Imported Beer: One Opinion

THE SESSION #122— BEER BLOGGING FRIDAY The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

This month's theme is Views on Imported Beer and is hosted by Christopher Barnes at I Think About Beer. The question posted by Christopher is based on the writer's location, either North America or otherwise: 

• For American and Canadians: What place do imported beers (traditional European) have in a craft beer market?
• For Non North Americans: How are American beers (imported into YOUR country) viewed? What is their place in your market?

In The Beginning

It seems like so long ago now, probably because it was, when I first began exploring the world of beer. It wasn't anything like a study, but a casual curiosity. A good beer was Michelob, a special beer was Becks. I felt the need to stand out from my peers, so mine was the dark one. Imports were premium beers — for those who wanted to treat themselves to the finer things. I still remember my beer epiphany, the moment I had a really good beer. I've written about this before, but I do like to think about it again. A bar in Baltimore, a bit of time before a weekend conference, a bartender perhaps wanting to upsell me. Nonetheless, I was interested in learning more. So he suggested this English beer, Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Smitten, I was. After that, nothing was the same. It was difficult to find this beer, but I did. It was more expensive than my normal beer. So it was on special occasions I would bring home a 500 ml. bottle. That must have been around 1991.

Fast Forward

I began working in a local fine wine, beer and spirits shop that was opening just a few minutes from my house just over nine years ago. It was a move to help pay some schooling bills and thought to be a temporary job. I gave it two or three years. Right! That was nine years ago. Why am I still there? Well two things really, I enjoy the people and two, I enjoy learning about the stuff. All of it, wine, spirits and especially the beer. And the good beer (some call it craft) business certainly has changed over this time.

The more I learn about beer, the more I realize I don't know. There are many people who are willing to teach. And, I'll have to say, I've done a lot of study on my own. Grin!

So, good beer began with me as imported. Then the American scene has grown up, again. And we don't have to look across the pond to find good beer, there is plenty to be found on our own shores. And for that matter, right in our own backyard. It continues to surprise me the number of small town breweries are popping up. And they are producing some really good beer.

Do Americans Need Imported Beer

Do we still need to seek our "good beer" fix from imports? Of course not. But I still often do. That is, because the American beer scene has started a new beer revolution, that has caused me to learn more about the beer I'm drinking. And if you haven't noticed, many of those great American beers have Old World names, referring to the classic European styles from our brewing legacies. Oatmeal stout, kolsch, altbier, gose, guese. Check out the Beer Judge Certification Programs list of beer styles. How many were founded in Europe and are now taking on an American swagger.

Last year we celebrated the 500 year anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot, aka the German Purity Law of 1516. Some of the interviews of contemporary German brewers described were how hand-tied they felt from the restrictions of that law and the need to brew to those simple list of ingredients to remain in the German brewery associations. They wanted to break out and explore the world of ingredients like many of the new American brewers. Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head stated in an April 2016 The Daily Meal article that, "The reinheitsgebot is nothing more than modern art censorship."

Now that the good beer movement has introduced and attracted partakers to what well made beer is like, many are willing to venture beyond the IPA and discover the classic styles, whether from to old-country or domestic versions. Pilsner is making a comeback in America. Of course it is, it is a great beer.

So yes, imported beer does matter. It is a great teacher of history, technique, ingredients and geography. For example, as much as you hear about terroir is important to wine, the same holds true with beer. Try an American made pilsner, then have one from Germany or a Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic. Same style, far different beer experience.

I recently taught a beer tasting class where the focus was on four iconic beers, three of which were imports. The purpose being that many of the beers we enjoy today have a lineage back to Europe. In order to fully appreciate the beer being produced and offered in pubs and bottle shop today, it is best to understand from where they came. 

