HBJ CATCHES UP & CASHES OUT

I’m going to take a breather from beer writing and from the beer world in general for a short while, but don’t you worry – I’ll come back. I’d like to try & slowly get through the stash I’ve got sitting at home, and additionally make good on the desire to knock off a beer-driven pound or two. So without a lot of commentary, here’s what’s been sitting in the “notes” section of my cell phone, getting ready for the full-blown write-up on HBJ that never came:

MOONLIGHT TOAST (SLIGHTLY BURNED) MALT LIQUOR – Sampled at the Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco. Very good, not as great as last year’s; 6.2% ABV, amber/brown, fresh-tasting, medium hops, deep barley flavor. 8/10.

LION BREWERY RED ALE – Sampled at the Huether Hotel, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Notes say “standard amber”. 6/10.

GREEN FLASH SAISON – Sampled at the 21st Amendment Pub & Brewery, San Francisco. Wow! Great mild sourness, smooth, with tastes of lemon & clove. Best saison I’ve ever had. 9/10.

LAGUNITAS IMPERIAL RED – Sampled in a 12-ounce bottle at home. Like Boont Amber on ‘roids! Aggresively malted, sweet hops. Awesome. 8.5/10.

IRON SPRINGS SCOTCH ALE – Sampled at the Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco. Another stunner. Great thin-bodied red scotch ale with mild hops and a terrific taste. 8/10.

FULLER’S LONDON PORTER - Sampled at the Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco. Thin, creamy, and ultimately quite bland. 6.5/10.

Until next time, keep your feet on the ground & keep reaching for the stars.

VICTORY BREWING’S “GOLDEN MONKEY” TRIPEL

I found this at a Whole Foods in El Segundo, CA – right by the Los Angeles airport – while I was killing some time waiting for traffic on the 405 to clear. That’s some “LA talk” for those of you not from SoCal (I’m not either, but I’ve spent some quality time there in my day). Anyway, I figured I’d have to pick up a bottle of something to stash in my luggage, and given VICTORY BREWING’s stellar reputation – and my love for the bottle of their HOP DEVIL I had last November – I went with their GOLDEN MONKEY TRIPEL, maybe partially because of the little fella on the bottle. Now this beer says it’s “brewed with exotic spices from the East”. Whose east? New Jersey? The Orient? Well, as it turns out, this cloudy, yellowish/orange Belgian-style tripel was a lot less smooth and more astringent than I’d hoped for. Maybe it was those eastern Pennsylvania exotic spices? I didn’t get that warming feeling I like to get when I go for a tripel – just a sort of drab, “ehh” kind of envelopment. Good enough – but sometimes that’s not really good enough, you know what I mean? 6.5/10.

LET’S GO….DRINKING IN TORONTO

Another work-related trip that led to beer tasting in a new city – this time across international borders! I had one of those flights out that would have called for a beer or four in any case: lost luggage; a nearly-missed connecting flight, with an OJ-like sprint through the Denver airport; an hour at customs, followed by 45 more minutes at immigration; and a landing in Toronto that was followed by an abrupt stop and 5 fire trucks tearing toward our plane. “Nothing to worry about, just a minor issue with the plane”. Anyway, I made it to my hotel in the 14-degree weather alive yet without a coat (it was back in Denver sitting in my missing luggage), and I was dead set on heading to a gastropub/high-end beer restaurant called BEERBISTRO, a mere six cold blocks from my hotel. Looking like a total coatless, possibly mentally ill nerd, I headed out in the snow in search of great food and great beer. At BEERBISTRO, I found both, and had one of the most enjoyable gastronomic and drink-related evenings of the past few years, all whilst flying solo.

BEERBISTRO is in downtown Toronto, and is like any fantastic high-end restaurant in a major city with fish entrees, steaks and upscale salads & such – only instead of pairing everything with wine, it’s all about the beer. My food selections had a vaguely Asian theme, like the “Pilsner Maki Roll” and the Grilled Atlantic Salmon with wok-fried root vegetables, all of which were TOTALLY AMAZING. I really didn’t have to drink to walk away happy, but I drank nonetheless, deciding of course to “go local” and sample as many Ontario/Quebec beers as I could handle. By sample, I mean I had two pints and the rest truly were those 5-oz. sampler glasses.

Here’s what I learned about Ontario/Quebec beer:

DENNISON’S WEISSIER – Probably the single greatest wheat beer I’ve ever tasted, no lie. It makes RateBeer’s list of top 10 Canadian beers, as judged by its readers and contributors, so I’m obviously in good company with my enthusiasm. Smooth and with a subtle bite, this one tastes of bananas and spices, and is seriously as good as this style gets. I’m going to start a black market importation ring just to drink more of this. 9.5/10.

BLACK OAK NUT BROWN ALE – Dry finish, smooth brown ale that tastes of roasted malts and nuts. Medium-bodied and pretty damn good. 7.5/10.

ST. AMBROISE OATMEAL STOUT – This one also made that RateBeer list, but I wasn’t that into it. Very silky, slightly smoked-tasting, hints of mocha and maybe a little too bitter for my tastes. 6/10.

DURHAM HOP ADDICT – Excellent IPA! Aromatic like you wouldn’t believe – pine & grapefruit, with a restrained hop profile that makes this a very easy one to drink. Search it out when you’re in Ontario, eh! 8/10.

MILL STREET TANKHOUSE ALE – A very straightforward, well-balanced amber ale with a nice dose of hops that makes this a little bitter. Good, not great. 6.5/10.

GREAT LAKES WINTER ALE – Not the US-based GREAT LAKES BREWING, but the Ontario-based GREAT LAKES BREWING. Their winter ale pours a brownish-red, and has a nice hoppy bite with light spicing. Probably about 6-7% ABV. Fairly standard as 2007 Winter Ales go – it doesn’t add much to the conversation – but I liked it fine. 6.5/10.

I thought those six were a great introduction to the beers of the region, and there are a ton more where those came from at BEERBISTRO. Their beer list is spectacular, if a little highly-priced at times (a bomber of ROGUE IMPERIAL STOUT = $42.50; a bottle of PORT OLDER VISCOSITY = $49.97) – but you only need to follow my lead & go for what’s on tap and eat as much as your stomach allows. A perfect first night in frigid Toronto.

THE RETURN OF HOLIDAY SPICED ALE

You may recall a lot of blathering in this space last year about a certain HOLIDAY SPICED ALE from the 21ST AMENDMENT PUB & BREWERY in San Francisco, CA. See, we worked right down the street from said brewery at the time, and until we quit our job in a huff & moved on last August, it was the “go-to” place for lunchtime beer enjoyment. Thus, I got to know their winter beer quite well – and I loved it. Well, this brewery, which never bottles anything, bottles this one in very limited batches during wintertime – two years running! My pal Kyle picked up one for me this year, and I got to compare it to the 2006 edition the other day. These guys really have this one down. I think this year’s version is a bit thinner in body than last year’s, and yet it has this perfect amount of minimal spicing (nutmeg, clove and candy sugar) that just calls up a fantastic flavor. It is, and remains, my favorite beer these guys do, since it appears that the NORTH STAR RED has gone the way of the Buffalo. I was there just this past Saturday evening and all they have left of this ale is a commemorative t-shirt (no, really), but there’s always next year. Plan your December 2008 vacation now. 8/10.

