Blind Leading the Blind?

I've been noticing a trend among beer geeks across the web. Like many, I give my opinion on beers of all types. I also look to see what others think. It's funny to see the wide and varied reviews that people have on any particular beer. Especially The Macro Beers(Bud, Coors ect).

Looking at beer reviews vs. "blind" competition results. I see a curious trend. Now, I'm guilty of this myself. When reviewing, "beer snobs" are easy to "poo-poo" Macros that are placed before them, because they're mass produced, uninteresting or that the beer lover in question might be accused of not really knowing what a real beer is.

But some of those same "snobs" often give the same beers high praise when analyzed in a true blind tasting. Every year for the past decade my wife and friends and I attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. On a yearly basis we all seem to scratch our heads when awards are handed-out and macros win medals that micros should be winning. For example, the 2006 American cream ale or lager winner was Red Dog from Miller Brewing Co. Red Dog won a gold medal! Red Dog??? that's nuts, right? Or that Pabst Blue ribbon won a gold for American-Style Lager. No shit! PBR is the best American Style Lager 'till next year. These tables at the festival always seem to be void of festival goers. So I ask you. Is bias a good or bad thing for true lovers of beer?

Another Inversion!

Those of us who live along the Wasatch Front, know full well the pattern of atmospheric inversions. They develop, they leave. Then soon develop again. The same thing is apparently true with beer as well. After sampling Deschutes Inversion last week another Inversion came along. This time from our friends Desert Edge. This one isn't an IPA. It's more appropriately a Rauchbier (smoke beer). Get it? Smoke beer, inversion? Anyway, I got a chance to try it at the Bayou last weekend, it was quite good. I haven't had great experience with smoke beers. They're usually overly-smokey and one dimensional. Or, they just tend to taste like burnt beer. There are only a few I like, and even fewer of those could be considered good session beers. Desret Edgse's Inversion isn't the greatest Rauchbier I've tried, but it is moderately smokey with a nice maltiness beneath. There's no hop profile, it;s all smoke. Also, it's a little thin. But that helps with it's drink ability. It's a good seasonal and it's a style that doesn't come around all that often. Check it out at Desert Edge and The Bayou.

This Inversion, I Like!!!

I just scored a sixer of Deschutes new IPA, Inversion. I'm not sure if this one is meant to replace the Quail Springs label or what, but I'm definitely dig'n it.

It pours a bubbly, light amber color with a finger of frothy head. The nose is strong with pine and grapefruit resins with bearly noticeable maltiness beneath. The taste starts with a hop assault up front with a nice, toasty carmel backbone. the finish is bitter and dry. It's nicely overbalance. Not astringent at all. It's what IPA lover want in an ale. Full of flavor over-balanced, and bitter. An excellent brew. Much more appealing than the more balanced Quail Springs. I wish Deschutes was available in town. It would be a staple in my fridge at home.

Michelob Goes Old School

Anheuser-Busch is rumoured to be revising the formulas of its Michelob line. Beginning soon, Michelob and Michelob Amber, and I guess, Michelob Light will be 100 barley malt. No adjuncts. When the Michelob brand was introduced back in 1896 it was a 100 percent barley-malt pilsner.
In 1961 the brand was reintroduced as one of A-B's "higher tiered" beers. Back in the late eighties when I was just a burgeoning, beer twit. I looked to Michelob for to help me expand my beer palate. Don't laugh, Michelob Dark was my first attempt in getting away from ordinary beer. It was dark and cost more dinero. I was living the dream baby!!! If the rumors are true we should be seeing it in the next few months. Also, if you've tried it, give us the skinny.
Cheers.

This One Goes to Eleven

People outside of Utah seem shocked when I mention that our local brewers actually produce beers that hurdle the 4.0% mark. They seem to be equally surprised to find out that our beers amass pantloads of awards and praise, nationally and internationally. This past weekend at the 2007 Toronado Barley Wine Festival one of Utah's lesser known "big beers" came up smelling like a rose. Or at least Cascade hops. Fifty-four Barley Wines and ninety judges from all over North America converged at the Toronado in San Fransisco to enjoy and select the best.

