TENTATIVE REPENTANCE ON DRAFT MAGAZINE

A few weeks ago I eviscerated a new beer magazine called DRAFT, a high-gloss, corporate-tinged bi-monthly that positions itself as a “men’s lifestyle” magazine that happens to center around craft beer. Now most guys that I know who might subscribe a magazine like Details, Esquire, Men’s Journal, whatever – they’re most certainly not the type who aggressively seek out Imperial Russian Stouts or lambics. In trying to cater to these two seemingly barely-overlapping worlds, they’ve created a strange muddle of extreme travel, barbequing, boobs and loads and loads of craft beer. I guess that’s a marketing problem for the DRAFT editorial staff, right?

This post, however, serves as a minor mea culpa vs. my previous post on the magazine. I got the new issue of DRAFT, the one with “Chelsea Handler” on the cover, and after giving it a thorough reading, I’m significantly more impressed than I was last time. They have writers on staff who know good beer, who write about it well, and who seek out and savor some of the most interesting and/or experimental beers in the world. Particular kudos go to the “Most Innovative Beers” article, as well as the one on Fruit & Beer, with recommended examples & tasting suggestions for various styles. Their pictures of the beer itself, be it bottles or draught pints, are beautiful - they’re not just stock photos, and are obviously taken for the sole purposes of this magazine. They even have a full-page spread on COLLABORATION, NOT LITIGATION ale, which is about as geeky and obscure as it comes, so cheers to them for that. Any beer dork with as intense an interest as yours in our favorite beverage will find some worthy journalism, both written and photographic, in this new issue.

I think it’s only fair that I bag on them a little more, though. I saw the quote-unquote comedienne Chelsea Handler about six years ago, when she hosted a lamely-attended Tuesday night comedy show in San Francisco that I got free tickets to. I remembered her because she was, and remains, the single worst comedian I’ve ever seen. A typical joke was something along these lines (and this one is verbatim): “What’s up with Sacramento? Have you ever met someone from Sacramento? Oh my god, they’re so retarded!”. End of joke. Next joke: “Oh my god you guys, I’m such an alcoholic”. Etc. DRAFT magazine has somehow seen fit to give her and her breasts the cover of their new issue, and the interview itself is one of the most cringe-inducing things I’ve ever set eyes on. The interviewer mock-flirts with this ravaged floozy, barely touching upon beer at all and generally making a total ass out of himself (I suspect a lot of these questions were “punched up” in editorial after the fact, as no one says stuff this stupid and faux-suave in real life). It’s abominable, just like Handler’s act. If this magazine can lose this sort of dim-witted, poorly-realized filler, hey, I’ll take recurring articles like “Top 10 Places to Drink a Beer” – just no more pablum like this, okay?

GREAT LAKES BLACKOUT STOUT

Man, am I ever on a hot streak right about now. Every new beer I try hits the hallowed 7/10-or-better status, with the last few hitting the proverbial catbird seat of 8/10 or better. The last beer I had to try in a batch lovingly cobbled together by Kevin at KevBrews is this outstanding GREAT LAKES BLACKOUT STOUT, a Russian-style Imperial Stout fairly heavy on the alcohol (9%) and way heavy on the intense, mouth-puckering flavor. Deep, rich malts combine in a brew that’s as black as arctic night, and they are so rich, so caramel-laden, so, uh, malty, that you just want to throw caution to the wind and keep unloading these 12-oz. monsters into your chalice. Good thing I only had one sent to me. This is confirmation yet again that the craft beer tide has successfully swept all corners of the United States this past decade, and that pretty much no matter where you go in this country (except perhaps the deepest South), you’re going to find several microbreweries that are bringing the experimental revolution to the people. Moving out of California is finally an option for me, what with breweries like GREAT LAKES, BELL’S, FOUNDERS and JOLLY PUMPKIN in Michigan alone (correction - Great Lakes is in Cleveland. Never mind!). Hello, Flint! Any auto manufacturing jobs left out there? Oh yeah – this beer’s easily an 8/10 – track it down anytime, anywhere!

ALMOST DONE WITH THE MOONLIGHT LINEUP

Just the way an Elvis collector needs every Japanese and Dutch pressing of the “Are You Lonesome Tonight” 45, or the way a presidential ephemera collector needs each 1960 Nixon/Lodge campaign button, I need to know that I can drink at least one pint of each & every MOONLIGHT BREWING beer while I still walk the planet. I’m almost done. Moonlight, as you may know, are essentially a one-man operation, helmed by one Brian Hunt, who lovingly creates some of the most incredible, flavorful and satisfying beers on god’s green earth. I interview him right here. A few weeks ago I got my first taste of their BOMBAY BY BOAT IPA, and last Thursday I got my second, this time in a nice, tall pint glass. Guess what. It was fantastic.