I FOUND IT: SIERRA NEVADA’S CELEBRATION ALE ‘08

Sometimes an epiphany will arrive in the most unlikely place. Take for instance my trip to last night’s Golden State Warriors basketball game (a victory, of course – how strange it is to write those words). I reckoned I wasn’t going to drink anything once I arrived, let alone an $8 micro, but once I got there I took on the spirit of the arena & decided that one beer wouldn’t hurt anybody, let alone me. So I bellied up to the hot dog counter, and saw they were pulling SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION. Now, if you live in Northern California, you get a little jaded about Sierra Nevada beers. The flagship pale ale is everywhere, even in the worst sports or fern bar, and the others are fairly easy to come by (not BIGFOOT, but barleywine’s an acquired taste to be sure). Me, I’ve only had CELEBRATION once before, in 2006, and I liked it fine – so I said, “let’s do this”. What I didn’t know was that two glasses later I’d be calling this one of my favorite beers of the moment & certainly of the last couple years.

CELEBRATION ALE is everything I wish ANDERSON VALLEY BOONT AMBER still was. Crisp, hoppy, and smooth, with that ultra-fresh taste that I used to expect out of every Boont I drank (and I drank a lot of ‘em!) and that has unfortunately been lacking of late. CELEBRATION is Sierra Nevada’s winter ale, and you can certainly tell from the spices that are used to add zest to it. Some might be more tempted to call it an IPA, others a hopped-up amber. I’m good with all of those. It has just a wonderful mouthfeel, and although it’s trite to say it, “I could drink these all night”. I thought about how I could have improved it by wishing upon a star, and realized that I could not, in fact, improve it. That good. What a beer! 10/10.

ALPINE BEER'S “MANDARIN NECTAR”

I visited my sister in Santee, California over the holidays, mostly to spend time with her, but also because she lives near a fantastic liquor store called BEVERAGES 4 LESS that stocks microbrewed beers like you wouldn’t believe. It was there that she bought me a couple of bottles of ALPINE PURE HOPPINESS that we reviewed last year, and given ALPINE BEER CO.'s burgeoning reputation as a master brewery, I figured I had to stop in and try a few others. Amazingly, I passed up some LOST ABBEY treats while in this store like GIFT OF THE MAGI ALE, which I probably could’ve turned around on eBay for $30 (a beer! For $30!!). I was in the mood for Alpine, so stubbornly, that’s what I bought.

Too bad it was their MANDARIN NECTAR. I know, right? Mandarin Nectar??!? It’s just where my head was at the time. Alas, this ale tasted quite lager-ish, actually, and nothing like the witbier experience I was expecting. Mildly bitter, the way a Heineken is bitter. Yikes. Tastes of honey and orange, and certainly a refreshing beer – the sort that you’d slam with your bros at the game or on a patio in the afternoon. Not the highbrow microbrewed experience I needed to experience after passing up so many other treasures. Is it just me, or is it possible Alpine beers are a little “overrated”? 5.5/10.

IN LOVE WITH THE ROCHEFORTS

I’ve made no secret of my amore for TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 8, which might be the greatest beer in the world, let alone Belgium. TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 10 was outstanding, the one time I had it. I’ve now completed the trifecta and enjoyed – nay, adored, my first bottle of TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 6, a simply outstanding beer that’ll go on the Hedonist Beer Jive 35 next time I get around to updating it. Why, thou asks, is it so magical? Well, honestly, I expected the “6” would be the thinner, weaker version of its brethren – and how wrong I was. This strong, dark ale is creamy and very, very brown, with a thin wisp of white foam that stuck around on top of the beer the entire “length” of the glass. I drank in its rich notes of toffee, cherries and brown sugar. As it was winding down I cursed god & man & myself for not having another one around. What must this taste like on tap in Belgium? Belgium, are you out there? TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 6 – 9/10!

LET’S GO….DRINKING IN LAS VEGAS (PART III : BURGER BAR @ MANDALAY BAY)

Our final installment in last week’s Las Vegas beer hunting concludes with a visit to the MANDALAY BAY hotel’s in-house restaurant “BURGER BAR”. You know how I found out about this place, which happened to be in the very same hotel in which I was staying? BEER MAPPING, that’s how. Bookmark that site, and make it an invaluable piece of your life. I’d have to say that on the whole, I enjoyed my time in this establishment more than I did my sojourns to POUR 24 and THE FREAKIN’ FROG, and it’s one I’d be likely to hit up again – since they made a burger that was friggin’ out of this world. This is one of many restaurants within this massive hotel/casino/shopping mall, and it appears to cater toward the more “low end” of the market, while still being a semi-fancy, somewhat expensive place to get a hamburger and frites. People within the establishment appeared to be having a great time, as we were, and while they had a little Monday night football going on the TVs, it was definitely more of a “lounge” feel than it was “sports bar”. You know what I mean?

But we’re here to talk about beer, am I right? Then let’s go to it! They have quite a solid selection of draft (25+) and bottled (another couple dozen) ales and lagers, and I, once again, was able to tackle two that I’d never tried before. Though it was January, I apparently was still stuck back on Christmas 2007:

DELIRIUM NOEL – From the makers of DELIRIUM TREMENS, the well-regarded but somewhat dubiously-named Belgian beer that I enjoyed the sole time I had it. This Holiday beer pokes its head out every year, and it was on tap at BURGER BAR. As I often say when I encounter the mysterious, wonderful beers of Belgium, this one was, uh, “very Belgian”. A high-ABV, thick and high-malt winter ale, deep brown and mildly sweet. It thickens the saliva, shall we say, and has an undercurrent of crisp malty tastes and lighter fruits. Make these guys two for two – this one was quite delicious. 7.5/10.

ANCHOR CHRISTMAS ALE 2007 – Finally! This beer from my hometown that always seemed to be out of stock or “tapped” when I tried to get it! Several beer aficionados had told me this year’s was the best batch in many a moon, and I was in no place to argue since I figured I wasn’t gonna have one. Drinking the Anchor Christmas Ale is an annual tradition in the Hinman house, right up there with Chinese food on Xmas Eve and buying all the gifts online & not setting foot in any stores for 6 weeks. So how was it this year? Whoa. Blacker and darker than night, and quite a bit heavier than the past. I believe it was more leaden even than that Delirium Noel. Incredibly aromatic, like trees! Fresh cut Christmas trees, I kid you not! Is this a return to the fabled ANCHOR SPRUCE that I once drank a 6-pack of with a friend, but that no one seems to remember? Hey, I like how these guys mix it up every year and always have a different ale ready for the holiday season. That I happened not to think that this one was a major, major victory should not mean much – it was good enough on this Monday night at the Burger Bar, and I figuratively bid 2007 adieu when the last drop was poured. On to next (this) year. 7/10.

LET’S GO....DRINKING IN LAS VEGAS (PART TWO: POUR 24)

After a hard day on my dogs all day in Las Vegas last Monday, what I needed more than anything was a cold, refreshing ultra-scarce microbrewed craft beer that I’d never had before. I’d been reading one of those ridiculous all-advertising throwaway “Vegas lifestyle” magazines at lunch, and there was a pseudo-writeup about a place called POUR 24 in the New York, New York Hotel, a place with lots of taps and a commitment to quality beer. It sounded like my kinda place at 4pm on a Monday. I checked it out. Here’s what I found.

POUR 24 is really just a little non-enclosed island in the most heavily-trafficked portion of the hotel, the place where all the shops are that people hurry by on their way to lose a bunch of money. A simple, fairly unobtrusive bar with some stools and a view over the main “trading floor”. I liked it. In Las Vegas, like the FREAKIN’ FROG I wrote about yesterday, this classifies as an oasis, though being smack dab in a casino and on the Strip makes it both highly visible and very noisy. I saddled up with a STONE RUINATION, just a fantastic beer and one I’d only had once before. I’m willing to raise my 7.5/10 up to an 8.5/10 now, as this pint was totally worth savoring – an intense IPA that nonetheless has a very clean, fresh, moderately smooth mouthfeel and a sparkling, tingling dose of hops. Unlike any other IPA I know of, though for sure its differences are subtle. It’s like it has the potential to overwhelm, and yet it’s so well-crafted and so juicy just doesn’t, and one could even imagine non-beer dorks enjoying it. Now that’s quality. Again, 8.5/10.