Final Thoughts

The era of industrial American light lager not only reduced the choices of what beer drinkers were offered, it turned many off to beer, period. With the establishment — or re-establishment — of an American good-beer industry and culture, beer drinkers are exploring and expanding their tastes. And while Americans are being introduced to classic styles after our IPA binge, brewers are leading the way with their versions of the classics, take the list of gose that has been introduced and become so popular during the last few years. The concern that foreign brewers are keenly aware, are the Americans are doing such a good job of it!

A Deeper Shade of Brown

Brown by any other name is still the same color but not necessarily the same beer

THE SESSION #120— BEER BLOGGING FRIDAY The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

This month's theme is Brown Beer and is hosted by The Fatal Glass of Beer

“The colour brown has certain connotations, some of which I won’t dwell on. But used in reference to beer, it can signify a kind of depressing old fashioned-ness - to refer to a traditional bitter as ‘brown’ seems to suggest it belongs to a bygone corduroy-trousered era. As breweries who pride themselves on their modernity focus on beers that are either decidedly pale or unmistakably black, the unglamorous brown middle ground is consistently neglected.

So for Session 120, let’s buck the trend and contemplate brown beer. This might be brown ale, or the aforementioned English bitter; it could be a malty Belgian brune, a dubbel or a tart oud bruin; even a German dunkel might qualify.”

— The Fatal Glass of Beer

What Is Brown

Brown my any other name is still the same color — marrone, marron, bruin, brun, bruin, braun or brown—or is it. And beer styles may be similar but still very, very different. Some brown or brownish beer styles include: Oud Bruin, British Brown Ale, American Brown Ale, Brown IPA, London Brown Ale, dunkel, dubbel. So its a wide field. Brown is not black but a brown ale can be black. Take the Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron for example.

Touring Dogfish

I had the pleasure of touring the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton DE a few years ago. Part of the tour took us by the Palo Santo Marron wooden tanks. These were impressive to stand near. It has been reported that the barrels costs $140,000 and were questionable whether those costs would ever be recouped. The founder, Sam Caligione (Youtube: his take on Palo Santo Marron), said in a New Yorker magazine article (see reference below) that if worked for a publicly owned corporation that he would have been fired for this move. I assume they have paid for themselves, but it does make for a good story.

For the greater story, jump over to an excellent 2004 article by the New Yorker entitled A Bitter Brew which describes the story of the journey to Paraguay, the discovery of the wood behind the beer as well and the man behind the wood (and beer).

A Big Drink

My first experience with this beer was not a pleasant one. The tasting notes on the side of the bottle suggest caramel and vanilla. Remembering my first sip all I could think of was a huge black licorice bomb, which at the time I thought was too big and not pleasant at all. I had purchased a four-pack, so I had three more to level out my opinion. The second seemed more mellow, but still a big beer. By the time I'd finished the fourth, I was a convert. Now it is one of my favorite beers and high on my DFH list of brews. To drink one, it is an opaque black beer (darker brown) and pours a big tan colored head that quickly fades. As read on the label, you get notes of caramel, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate. At 12% ABV you are going to get some boozy character, but it is a very well balanced beer. There are hints of the wood but not overpowering like you might expect. BeerAdvocate labels is as an American Brown Ale and rates it at 93 points.

The Tree & Its Wood

“The barrel was more than a year old, but the wood smelled freshly milled. A sharp, spicy, resinous scent came off it, like incense and mulled wine. To stand up to its aroma, Calagione said, he had filled the barrel with a strong brown beer. It was made with three kinds of hops, five kinds of wheat and barley, a dose of unrefined cane sugar, and a sturdy Scottish ale yeast. It had a creamy head when poured, like a Guinness stout, and contained about twelve per cent alcohol—two and a half times as much as a Budweiser. Calagione called it Palo Santo Marron. It was an extreme beer, he said, but to most people it wouldn’t have tasted like beer at all. There were hints of tobacco and molasses in it, black cherries and dark chocolate, all interlaced with the wood’s spicy resin. It tasted like some ancient elixir that the Inca might have made.”