You might think BOMBAY BY BOAT IPA would be brewed in the “British style”, rather than the souped-up, higher-alcohol West coast style. You’d be half right. It’s bursting with fizzy, tingling hops, but the alcohol is muted to a handle-able 5.9%, and it has a much more crisp, refreshing taste than most California IPAs. I liken it somewhat to the LAGUNITAS IPA, if only that beer was any good. They share some characteristics – subtlety, lightness, and some minor bitterness. (BTW, I think Lagunitas beers are great, just not that flagship IPA). It’s hard not to be wowed by it – it has such a wonderful taste, in a league of its own for sure. I went with 8.5/10, and that’s nothing to laff at. Unfortunately, it’s a tap-only beer, so next time you’re in Berkeley, CA and driving down San Pablo, stop by THE ALBATROSS and have them pull you a pint, why don’t ya?

OLD THUMPER!

After my apocalyptic blow-out at the Boonville Beer Fest a few weeks ago, I’ve gently eased myself back into the world of beer drinking by riding the “session” train. That means English beers where I can find ‘em. Anyway, since the few trips I took to Europe in the early part of this decade, I’ve really given beers from the UK short shrift, and I figure it’s time to discover a few new ones, like the excellent OLD SPECKLED HEN I had a couple months ago and the YOUNG’S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STOUT I tried a few nights ago. Well, here’s another one I’m excited about – but guess what? It’s not really from England, it’s from SHIPYARD BREWING in Maine, and it’s called “RINGWOOD BREWING OLD THUMPER” . Crazy. It’s your basic straight-up English bitter, albeit one with a terrific mix of flavors going on. Nutty, carmel-accented, and with a taste that was neither dry nor, uh, wet. Some hops, and an alcohol level around 6%. Sounds pretty normal, hunh? No, way, HBJ says it’s a 8/10. Old Thumper’s got that je ne sais quoi we love around here, if we could only tell you what that was. Try one and you too shall know.

REAL ALE’S “FULL MOON PALE RYE ALE”

My best Texas beer drinking memory involves me bellying up at a tavern in downtown Austin in 1993 and, attempting to be cool and at one with the locals, ordering a LONE STAR in my “California drawl”. The bartender wordlessly pointed to a giant sign near the door I’d just walked in through, saying, in no uncertain terms, “NO LONE STAR”. Just as well, that beer blows anyway, right? Later that evening I discovered SHINER BOCK, which I loved. Am I right in saying those are probably the only two “Texas” beers that commoners like me typically recognize? I think so.

Maybe in better times non-Texans will start cottoning to the FULL MOON RYE PALE ALE from a newbie brewery based out of Blanco, TX called REAL ALE BREWING. I got one in the mail from a great American named KG, and KG told me that everything he’s tried from the Real Ale folks makes him proud to be a Texan. For one night, I was proud too. Here’s how the brewery describes it:

Tawny red and full of malt and hops, Full Moon’s unique flavor quells your palate’s longing for something truly distinctive. Marrying the smooth sweetness of malted rye and barley, the ale’s rich body is complemented by ample helpings of American hops. The culmination of our efforts is an assertive American pale ale, a hop lovers dream.

Interesting, that. My “tasting notes” do not include the word “hops”. Instead, I thought the Full Moon Rye Pale Ale was quite a sweet beer, with robust malts and yes, a very distinct rye taste. Probably not as intense in that regard as the two other rye beers I’ve had recently – FOUNDERS RED’S RYE and TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE, and really a different beast altogether, I reckon. I did find it very smooth and very refreshing, with a decided zing that was, in fact, unique. I dug it, and gave it a 7/10, and thankfully KG sent me another REAL ALE ale, so keep your eyes peeled for HBJ’s take on that one soon.

THE REVISED HEDONIST BEER JIVE 25

Of course everyone keeps a list of their Top 25 beers handy at all times, so here’s mine. It’s an updated revision to one I wrote up a few months ago, reflecting some new discoveries and some ratings changes for beers on the list that we’ve tried again (and again). With all modesty, I submit to you that if you can find a way to down any of the beers on this tabulation, you will indeed find yourself in a special place.

One caveat, though – it might be a little biased toward the beers I find & drink regularly from my home base in Northern California. No wait – it’s totally biased; 18 beers are from California, or 72% – but then again, who’s to say these really aren’t the finest beers on the planet, and I’m just a lucky fella?

1. MOYLAN’S – Hopsickle (Double IPA)
2. ANDERSON VALLEY – Boont Amber (American Amber/Red Ale)
3. BRASSERIE DE ROCHEFORT – Trappistes Rochefort 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
4. THREE FLOYDS - Alpha King (American Pale Ale)
5. AVERY BREWING – The Reverend (Quadrupel)
6. MOONLIGHT – Reality Czeck (Czech Pilsner)
7. STONE BREWING – IPA (IPA)
8. MOONLIGHT – 2006 Toast Malt Liquor (American Amber/Red Lager)
9. HACKER-PSCHORR – Dunkel Weiss (Dunkel Weizen)
10. RUSSIAN RIVER – Damnation (Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale)
11. MARIN BREWING - Tripel Dipsea (Tripel)
12. MOYLAN’S – IPA (IPA)
13. LANGUNITAS – Freak Out! (IPA)
14. RUSSIAN RIVER – Rejection (Belgian Black Ale)
15. FIRESTONE WALKER – 10 (Barleywine)
16. DRAKE’S – Denogginizer (Double IPA)
17. DESCHUTES – 2006 Jubel Ale (Winter Warmer)
18. LOST ABBEY – Avant Garde (Biere De Garde)
19. NORTH COAST – Old Stock 2004 (Old Ale)
20. PORT BREWING – Hop Suey (Double IPA)
21. RUSSIAN RIVER - O.V.L. Stout (American Stout)
22. ROGUE – Imperial Stout (Imperial Stout)
23. BOULDER BEER – Hazed & Infused (American Pale Ale)
24. LOST ABBEY – Angel’s Share (Barleywine)
25. 21ST AMENDMENT - North Star Red (American Amber/Red Ale)