After going bananas for BRECKENRIDGE BREWING’s CHRISTMAS ALE just a month or so ago, I saw that Pour 24 had their OATMEAL STOUT on tap and I got all excited inside. Well stow me for a lubber, but this is just not a very good beer. An unpleasant, astringent, unsmooth concoction of roasted malts and deep dark jungle flavors, I found Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout a bit of a chore to get through. It was either that or my hotel room and a bunch of work that was beckonging, so I stayed with it, but it wasn’t easy. 4.5/10. Hard to imagine this being from the same folks who made that CHRISTMAS ALE this year – now that one was the bomb.

With regard to POUR 24 – well - when in Vegas, lord help you, this little nook is as good a bet as any for beer geekdom.

LET’S GO…..DRINKING IN LAS VEGAS (PART 1: THE FREAKIN’ FROG)

Like 140,000 other global villagers, I joined the herd and descended upon Las Vegas last week for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. This is, I’m told, the largest trade show on earth, and it’s painfully obvious that even a hotel-overloaded city like Vegas can barely handle the throng that arrive every year, and the show itself is just way too much for any mortal to conquer. Adding to the cognitive dissonance is the fact that the worldwide porn industry’s annual trade show also takes place at the same time, so this most artificial of cities is also loaded with artificial women and sleazebag dudes, competing sleazily with you for taxis and tables. Me, I did what I needed to do work-wise in this horrid place, and freed up some time to check out some Las Vegas watering holes to slake my great thirst. As luck would have it, I read a profile in DRAFT MAGAZINE on my flight into town about a bar called THE FREAKIN’ FROG, so that’s where I headed upon touching down.

Now everyone know that Las Vegas sucks, and quite honestly so does this bar, but in Vegas it counts as a friggin’ oasis. Boasting the worst name ever of any bar, THE FREAKIN’ FROG says that they have the largest beer selection west of the Mississippi. They just might, though most of it is in bottles. The name is so bad I turned a couple shades of crimson upon mentioning it to the cab driver, and as we left The Strip, he was totally puzzled as to where we were going. Well, the bar is out by the UNLV campus, maybe 5 miles from the Strip, located right smack dab in a mini-mall. Please see my camera phone photos here to get a sense of its general “ambiance”. Sometimes I think I should be part of the Rick Sellers school of affability and never say anything bad about people in beer industry, but.....there was no one there on a Sunday night except for the local white trash (with all due respect) and a gaggle of goth girls. Mood in the place was alternating between buoyant and terrifying – something about Las Vegas in general is scary, like there’s an army of lunatics around every corner (and there probably is). Good thing is the Freakin’ Frog employs one of the nicest and most helpful bartenders I’ve ever encountered – a helpful, patient and interesting fella who walked me through their menu and shucked and jived with me about beer in general. The place says they have 700 bottles of beer, but I counted something closer to 200-300, and most of the good ones didn’t have prices, they just said “reserve”. I believe that’s akin to when you see “A.Q.” on a dinner menu. To me it means, “don’t ask”. I stuck with what was on tap instead. Here’s what I tried:

WITTEKERKE – This is a classic Belgian wit (white) ale, a style I try almost every chance I get. Smooth and very simple, this exceptionally pale (almost opaque!) white/golden beer could be drunk by the bucketful. Fairly aromatic, with light spicing and a general overall tang, not unlike a lemon/white grape mash with a bit of coriander and pepper cracked into the glass. I liked it – one of the most simple and straightforward Belgian beers I’ve ever tried. 7/10.

TENAYA CREEK IMPERIAL STOUT – I thought about getting out to the TENAYA CREEK BREWERY while in Vegas, but it was too far from the hotel and the cab alone would’ve been something like $35 each way (ouch, even when it’s not my money). So I tried one of their beers here instead, going with the IMPERIAL STOUT they had on tap at the ‘Frog. I’ll admit that I’m less of a partisan for the Russian/Imperial Stout style than others are – than I am, say, for a Dubbel, Tripel, IPA or Winter ale – I’ve only had a few that really blew me away, with STONE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT being the most memorable. This one had a more muted roasted tastes compared to firebreathers like OLD RASPUTIN or the STONE beer; it is an 8.9% ABV beer, so it’ll put hair on yer chest, but it is somewhat restrained and even a little sweet. It actually was fairly tasty, though less “interesting”, as it were, as it warmed. I’ll go with 7/10 on this one as well.

Next in our series: POUR 24!

BELIEVING AND LIVING THE ALASKAN SMOKED PORTER HYPE

All these years of being an ALASKAN AMBER fan & I’ve never tried the one beer that every beer partisan seems to be raising the flag for: ALASKAN SMOKED PORTER. The day after I had my first one, esteemed beer scribe William Brand called it his “beer of the week”, and that’s sayin’ something. This particular porter is a hearty concoction, almost unthinkable in the summer and just about perfect for January. If I’m not mistaken, it is a seasonal, meaning 2007-08 production is finished and you’d better get searching for it soon. You know in all fairness, I actually found ALASKAN SMOKED PORTER to be a thinner-bodied, most easy-sippin’ beer than I’d reckoned it would be. The beer is a black bomb, darker than the darkest man cave, yet ultimately welcoming and delicious to down. It has smoky (no surprise), roasty (no surprise) malts than figuratively dance upon the tongue and sides of yer gullet, and updates the German rauchbier style with a distinctly American dose of hops. I really enjoyed it, and am going to put a reminder in my Outlook calendar to buy a bomber of this every December. 8/10.

FIRESTONE WALKER'S UNION JACK IPA

Not until I checked my tasting notes for this one, which exclaimed that this IPA "tasted English", did I make the correlation to the name of the beer itself: UNION JACK IPA, from our central coast heroes FIRESTONE WALKER BREWING. This restrained and gently-hopped India Pale Ale was tasted on tap at San Francisco's Toronado a couple of weeks ago, and was a wake-up call that Firestone Walker actually have all these strange-ass small batch beers that only hit the quality beer bars and are not bottled - so if you see one, drink up! Loved this one - hoppy and piney in taste (as opposed to citrus/grapefruit), with medium carbonation. I found it to be a bit "chewy". Someone out there must know what makes a beer chewy - I don't. UNION JACK IPA is fairly muted and straightforward, but classic all the way, and something you'd be proud to drink in olde country or right in the US of A. 8/10.

IN THE SUDS WITH DE RANKE’S “PERE NOEL”

Like many festive holiday lovers, I bought the “Christmas in Belgium” 5-bottle gift pack the order day – not as a gift, mind you, but so I could drink the beers therein. Actually the main reason I did so was to try out this PERE NOEL beer I’d been reading about from the DE RANKE BREWERY in Belgium; the word on the street was that it was a good ‘un, so naturally it’s the first one I went for. Color me only mildly impressed. It’s an outrageously hoppy beer to my tastes, and much stronger in almost every manner than its 7% alcohol-by-volume indicates. That said, this tripel-ish beer is somewhat too bitter and dare I say SOAPY for my tastes. I dug the tingly sensation from the hops, and I could see where this orange/goldenrod-colored ale could get a few Belgian beer lovers to click their clogs together. Then I read the review of it over at SEVENPACK and got scared – they used the word “soapy” as well, and I thought it was just me. Am I being too generous with my 6/10 rating? This might be one to pass over as you look to clean out the Christmas supply at your local beer store this week.

