproduct of his self-inflicted liver degradation and delusional inebriate lifestyle
Dr Fermento Beer Calendar
01/14/09Kinley’s Restaurant and BarLeft Hand Brewing Company Beer Dinner$45pp
01/14/09SubZero MicroloungeGABBF Brewer’s and Dignitary’s Meet and Greet DinnerTBDTBD
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I fee like I’m falling. I took some heat for my mood last week. It’s probably well deserved. I was a little rough in my melancholy rant concerning my experiences with writing about beer. Still, I don’t think an apology is in order. I write from the heart and will continue to do so. As we approach the new year, expect more rants and raves that come just as much from my heart as they do my liver. 
A really good buddy of mine from the Peninsula joined me at a private company party that was catered by a local caterer on the
Zach indicates that although the brewery will be attending this year’s GABBF, they won’t be submitting a barleywine for evaluation. According to Zach, the brewery had a great year and is finally garnering some breathing room to start branching out into some more interesting styels of beer. Pay them a visit when you head to the
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