YOUNG'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STOUT

I'll be honest with ya, the one I had on tap last Friday night was simply called - I thought - YOUNG'S CHOCOLATE STOUT, but there's nothing online to confirm that this beer is anything but a "double". So there it is - YOUNG'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STOUT from England, easily the best chocolate-tinged beer I've ever had, far excelling over the ROGUE version I taste two weeks ago. This certainly tastes like a double, that's for damn sure. After waiting for a near-eternity for the jet-black head to settle (this is hands down one of the most beautiful-looking "pours" I've ever seen), I brought the thing up for a good glugging, and whammo, chocolate just attacked my nostrils. Not just any chocolate either - fine chocolate. It's a bit more mild in intesity once you start drinking it, which is exactly what I'd want; certainly more of a malty, stout-like beer than it is a sweet chocolate bar in a glass. Medium-bodied, packed with roasted malt, and just a wonderful beer through and through. I've known for a while that this one was a favorite of many, and I'm proud to say it's my entree into the world of YOUNG'S beers. 8.5/10.

DUCASSIS – THE LIL’ FRUITY BEER THAT COULD

This was just one of those blind pull-downs from the beer shelf – “Berries? Beer? A bottle? Looks good!”. The DUCASSIS is made in Belgium by a small-ish brewer called BRASSERIE DES GEANTS, who appear to make four other beers as well, and who have only been knocking ‘em out since 2001. Their wares – at least a few of them - are imported into the US by Shelton Brothers, for what it’s worth.

Contrary to my peers over on Beer Advocate, I thought the DUCASSIS was pretty interesting, and a damn good chug. It is a fruit beer for sure – made with blackcurrent berries, and is “top fermented” – though what that means, I am not educated enough to tell you. Upon pouring it, my wife and I marveled at the champagne-like pink liquid that spilled into the glass, but were quickly overtaken by a tart, very robust fruit smell that lingered the entire, um, session. Very carbonated, and with a most un-beer-link tingling sensation on the tongue & back of the mouth. That said, it probably would have benefited from an even more over-the-top dose of fruit, or perhaps some hopping to counteract the fizz. Its effervescence and lightness was a nice diversion, and that’s about what I’d leave it: a diversion, one I recommend you give a try to if you get the opportunity. 7/10.

GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME ICE WATER

As a certified “hometowner”, I’ve always given up the props to ANCHOR STEAM, one of the earliest craft brews I ever came to love, and a certified institution here in San Francisco. It’s almost always the beer of choice at bars that serve only macro lagers on tap, as just about all of ‘em are kind enough to reserve a tap handle for Anchor Steam. Strangely, I’ve barely dipped into the rest of their lineup since the days when LIBERTY ALE and OLD FOGHORN and the rest were among the only games in town. The fellas on the beer podcast BEER SCHOOL were proclaiming their love for LIBERTY ALE the other day, calling it an IPA that dare not call itself an IPA (or something along those lines), and I reckoned I needed to give it a try again. It’s probably been over a decade since I’ve had one.

Now that I feel the need to assign a rating/categorization/ classification to every beer I try, let me be the first to say that ANCHOR LIBERTY ALE is not an IPA, and to my taste, it’s not that great either. It’s most assuredly a pale ale, and a rather dampened one at that. Hops are mild if a bit spicy, and it’s got a moderately-carbonated, “glassy” sorta taste to it. Some might call it “bready” – I’m not prepared to go there yet, brother. What Liberty Ale is is a decidedly average – no, check that – below average American pale ale. Even a hometowner says so. 5/10. I’ll stick with the ‘Steam.

HOLD ME CLOSE, DEVIL DANCER

DEVIL DANCER, which is a 13% “Triple IPA” made by FOUNDERS BREWING of Grand Rapids, MI, is one of the rare “extreme beers” that keeps everything – the monster alcohol, the monster hops, the monster malts - in delicate balance, and comes up a winner. I’m wondering, now that we are seeing beers frequently breaking the 12% barrier, who the first marketing genius will be to introduce a “Quadruple IPA”. Maybe it’s you. I personally get less interested as the alcohol level climbs into the double digits, but this one was pretty refreshing & drinkable for such a whomper. “Dry hopped for 26 days straight, with 12 hop varieties”. Are you kidding me? Well, what they were able to get out of it is a sweet, candied smell & light candy taste; a deep roasted malt backbone (rare for such a high-hop IPA), and a generally delicious, “warming” feeling throughout. Dry, dry, dry. I like it. It’s not a life changer, but then again, it is just a beer. I gave it 7.5/10. FOUNDERS, I’m coming to find, are a pretty damn good brewery.