STONE 11TH – MORE DUBBEL THAN IPA

Around September all sorts of hoopla was being raised about STONE BREWING’s 11TH ANNIVERSARY ALE, and deservedly so, 10th ANNIVERSARY ALE notwithstanding. One can almost always count on STONE to come up with some creative, style-bursting concoction to confound and amaze. I tasted the 9TH ANNIVERSARY ALE a couple of years ago near the end of its shelf life and was dazzled; didn’t dig the 10th, but hey, it happens. So when the 11th came out, there was some talk going around. “It’s a black double IPA – how did they do that?”. “It’s a hop monster, but it’s black!”. “It’s amazing”. “It’s overrated”. Thankfully, I’m here to provide the final word on STONE 11th ANNIVERSARY ALE.

After inhaling a burst of alcohol fume, and then ingesting that hot, face-reddening fusel taste with my first few sips, I knew this wasn’t to be a beer for the meek. Oh Stone, must you always prove your masculinity so overtly? Still, once you incorporate that high-ABV taste onto your palette, it’s easy to settle down and enjoy this one. It’s certainly more “Belgian” that I’d heard, and if they called it a dubbel instead of a black Double IPA I wouldn’t blink an eyelash. It’s quite chewy and thick-tasting, and there are times that that works for me, and times it doesn’t. I’m on the fence here, as drinkability suffers a bit from the high alcohol and chewiness. Flavors are deep and rich, with some licorice and perhaps some burnt grain tastes leading the way, and certainly malts like you wouldn’t believe. Pretty satisfying. 7/10.

CHRISTMAS IN HALF MOON BAY

What do you know about Half Moon Bay, California? Well, I’ll tell you what I know. This “sleepy little hamlet” is a foggy beach town about 30 minutes south of San Francisco, and is a mix of working- and middle-class sea worshippers. They have this big-ass pumpkin festival every year, and it’s the place to take the kids for pre-Halloween pumpkin shenanigans. Recently the town has been threatened with bankruptcy due to some ill-fated decision to declare some private property as “wetlands” , which brought the wrath of both the developer and the courts, and has resulted in a judgment that may, in fact, force the town close its doors and become of unincorporated part of the county. Oh, and it’s the home of HALF MOON BAY BREWING, and has been for many years.

Recently I tried my first HALF MOON BAY BREWING beer in many a Harvest moon. (pictured here is their IPA, courtesy of William Brand). It’s the winter seasonal, and it’s called OLD SOULSTICE. Good name. It pours a very glassy, opaque dark brown, and from the get-go is the embodiment of a “winter warmer”. A little syrupy, with some hop tingling. It has light spicing that reeks (in a good way) of dark fruits and maybe some nutmeg. I honestly thought it was mediocre through the first half of the pint, and then pretty damn good as it warmed. A “strong finisher”, you might say. And I’ll probably never, ever find it again, nor will you. But wait – it’s on tap at San Francisco’s Toronado! Perhaps there’s a little at the bottom of the keg for ya. 6.5/10.

THE BEER RETARD WEIGHS IN

Check out fellow beer blogger THE BEER RETARD – he’s got a couple of posts that ring some bells. First, his Top Beers of 2007 post, which has a little overlap with mine, and all of the “OCD” (and then some!) you’ve also come to expect from my site. Nice work – and a few Northwestern beers we’ll have to try next time in Seattle. Second, his 2008 Beer Resolutions. Ah, I too often get this manic about my hobbies, including that of craft beer. I certainly know the feeling – I listen to a podcast like Pacific Brew News or read a site like Summer of Beer and all of a sudden I’ve convinced myself that a couple beers every night’ll be no problem.

I’ll tell you what, though, my sole 2008 beer resolution is to “reduce the impact of beer upon the middle of my body, up to and including a reduction in consumption”. I wish it weren’t true, but I promised myself “no spare tire” when I took up increased beer drinking and cataloguing as an avocation. I intend to stick by it. I think the spate of articles I’ve read in the “beer press” about beer being good for your health and whatnot – or not contributing to weight gains – are mere equivocation & apology for what is, at its core, a fairly unhealthy activity unless accompanied by a rigid exercise routine and healthy, low-calorie eating across the board. I’m rooting for The Beer Retard to meet all of his goals, and I’m rooting for myself as well. And for you. Happy new year!

AN IPA TO CLING TO YOUR BOSOM

The single best thing I got out of my multi-bottle order with LIQUID SOLUTIONS was this outstanding IPA from small brewer TERMINAL GRAVITY BREWING, who are based in the bustling metropolis of Enterprise, Oregon. Never heard of ‘em! Well, I hope they start getting some play in the beer press, and I promise to do my part. Their TERMINAL GRAVITY IPA is a wonderful beer. Very fresh-tasting, with a resiny, piney mouthfeel that coats the tongue and the rest of the mouth for a good twenty second after a swig. It’s an orange-colored brew, and it tingles like there’s no tomorrow, but is not at all “too much”. A very classic IPA that I’d love to make a go-to beer if it ever showed up on shelves in California. Anyone want to make that happen for me? 8.5/10.

DE PROEF & PORT BREWING’S “SIGNATURE ALE”

I reported a while back on this one, which I tried for the first time at a birthday shindig (mine), and which I was pretty damn sure was going to be one of my fave beers of all time once I tried it under slightly more, uh, “sober” circumstances. At that same birthday gathering I was presented with a CITY BEER gift certificate that I used to buy myself my own $13 (!!!) bottle of SIGNATURE ALE, which is a collaboration between Belgium’s DE PROEF BREWING (De Proefbrouwerij) and American rockstar master brewer Tomme Arthur of LOST ABBEY and PORT BREWING. One of those rare, one-time-only ales that often justify themselves if you close your eyes and pretend it’s someone else’s money, which in this case it kinda was.

SIGNATURE ALE is a strong, rich golden/orange color, and right away you’re hit with a distinct tang of apples & sour Brettanomyces flavor. It’s not a “sour ale” by any means, but it’s definitely got a wild and aged feel to it. Signature Ale is quite effervescent, actually, and has a big-ass foamy head that takes some time to calm down before you can even get to that first gulp. Really tangy, with some light spices. Somehow not the epiphany it was the first time I tried it, and hate to say it, probably not worth what you gotta pay to get a bottle. Still, I’ll give it a 7.5/10, and if you ever encounter it on tap (good luck!), go for it.

HOLIDAY BLEAR FROM ROGUE

What is it about ROGUE BREWING? These guys were among the pioneers of the second wave of American craft brewing, and they are one of the breweries that helped tip me from a craft beer dabbler into a full-blown aficionado. There was a time, maybe the mid-90s, where my two favorite brewers on the planet were ANDERSON VALLEY and ROGUE. But more and more often I’m finding their 21st Century beers to be lacking, except on the few occasions where they’re not. This year, I’m afraid, they take the award for worst 2007 Christmas Beer. The 2007 SANTA’S PRIVATE RESERVE was an exceptionally strange brew that was consumed under duress last week, with the duress being caused by my almost pathological desire to finish the beer and find some joy in it. It did not work. Santa’s Private Reserve, alas, is a blend of very weak malts that produce an odd balance, not unlike something sloshed together in a tank on a long road trip, with the hope that something interesting might come out at the end of the journey. It did not. Hops are quite strong and they bite pretty hard, but they don’t satisfy. There was no winter warming going on here, just anger, frustration and bitterness. Ouch. 4/10.

A TRIP TO THE TRAPPIST

After a couple of false starts, I finally strode triumphantly through the doors of Oakland, California’s new gathering place THE TRAPPIST on Wednesday night. (Click here to read our interview with Aaron Porter of The Trappist, whom we actually met in person Wednesday as well). The bar seeks to recreate the upscale bit intimate vibe of a Brussels or Antwerp or Ghent pub, and serves nothing but the finest ales from Belgium, with a few Yankee brews thrown in for balance. Having never been to Belgium, I can’t say how well they nailed it, but those in the know say this place is the real deal. They’ve got a contraption right there, built into the bar itself, that power-washes each glass before the beer is poured. Of course, the glass has already been washed in the back, but THE TRAPPIST takes an almost fetishistic approach to cleanliness, which is certainly admirable and which greater mortals than I have opined is the one of the sacred keys to a great-tasting beer. Hear hear!