First Place: Four Stars Big Nugget 200, Alaskan Brewing.

Second Place: Four Stars Angel’s Share, Port Brewing/Lost Abbey.

Tie for Third: Three Stars Anniversary 2004, Uinta Brewing and Doggie Claws Three Stars, Hair of the Dog.

I haven't tried the other three, but I'm very familiar with Uinta's. It poures a dark chestnut/orange hue. The nose is of burnt oranges, warm caramel malts with some heavy toasted breadiness with pungent hops that produce pine and citrusy overtones. Earthy notes sinder behind most of the hop twinge in the nose. It gives my sniffer an orgasm! The taste starts with hops up front, bittering with pine and dark citrusy stuff of orange and highly ripe peaches, malts play second fiddle with burntish caramel and toffee, crispy biscuit toasty edging, touches of chocolate, brown sugar, and then turns back to a hoppy finish of pine and citrus orange. The bottle says it's at 10%abv but it doesn't burn like it. I have six packs of the no. X and XI that I'm laying down to age. I just hope I can keep my paws off for the next couple years. This is without a doubt one of the best barley wines that I've ever had.

If you can find a X or XI snatch 'em up. If not try the XIII it's available now.

Sensory Overload is a Good Thing

If your one who enjoys his or hers suds, you know that beer, like wine is best when served in it's specifically designed glassware. Every styles has it's own glass and the styles have been around for many years. Recently, The Boston Beer Company began recruiting "world-renowned sensory experts" to work on the design of a glass that would "helps sustain the head of the beer, which enhances the release of signature Noble hop aromas found in Samuel Adams Boston Lager," a company spokesman said. "We wanted to create a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory experience by fully showcasing Samuel Adams Boston Lager's complex balance of malt and hop flavors." This new glass will be available as a set of four, for purchase this march on the Samuel Adams website. I think this is a stunning piece of glassware, I'm defiantly gonna pony-up some cash for a set.

She's Popin' Cherries

Mmmm. Good beer things be happening this month. Jenny "Queen of Beers" Talley of Squatters fame, has a new seasonal in the fermenter right now that she's dubbed "Cherry Luv". Cherry Luv is a Flanders brown ale. The styles' name makes you think Irish Ale but it's actually a Belgium Ale from the its Flemish region. Jenny describes her newest ale as medium bodied, reddish-brown in appearance, with a gentle malty flavor and no hop bitterness. The aroma is a complex mixture of fruits and estery smells of plums, raisins and cherry. She used both brettanomyces yeast and red tart cherries in fermentation to create an authentic sour Belgian farmhouse ale with cherry accents. It is definitely a beer for the true enthusiast and one who loves a "Rodenbach" style ale. Jenny will also be coming out with Squatter's first Certified Organic Amber in about two weeks. These styles don't wrear their heads much, so get your ass down there and have a goblet or two.

Park City's Hat-Trick

Since the Micro-Brew revolution began in the mid/late eighties, the Wasatch Brewpub was the only craft brew game in Park City. Another micro appeared briefly in the late nineties (park city brewing) but was absorbed by The Moab Brewing a couple years after opening it's doors.
Anyway... the small Utah town where beer was reborn just got a lil' fatter. With brewpubs.
Red Rock and Squatters brewpubs staples of downtown SLC have each opened satellite locations in the states skiing mecca. So, after a day of tumbling your ass down a hill, weather your on sticks, board or bike support your local craft brewers. Red rock is located at 1640 W. Redstone Center Dr. Squatters has acquired the space of the Mt. Air Café for it's new Pub near the corner of Kearns Boulevard and S.R. 224 . And of course Wasatch is still at the top of main st. Slainte.