BOONVILLE ’07 – THE RECKONING

The 11th annual BOONVILLE BEER FESTIVAL last Saturday was nearly a carbon copy of the tenth, this time with the addition of some hot brewers (PIZZA PORT, LUCKY LABRADOR), good bands (DEL MARS, an oompah marching band, plus some mariachi band I missed whilst off drinking somewhere), and even more post-event hijinks and shenanigans. The weather was perfect – high 70s – the mood was right, and for four hours, taps flowed in the right direction: into my glass, and into those of my beer-loving brothers and sisters. Let’s discuss.

I made no effort this year to “rate” all the beers I encountered. All went into a small 5-oz. glass, which usually meant 4 oz. of beer once the head(s) died down. While the list below looks pretty daunting – and it’s more than I’d advise a typical human to consume in a given day – once you factor in sizes, rigorous water flushing, food intake etc. – it really wasn’t all that (right? right?). Special props go to MOONLIGHT – I briefly met the legendary Brian Hunt, and tasted a beer of theirs I’d yet to have – and to FIRESTONE WALKER, for bringing a cask-conditioned mini-barrel of their “10” barleywine blend all the way up from Paso Robles. Once word got out about that one, it was gone pretty quickly. Here’s what I gingerly sipped:

THE AMAZING

MOONLIGHT – Bombay By Boat IPA
WEED ALES – Shastafarian Porter
LUCKY LABRADOR – Super Dog IPA
FIRESTONE WALKER – “10” (on cask!!)

THE VERY GOOD

PIZZA PORT – T-Street Wheat
BACKSTREET BREWERY – Rita Red
BALLAST POINT – Calico Amber
ALPINE BREWING – Pure Hoppiness
MOYLAN’S – Celts Golden Wheat
PIZZA PORT – El Camino Ale

THE GOOD ENOUGH

DRAKE’S – Chocolate Milk Stout
EJ PHAIR - RyePA
LOST COAST – Indica
BEAR REPUBLIC – Hop Rod Rye
BLUE FROG – Blonde Frog
MAD RIVER – Steelhead Scotch Porter
EL TORO – Wheat
PIZZA PORT – Seaside Stout

THE BAD

STUMPTOWN – Bushwhacker Wheat (a pour out! You hate to see that – but there’s gonna be one every year)

In short, the attendees were roundly calling it an “epic” day, as tiny kids were being swung around by drunken dads & moms, as tri-tip & sausages sizzled in the hot sun, as hideously sexist t-shirt messages were admired & applauded by all, and as my hubcaps were being stolen from my car outside the fairgrounds. I’d do it again, and I probably will.

The postscript on this one were the four 22-oz. bombers that were shared around a campsite later that evening: ROGUE's Chocolate Stout; ALESMITH's high-alcohol hop bomb Speedway Stout; AVERY's The Reverend; and OMMEGANG's Three Philosophers. All delicious (maybe not so much the Rogue) and deadly.

ALCOHOL & ME

Every beer dork has to ask him- or herself just how committed to the cause they’re going to be while still keeping their health & physique in relatively decent shape. I have a written piece in mind about the “physique” part another time, so let’s concentrate on that olde demon, alcohol, today. I have a somewhat tangled history with the stuff, yet probably far less so than many folks out there. I’ve been fortunate enough to never have really developed a taste for hard liquor, and to this day can barely tell you anything about any mixed drink outside of my old standby, gin & tonic. I figure that’s saved my liver a few years right there. I love wine, but only drink it sparingly with the missus, who likes it considerably more than she does beer (ah well). So that leaves beer, which I’ve been a big proponent of for about 23 years now, since I was about sixteen (I was a decidedly late starter compared to those of you who were 14-year-old boozehounds).

In high school I barely drank; it was a time of wine cooler experimentation & cheap Miller, Bud, Coors – really, whatever we could get our hands on. I can honestly say I don’t think I ever got out-and-out “wasted” once - until I arrived in college, and then all bets were off. That’s when most kids either go berserk, or learn quickly how to regulate their drinking in social settings. I guess it depends on your perspective, but I think I went a little nuts. I hung out with some very fun, slightly older friends who were really, really, reeeeally into drinking – and that’s a total blast when you’re 19, 20 years old. While I’d call myself more of a “weekend warrior” back then, an 7-8 beer weekend evening was the rule, not the exception. (that said, these were 7-8 cans of Meister Brau or Milwaukee’s Best – or appx. 3 pints of real beer – but I was of slight build and tolerance until I fattened up on both counts). Lots of weekday drinking, beer at the movies, beer on Saturday & Sunday afternoons etc., and that carried over into my twenties, and well into my move to San Francisco in 1989.