There were about a dozen or so beers on tap, so I picked out four I’d never had for a “sampler”, where the drinker puts down $12 for four 5-ounce tastes. I felt that was more than fair, considering the beers available. You can gather a pretty good impression over 5 ounces – that’s at least 6 sips and 6 gulps by my count. Here’s what I tried:

KONINGSHOEVEN TRAPPIST QUADRUPEL – a big, bold 10% ABV quadrupel, which is a style we absolutely love over here, and from one of the few true Trappist monasteries to boot. You can taste that alcohol immediately, and it’s a very sweet but complex beer, with fruit tastes and lots of character. 7.5/10

LAS RULLES CUVEE MEILLEURS VOEUX XMAS – bit of a disappointment here. More dry that I had expected for a Belgian Christmas ale, without much pizzazz or flavor. Smooth, and clean-tasting, but that was about it. 6/10

ST. BERNARDUS WIT – A really understated, whiter-than-white ale from the mad faux monks of St. Bernardus. Really thin-bodied, and piled high with notes & scents of orange and lemon. Hard to argue with a witbier this classic. 7.5/10

BRASSERIE D’ACHOUFFE LA CHOUFFE – The night’s winner was this excellent Belgian strong pale ale, which was absolutely delicious. Tasting of apples and darker fruits like plums & figs, LA CHOUFFE has this awesome “pillowy” feel to it, and is a real treat than I’m going to be seeking out as much as possible. 8.5/10

After that lineup I needed something that was going to calm, not challenge, so I went for a brand new beer/brewery on the local scene, LINDEN STREET COMMON LAGER. These guys just opened up in Oakland as well, within 5 miles of The Trappist, and this is their first beer. I’m not much a lager guy, and this one, which was touted as being much like a “steam beer” or California Common, didn’t really do it for me. Clean but bitter, and mildly reminding me of cigarettes. Not “steam-like” at all, if steam-like means Anchor Steam, which it does to 99.9% of us. 5.5/10.

Trappist trivia: proprietor Chuck Stilphen, the other half of the Trappist team, used to be in 80s punk band GANG GREEN, but, alas, not on the “BOSTON NOT L.A.” material – more the skateboard ramp/Budweiser-era Gang Green. Anyhow, you gotta get yourself to this bar, it’s fantastic, and well worthy all of pre-hype that we & others threw at it.

O TO HAVE ANOTHER BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY CHRISTMAS ALE

I only had room in my suitcase for a couple of small bottles when I escaped Colorado a few weeks ago, and one of the chosen few was this 12-ounce gem from BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY from the ski town of the same name. Their CHRISTMAS ALE is as fine an elixir as you’ll fine anywhere this time of year. It has just this fantastic interaction of malts, and an exceptionally “Christmasy” taste that is coy enough to not overwhelm. It’s mild clove n’ figgy pudding spicing does a great job counteracting what tastes like a massive alcohol wallop, but is in fact a “mere” 7.4% of warming ABV. But hey, don’t believe me, believe the folks over at DRAFT MAGAZINE:

This winter, when it is chilly and you are trying to warm your spirit, make sure to get yourself a hearty and strong Christmas Ale from Breckenridge. A clear mahogany color and a frothy beige head are clear indications of the quality brew you are about to enjoy. The spiciness of the hops is apparent in the aroma and is surprisingly evident in the initial taste as well. The flavor soon mellows into a warming malty concoction with some raisin and pear sweetness. The mouthfeel remains full through the entire experience and is balanced well with the carbonation. This beer is best imbibed the year it is made to avoid any oxidation issues that may occur if more than a few months have passed.

Outstanding. Hedonist Beer Jive says 8.5/10.

“CAN’T YOU JUST TASTE THE SNOW CAP”

For many years I’ve been a Winter Beer freak, and every year for at least a dozen years, that’s meant a trek to San Francisco’s TORONADO, which marks each of its Christmas ales with a decorative bow stuck on the board next to each holiday beer. In the early days, i.e. the mid-90s, one of the perennials that everyone always had to buy a 6-pack of & get on draught was PYRAMID BREWING’s SNOW CAP. I remember being in Seattle for grad school in 1997 and planning a trip back to SF & The Toronado via email with a friend, who kept mercilessly baiting me w/ emails, “Mmm….can’t you just taste the Snow Cap….” etc etc. (not like we couldn’t get it in Seattle, but it always tasted better “back home”). Nowadays no one seems to give PYRAMID any respect whatsoever, which seems kinda wrong to me, especially after reacquainting myself with SNOW CAP recently. Damn, this could end up being in 2007’s top five winter ales for sure – sure, it’s got a fairly thin body and a very mild head o’ foam, but with its light spicing and hearty blend of malts, this is Christmas done right. It has, despite its rich and soothing taste, what we call in the trade as “slammability”. The folks with whom I shared a six-pack weren’t beer dorks by any means, but not only were they totally raving about it, they were looking to me for cues as to whether or not that was appropriate. To me? Me? Sure, it’s great! SNOW CAP 2007 = 8/10!

THE REVAMPED HEDONIST BEER JIVE RATINGS GUIDE

I started this site waaaaay back in February 2006 with an eye toward cataloguing all my recent and ongoing beer conquests, and assigning a numerical “grade” to them, much as a pencil-necked geek does to any one of a number of his geeky obsessions. Alas, it is who I am. I have long since made my peace with it. I decided that each craft beer that I consumed could actually be scored on a 0-10 scale, and that each of these numbers could be effectively defined. I even published an initial guide to our ratings system.

As it turns out, given the high quality of most beers I enjoy (thank god), it’s incredibly rare to find a beer in the 0-4 range. I’ve probably given out a half-dozen of those, tops. Even raspberry wheat and apricot beers, when made by a craft-brewing master, typically fall into the 5-7 range. If I were grading on the curve, with only those beers I tasted falling into the overall bucket, even some critical favorites would be forced to fall onto the wrong side of “5” - but that’s not really fair. We’re comparing these beers against the mass of beer sold all over the world, most of which, as you know is crap.

For the purposes of this site, let’s define the “mean” score – i.e. 5 – as a “fair” craft beer, drinkable for the most part, but one we’re not likely to pursue again. With that, another attempt to explain the beer ratings that we provide to you, our customers:

10: An exceptional, world-class beer that is among the small handful of the best I've ever had. This beer has qualities the likes of which are rarely seen. Reserved only for the greats, like TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 8 and MOYLAN’S HOPSICKLE.

