High ABV: Is This Important?

There has recently been some debate over ABV and quality of beer. Does higher alcohol content mean more taste? Can you get good taste without it? Is there a time when it may be more appropriate not to hit them?

Personally I find that you can have good taste without higher alcohol, unless you like the alcohol taste, which you can only get with the higher ABV.

Plus, it tends to make bold flavors even more bold, like the fruit esters in a Belgian will be much more pronounced. For example, I shared a bomber of St. Bernardus Abt 12 last week with my neighbor and it was right on the heels (actually a day apart) of a bomber of Chimay red. Granted, one is a quad and the other a dubbel, but I think the gravity or alcohol level is the difference here and while they were both delicious, I would have to say the Abt 12 was more flavorful.

I have found that the more commercial breweries I go to, like Ram or Rock Bottom, will only brew an Imperial at specific times of the year, and not have one on their menu all the time. Whereas the Livery, for example, has at least three Imperials or other big beers (9, 10, 12%). This may be due to the cost being prohibitive enough for some therefore not worth hogging a tap spot in many other brew pubs.

Here is a link to a list of the beers with the highest alcohol content available. Please note this is a private list so many breweries might not be represented.

What do you think? Can you have good flavor with the high alcohol content? Are there times when it is more appropriate not to? Do you even bother to order these at all since they are usually a lot higher priced?

Magic Hat Founder is Starting a New Venture

Alan Newman, who founded Magic Hat in Burlington, Vermont, is now working with Jim Koch at the Boston Beer Company to develop fun beers for Sam Adams, kind of.

His story is interesting, as an entrepreneur jumping around and his adventures in the business world. In his book he describes how he lost Magic Hat and where it stands now.

But since the craft beer industry is the place to be, Jim Koch has signed him to a contract to develop beers, recipes, brewpubs, breweries, whatever. He will try to remain in Burlington but have ties to Boston.

How does this affect the Midwest? It doesn't, I guess, except that I personally have liked Newman's Magic Hat, and they came up with some really special brews and ideas and I look forward to that same thing from Sam Adams.
Lately I have been sampling the smaller beers from Sam Adams, like in their Brewmaster's Collection (Coastal Wheat, Cream Stout, Latitude 48 IPA) and their Imperial Series (Wee Heavy, Imperial Stout), and while I like them, I get the feeling they are produced in the same ways and quantities as SABL but thanks to marketing they are brought to us differently.

Will this change for Sam Adams? I don't know.

But I think it won't hurt them to produce something smaller and more defined, instead of bombarding the marketplace with so many different recipes (there are currently 28 different beers with an additional 14 seasonals added to that). You can expect to buy them in 6 packs, 4 packs, bombers and even their Trippel which I have seen for $10 for a 10 ounce bottle.

Craft Beer Monday Review: Three Floyds Pride and Joy

Three Floyds' Pride and Joy was on the beer list at L Woods, where I was on Saturday night for our anniversary dinner, and I was thinking a Pale Ale would be a good complement with barbecue. Especially if it was hoppy but with a little something extra and not necessarily as bold and floral as an IPA. They had other beers on the menu but in keeping with wanting to stick with Midwest craft beers I chose this one, plus it was on tap too.

Served in an English Pint glass it was amber colored with a yellowing head and had the pleasant floral smell I was expecting, and the taste was satisfying initially, with a small bite from the hops and a bolder malt taste than with other Pale Ales. But there was an underlying sweetness, a little fruity but with a more nutty flavor than I was expecting. As I drank more and more of the pint it was sweeter and nuttier as it warmed.

Unfortunately I was not so happy with all the sweetness, and I am afraid it took me well through the meal to finish it. If it weren't for my standby Domaine duPage on the menu to follow it up I would not have enjoyed my meal so much.

3 Floyds describes P&J as more of a session beer but I am not sure that 5% qualifies as one. I put Robert the Bruce on my favorites list but its 7+% keeps me from drinking it regularly. A session beer like Pride and Joy would hit the spot, I think, if the sweetness is something you can enjoy over time.
CBC rating: 3.

A Great Website/Service for Beer Lovers

In case you haven't seen it, this website offers us an idea of what is available in bars and
restaurants ahead of time. You can access them through this site or often times the place itself will have the beer menus listing on its own site.