This all may sound like normal stuff to you & yours, but it was a strange phenomenon for me personally to walk into a club to see a band, which I did at least three times a week back then, and simply HAVE to buy a beer immediately, and then another one after that. I’d coach myself before shows to maybe skip it for an hour, or hey, for the night, and I was completely unable to do so. I had one set of friends who would typically stay up drinking until 4am on most weekends, and another set who drank socially and infrequently, totally enjoying alcohol while keeping it together & not having the blackout episodes or I-can’t-believe-I-said-that-to-that-girl moments that my other friends & I often had. At a certain point, the drinking just got tiresome and lame. Sunday hangovers totally ruined the day, at least once or twice a month. Inability to coherently communicate to women at bars & shows totally shattered whatever slight chances I had of getting lucky with (or simply getting to know) whomever I was talking to. To my credit, I guess, I almost never drank alone. I rarely drove anyway, so that wasn’t an issue. I totally throttled back of my own accord around 1994 (no twelve-steppin’ needed), and that was pretty much that.

I didn’t exactly join the temperance movement, as my obsession with craft beer was reaching a fever pitch around that time (it’s gotten even more intense since then, which this blog is a testimonial to). I never went cold turkey, even for a month. But honestly, in the thirteen intervening years, I can recall just two hangovers I’ve had, and I’m pretty stoked about that. I HATE hangovers, and I’ll do anything – even not drink! – to avoid one. I feel like a total moron when I have one – like a disappointment who couldn’t even find the wherewithal to turn off the friggin’ faucet when he had the chance. Water and Advil, baby – water and Advil. Beer drinking is barely about the alcohol now, though of course I love its social lubrication qualities like everyone else does, and a good 2-3 pints of strong ale at the bar or someone’s house is still very much part of my life each and every week. I know others have different formulations that work well for them, and that’s great – whatever works for ya, including the occasional hangover or blubbering night. It’s all good. The only thing that bothers me about excessive drinking in others, besides the potential social costs to society vis-à-vis driving and stupidity - is just seeing the ravaging that it does to peoples’ faces who couldn’t straighten themselves out. Whenever I watch some punk rock documentary like “American Hardcore” or “We Jam Econo” and see my heroes, only 5-10 years older than me, looking 15-20 years older and flat-out awful to boot, it totally bums me out. Of course it’s their problem and not mine, but still. I know how sneaky alcohol can be, and how humans have different chemical makeups that affect their love for and tolerance of and ability to quit it, and I really feel for those who get too caught up in drinking for its own sake and not in simple, obsessive enjoyment of mere drinks. Get the difference? Sure.

This is not moralizing by any means – just a bunch of typing. Better that than another rave about HOPSICKLE, right? Back to regular reviews & such tomorrow. I’m writing this before the BOONVILLE BEER FEST that occurred on Saturday 5/5, and some premonition tells me that I absolutely did not limit myself to two or three pints that day. Report to come later.

BEST BEER FROM 21ST AMENDMENT SINCE LAST HANNUKAH

For 8-10 hours a day, I sit two blocks from the 21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY in San Francisco, CA, often wishing that rather than slumping in front of a computer screen, I was lounging upon their premises quaffing every last beer they’ve brewed. Sometimes I even make it over there to sample their wares, as was the case last week when I lunched there and tried out the NORTH STAR RED. Wow! Best 21A beer since their HOLIDAY SPICED ALE threw me for a loop late last year – and this after a string of so-so Belgian-style beers that won lots of E’s For Effort but that, at the end of the day, were just OK. Well, this North Star Red is the best amber/red I’ve tried in a great long while.

Why I’ve ignored it to this point in favor of their limited-edition seasonal stuff is I guess easy to understand, but sometimes something simple & fantastic is just sitting there under your nose while you’re out there trying to be all “completist” like a dork. I love its sort of bubbling effervescence, and the rich, deep, malty character that also includes a roasted taste. I could totally gulp this one, it’s so good. I suspect there are quite a few North Star Reds in my near future – it’s light years ahead of both the Watermelon Wheat and the 21A-IPA, the brewery’s two flagships. Hey, get this one in cans, too! 9/10!

JOLLY PUMPKIN “BAM BIERE”, STRAIGHT OUTTA THE FARMHOUSE

I love some of the weirdo eccentricities of the craft beer “scene” – the deep contemplation given to “lacing on the glass”, the discerning of flavors that probably aren’t even there (“I’m getting some pomegranate in this when I swirl it around – sniff – hmm, now I’m getting a little burnt rye toast – sniff"), the use of the word “Brettanomyces” (or much worse, shortening it to “Brett”), and when American and European brewers go overboard to market their beers as authentic “farmhouse” beers, with all the hoeing, plowing, overall-wearing and manual labor that implies. Forgive me if I’m giving this JOLLY PUMPKIN BAM BIERE “farmhouse” saison short shrift as a result – it just happens to be the most recently-consumed beer of mine, and hence a convenient placeholder for my mirthmaking.