9-9.5: A knockout, stellar beer that I'd drink again anytime, anywhere. Easily among the top 5% of beers that have ever crossed my lips. Perfect representative beer: Russian River Damnation

8-8.5: Delicious, eye-opening beer of superlative quality and craft, worthy of recommendation many times over, just not as revelatory as a 9, 9.5 or a 10. Perfect representative beer: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout

7-7.5: Very good beers that I can and will recommend and drink repeatedly with pleasure, just lacking that je ne sais quoi that keeps it from the true heavyweights. Seems like most everything I drink falls into this bucket. Perfect representative beer: Anchor Steam

6-6.5: A good microbrew, usually best tasted once before moving on to something else, with the thought that maybe it might get ordered again somewhere down the road. Perfect representative beer: Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale

5-5.5: A disappointment or something just not that worthy. Drinkable, and that's about it. Perfect representative beer: Lagunitas IPA

3-4.5: Don’t like it. Doesn’t taste good. Don’t want it again. Often a craft beer that just failed, or perhaps a macro lager that’s better that all the other macro lagers, but still sucks. Perfect representative beer: Stone Double Bastard Ale

1-2.5: A crap beer that I will never drink again & will berate you repeatedly not to either. Perfect representative beer: Gale’s Christmas Ale

0-0.5: Blatz, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors Light, etc. Perfect representative beer: Corona Light

HEY GUIDO! CHECK OUT THIS DE REGENBOOG

Ever since my college pal Kirstin poured me a fluffy (and incredibly expensive) glass of DE REGENBOOG ‘T SMISJE DUBBEL last April at the Toronado, I’ve felt like this Belgian brewery was my little secret. No longer. Their beers are being heavily imported into the United States this year, and I’ve seen them pop up at multiple beer emporiums across greater California. Fantastic news, as their beers are complex, bold, flavorful concoctions just a little bit different from everyone else’s. This bottle of DE REGENBOOG GUIDO was no exception, and I’m a better man for having drunk it. GUIDO, like all bottled De Regenboog products, comes in those ‘lil 11-ounce bottles that are just so “spunky”-n-cute. It has a really cool, intense, sour tartness initially, and then like magic, the taste then transforms into a much more smooth and even honey-sweet sort of lovin’. The sourness lingers on the roof of the mouth, balanced with toffee and raisin flavors. The mild opaque brown color of the beer is deceptive, as it’s formulated in a manner that makes this quite a “chewy” beer. I think you know what I’m talking about. 7.5/10.

AN AWFUL RUMOR CLAIMS A VICTIM

I wrote a thing a few months ago about trying (and disliking) a popular West Coast beer at a certain East Bay, California-area beer bar, and received a very curious email. The fella that wrote it told me that the establishment in question has a terrible reputation for not cleaning its taps, an allegation that, if true, would probably damage any standing and cred the place has with beer drinkers across the San Francisco Bay Area. He claimed that identical beers tasted on tap in two different locations frequently tasted fantastic at one bar, while woefully stale/unfresh at the alleged tap-neglecters - and that sources “in the know” knew for a fact that the dirty lines were not being cleaned. If there’s one thing I’ve been convinced of in readings over the past year, it’s that bars have an obligation to clean out their beer tap lines at least every two weeks, lest beers come out tasting foul, cloudy or flat. Any place that’s not adhering to this will almost certainly lose my business, and probably yours too.

I was inclined not to believe the hype (as Anne Frank said, “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart”), having as I did an excellent ALLAGASH WHITE at the bar in question not too long ago. Taps have to be clean to serve up a beer that great, right? Then there was my trip there last week. I tried an AVERY WHITE RASCAL, which I absolutely loved when I had it in a bottle, and……eww. Totally bland, flat & boring, with almost none of the intense witbier flavors I enjoyed just a month or two ago. Could it be true? I ordered an EJ PHAIR PALE ALE. EJ PHAIR are a Concord, CA-based brewery whose beers I’ve never explored, and I’d heard good things. The pale ale was the one they started the brewery with. How bad could it be? Well, my notes say, “thin, grassy, weak”. I scored it a 5/10, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s not entirely fair. What if each beer came served with micro-organisms, bacteria and sediment? What if…..the rumor was true?? Anybody?

UPDATE: We received this from our original correspondent. It could be a case of nitrogen – not unclean taps…..oh, and for those who’ve asked why I haven’t named the bar in question? Because they could be wholly innocent, and these strange-tasting beers could be flukes. If you really want to know, just click on the links in the post and it’s pretty easy to figure out. Anyway, here’s some postscript from our correspondent:

Just read your post from today with interest as I am the one who originally reported the tap/lines issue some months back at ______. I found out later that a good friend (same guy, one who drinks there all the time) asked them about it again and it was explained that they have to use nitrogen (more so than usual, if any other places use it at all, my understanding is that CO2 was the method) in order to get the beers to the taps because of where all the kegs are kept. I don't know exactly where they keep their kegs. I do know, however, that this would seem to make sense because it's always been this similar fizzy, lightly carbonated (and not in a good way, almost like soda) taste/sense that I always seem to notice in the guest beers there. I still drink there from time to time because it's so close to home and right by BART, live music, great patio etc, and I have never failed to notice this flavor/sense/taste. I go to Barclay's, Toronado, Lanesplitter quite often so I know how these beers are supposed to taste, something surely isn't right there. In the meantime, I've also spoken to some friends I met recently at Barclay's and they have absolutely noticed the same thing so I know I'm not alone.

PELICAN PUB’S “INDIA PELICAN ALE”

I think it was a year ago that PELICAN PUB & BREWERY took a whole boatload of honors at the Great American Beer Festival, bringing pride and honor to the small town of Pacific City, Oregon. Now I’ve actually spend some quality time in Pacific City, in 1999 I believe it was, and somehow I missed the brewery (which was open) during our trip down the west coast. We got to ROGUE in Newport City, NORTH COAST in Fort Bragg, CA and ANDERSON VALLEY in Boonville, CA, but PELICAN was not yet on our beerdar. As I understand it, though, these guys are starting to explode a bit based on their outstanding ales – and are even putting on a beer dinner next month in San Francisco on January 18th. Be that as it may, I got my first wind of ‘em just a couple of weeks ago, when I opened up a big bottle of INDIA PELICAN ALE and let it flow. Man, what an excellent IPA. Light, refreshing, and yet every bit as robust as your typical west coaster. The taste was balanced to near-perfection, with both a grassy chewiness and a citrus burst to it that was more than welcome. Consensus among the two of us who were drinking it that contra to many IPAs, this is one you could have over and over again in a big pint glass at a bar, without feeling too tongue-tied or worked over afterward. Drunk, maybe. Satisfied, for sure. Best IPA in weeks! 8.5/10!

TWO MIDDLERS FROM BOULDER BEER

Before the past week I’d had two very positive experiences with beer from Colorado’s BOULDER BEER – a nice MOJO IPA we had on tap in New York (7.5/10), and an incredible HAZED & INFUSED that we, uh, had on tap in New York (9/10). So I figured it made sense to grab a couple more from their lineup and see where it took us. First one I found is called COLD HOP, and they say it is a British-style ale. Now if I had this one on tap in the Mother Country, I admit I’d be a little surprised. It dances around the tongue quite a bit, and has much more of a bittering bite than your typical UK ale. The dominant taste – which to be honest wasn’t all that dominant – was grapefruit. Not particularly exciting, but decent – something that I’d probably pass on given the chance again. 5.5/10.

As you may have read, I was in Denver over the Thanksgiving break, and managed to sneak a couple of locally-brewed bottles into my luggage to be consumed at home. I got a bottle of BOULDER BEER’s NEVER SUMMER at a store called the Colorado Liquor Mart – the store even had a rep from Boulder Beer standing in the aisle, and it was she who pointed me over to said beer. Hey, she had a nice smile (or something). This holiday/Christmas ale has a medium body and fairly light spicing – what kind, you ask? Oh you know, that “holiday” spicing so popular around this time of year. Caramel malts are the backbone of the beer, and it all sorta combines in a strange, somewhat jarring way. I wouldn’t call it pleasant, nor would I call it annoying. It just is. 6/10.

I expected more from my Coloradan friends, but it may be that I debuted my relationship with them with their two best beers, and am now getting into the rest of the lineup - the “middlers”, you might say.

DRINKING ACROSS AMERICA

Here’s one take on the Top 25 Microbreweries in the country. Some definite ringers in there, though one might argue they’re somewhat out of order. Thoughts?

AN INTERVIEW WITH AARON PORTER OF THE TRAPPIST

Tonight, Friday December 7th, is the opening night of Oakland, California-based Belgian-themed beer bar THE TRAPPIST, and the kids, as they say, are waaay psyched. You probably will be as well – get a load of this opening night beer list. THE TRAPPIST is the product of many, many months’ planning and hard labor, and obviously many years of hardcore Belgian beer enthusiasm (though a few local and US micros will be served as well). It’s in a fantastic and burgeoning part of “Old Oakland”, right by a BART (subway) station, and having driven by it before it opened, it just flat-out looks cool.