— A Better Brew, The New Yorker (2008)

Palo Santo wood is highly prized for its properties, even before it became famous for its beer improvement characteristics. In an article 11 Things You Never Knew About Palo Santo, it describes when Spanish monks first discovered the wood and experienced its ability to seemingly cleanse and heal, they named the tree “palo santo,” which means “holy wood” or “the wood of the saints.” The tree grows in the South American rainforest and its scientific name is bursera graveolens, or “a bag of oil” and the naturally aromatic wood from this truly unique tree is used in several ways for energetic and healing purposes. Its primary use is to burn small palo santo sticks as incense (which you can find find online at such places as Amazon.com). On the hardness scale, it is measured as three times harder than oak and one of the hardest in the world.

Palo Santo: The wood, barrel, and beer

Final Thoughts

I find this beer fascinating not only as a wonderful drink to enjoy, but also for the effort exerted to bring it into being. The fusion of the wood and beer, ancient culture and domestication makes me pause as I sip it in — and not only because its 12% ABV. Not all browns are created equal — this certainly is a deep shade of brown.

Discomfort Beer: Learning to Love Sour

THE SESSION #118— BEER BLOGGING FRIDAY The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

This month's theme is Discomfort Beer and is hosted by Alec Latham at Mostly About Beer

“For Session 119 I’d like you to write about which/what kind of beers took you out of your comfort zones. Beers you weren’t sure whether you didn’t like, or whether you just needed to adjust to. Also, this can’t include beers that were compromised, defective, flat, off etc because this is about deliberate styles. It would be interesting to see if these experiences are similar in different countries.”

— Alec Latham, Mostly About Beer

My favorite beers to drink are large flavorful beers such as Imperial Stouts or Belgian Quads. I thoroughly enjoy the higher alcohol content, not that I'm working to become elevated as quick as possible, but just the opposite, so I can pour it into a beautiful goblet, let it warm a bit, sip and savor must like a fine port wine. I simply love the process, the fuller flavors and the entire experience.

That is the best of all beer experiences — for me.

American IPAs have become all the rage and many of my fellow beer drinkers love the hops — more the better. And I too, enjoy a well made IPA, whether of the West Coast variety or New England unfiltered offerings. They do have their place and I will savor the good work the brewer and company puts into these creations.

The beer style that has jumped to public awareness lately — over the past year or so — are the sours. Of course, there are many beer styles that can be lumped into that grouping — wild ale, gose, Berliner weisse, flanders red, oud bruin, lambics, gueuze, and can include saison, bier de guarde depending on the brewers creativity. Some are included among my favorite beer styles. The beer that would be described as musty, funky, horse blanket, barnyard — I've had a difficult time cuddling up to. 

I've been to several beer distributor open houses where just about every beer style imaginable is available for tasting. So, I've experienced just about all that is out there. As already mentioned, I'm still quite particular to many of the Belgian beers: dubbels, tripels and quads. As I've progressed in my beer experiences I've learned that Belgian beer covers a wide range of flavors. Some I've had to pull away from, "How can anyone find that enjoyable?" Let the drinker beware!

My take on the sours are much aligned with Ray Daniels, founder of the Cicerone Program. He stated in an interview that he appreciates everything about sour beers: how they are made, the ingredients, the process, history, etc. But he simply prefers other beer styles.

My theory is this, that the more I expose myself to this style of beer, the more I will appreciate them. It's a theory! Really, I didn't even like the taste of beer on my first attempt. But then that was decades ago and the only beer readily available was industrial light lagers. I have come to enjoy the lighter side funk. For now, I have a great affinity for bold stouts and Belgian tripels and quads — I'm still learning to love sour.

It's More Than a Beer — It's a Moment

THE SESSION #118— BEER BLOGGING FRIDAY The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

The December 2016, edition The Session No. 118 was hosted by Stan Hieronymus at Appellation Beer. The theme directions were simple and yet wide open, Four Guests Four Beers.