My comrade Trub Wortwurst from LAGERHEADS and from the great state of Michigan was kind enough to send me this offering from Dexter, MI. Have heard many good things about JOLLY PUMPKIN – that fella Dan Shelton we told you about a few weeks ago, the one who ranted in fine fashion all over the Craft Beer Radio podcast, called them out as one of the only US craft brewers who “gets it right”. I’ll say this – this farmhouse saison has some good things going on in it, and it’s the kind of beer where you instantly know that there’s an experimental, creative, smart-as-a-whip brewer standing behind the mash tun. It just wasn’t really my thing. A little on the funky, yeasty side – slightly sour, maybe redolent of some acidic stuff. No real taste that I could grab onto and say, “Wow – that’s really delicious”. It could actually be my relative unfamiliarity with the saison style, so I’m going to go with a 6/10 and revisit this one someday, when I get through this batch of saisons to compare it to. Thanks again to Wortwurst for giving me the hand up and the hand out!

VAL DIEU WINTER IN THE BLOOM OF SPRING

The other evening while I was ensconced in the RUSSIAN RIVER beer tasting at the Toronado (my local bar of choice), it dawned upon me that it was late April, and that April was “Belgian Beer Month” at said establishment. The only other Belgian I’d tried that they’d trucked in from across the pond was the DE REGENBOOG ‘T SMISJE DUBBEL, and I loved that one. I then looked at my watch, and saw less than a week was left in April – so I needed to act fast. I ordered up something called a VAL DIEU WINTER, and got busy with it. I believe Val Dieu stuff is imported to the United States fairly regularly; though this was the first beer from Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu I’d ever had, I know I’ve seen them on the shelves.

VAL DIEU WINTER is a hearty, strong, 10%+-ABV dark Belgian ale. Alas, it is also a syrupy brew that started very thin & appealing, but then, as it warmed, began to almost congeal and become a thicker, less enjoyable beverage. I liked that the alcohol was downplayed, and that the only betrayal of the high-ABV was that aforementioned syrupy taste that roared in after about 10 minutes. In short, a good Belgian, but not one I’d pick over others in a robust lineup of taps. 6.5/10.

SAM ADAMS SUMMER ALE – SIMPLE, YELLOW, DIFFERENT

I read somewhere that last year’s fifth best selling beer in America was the catch-all called “SAM ADAMS SEASONALS”, which one would presume includes their Spring Ale, White Ale, Oktoberfest, and their vast variety of winter beers. I’ll bet ya dollars to donuts the best selling of those is this SAM ADAMS SUMMER ALE, which I encountered on tap last week at a sports bar as I watched my San Jose Sharks win yet another playoff game with a masterful performance. I’m always game for a new Sam Adams beer, even though the result is almost always the same: “Eh, that was decent enough”. No deviation here. Their SUMMER ALE is, as you might expect, a golden ale that’s decidedly cloudy, with the requisite lemon/citrus zing to it and the very “fluffy” mouthfeel. Not a lot of character at all; different from other, better summer ales in its thinness and lack of depth – but I figure it’s still alright for the right occasion. It’s one of the rare halfway-OK beers that I’d have no problem drinking out of the bottle instead of my delicate Belgian stemware. What the hey, slam a few cold ones, slap yer buddies on the back after a goal, shout out a hearty “woo-hoo” whenever appropriate & call it a night, hunh? 5.5/10 – I passed up Boont Amber to try this one instead; I shan’t do that again.

WHY IT’S HARD TO TOP THE BOONVILLE BEER FEST

I’ve been to a handful of beer festivals in my day, but the one I make an annual event, and which I will continue to make an annual event, is the BOONVILLE BEER FESTIVAL in Boonville, CA. Click here for my dispatch on last year’s event. You may be interested to note that said festival is this coming weekend – all day on Saturday, May 5th. The rural town of Boonville is roughly a 2 and 1/2-hour drive due north from San Francisco, and is equally accessible to residents of the Sacramento valley. Here are ten reasons why this one is hard to top:

1. The weather. Boonville is a hot, sunny, dry part of the state, but less than an hour from the Mendocino coast, so there’s still that cooling breeze. Each time I’ve been to this festival, the weather’s been 80 degrees and perfect out. I’ve heard stories of rain in the past – but there are still 9 other great reasons to go. Please continue.

2. The host brewery. It’s hard not to root for ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING, makers of BOONT AMBER and some of the US’s finest beers for nearly two decades now. Once the fest is over, you can stumble over to the brewery itself or into the tiny town’s few bars, where of course almost all of the AVB products are fresh and on draft.

3. The array of brewers. It’s pretty much a who’s-who of heavyweights from Washington to Southern California, including superheroes like MOONLIGHT, RUSSIAN RIVER and STONE. Every year there are a few debuts that catch the crowd a-buzzing, like last year’s debut of HOPSICKLE by MOYLAN’S - only the single best new beer of the last couple years, right?

4. The setting. Boonville is a strange, remote hippie town, with that distinctly west coast mix of lumberjack types jumbled in with the chakras crowd. The vibes of both are ever-present.