We caught up over email with one of the bar’s two proprietors, Aaron Porter, and asked him a few questions about what looks to be a new home away from home for many Bay Area beer lovers:

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: What led you to open a Belgian-themed beer bar in Oakland, particularly one as ambitious at The Trappist appears to be?

AARON PORTER: We love Oakland! Oakland seemed like the right spot...for practical reasons, but also for beer reasons...there’s a lot of people in the east bay that are fanatical about beer...there’s tons of great places to go...both here in the east bay and in SF, but Oakland is central and easily accessible...The Trappist is located near 3 major freeways, 4 blocks from BART...and close to home. We looked in SF for a space...but nothing seemed quite right...Chuck happened upon our tiny 10’-0” wide space and it just simply felt right. We like the pace of Oakland...we like the people, we like the way things work over here.

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: Have either of you run businesses before, and if so, what are you bringing from those experiences to this one?

AARON PORTER: Chuck has another business he’s been running for 10+ years...he owns and operates rehearsal spaces for bands...Oakland and in Sacramento. He has a tremendous amount of operational experience as well as tons of construction experience. I work in architecture as a self-employed freelancer w/ background in construction. Our combined experience gave us confidence to try and put The Trappist together.

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: Why do you think Oakland and the greater Bay Area will embrace The Trappist right now? Is this a time that’s particularly ripe for such a bar?

AARON PORTER: We think so...there a plenty of great bars that have wonderful beer lists...many that have great Belgian beer lists...but we wanted to create a space that we wanted to be in...a place we would want to go to...a place that reminded us of our favorite bars in Amsterdam and Belgium...both architecturally and in terms of the beer...We are doing the things we appreciate about the places we visit on our trips...these are things you don’t yet see that often here...and we’d love to see it more. We think (and hope) that people will feel the way we do about these things...people that haven’t maybe had a chance to travel the places we’ve been will hopefully get the vibe, a kind of armchair experience...those that have been to Belgium, etc...they will hopefully get it...be transported to a degree...we’ll see...so far Oakland likes us!

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: Some of the bottles you’ve listed on previous versions of your web site are among the most rare and hard-to-get Belgians in the US. How are you cobbling together such an incredible selection of tap and bottled beers?

AARON PORTER: It’s been a lot of work...we have to be annoying to some extent...pressure proves beneficial to a degree...but also, since we’re specializing we have people looking out for us, digging through their warehouses and garages...we have to be resourceful.

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: What’s your aim for a typical night at The Trappist? Put another way, do you have a demographic you’re shooting for, and what are you doing to reach those folks?

AARON PORTER: We think we’re going to get a very mixed crowd... it’s hard to say...but we’ll probably be getting the beer geeks, the aficionados, the beer curious, the local crowd, etc...i actually think we’ll have a very broad appeal.

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: You guys obviously know a thing or two about great beer. How did you discover the beers of Belgium, and do you each have an “epiphany moment” to share?

AARON PORTER: The Trappist came to us around November last year, I’d say...we had been talking about it casually during a trip to Belgium...and that talk got a bit more serious when we got home...by November last year we were looking for a space. The first Belgian beer I had was a Chimay Grand Reserve (I believe the only beer they imported then), probably 15+ years ago...i had a friend that knew of a liquor store in downtown Oakland that had a small selection of specialty beer...he turned me on to the Chimay...that was the start of it for me, essentially. A couple years later, I took a trip to Belgium and visited the Abbey de Scourmont at Chimay...since then, I had always wondered why there really wasn’t a beer bar at home that was doing it the way it was done out there...Chuck and I started doing “beer trips” a few years ago...we both started wondering why there wasn’t a beer bar doing it the way it was done out there.

HEDONIST BEER JIVE: If you had to pick only five beers that you’d love to carry and personally drink in your new bar, what would they be?

AARON PORTER: Only five? That’s tough...it’ll change depending upon when asked...part of the reason we have a large bottle list is because we can’t choose....

Het Anker Cuvee Van de Keizer
Regenboog Guido
St. Feuillien Blonde [on tap]
Stuisse Pannepot or Earthmonk
Alvinne Gaspar

Again, the big opening night bash is this evening, Friday December 7th, and then the bar is open Wednesday - Thursday - Friday at 4PM, Saturday & Sunday at 2PM, and closed Monday & Tuesday. It’s located at 460 8th Street in Oakland, California. See you there.

ANOTHER STAB AT THE MOYLANDER

Careful readers may have noticed effusive praise in these quarters far too often for MOYLAN’S HOPSICKLE, one of the most mind-boggling great beers we’ve ever had, and a charter member of the HBJ 10/10 club. There are those who will tell you that the “triple IPA” Hopsickle, while great, does not hold a candle to the mere Double IPA from MOYLAN’S called the MOYLANDER, and that while the Moylander may suffer in thr PR department, it is absolutely the superior beer. I decided to put this theorem to the test the other night.

Right when this blog got going we had our first MOYLANDER and pronounced it a 7.5/10 – “not too shabby”, as they say. Could this number hold? Might it even improve? Let’s find out. The Moylander is every bit as intense as its brother the Hopsickle, and has this intense surging citrus mass of hops that could cause surprise eye-watering in the unprepared. It has a real spicy character to boot, one that calls to mind both freshness and a deliberate attempt to overwhelm the taste buds. It’s one of those “bubble” beers – one that I admire and enjoy for its craft and care, and yet one that might be little too strong to even get through an entire pint of. And I thought there was no GOOD beer that I’d say didn’t deserve an entire pint’s worth, but some of these double IPAs really deserve to be served up in 6-8 ounce glasses instead. Too much. I’m going to drop my ranking down to 7/10 this year.

LET’S GO…..DRINKING IN DENVER

My last few posts have been about Colorado beers – I have a few more in me until I’m done. You’re saying, dude, you went all the way to Denver for Thanksgiving, surely you made a stop at the FALLING ROCK TAP HOUSE?? Ah, but that I did, my friends. I told my brother-in-law what a great experience the legendary Blake Street bar would be for us and our two rugrats (“a great place for kids”, I lied), how the food was supposed to be outstanding (“they’ve actually hired several famous soux chefs from France”, I lied), and how he’d definitely find some good light beers on tap (“they’re famous for their light beers”, I lied). You do what you need to, am I right? I’d never been before, but from most accounts it’s one of the top beer bars in the United States, and I guess I’d heartily agree now that I’ve been there. We went the day after Thanksgiving, expected a mob scene, and found that we pretty much had the place to ourselves, along with the big screen TV. I’m a sports guy, but it seems in Denver EVERYTHING is about the sports, particularly football. The Broncos are omnipresent. If I lived here I’d probably feel like I did in my jock-laden high school, which drove me to punk rock and against sports for many years. Even at FALLING ROCK, the TV was just screaming about football.

That aside, I settled in for some Colorado beers at this fine watering hole. I decided to go with two selections from GREAT DIVIDE BREWING, a brewer whose wares don’t make it my way, and who’ve earned some headlines for big, bold beers like YETI and others. I was just so goddamn excited about the selection of local beers (plus dozens from Belgium, Germany and the rest of the USA), that I started swinging wildly. GREAT DIVIDE HERCULES? A Double IPA? Gimme that one! That was a pretty good move, as it turned out. HERCULES is a big, juicy and strong IPA, with heavier malts than you typically see in west coast IPAs. With regard to its actual tastes, well if you had to choose a place on the “pine” vs. “citrus” continuum, I’d go with pine, making this closer in taste to STONE RUINATION and LAGUNITAS KILL UGLY RADIO. I liked it, and whooshed it down the pipes in a hurry 7.5/10.