“If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be? What four beers would you serve?”

— Stan Hieronymus - Appellation Beer

When I first read the theme my mind went to historical men and women that I have wanted to meet and perhaps share a beer such as Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln or Benjamin Franklin. Or more contemporary heroes like Paul McCartney or Ronald Reagan. And then my mind drifted even further and I thought about the story A Christmas Carol and I could meet and share beers with the ghosts of Beery Past, Present and Yet to Come (I'd have to make up the forth ghost, perhaps the ghost that could have been). The more I thought about it, the more personal it became.

A Beer With My Father

The first of my four people and beer choices was quite easy. My father passed away at the age of 72. He died from complications due to Alzheimer's disease. He had been battling with that disease for about 10 years before it took him. I had always wanted — hoped — to have a relationship with my father where we could sit down and have a beer together and talk about life, life's lessons, joys, hopes and disappointments, growing up, just having a lasting adult relationship with him. But suddenly and totally unexpectedly he started to lose his mind. And before you know it he was gone. 

I've often said, or at least thought, I just wanted to sit down and have a beer with him. Because that's kind of what a beer has become for me now. It’s more than a beer, its a moment. It's a pause to reflect, to think, to celebrate, to share, just to enjoy some peaceful time, and if its with others so much the better. And I never had that time, that relationship with my father. Alzheimer's stole that from me, from us. So, if somehow I could make a wish and could have a beer with someone, that would be an easy choice — with my father.

Many times I would see him over the course of the weekend drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, always from a can. Now I don't think a whole lot of Pabst beer these days, I don't drink it. But what it symbolizes is far, far greater than any mere taste of beer. It symbolizes an important relationship, an innocent time in my life. The time that was stolen from us. The time that I'd always wanted to spend with him. And to drink that beer.

A Beer With My Son

That beer that I wanted to have with my father and never did I can now play forward and enjoy it with my son. As I'm writing this, he is 25. Earlier this year he married his high school sweetheart. That day was one of the best of my life. And now, I love watching the two of them together. I hopefully have taught him some things about life and beer, and now he is teaching me about his passions. 

He loves good German beer and his favorite is Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier. He knew to buy the proper weissbier glasses. I told you he was smart (and good looking). We occasionally have that beer and I enjoy every moment, every sip we have together. Prost! Zum wohl!

A Beer With Lost Friends

Chris Holmes was a friend of mine. We spent some good times together. But more than a person, I am sorry to say, Chris is a symbol of friendship lost. A friendship that never fully developed, but I had hoped someday would. Chris passed away this year, suddenly, from a brain tumor. He was a man full of life, fully enjoyed his family and friends and life's experiences. And I wish I had known Chris deeper and more thoroughly. I wrote on his online journal when I had learned of his passing that my mind was fixed on a quote from a James Taylor song, "I always thought that I would see you again".

And so this third beer is for Chris and Bob and Joe and Tom, all of those friends that you wanted to develop a more meaningful relationship with, but you keep putting off, because life happens — but then one day it doesn't. And this is the toast to all of my friends that I have lost far too early, that I wanted so much to have a deeper relationship.  In the hope that I will keep Chris in my mind when I'm thinking about the friends before me. That I will not put off time with them. Because life is short, time is fleeting, and friendships are far too important to put off till tomorrow.

So what beer would I have with Chris or Joe? I think, it would have to be Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. That was a beer that has been special in my life, that really opened my eyes to how good a beer can be. And I’d like to share one, no two, maybe even three, with these friends. I'm older now, and have learned that we should not take moments or friends for granted.

A Beer With Myself

I've often heard of interview questions were someone asks what advice would you give to your 30-year-old self. I thought 22 might be a good age to have that talk, but at that time my life I had just graduated college, didn't have many cares or worries, I was bright and shiny and ready to take on the world.

But by the time I turned 30, some of the shininess had started to tarnish a bit. I’d been in some some relationships that didn't work out and was wondering if I'd ever find the right person, if I'd ever marry and have children. 