5. All you can drink. You’re provided with a small glass and are then invited to go wild for four hours.

6. Free bottles of water. Much needed every hour or so, in light of #4.

7. You get to laugh at the lame bands. Though I understand that this year that in addition to the beer-themed acts like the “ROLLING BOIL BLUES BAND” , there’s gonna be a mariachi group and a surf band. I’m down with that.

8. A roaring round of applause every time someone drops their 4-oz. glass. Because once it drops, your festival is over! Unless you want to drink some free bottles of water the rest of the afternoon. Hold on tight!

9. Cheap camping. On a football field next to the fairgrounds, no less. Last year there were a number of bands playing the campsites into the wee hours, and much inebriated mirth and merrymaking.

10. Everyone in attendance is your brother, sister or best friend by 5pm. Which is when the taps are turned off. I’ve seen burly beer doggie types arm-in-arm with hacky sackers, hot drunk girls hitting on dorky guys, and lots of general good will and peace among men. Such is the joy de vivre that four hours of unbridled drinking will engender. See you there this Saturday!

RUSSIAN RIVER –TION NIGHT @ THE TORONADO

An obvious key benefit of being located where I am in San Francisco is being just over an hour away from one of the world’s great brewers, RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING from Santa Rosa, CA. They have an absolute feverish beer cult growing here in the Bay Area and around the country now, so when a chance arises to drink some of their more rare elixirs, it’s a good idea to jump at the chance. Last Wednesday night they came down with a bunch o’ kegs; in addition to Toronado’s regular lineup that includes their BLIND PIG IPA, PLINY THE ELDER and DAMNATION, Russian River brought down the following:

Redemption- Blonde Ale; Perdition- Biere de Sonoma; Salvation- Dark Strong Ale; Temptation- Blonde Ale Aged in Used Chardonnay Barrels for 15 Months with Brettanomyces and Micro-Organisms; Supplication- Brown Ale Aged in Used Pinot Noir Barrels for 15 Months with Sour Cherries, Brettanomyces, & Micro-Organisms; Depuration- Barrel Aged Ale with Grapes; Compunction- Barrel Aged with Plumcots; Deification- Pale Ale Finished with Brettanomyces; Sanctification- 100% Brettanomyces Fermented Ale; Erudition- 2 Year Old Saison with Brettanomyces, Vintage 2005; Beatification – Batch 002, 100% spontaneously fermented Sonamic (Sonoma + Lambic = Sonambic); Collaboration - Blend of Avery Salvation and Russian River Salvation; plus a handful of limited-edition aged bottles that I didn’t try. Man, is beer tasting starting to seem more like record collecting every day.....

Each beer was served in a 4-oz glass for $2, or a 6 ½-oz. glass for $3.50. I did the math wrong when I first fought my way to the bar, and ordered these tiny, tiny samples of ERUDITION and DEPURATION. I won’t pretend to tell you what they were like or how they “scored”, only that my few ginger sips were unique and delicious. So I got my game face on and elbowed my way back into position – I reckon that every beer geek worth his weight in IBUs was in the room for this one. This time I came back with larger glasses of both BEATIFICATION and COLLABORATION, NOT LITIGATION. Beatification was excellent – a “wild ale” that had a funky, slightly sour taste that was neither off-putting nor astringent – just smooth and rocking with flavors of lemon, vinegar and tang. In our small group, this was the hit of the night. I gave it an 8/10.

Collaboration I’ve had twice before, and the reason I went for this team-up with AVERY BREWING again was simply because I’m sure it’s going to run dry soon, and I wanted to get one last taste in before it’s gone for good. I second the 8.5/10 I gave this a few months ago – a standout beverage. Finally, I went back for another ERUDITION – why not? You, the people, need to know my score so that you might better regulate your personal beer intake. This is a 2005 Saison-style spring beer, made in the open-vat Belgian tradition, and it’s quite good – light, medium carbonation, maybe even a tiny bit tangy and sour itself (that must be the “Brettanomyces” – man, I promised myself I’d never actually type that word, out of resistance to its pomposity alone). I went with 7/10 on this one. It’s rare to find even a simply “good” beer from this brewer; they are absolutely blazing new trails in American brewing and are at the height of their game right about now. Rumor is they are expanding a bit, as well, to keep up with surging demand, but will be doing everything under their power to keep the small-batch, farmhouse nature of the brewery intact. Here’s hoping.

THE ENTIRELY UNREMARKABLE DRAFT MAGAZINE

From a position of weakness just a couple of years ago, when there was only the longstanding ALL ABOUT BEER and one additional homebrew mag, craft beer now has two additional published print voices, both aiming for their own demographic slice of the expanding pie. There’s BEER ADVOCATE, of course, a magazine wholly catering to the self-defined “beer dork”, and one of the best modern reads about beer you’re going to find. Now there’s DRAFT MAGAZINE, which promises “Life On Tap”. I succumbed to a cheapo subscription before I’d read a single word, because that’s just how far and how deep my addiction has gone. If I had to do it over again, I shan’t have bothered.

