Independent Beers

Heavy Seas Real Ale and BBQ Fest

March 14, 2012 Author: Scott

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Kelli and I recently went to the Heavy Seas Real Ale and BBQ Fest. It was a lot of fun hanging out at the Heavy Seas Brewery and getting to meet Hugh Sissons again. Below are the pictures from the event. I refrained from doing beer reviews, as there were too many beers to drink, and I really just wanted to relax and have a good time. After clicking on a picture below to enlarge it you can use the arrow keys or your mouse wheel to go to the next picture.

Kelli and I arrived late to avoid any long waiting lines to get in to the event.

This event wasn't as crowded as the oyster fest...

But there were still a good amount of people around.

I started the day with the Imperial Stout.

The band was rocking out some great classic rock.

Kelli asked, "Isn't an American IPA an American Indian Pale Ale?"

The brewery was open for everyone to walk around.

And with the weather being nice, the outside area was open, too.

While we were outside I stopped into the tent and grabbed an Imperial Pumpkin Ale.

There was plenty of food if you were hungry.

It was Hugh Sisson's birthday, so I had another of his beers in his honor.

I'm a huge sucker for these kinds of things.

Find them on twitter @HeavySeasBeer.

This was the gift table for Hugh...

And this was his very cool cake.

It seems that over the course of an hour, more people had arrived at the event.

I ran into Hugh, and he made a birthday wish for everyone to have a great time at his birthday event.

By the time I made it back around to where the band was playing, Kelly was singing with them, again.

Right next to the band was the Imperial Chocolate Stout, so I had some.

I love taking pictures of bands...

And find myself unable to resist the urge...

To fire off a few shots.

An easy way to handle the amount of bathroom breaks required.

While wandering around I found a nice little medal collection.

It seems the Marzen is really popular.

Hugh took some time to open his presents.

And I had another beer, the Siren Noire.

Shortly thereafter I had the Peg Leg Imperial Stout.

These cardboard cutouts where everywhere, and it was funny to see Hugh posing with one.

The ladies took their turn, too.

Last beer of the day (and for those counting my eighth) the gold ale.

Website: http://www.hsbeer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/heavyseasbeer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavySeasBeer

Friday Beer Fun – DIY Edition

March 2, 2012 Author: Scott

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With Spring coming soon it’s time to start your list of Spring projects to do. Here are a few DIY beer related items that you might want to consider in the coming months.

The first thing you’ll need is a beer mug, so why not make your own.
http://www.instructables.com/id/wooden-beer-mug/
You’ll need someplace to drink that beer, so why not build yourself a bar.
http://www.brandozines.com/bar/
You’ll need some beer to go with the mug and bar, so why not brew your own.
http://www.homebrewing.com/how-to-homebrew-all-grain.php
When the beer is done you’ll need a place to store it, so it’s time to build a kegerator.
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Homebrew-Kegerator
Of course, maybe you’re looking for a non-conventional beer dispensing method, like a fire extinguisher.
http://benkrasnow.blogspot.com/2009/03/thirst-extinguisher.html
If you’re into bottling instead, you’ll need to make some labels.
http://labeley.com/
Or maybe you want more than just a label, how about a whole 4-6 pack setup?
http://www.myownlabels.com/boxes-and-bags/PBC/
If you’re like me, you have kids around a lot, so you should have some beer for them, too.
http://bakemeaway.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/butterbeer-universal-style/
You could also have fun treats for the adults.
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-beer-popsicles-at-124457
And lastly, while everyone is hanging out enjoying everything you’ve made they will surely be using your Wi-Fi. Time to build a Wi-Fi booster.
http://www.dalimunthe.com/2011/08/how-to-make-wi-fi-booster-using-only.html

Living on only beer for 46 days

February 27, 2012 Author: Scott

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Living on Beer for 46 days, could you do it? On beer alone? J. Wilson did. In a quest to give up something for Lent, and see if someone could survive on beer alone he set to out to make a beer that would sustain him during Lent.

A homebrewer and certified beer judge who is passionate about the flavors and culture of craft beer, I am what they call a “beer geek,” and so the monastic origins of the doppelbock style of beer had long intrigued me.

According to legend, the 17th century monks of Neudeck ob der Au outside Munich, Germany, developed the rich-and-malty beer to sustain them during Lenten fasts, the traditional 46-day lead-up to Easter.