I would like to tell my 30-year-old self to just be patient, in about another year you'll meet the love of your life. You will have two beautiful children together and they will grow into wonderful people. Yes, they'll be ups and downs but life in general is really very good. As for the beer, you're going to have to settle for industrial lager for a while. But try this, it's a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. You'll have to wait a few years to have it again but it will be worth it. And oh, put more money into savings, you're going to need it.

Finale

A beer is not just a drink, it is a moment — a celebration of sorts. Whether its just you, a dear friend, or a group of people you just met. There you are — enjoy the moment, enjoy the beer, enjoy your life. And never take the moment for granted — it is a gift. And with the famous words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!"

---

Jack Perdue is a regular beer blogger at DeepBeer.com and contributor to beer-related adventures on Twitter @DeepBeer. He is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and studying for the next level of certification. He has worked at a prime bottle shop on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for over 8 years and has toured many fine beer locations around the world, with more lined up on his bucket list.

Less Room in the Inn AKA More Competition

THE SESSION #117— BEER BLOGGING FRIDAY The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

The November 2016, edition The Session No. 117 was hosted by Csaba Babak at Beer Means Business. The theme directions were simple and wide open, consider the future of beer and “capture ONE thing you think we will see MORE of with an explanation of the idea.”

Less Room in the Inn 

This is an interesting question — more what — and the answer, as desired, can go in any direction. The one thing that has been on my mind is the pending beer bubble burst. There have been many pundits that tell us there is plenty of room in the beer business, that there is no looming bubble. But there are some very basic things we must be on our minds.

I've been working with a very nice bottle shop — The Winery — for almost nine years. During that time, a lot has changed in the beer business and culture. More breweries, better beer, more sophisticated beer drinkers. And with all of that, more beer trying to push its way onto pub tap handles and bottle shop shelves. And what about those tap handles and beer shelves. My observation is that they haven't expanded all that much to accept the deluge of beer coming on the market each week. The creation of new beers is one thing, expanded distribution adds a whole other dimension. Just in the last year some excellent, long standing breweries have begun distribution to my state of Maryland, including Bell’s, Founders, SweetWater.

So what does that do to the beer from Stone, Lagunitas and Dogfish Head. Rather than go with the great beer we’ve come to know from these breweries, many curious beer drinkers want to try the beer they may only have heard about.

I attended the Backyard Symposium event at Flying Dog in Frederick MD leading up to Savor in Washington DC this year — an event they hold this time of year. Ryan Glenn,  Ballast Point VP of Operations was asked about the Grapefruit Sculpin and how that came into being. He said that they must produce their regular lineup of expected beers, for example Sculpin, but that there is a segment of the customer base that wants to try the new thing and that they have to be there with those beers e.g. Grapefruit Sculpin. In other words, they have to keep pushing more beer onto the market to stay relevant. 

Local Preferences

As an observation of people making beer choices, I've noticed a preference for beer from local breweries. Some have even voiced their opinions of this preference. Some of this is an effort to support locals businesses. Some may be from an effort of limiting decision exhaustion — too many choices causes people to decide with with what they know.

Good Beer Hunting in a July 2016 article mentioned that, “In a 2015 survey by market research firm Nielsen, 45% of respondents said “local” is important to their beer purchasing decisions. The number rose to 53% for 21-34-year-olds, the most important potential consumer demographic in American beer.”

Again, this makes pulling the Stone beers from the shelf to make your next beer that much less likely. Speaking of Stone...

Stone Layoffs

The recent announcement from Stone Brewing says a lot about the current state of the brewing industry. The mature breweries are feeling the pinch from macro beer, but also from the new comer local breweries.

“Due to an unforeseen slowdown in our consistent growth and changes in the craft beer landscape, we have had to make the difficult decision to restructure our staff. Unfortunately, this comes despite a year that includes the incredible accomplishments of opening two new breweries, which are ultimately expanding the availability of Stone beers and boosting the reputation of American craft beer in Europe.