The list gets regularly updated, which is really nice, and it covers the selections well. For example, the Metropolitan guys have talked about Fountainhead bar in the city, and on its website it not only has a listing of the beer that is available, which some restaurants don't even do, but it is linked through Beer Menus. See here.

As you can see, you can buy a bottle of 3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek, for the low price of $40 a bottle. Just because I personally think anyone who would spend $40 for a bottle of beer, especially cherry beer, needs to get his head examined, hopefully this will not steer people away from the place. Especially since there are an additional ton of good beers on the menu.

Then, when you click on the name, it will show you where else it is available on the beer menu subscription and at what price. So, with this, you can see that you can buy the 3 Fonteinen at a different bar in the city for $5 more a bottle!

This is a really nice feature, I think, especially for those wacky people who like to blog about what they had last night, especially if it is a Midwest beer. Don't worry, I won't be reviewing the 3 Fonteinen. It is Belgian.

Craft Beer Monday Review: Metropolitan Iron Works Alt

I like this label, it reminds me of Futurama, really cool.

And I like this beer too. It has quite a different taste, maybe it reflects the taste of an Alt like it should. I don't think I really know, because I can't say that I have tasted an alt before.

I tried this one at Sheffield's at the end of the summer on tap and again on Saturday night in the bottle. Had a couple more to make sure, while watching the hockey game. After drinking one in the bottle I poured the last one in a glass because I was getting that funky taste I sometimes get off a bottle. It went away after pouring.

I am finding that an Alt is a German brew (Dusseldorf to be precise) and uses a lager yeast that is top fermented but at lower temperatures than those traditionally top fermented, like ales. This produces a cleaner crisper taste. Historically, this type of beer was created outside of Bavaria, where the Reinheitsgebot was not in effect, so it could be brewed and stored in the summertime. This was thanks to the mountainous climate in the North, unlike Bavaria.

This darker brown beer by Metropolitan has the strong malt flavor I would expect but has a stronger hop presence than I expected and a very dry finish. It has a flavor I have never experienced before. Definitely worthy of repeated tastings.

CBC Review: Another 5, since it is the first of its kind that I have tasted.

Metropolitan is a Chicago brewer that makes mostly lagers and has some that I have enjoyed. It is on my list of breweries to go to in Chicago, and will be reviewed then.

Where to Find Craft Beer-My Local Jewel

When I was in the Jewel Food Store on Lee Street in Des Plaines, I noticed they do a better job stocking craft beer than other retailers around here. This store is not my usual one, but probably should be since I noticed they care a little more about the beer drinkers than the one closer to me. For example, when it was first announced Stella would be available in half quart cans I found them there in 4 and 10 packs before any other place, even Binny's. My local Jewel is a lot closer and adequate, but could really spend less stocking space with the Polish and Mexican beers if you ask me.

This picture is of a shelf labeled "Craft", which is nice. And, as you can see, does a fairly good job with some of the crafts I have enjoyed. It is always good to see Sierra Nevada PA and Torpedo, but also the autumn offering, Tumbler. Plus 12 packs too?

Additionally they have Two Brothers, thank you-have to have them, plus Dundee, Rogue Dead Guy, #9, Shiner, that new Chi-Town Brewery I have started to see lately (which is brewed in Stevens Point, in case you hadn't noticed), 2 Bell's, Red Hook, Sam Adams, etc. So, I think it is a pretty good variety, considering the source. Why there are Michelob products on the craft beer shelf I don't know, except that since Bud is there with Goose Island, Redbridge, Landshark and Shock Top maybe they want to sell some other stuff.

Personally, the fact that three of the beers I would put in my Top Ten Favorites are here on this shelf either says a lot for me (or little, that maybe my tastes suck). Those are SNPA, Domaine Dupage and MH #9.

Plus a few of these are on sale, which I like too. I am always looking for a good deal, in case you hadn't noticed, so I like to see some beers available at other places. I can never find craft beer for under $9 a six-pack unless it is on sale (which is rarely) at Binny's, so that is why I shop at other retailers like Jewel, Walmart and Mariano's, just to see what they have to offer.

More to follow about other stores, I am sure.

Walmart to Stock More Craft Beer

Good news for the consumers, craft beer at reasonable prices-I'm all for that.