Unfiltered, the bold elixir was nicknamed “liquid bread” and is packed with carbohydrates, calories and vitamins.

After the story went main stream he was inundated with requests from media outlets around the world for interviews. After a week of calls and emails it was time to unplug and let the experience wash over him.

At the beginning of my fast, I felt hunger for the first two days. My body then switched gears, replaced hunger with focus, and I found myself operating in a tunnel of clarity unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

Ultimately, it turned out to be a very good experience for him.

Though I lost 25.5 pounds, I gained so much more. The benefits of self-discipline can’t be overstated in today’s world of instant gratification. The fast provided a long-overdue tune-up and detox, and I’ve never felt so rejuvenated, physically or mentally.

As for the monks upon which he based the experiment:

The experience proved that the origin story of monks fasting on doppelbock was not only possible, but probable. It left me with the realization that the monks must have been keenly aware of their own humanity and imperfections. In order to refocus on God, they engaged this annual practice not only to endure sacrifice, but to stress and rediscover their own shortcomings in an effort to continually refine themselves.

Though they lived out their faith at a higher degree of daily devotion than the average person, they could sense their loss of focus. Taking nothing for granted, they took steps to rectify that problem on an annual basis. Shouldn’t we all, whether or not our religious tradition includes Lent?

Source: cnn.com

Sam Adams is brewing special beer for the Boston Marathon

February 22, 2012 Author: Scott

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I don’t like the idea of a low-alcohol beer to commemorate the Boston Marathon. As an avid runner I love a race that has beer on tap at the post race celebration. The best part of drinking at that point is knowing that regardless of what is in the beer (alcohol, carbs, calories, etc.), I’ve earned the right to drink the beer without worrying about those factors.

I’m not alone in this regard, either. Just do a search for something like “Drinkers with a running problem” and you’ll get an idea of the how many people enjoy the activity of a post race drink. I have even participated in a race where you drink while running.

Low-alcohol beer? Sounds more like marketing (to those not running) than anything else. Anyone who has qualified for the Boston Marathon knows that carb loading is a something that needs to be done for longer races, and as such, I think a heavy beer, not a light one, would be better beer to commemorate the Boston Marathon.

Most details about the special beer will be disclosed at the event, but in a media advisory, the company noted, “This unique brew is fitting for both runners and spectators on race day,” because it is a lighter body beer with a slightly lower alcohol level than many of the other beers in the Samuel Adams line-up.

Source: boston.com

Beerporn – Ellicott Mills Brewing Company – Alpenhop Pale Ale

February 21, 2012 Author: Scott

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$9 pitchers for Fat Tuesday!!

Beijing, China Craft Beer Scene Growing

February 21, 2012 Author: Scott

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It seems that the craft beer movement has started to catch on in Beijing , China. The city now has two microbreweries.

But according to both brewers, there’s a growing and largely untapped market in China’s capital as disposable income rises and beer-swilling residents clamor for more variety at the pub.

This is good news for the residents of Beijing, who until now may not have not the joy of drinking a finely crafted beer.

Mr. Jurinka and Slow Boat co-founder Daniel Hebert are looking to open a tap room and sell their beer directly to local bars and restaurants in the meantime, with each pint typically retailing for about 40 to 50 yuan ($6.35 to $7.90). The brewery currently carries six standard beers, with a new seasonal beer introduced each month. At the moment it produces 60 hectoliters per month — about 100 kegs — but plans to expand to three times that capacity.

This upswing in activity isn’t too much of a surprise, after all, craft beer being imported into China is on the rise.

U.S. microbrew beer exports to China hit a record in 2010, with sales reaching $546,000, five times the level just five years ago, according to figures from the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in Beijing. And beer consumption overall is rising, too: SABMiller reported that China saw volume growth in beer consumption of 6%from 2005 to 2010, higher than the world average growth rate of 3.3% or the emerging-market average of 5.7%. In 2010, Chinese drinkers consumed 31 liters per capita, or 40.89 billion liters, according to Credit Suisse.

Those visiting Beijing will no doubt seek out the small craft beer scene, but the locals are still just beginning to find their love of good beer.

Foreigners are among the breweries’ most loyal customers, but both said they’ve been heartened by interest from locals.