Beer in the Beerhive

If you live in Utah and love beer, you know that the states breweries and brew pubs offer-up some pretty yummy barley beverages. Most people will trace the states brewing heritage to the late eighties and some may even take you back to the forties and fifties. But take it back a hundred-plus-years and you'll find that beer didn't just flow, but flowed in rivers. Salt Lake City of course had a fair number of breweries off and on since the area was settled. But smaller, less populated areas like Ogden, Manti, Logan, Alta and Parleys Canyon had also set up proper breweries to take care of the rest Utah's beer starved populace. I always knew beer had been in Utah since the Mormons brought it with them from the mid-west. But I had no idea how many breweries actually existed in the state, until long time local beer advocate Del Vance Published his book Beer in the Beehive last December. If your from Utah or live outside of the state this book is a must read. From Brigham Young's own whiskey distillery to myths and misnomers. This book is a great read. It'a available at most local book stores and brewpubs and also on Amazon.com.

I'm Back....Again!

Since no one else is stepping-up, (except for Del Vance) I'm going to have to. I'm getting off my fat-ass and i'm gunna start talk'n bout some serious mountain suds again. It's a shame, there's been some great stuff to talk about over the last year. New beers, awards, books, breweries. The list goes on. Tomorrow we get it on.

Cha-Ching!

If your reading this, you already know that Utah Beers are great and that we produce some top- notch suds here behind the zion curtain. That being said, a study released by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and The Beer Institute say, Utah generates three-quarters of a billion dollars each year and provides jobs for 10,670 Utahns, directly or indirectly. It also generates $255 million annually in wages and benefits. There's no doubt about Beer is big in Utah. And it's safe to say that the state's economy would be delt a huge blow if the suds would ever cease to flow. (Hey, I made a ryme)
How the institute came by those numbers can be traced to its Web site, beerservesamerica.org. Although officials at the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Commission - which regulates and enforces Utah's liquor laws - could not confirm the institute's numbers, they do estimate that the state has collected nearly $12.5 million in beer excise taxes this year alone. I'm personally responsible for approx. $3.2 million of that(don't tell my wife).

New Brew in Zion

I'm back. After a four-month-long summer hiatus Utah Beer is back! Depending on your point of view that either good or bad(mostley bad). I don't know if it's the impending Great American Beer Festival, or that i've only been at work for an hour and a half and I already need a beer(probibly the latter). But I was drawn to you. Like a... ahh... yeast critters to sugar(like you could have done better).
Yet, I degress.
One nice thing about taking the summer off, is that it has provided a fat cache of topics for me to spew forth to the thirsty and beer impaired. And also to give those who just need a little sumpin-sumpin to help get they're lips smackin'.
One note worthy event over the summer was the opening of Zion Canyon Brewing Company. ZCBC is located just outside of Zion National Park in Springdale, Ut. It opened last june and fetures four handcrafted full grain beer styles. An Amber Ale, an IPA, an ESB and a Jamaican Style Lager. ZCBC will be offering other styles in the future, including seasonal beers.
All four labels will be bottled and distributed throughout Southern Utah, and all four will be available on tap in the ZCBC pub. They'll also be kegging their Springdale Amber Ale and hopfully they'll get it distributed up north so we can more easily sample it. Zion Canyon Brewing Company is a 2,500-barrel/year operation owned and operated by Dale and Derek Harris. The brothers grew up in nearby Rockville, and for years have planned to open a microbrewery in Zion Canyon.
-photo courtesy Deseret Morning News

Got Beer?

Our Ale drinking cousins across the pond continue to guide us all from the darkness and spread the light of beer upon our wonder blue sphere. New research shows that the alcohol in beer appears to suppress the hormones that promote bone loss. And researchers say it may have a better effect on preventing bone loss than calcium.
studies have shown that silicon found in beer can help strengthen bones. New research by scientists at King's College and St Thomas' Hospitals in London, tested groups of healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 50.
The participants were given a variety of beers with different alcoholic strengths, including non-alcoholic. Results showed that over a six-hour period, the ethanol in the beer appeared to block various hormones that lead to weaker bones. The findings are expected to be published later this year.
Professor Jonathan Powell, who led the study, said: "This is a very interesting finding. Everyone knows that calcium inhibits bone loss but we found that the ethanol in beer has the same, if not better, effect."
Ok, so they're saying getting shit-faced on beer on a daily basis isn't going to turn you into The Thing(Fantasic Four) , although i guess it may make you feel like it... Anyway, moderation of course is the key. This is a good time to be a beer lover. Hops are fighting cancer and alcohols are strenthening bones. Mmm beeer...