“More recently however, the larger independent craft segment has developed tremendous pressures. Specifically, the onset of greater pressures from Big Beer as a result of their acquisition strategies, and the further proliferation of small, hyper-local breweries has slowed growth. With business and the market now less predictable, we must restructure to preserve a healthy future for our company. Even given this unfortunate circumstance, we will continue to be fiercely independent and, importantly, Stone remains one of the largest – if not the largest – employers in the craft brewing segment.

Less Jovial Brethren

The word has been that the craft beer business is a friendly sort, that craft breweries all get along great and help each other, brewing beers through collaborations, sharing excess hops with needy smaller breweries. And I'm sure that is mostly true. But there is increasing news about law suits over marketing infringements and the such. Its getting crowded in here, give me some room. Industrial macro beer is the common enemy of craft beer, right?

But business is business when survival is on the line. I've been reading Sam Calagione’s new book Off-Centered Leadership. It's a great read about the throws of building a business from scratch and directing it through the maze of growth and higher expectations. 

One particular passage caught my attention on the subject of increased competition within the craft beer business.

“I saw our industry becoming more complicated and competitive is less of jovial, familial club on like-minded entrepreneurs”

— Sam Calagione - Off-Centered Leadership

“I began considering bringing in new external resource in 2014 I saw our industry becoming more complicated and competitive is less of jovial, familial clubon like-minded entrepreneurs. Don’t get me wrong, most of the 4,000 indie craft breweries in the country still recognized each other as compatriots. But the landscape where the large breweries operate this change more rapidly in the last two years. Having the previous 18 years our company has been in business. More and more breweries that were once and for my craft brewer founders are now controlled by publicly traded international brewing conglomerates or financial enterprises— yet compete with craft brewers because they have acquired craft breweries. To ensure we remain competitive and continue to reach a bigger market, we needed to invest in the business. Before we could consider bringing in outside investors, who have their own opinions about what dogfish should be focused on, however, I wanted to make sure our internal leadership team is ready to work with the greater harmony priorities.”

Too Many Beers Out There

In a Thrillist article Why Craft Brewing Is About To Go To War With Itself again the finger gets pointed to the new competition is from inside the craft beer industry. 

Craft beer’s competition isn’t the Anheuser-Busch boogeyman anymore. “We’re definitely not getting pushed around by the macros [like we were] when Sierra Nevada and Bell’s were coming around,” says John Laffler, co-founder and brewmaster at Chicago’s Off Color and the former “innovation brewer” at Goose Island. Nope, these days, it’s the brewer next door that poses the threat. Across the country, craft brewers are crowding in. The neighborly smiles are starting to strain.

Serious Eats stated in a 2014 article stating that the breweries are simply out pacing the expanded beer drinking base. That was 2014, how about now in 2016 when there are a record number of breweries in the US.

““We all talk about the camaraderie in the industry, but at some point competition is a very real issue: the number of breweries outpacing the growth of the consumer base, outpacing the growth of available tap handle space, available grocery store space,” says Tom Nickel, co-founder of Nickel Beer Company in Julian, California and co-owner of O’Brien’s Pub and West Coast Barbecue & Brew.”

— Serious Eats — Feb 2012

CONCLUSION

As craft beer drinkers we have a lot to be thankful for. The selection of beer has never been better. Not only has the quality gotten better, the range of style and hybrids has certainly kept it interesting. But the physical reality is that there is only so much space on bottle shop shelves and only so many tap handles to compete for. When the pressure increases, business survival becomes even more front and center. It’s a big room, right? Perhaps from a beer drinkers perspective, but not as big as it use to be for craft brewers.