“We didn’t think that would be the case right off,” said Mr. Jurinka, but in Beijing, “the disposable income and wealth levels have reached a level where these things are now accessible.”

With relatively low per-capita rates of beer drinking, China has plenty of room for growth, Mr. Jurinka said. Besides, he added, “Why would you ever order a Tsingtao when you can order a craft beer?

Source: wsj.com

How Indy Brewers are Outpacing Beer Industry Growth

February 16, 2012 Author: Scott

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The folks over at intuit.com put together a great graphic showing how small, independent breweries are growing.

Though large breweries dwarf independent craft breweries in volume of production, the growth of small breweries has eclipsed overall beer industry growth in the last few decades. By tapping into local tastes and offering unique brews, craft brewers are now experiencing the heaviest level of growth they’ve seen since 1900. In this infographic, we look at where the movement stands today and what really defines a craft brewery. Click on the infographic below for an enlarged view.

Source: intuit.com

The World’s Best Beers 2012

February 12, 2012 Author: Scott

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At the end of January ratebeer did their 11th annual “ratebeer best” competition. The 2012 results are in and the list can be found at http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/.

The overall winner for 2012 was Westvleteren 12 from Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus.

The areas of competition were:

THE BEST BEERS IN THE WORLD BY STYLE CATEGORY
All beers listed are gold medal winners. (Note: In some instances the displayed scores are equal for beers of different places. This is not an error. Our calculations simply render much greater detail than we can display.)

THE BEST BREWERS IN THE WORLD
All brewers listed are RateBeer Best 2012 Gold Medal winners. (The total number of brewers in our contest is over 12000. The 100 listed represents less than the top 1% of all brewers — the creme de la creme of world brewing. For comparison, more than double the percentage of the population qualifies as genius.)

THE 2012 TOP NEW BREWERS IN THE WORLD
From the list of all new brewers – a whopping 1473 this year, these elite few have risen to the top. We anticipate these are the brewers to watch in the coming years. All are RateBeer Best 2012 Gold Medal winners.

THE BEST BEERS IN THE WORLD – OVERALL
The best 100 beers in the world as rated by tens of thousands of our worldwide tasters. All beers listed are RateBeer Best 2012 Gold Medal winners.

BEST BEERS BY COUNTRY
Ratings are by RateBeer representatives living around the world and tasting the beers available in each country except British Isles. Only countries with statistically adequate membership representation are listed below. All listed are RateBeer Best 2012 Gold Medal winners.

Australia and New Zealand- Best beers
Belgium – Best beers
Canada – Best beers
Denmark – Best beers
Germany – Best beers
Italy – Best beers
The Netherlands – Best beers
Sweden – Best beers
British Isles – Best beers
United States – Best beers

The 15 best beers in the world overall were:

1.	Westvleteren 12	Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus
2.	Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter	Närke Kulturbryggeri
3.	Goose Island Rare Bourbon County Stout	Goose Island Beer Company (AB-InBev)
4.	Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)	Founders Brewing Company
5.	Rochefort Trappistes 10	Brasserie Rochefort
6.	Bells Hopslam	Bells Brewery
7.	Russian River Pliny the Younger	Russian River Brewing
8.	Cigar City Pilot Series Passionfruit and Dragonfruit Berliner Weisse	Cigar City Brewing
9.	AleSmith Speedway Stout	AleSmith Brewing Company
10.	Deschutes The Abyss	Deschutes Brewery
11.	Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout	Cigar City Brewing
12.	Bells Expedition Stout	Bells Brewery
13.	Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout	Three Floyds Brewing Company
14.	3 Fonteinen Armand’4 Oude Geuze Lente	3 Fonteinen
15.	Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel	Mikkeller

CNBC did a great sildeshow of the top 15, which can be found at http://www.cnbc.com/id/46327587.

Source : http://www.ratebeer.com/

Heavy Seas Beer and Oyster Fest – February 2012

February 10, 2012 Author: Scott

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Kelli and I recently went to the Heavy Seas Beer and Oyster Fest. It was a lot of fun hanging out at the Heavy Seas Brewery and getting to meet Hugh Sissons again. Below are the pictures from the event. I refrained from doing beer reviews, as there were too many beers to drink, and I really just wanted to relax and have a good time. After clicking on a picture below to enlarge it you can use the arrow keys or your mouse wheel to go to the next picture.