Christ, I've Had Enough!

It's getting late, we've had a few too many IPA's and we're starting to look like Ernest Borgnine after a three day bender with Sammy Hagar in a long shoreman’s titty-bar... Jesus? are you there? if you can hear us, we need your help. Where do we go after last call? Not 'last call' as in "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here" last call. I mean like... Bambi's Mother 'last call'. I'm a thirty-something man (not for long) and i'm starting to ponder the usual hereafter concepts, like my own going out of business sale. Not so much in a Dionne Warwick sort of way, but as a means to face the inevitable, eternal, uber-hibernation way. I know people say life begins at forty. Yeah, if you're fucking Conor McCloud of the clan McCloud. But, you know, the rest of us are trying to make sense out of the indecipherable gibberish of everyone else's best guess as to what awaits us behind curtain number 3 in Monty Hall's game show of oblivion. Do we go up into the sky and get wings? Let me get this out right now, I don't need wings. I'm one Wookie-assed son-of-a-bitch. Can you just see my hairy ass with a pair of pearly, unsullied dorsal wings? I'd look like a cross between a Shih Tzu and a pie-eyed pigeon. Ya, makes me shudder too. Or are we just chex mix for worms and grubs. I would like to believe that when I die, I will be able to go up to the Pearly Gates, be greeted by St. Peter and he would say "your blog blows yeti penus" which would still be nice, because at least I would have thoughts to ponder. Like, why is St. Peter such a dick. I would just like to say please don't philosophize while drinking, no fucking good can come from it. Exept, maybe an answer to the question, how did Melissa Ethridge's partner get her pregnant? Mmm... that’s good liquored-up philosophize'n.

My Own "Semi-Private" Idaho

Just thought i'd throw out a quick reminder about the upcoming Mountain Brewers Fest. Aaahh... don't forget about the Mountain Brewers Fest. What? you were expecting some kind of all-inclusive, instructive packet? Well forget it!!! My ass is too drained and overworked to deal with your pissy, shriveled-assed needs. What about me? This shit aint easy. Do you know how hard it is being a celebrated award winning beer journalist? Do you know what it's like living in your own semi-private Idaho?(exept being 200 miles south and not actually being in Idaho) Well I do. Sort of... Anyway, i'm leaving. I've gone to live with the beer hippies in the forests of the Northwest.
Good bye forever. Mikey.
P.S. Honey,I never got a chance to return that sweater your mom gave me for Christmas. Umm, I left the receipt on top of my bureau. I'm probably over the thirty day return limit but umm… I'm sure if you make a fuss they'll at least give you a store credit or something. Umm.. It's actually not a horrible sweater. It's... It's just I can't imagine when I would ever wear it you know? being in the forest and all. Oh, I also left a button on the bureau. I'm not sure what it goes to, but I can never bring myself to throw a button away. I know that as soon as I do I'll find the garment it goes to and then it'll… Wait a minute, could it be from the sweater? Did that sweater have buttons? Hmm… Well I should wrap this up before I start to ramble. Again, goodbye forever.
P.P.S. You know, it might be a little chilly in Oregon, I'm actually going to take the sweater. I'll see you in all Idaho Falls on June 3rd.
P.P.P.S. If you watch Family Guy it all makes sence.

Utah Beer Holds It's own

Every Two years, Breweries from around the world gather to compete in the most prestigious beer competion in the world. 85 beer-style categories were awarded last friday during the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Ceremony in Seattle, Wash. Utah brewers stacked up an impressive stack of hardware, aquirering seven medals. Two bronze, four silver and one gold. Only six other states had better medal counts. So, get your collective lazy asses over to one of our award winning brewpubs/breweries and congratulate your local Sudsmeisters.
Here is a list of the medal winners.