The Role of Beer Books

THE SESSION #115— BEER BLOGGING FRIDAY
The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

Date: September 2, 2016
Host: Joan Villar-i-Martí at Birraire Blog
Topic: The Role of Beer Books

The Beer Geek Handbook

The Beer Geek Handbook: Living a Life Ruled By Beer. This was a book with many great gems if you whether you are already a full-fledged beer geek or someone just getting started on that path. Wherever you are on the path of beer geekdom, this is a fun and clever road map. It is full of pithy life lessons, beery vocabulary, and warnings of pitfalls that anyone who chooses to walk this path will benefit from.

I first discovered Patrick Dawson from my desire to learn more about aging beer. His book Vintage Beer: A Taster's Guide to Brews That Improve Over Time is highly rated on Amazon and I've purchased the paperback as well as the digital versions. I then discovered from engaging him personally that his second book would be released later in the year, so I preordered it.

Six Chapters

Without going into the details of the book, I offer a glimpse inside. Here are the six chapters:

1. Beer Geeks: An Introduction
2. Beer: The Root of All Beer Geekery
3. Breweries: The Exclusive Club
4. Procurement: The Beer and Other Geeky Goods
5. Drinking: Where & How
6. The Beercation: Seeking the Source

“It is for this sole reason that the beer guy must be befriended, because after all, he holds the key to the elusive beery castle.”

— The Beer Geek Handbook, Patrick Dawson

As I was reading through the book, I couldn't help but place myself somewhere on the beer geek continuum—how do I rank? As I think you will find, on some subjects I think I would rank well, on some others I have some ways to go. One of the things the book did help me with was to answer some of the questions I've had (like all of us) but were afraid to ask. I mean, no one wants to expose himself/herself as not knowing something that you secretly think everyone else knows. Here was one of my favorite parts of the book, the beer guy.

Liquor Stores and Beer Guys — In this chapter, Patrick goes into his explanation of the various types of guys you may encounter when you visit a beer shop. I read this section with special attention because for the past eight years, that has been me. I have my own opinions of the "beer guy" from both sides of the counter. Its funny because I used that term to describe myself before reading this book. It just seems to fit. According to the author, here are five things every good "beer guy" should know:

• Anything and everything about every beer on the shelves
• New breweries arriving on the scene
• What the upcoming limited releases are
• How many cases of each offering are coming in
• How quickly a particular beer will sell

Summary

This is a fun and engaging read. I took my time, first reading through some of what I thought would be the most interesting sections, then going back from the beginning taking it all in. Sometimes I would laugh out loud, then others scream about something I would disagree with. Anyway, if you are a beer geek, you'll find the book enjoyable. If you are just wondering into the beer geek world, then it is a must read. Hey, you're likely to save yourself from some beer brotherhood/sisterhood embarrassment and you may even win friends and influence people with your new found beer knowledge.

Snowed In!

Introduction to The Session

The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. 

The theme is “Snowed In,” and I want it to be open-ended. It’s the first week of February—we are solidly in the grip of the winter, which means hunkering down from the cold and, depending on where you live, waiting for warmer days to thaw out the ice and snow. But perhaps it’s one of those winters, where the snow starts falling… and falling… and falling some more, and the next thing you know, schools are closed, there’s four or more feet of snow on the ground—and you are effectively snowed in and not going anywhere. 

Jon Abernathy, this month’s host, offered a variety of topics to stir the creative process. The one that was close to my heart was “What style(s) of beer do you prefer for this cold weather?” And with that in mind, and a record snow fall in the making, I took on the task of writing and drinking—in no particular order. So with this in mind, I began to dig in… And then dig out!

Snowed In! 

An interesting concept that we are sometimes familiar with here in Maryland Eastern Shore. But interestingly enough we just experienced a record-setting snowfall. So this months topic is right on.

So if I had to pick one beer to be snowed in with – which I was snowed in but didn't have to choose just one beer – it would be Russian Imperial Stout. I've always love the style for many reasons but being snowed in really cause me to focus on those highlights.