Here are some shots of the beer fridge at the local Walmart, and we can see here what they have that may qualify as craft beer. Please ignore the obvious-this is one messy beer fridge, with apparently no design in mind. So I apologize if it doesn't look like your Walmart.

Basically, if I look through the stacks, I see Sierra Nevada, New Belgium (Fat Tire and Snow Day) and Redbridge. We also have Goose Island and Leinenkugel, both of whom have lost their craft designation (if they even ever had one). Since Redbridge is a Budweiser product it doesn't qualify either.

I always thought they had a fair collection of imports that I enjoy-Stella, Newcastle, Bass and Guinness. This store has a heavy amount of Mexican beers and the one closer to my house stocks more Polish beers, so they appeal to the buying public in their stores pretty well, I guess.

There was talk of Stone and Dogfish Head, but maybe Two Brothers here in Chicagoland?

I think this will be a good thing, but not unheard of. While in the Wisconsin Dells on vacation we did some shopping at their Walmart and I found a variety of New Glarus products at a good price too. I think, in their case, maybe it is considered local beer, but craft beer just the same, as far as I am concerned.

The timeline has not been determined, but I look forward to seeing them appear, especially if it is Midwest craft beer, of course. I just hope they consider keeping it regional, or else those craft beers will be just the biggest brew houses we usually see.

Craft Beer Monday Review: Wild Onion Hop Slayer

Hop Slayer is a Double IPA, and it is brewed right here in Lake Barrington.
Fortunately CBC member Steve B encounters the brewpub on the way home, or else I would have never heard of it. Their pub offers food and a few beers on tap. They distribute their beer mostly local and in cans. As with others, after pouring in a pint glass, I could not tell it came out of the can anyway. More on that debate later.

This one poured smoothly and thick with much foam into the glass and it gave off some strong aromas of pine and clove, as I expected, plus a stronger and sweeter smell I wasn't expecting. It is unfiltered and orange and red in color, and the head and lacing remained throughout the initial tasting. The flavor was sharp and bitter in great strength, and its high alcohol content was obvious (t is 8%). I took it slow and sipped it. I think what I noticed was its separation of tastes, not enough blending for me.

It is not the kind of beer I normally drink, so I don't know if I can review it as fair as I should, but I think I had a problem with the stark differences in tastes. I would have preferred a smoother mix.

Like other craft beers maybe the mix changes with new batches, or maybe I need to gain more appreciation for the Imperials, which I don't have as much familiarity with. I think I will start to try more of these higher IBU beers and see if that can help, but so far I have been unaccustomed to their depth and power.

CBC Rating: 3.

Sam Adams Oktoberfest Event We Missed

Sam Adams has been holding a beer stein hoisting contest at various bars this fall, and, looking at the website here, an Indiana man has the current record for 21 minutes.
I don't think I would last that long, not only because I think you have to hold it out and not drink it at all! In fact, I don't think I have ever held a beer for 20 minutes without drinking it, at least not an Oktoberfest.
Maybe next year the Beer Club can attend one of these events and maybe an Oktoberfest. Steve and I attended one last week and it was excellent, and really a lot bigger than I anticipated. More on that later.

Craft Beer Monday Review: Goose Island Harvest Ale

The debate rages concerning whether we should continue referring to Goose Island as a craft beer, and whether to consider it Midwest beer too. It is owned by Busch and Inbev, but for now, I am going to include it in here. The same question was raised by the editors of the The Great Lakes Brewing News, whose editors have decided to take it off their list of brewpub tours for Illinois.

This one was a little different than I expected. For autumns and Oktoberfests I have seen the traditional Marzens or Munich Lagers, and even a Doppelbock from Capital (Autumnal Fire) at a whopping 7.8% ABV. This, instead, is an ESB, a good quality ale but with a strong malt and hop character I didn't expect. It is copper in color and has a healthy amount of carbonation, which allowed for the right amount of head and bubbles.

I have been fond of other offerings from Goose Island, like their winter rye ale, Mild Winter, and some specialty beers like Red Felt and Bourbon County Stout. In fact, most of the time you will find Honkers in my fridge. I am thinking of adding this to my list, maybe even stock up for the winter like I do for other Oktoberfests.

Overall a good tasting beer, and worthy of repeating. CBC Rating: 4.