Author Archives: Al

About Al

Forty-something, married, with two kids. I generally prefer the English styles - ESB, IPA - but am willing to try just about anything. You can reach me at al@hop-talk.com.

Weeping Willow Wit

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Weeping Willow Wit, from Mother Earth Brewing

They say:

This beer style is over 400 years old, and continues to enjoy overwhelming popularity. Offering low hop bitterness, it is easy to enjoy. It pours very hazy, with a light gold color… we say it’s like summertime in a glass. Bitter orange peel and fresh coriander add zest and depth to this refreshing beer.

Pale, pale yellow with a white fizzy head. About all the aromas you’d expect from a wit: coriander, cloves, banana, lemon, peppery hops. The flavor is well-balanced. I wouldn’t want a steady diet of these but it makes a nice change of pace from my usual. I’d gladly have that again.

Sadly, that’s the end of the beers gifted to me by Chris. Thanks, dude!

Endless River Kolsch

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Endless River Kolsch, from Mother Earth Brewing

They say:

A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. It is light gold in color, with a delicate head. This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it. Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish.

Pale gold with a white, fizzy head. Light aroma, fruity. Maybe some melon? Medium-light body, with a good dose of carbonation and a pleasant bitter finish. I could go for a few of these on a hot day.

Buckshot Amber Ale

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Buckshot Amber Ale, from Natty Greene’s Brewing

They say:

full-bodied with rich, smooth flavor and notes of caramel and toffee

Honey-colored with an off-white head. Aroma is very light. I mean, I know my sense of smell isn’t the best but I’m just not getting much of anything. Things get a little better as it warms, but it’s still very light. Flavor is light with a bit of maltiness. Not really any hops. It’s okay, I suppose. My palate might be spoiled by all those IPAs.

Sweet Josie

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Sweet Josie Brown Ale, from LoneRider Brewing

They say:

A temptress who will seduce you, Sweet Josie is crafted in the American Brown style. This is a complex beer balancing a nice hop bitterness with a generous amount of chocolate and aromatic malts. 6.1% ABV.

Medium chocolate brown and clear. Less than a fingers-width of head. Roasty maltiness in the aroma, which is light; maybe a little caramel. I’m not getting any hops at all. Body is light, but there’s a good bit of roasty bitterness in the flavor. I was afraid I wasn’t going to like this much, but I rather like it quite a bit.

Highland Gaelic Ale

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Gaelic Ale, from Highland Brewing Company

They say:

A deep amber colored American ale, featuring a rich malty body. Cascade and Willamette hops add a complex hop flavor and aroma. This ale is exceptionally balanced between malty sweetness and delicate hop bitterness.

Clear, dark-copper color. I didn’t get any head to speak of. Aroma is light; maybe a bit of caramel? It’s got a medium body, some toastiness in the flavor but a good beet of sweet. Not a lot of hop character.

Good, but not a style I generally go for.

Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Baltic Porter, from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

(They aren’t currently listing this beer on their website, so it was tough to find a blurb about it.)

[D]eep, rich and velvety soft. A full blooded roasty character is balanced by complex alcohol notes. Strong (9% alcohol by volume) yet unfailingly subtle, this special brew warrants sipping and savoring.

It pours a deep, opaque brown, with only a little fizzy light brown head. I get some chocolate in the aroma, and maybe a little caramel. Some…licorice? Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, with only a little alcohol heat. The flavor is as big as the aroma. That is one hearty beer. I wish I had a fireplace and a club chair. I’d have that again.

Craft beer in Japan

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CNN’s Eatocracy blog has an interesting post up about the craft beer scene in Japan, with a focus on Coedo Brewery.

Earthquakes and blackouts aside, it hasn’t been easy for Coedo, founded in 1997 by boss [Shigeharu] Asagiri’s father-in-law. It wasn’t until prohibitive laws against small commercial breweries were repealed in 1994 that a microbrew scene in Japan could emerge.

Even since then, breaking the chokehold the big four Japanese brewers – Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo – have on the domestic and international beer market has been a challenge. What Coedo produce in a year is the equivalent to what just one of the big boys produce in a day.

The taxman in Japan still takes around $2.50 on every liter of beer brewed there, which has led to the big breweries creating cheaper “beer-like” drinks (alcoholic and often additive-rich) and further diluting the market among a local population more familiar with types of sake than varieties of beer.

“For most (Japanese) people, beer is just beer, no one orders it by name; it’s no fun, but it should be,” says Asagiri. “Beer is exciting!”

Eatocracy: Craft beer from the Land of the Rising Sun

(tip o’ the hat to Max)

Help get a Mississippi brewery started

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Mississippi is one of those “voids” in the craft beer scene. There are some pretty archaic and draconian laws there.

I recently got a missive from Chip Jones, one of a group of folks who are trying to bring a viable craft brewery to Jackson, Mississippi. Here, I’ll let Chip tell his story:

Lucky Town Brewing Company is a new planned brewery in Mississippi, and although there is no brewery within 150 miles of Jackson, the craft beer community here is thriving. As many of you know, Mississippi suffers from some of the strictest beer legislation in the country, which is one reason why there is only one production brewery located in Mississippi currently. Since the laws do not allow for many to bring their beer to Mississippi, we at Lucky Town intend to give the local craft beer enthusiasts a broader choice.

Lucky Town recently launched a Kickstarter project, and our goal is to raise at least $20,000 to help cover some of our up front costs such as license fees, insurance costs, keg expenses, and ingredients costs among others. We raised over $6,000 in the first 10 days, and with the support we have locally we feel confident that we can reach our goal. We need your help to reach those who haven’t heard our story yet – please help us spread the word.

You can find our Kickstarter page here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/luckytownbrew/lucky-town-brewing-company-be-bold-rediscover-beer

So, how about it? Got a couple of bucks to spare to help the thirsty beer fans in Mississippi?

Kujo

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My friends at Flying Dog announced the availability of this puppy a month ago, but I haven’t seen it until now. (All due to my charming wife. Thanks, dear!) Of course, I did happen to have it at the brewery before they gave it a name, and again while they were test marketing it in bottles.

After today’s thrilling New York Giants playoff victory over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, I figured I should celebrate.

They say:

Kujo is the savage spawn of two brewing worlds – coffee and beer – colliding. But in that collision, there’s a balance between rich and roasted stout characteristics and the deep, dark coffee notes. The result is an 8.9% ABV brew made with locally-roasted coffee from Black Dog Coffee out of Summit Point, West Virginia.

It is nearly as dark as burnt motor oil, with a thick, medium-brown head. The coffee is obvious in the aroma, with a bit of that dark-roasted malt underneath. Creamy and roasty both. At 8.9% ABV this isn’t something to quaff in large quantities, but this is definitely becoming a new favorite of mine.

Flying Dog Kujo

Great Divide 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

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I love my wife. She buys me interesting things like this.

They say:

Based on our award-winning beer, Denver Pale Ale, this copper-hued treat is a celebration of everything Great Divide does best. Plenty of malty sweetness provides a backdrop of earthy, floral English and American hops, while French and American oak round off the edges and provide a touch of vanilla.

Nice copper color; not much head. A good bit of pine in the aroma, with a bit of that vanilla. That’s got some nice bite. I like this.