Given the season, it made sense to move on to GREAT DIVIDE HIBERNATION next, which is the winter/holiday ale from these western warriors. Only problem was, it really didn’t have any hallmarks of a “winter ale’ save for its dark and rich brown/black color – though I’ll grant you there’s no defined style parameters for what we ought to be brewing during the blessed season. HIBERNATION was also very malt-forward, and carried a bit of a bite to it. I’d say that warming feeling I was getting was due to a high ABV – hmm, let’s look it up on the web – ah yes, 8.1%. THAT’S why I was tucked in at 9:30 that night, right? I would call this something like an “imperial brown ale”, with a nice hearty dose of hops. At least that’s what I was spoutin’ about at the time. 7/10.

In short, FALLING ROCK TAP HOUSE is a must for your Denver beer-drinking agenda, along with my brother-in-law’s house and the Colorado Liquor Mart.

THE UNVEILING OF THE AVERY FOURTEEN

I attended an AVERY BREWING / RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING beer dinner some months back, and one of the star attractions was a glass of AVERY FOURTEEN, the 14th anniversary beer for the brewery, and a beer that’s been described by some as a (nyuk nyuk) “dubbel IPA”. In fact the fellas on CRAFT BEER RADIO said something along the lines of, “you know how we’re always talking about how some beer hides its high alcohol content well? This one doesn’t”, and describes it as a bomb, a monster, etc etc. Not exactly what I remember, but then again, I wasn’t in much of a state to remember anything at that particular beer dinner. That same week I bought a 22-oz. bottle of AVERY FOURTEEN, and swore I’d unveil it soon. When polite company finally arrived at our house last week, unveil it I did.

Let’s just say that in a 2007 notable for how many incredible beers I’ve tasted, this one is easily one of the ten best. AVERY FOURTEEN is fantastic. Certainly not as alcohol-laden as I’d anticipated, particularly when it’s nearing the 10% marker with a whopping 9.5%. A “dubbel IPA”? Hmm – well, it’s very Belgian-like in both form and body, with a rich foamy head, very low carbonation, and a deep, long-lasting roasted taste. Hops to my tongue were moderate, and not overpowering. The whole experience was actually very smooth and easy, and I craved another one presently. That wasn’t to be and may never be, given that this is a once-ever release – and yet I know I’ve seen a bottle of this somewhere recently. Stock up, everyone! This is one of the greats! 9.5/10.

ODELL BREWING – “90 SHILLING ALE”

This one found its way out of my brother-in-law’s fridge last week in Denver. “Wow, we don’t have THIS beer in California”, I cajoled. As I understand, it ODELL BREWING’s 90 SHILLING ALE is not only this Fort Collins, CO-based brewer’s flagship ale, it’s their take on the traditional Scottish ale – a style we are learning to love here at HBJ HQ – only lightened up a bit, delivered as a “light amber” rather than a heavy-malt Scottish beer. I found that it’s pretty much just that, and a little boring besides, but still decent enough. It’s highly carbonated, and has a fairly crisp and vaguely caramel-ish bite to it. You might say it’s similar in both style and in its ability to excite to its Fort Collins-based brother FAT TIRE, from NEW BELGIUM. I will say that this brewery probably has the most gorgeous labels in the business right now, and I might buy a few more bottles of ODELL product on that basis alone. But this “light amber” is probably about a 6/10.

A TRIP TO THE WALNUT BREWERY

So we went out to Denver for the Thanksgiving holidays, ostensibly to see my brother-in-law and to introduce my son to his first snow, but the ulterior motive, harbored deep within my cranium, was to enjoy some of Colorado’s finest beers. When I took my eye-opening “beer class” a couple years ago, the beer professor opined that Colorado, not California nor Michigan nor Oregon, was the place to be in the USA if you want to drink the finest beer. “Whatever”. We headed up to Boulder last Wednesday, the day that three inches of snow dumped on the region and temperatures dropped into the 20s. Our search for a compatible restaurant (my wife’s perplexing near-vegetarianism, my son’s rabid desire for french fries, my ravenous desire for great beer) led the family to WALNUT BREWERY in Boulder. I was unfamiliar with the brewery and its concoctions. I am no longer.

Actually, you’ll probably be disappointed in me, but I only had one lone pint on this bone-chilling day. First, the restaurant. A wide-open, massively high-ceilinged space, with exposed brew tanks and piping – very clean and somewhere between sports bar and high-end. I could see whiling away the better part of an afternoon here, the colder outside the better. Food was salty and satisfying. I ordered an appropriate-for-the-weather DEVIL’S THUMB STOUT, which I ended up being pretty goddamn happy about. A cask ale served “on a nitrogen tap” that was smooth, fresh and ultra-creamy, and surprisingly acidic at times. Obviously it was thin-bodied, and gave me a nice taste of Olde England. I wish I could have stayed longer. We then walked by a “hippie brewery” on Pearl Street – you know, rainbow lettering, obvious tilt toward the organic and the healthy – I subsequently learned that it’s called MOUNTAIN SUN PUB & BREWING. Next trip we’re hitting ‘em both. Oh, and DEVIL’S THUMB STOUT earned a nice 7/10. Give it a go your next time in Boulder.

SOME MORE FELLOW TRAVELERS IN BEER OBSESSION

Get out there on that world wide web and you’ll find all sorts of strange nattering nabobs talking about beer. Here’s a few more of our favorites:

CRAFT BEER RADIO – I guess you’d call this the preeminent beer-related podcast on the web – as far as I know, it’s the most popular. I am partial to PACIFIC BREW NEWS myself, but that’s partially some "California love" talking. CRAFT BEER RADIO follow a similar format – two or more guys sitting around sampling beer in a thematic manner, i.e. hoppy west coast ales, Belgian dubbels, holiday beers etc. They’re engaging and certainly exceptionally well-informed, and they talk about California beers almost as knowledgeably as their local Pennsylvania ones. I believe both main fellas (Jeff & Greg) are homebrewers themselves, so you’ll get a little discussion on fermenting techniques and such, but mostly it unfolds as a great “consumer guide”, interspersed with all sorts of beer arcana. Definitely one of the two podcasts you obsessives should be downloading.

WHAT’S ON TAP – THE CALIFORIA BEER NEWSLETTER – I’ve never met local beer writer William Brand (by local I mean San Francisco Bay Area), but I feel like I should. He’s a great resource for local beer aficionados, and scouts out the area to let you know about rare beers in stores, new brewery openings, special beer dinners and events, and every week about one knockout beer he’s tried. His writings are all over the web, but I make a point of checking out this one every week for sure.

THE BEER RETARD – The proprietor of the blog and I actually have a bit of a history (though, again, we’ve never met), as he once listened to my college radio show in the late 80s/early 90s, and now we’ve gone off and gotten all into beer together. He brings an excellent Pacific Northwest perspective to the beer universe, and makes it pretty clear to me that Seattle is just as much a beer epicenter in the US as Portland is, a fact that was clear to me when I was getting my mind blown up there by ALASKAN AMBER and BLACK BUTTE PORTER in the late 90s. THE BEER RETARD is a frequent festival-goer and beer traveler, and if his exploits don’t make you just a little bit jealous then you have no soul, my friend.

SEVENPACK BEER BLOG – Updated even more frequently than our own HBJ, this one is pretty much reviews and nothing but, and appears to be a well-considered, unpretentious group effort. These guys live life the way that I do, trying just about every new beer they can get their hands on, since that’s more fun than drinking the same ones repeatedly. One day perhaps they’ll conquer them all, every single beer on the planet, and then have to come back for second tries.

One of our favorites highlighted last time we put up some links was HAIR OF THE DOG DAVE, but he seems to have entered a detox clinic or something. Dave, wherefore art thou?