Some of my all-time favorite beers are found in this style include North Coast Old Rasputin, Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout, Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout and Dogfish Head Brewery World Wide Stout. 

Others that I'm looking forward to drinking some day are the classics, Dark Lord Imperial Stout from 3 Floyds Brewing and Parabola from Firestone Walker Brewing.

The one that had recently that just blew me away was the Bell’s Expedition Stout. Bell’s is a brewery that recently started shipping to Maryland. Whenever I was fortunate enough to travel to the upper Midwest I would come in contact with some of their beer, particularly the Two Hearted Ale, but not many of their other beers. It was during this most recent snowstorm that I opened a bottle of the Expedition Stout that I had been planning on aging. Well, I was going to drink a couple and age the others.

There are times when you have a beer and you simply enjoy it. And there are other beers that from the first sip enters your mouth you know it is one you will remember and being having again and again, recommending to others, and yes, even writing about.

First, this is a mature beer. It is deep in color and in taste, with many layers of bitter chocolate, espresso, licorice and a warming boozy effect at 10.5% ABV. It scores 94 pts and the Bros give it 98 pts on Beer Advocate.

“Expedition Stout offers immensely complex flavors crafted specifically with vintage aging in mind...”

— Bell's Brewing Co

Expedition Stout offers immensely complex flavors crafted specifically with vintage aging in mind, as its profile will continue to mature and develop over the years. A huge malt body is matched to a heady blend of chocolate, dark fruits, and other aromas. Intensely bitter in its early months, the flavors will slowly meld and grow in depth as the beer ages. 

A Long Winter’s Nap

So the snow has come and gone. A couple days of shoveling works up a thirst that must be quenched. Bell’s description for the Expedition Stout is that the shelf Life is “Unlimited” with Winter availability. I recently read, and highly recommend, Patrick Dawson’s excellent book on aging beer entitled Vintage Beer. As expected, this one fits the profile for aging perfectly. I still have five more of my Bell’s in the beer fridge. Therefore, I really must have another before putting them away in my cellar for their long winter’s nap.

Reminder - The Session #101

The Session #101 - July 2015

This is a reminder, that The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, July 2015 muses are due for posting the first Friday of the month, which in this case is July 3.

I will be on Holiday for the next week or so, posting as I can through July 13. And since it wasn't decided Deep Beer would be hosting this months theme till late, I will be VERY lenient on accepting late blog posts.

I hope you are enjoying the topic, I know I am, and am anxiously awaiting reading your thoughts on Bottles, Caps and Other Beer Detritus. Be well!

Announcement - The Session #101 - Bottles, Caps and Other Beer Detritus

The Session #101 - July 2015

The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry. You can find more information on The Session on Brookston Beer Bulletin.

Since first discovering The Session, I knew one day I wanted to host a monthly edition. There are many great creative people involved in the beer industry: the brewers designing and creating the stuff of our attention, marketers bringing the product to market, graphic artists making the products attractive and informative and writers who tell the story of beer. The list goes on. And thus, many great products, that may or may not get your attention. The focus is on the liquid inside the bottle, can or keg, and rightly so. What about all the other products necessary to bring that beer to you? What about the things that are necessary but are easily overlooked and discarded. This months theme is, "Bottles, Caps and Other Beer Detritus".

Detritus, according to one definition in the Merriam Webster Dictionary is "miscellaneous remnants : odds and ends".  While the number and quality of our beer choices has certainly improved over the recent decade, have you paid any attention to the rest of the package. Those things we normally glance over and throw away when we have poured and finished our beer. These are sometimes works of art in themselves. Bottle caps, labels, six-pack holders, even the curvature of the bottle. For this month's The Session theme, I'm asking contributors to share their thoughts on these things, the tangential items to our obsession. Do you have any special fetish with bottle caps, know of someone that is doing creative things with packaging, have a beer bottle or coaster collection. 

Please post your contributions here by Friday, July 3, 2015. I will then post a roundup of all your entries.