Squatters Pub Brewery
Victory Altbier
Bronze

Uinta Brewing Co.
Cutthroat Pale Ale
Bronze.

Redrock Brewing Co.
Nut Brown Ale
Silver

Redrock Brewing Co.
Roggen Rock
Silver

Squatters Pub Brewery
Emigration Amber Ale
Silver

Utah Brewers Cooperative
Evolution Amber
Silver

Utah Brewers Cooperative
Squatters IPA
Gold

By the Way, I can't Pimp this Beer enough. If you havn't tried Squatter's IPA, do so now! This India Pale Ale is without-a-doubt one of the best beers made in the world. True to the classic IPA style. There's no reason why these shouldn't be flying off the shelves. Slainte!

Beer Geek Game

The other night I was hang'n out at the Bayou (I know honey, big surprise) and I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of nice guys who brought a board game to the bar. (Sorry Guys I sorta tied-one-on that night and forgot your names). Normally I would stay clear of people who bring board games to bars, but this one was kinda intriguing. Called Brewmaster, the object of the game is to brew the best beer and win awards for them. The player with the most awards at the end wins. Using mechanics similar to rummy, players combine cards to brew six beer styles including ale, stout and Belgian. In doing so players will use some of the 90 cards representing real beer ingredients. The game is influenced heavily by event cards, which players draw after brewing beer. The event deck represents some of the real triumphs and tragedies that have taken place in the microbrewery world. The game is great for two to five players and generally takes less than an hour to play. No beer knowledge is necessary, as this is not a trivia or drinking game. Indeed it is the perfect game for settings involving beer and non-beer fans alike.

Layered Beers

For years, lovers beer have enjoyed a concoction known as a black and tan. A mix of Guiness Stout & Bass Ale. When correctly prepared, the "black" beer mysteriously floats atop the underlying "tan" beer without mixing, distinctively capturing the attributes of both beers in the same glass. Recently, it has become popular to combine beers into new and interesting combonations as people invent their own layered beers.
Nearly as old as the black & Tan is the Half & Half. Made with Guiness' Stout & Harp Lager. Around town I've seen and tried a few interesting combos, such as "The Dirty Hoe". A stack of Hoegaarden Wit and Lindemans Framboise. One of the better combos i've tried is Chocolate Stout mixed with a Raspberry Lambic. I don't know what it's called, but trust me. It's a great pairing. I even came up with one myself, but it seems I was the only one who liked it. I call it 'The Marble Rye'. I ordered a Roggen Rock (Red Rock's Rye) stacked with Guiness. Mmm... Beerlicious. If you've got a fav tell us about it, or if you've got real fucked up sence of taste, toss it out there for laughs and ridicule. Slainte.

Spring Heat Spiced Wheat

There's a new offering out from Anheuser-Busch. Spring Heat Spiced Wheat is an unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale, which is naturally cloudy. Brewed with orange, lemon and lime peels, coriander, two-row barley and wheat malts. Hops are a blend of Cascade, Willamette and Hallertau hops. We got to try it on our St. Patty's Day Bar Crawl and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a huge fan of most AB products. When sampling this, I was in the dark as to the who the brewer of this beer was, so there was no bias on my part for a change. It had a hazy yellow appearance, with a nice white head. A very fresh, zesty nose with a taste that was mostly lemon peel and a small amount of hoppiness in the end. It reminds me of a citrusy Blue Moon. This is a seasonal that's only available through May. Too bad, It would make a good summer quencher. We tried ours at Murphy's and Port o' Call. And I believe it's only available on tap. Slainte!

I think I'm Being Watched

I couple months ago I wrote a blog on measuring Alcohol by Weight vs. Alcohol by Volume called 3.2% I don't think so. I thought it would be more of a talker than it was, oh well. Anyway one of my co-workers said I should check out the Salt Lake Tribune there's a cool story about Utah's beer myths. I was suprised to find many of the blogs topics apear in this one article. Interesting. I've got my eye on you Trib...