DRAFT belongs to the un-rarified strata of journalism known as “Men’s Publishing”. Because beer is a beverage most often associated with the male gender, the publishers of this periodical believe that many male-related topics, no matter how loosely connected to beer, can fall under the heading of “life on tap”. What’s a male-related topic? How about foosball? Fishing stories – “the one that got away”! A world travel article called “Top Ten Places To Drink A Beer” – number one is Machu Picchu, baby! Unfunny 1970s comedian Leslie Neilson. “Seafood and Beer”. An article on tequila. An essay on leisure. Oh, and the occasional drift into something that might be useful, like a review of a new beer or something, or some tips on breweries to visit in San Diego, all delivered in a glossy, effusive, big-bucks, heavy-advertising manner. Now me, I’ve got no quarrel with someone trying to build a brand or make a buck. I don’t even mind them doing so on the back of one of my precious “hobbies”, as it were. But at least have the decency to build around your subject matter in an informed and interesting way, not as though you’re first grasping at straws to ape the worst tendencies of men’s magazines (minus the babes), and THEN connect it back to craft beer (!). Somehow I don’t think this scatterbrained approach is going to pan out, not with Beer Advocate and yes, All About Beer “tapping” into the craft beer audience so much better. I give the magazine less than a year in circulation, tops.

TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE GETS THE PARTY STARTED

Last week legendary rock monsters THE STOOGES played their first-ever show in San Francisco, and there was no doubt that such a festive occasion was going to need some out-of-the-ordinary beverages to get things off to a great start. Luckily my friend CS brought a six-pack of TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE to the bar we were convening at, and politely asked the barmaiden if she might be willing to uncap the lot for us. After a little smarmy faux backtalk, she graciously agreed to do so, without even charging so much as a “corkage fee”. See, CS had brought this wonderful beer back from the east coast (or had it sent), yet it’s not even at east coast beer. TERRAPIN BREWING are based out of Athens, GA, famous for not only the Georgia Bulldogs, but a whole host of college rock bands from the first half of the 80s. This is the brewery’s pale ale, and it’s a damn good one.

I was sincerely happy that the beer had survived the journey to the west coast unscathed. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale has a real oaken, almost woodsy aroma and initial taste to it (that’d be the rye, I’m guessing), but once you get your bearings straight with this beer, it’s smooth as silk from thereon. It’s a cloudy, unfiltered pale ale, reminiscent of bread & honey in its taste, and medium carbonation. Similar to the excellent FOUNDERS RED’S RYE I had a couple weeks ago, and honestly, just as good. Unless I’m mistaken, this is quite likely the only beer I’ve ever had from the American South that wasn’t made by ABITA or BLUE MOON (which is no longer made in the south anyway). 8/10!

A STRAIGHT-UP PERFECT 10 FROM THREE FLOYDS

This robust, citrus-packed pale ale from THREE FLOYDS BREWING in Munster, IN is quite likely the single best pale ale I’ve ever had in my storied drinking career, And that’s saying something. This is all the more remarkable after the bagging I did on their DREADNAUGHT IMPERIAL IPA a couple of weeks ago, but it’s like the two beers came from different planets. (Actually they came in the same box, shipped to me from Kevin from KevBrews). It’s been a while since I popped open a beer and reckoned it to be “unimprovable” from the first sip, but that’s what happened here. ALPHA KING PALE ALE has a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel, is quite malty, a little dry I reckon, and has just the right touch of hops – and is fragrant like you wouldn’t believe. I’m pretty sure these guys made their big-ass reputation with this one, along with their publicity stunt one-day-a-year release of their DARK LORD IMPERIAL STOUT (#2 best beer in the entire world, says the buzzing hive mind of Beer Advocate readers – I’m sure it’s true, right?). As the saying often goes with pale ales, “I could drink this all night”. Those of you who can buy Alpha King in sixers on a Friday night and enjoy it all weekend, every weekend, are the true fortunate sons of our blessed country. 10/10!

DOGFISH HEAD “AU COURANT”

Every time I turn my head I read around some new DOGFISH HEAD offering made out of some bizarre fruit or extract or barrel-aged whatzis, and usually they sound pretty good. Well, you can’t get the Dogfish Head beers where I live, though I hear that’s going to change, as rumor has it that they are expanding their distribution to include the entire of California. For the time being, trading cross-country is one of the only ways to procure their wares, and that’s how I got this bottle of AU COURANT. Au Courant is a pretty wide-ranging beer, perhaps a little unsure of what it wants to be. It was mildly sour, potentially reflecting strains of bacteria (the good kind) introduced into the brewing process – or maybe that was just the pureed currants, which are all over this one. Candied sugar, and maybe a bit of apricot, making this almost lambic-ish. I know this uses Dogfish’s “house” Belgian ale, and that’s a pretty hoppy ale if you ask me, not really what I wanted necessarily with a beer that really tasted more like a smooth, sipping, wine-like beer. I respect it, but at the end of the day, I just wanted and expected more from this one. 6.5/10.

A TRIP TO LANESPLITTER AND THE DRINKING THAT ENSUED

In the course of my latter-day beer spelunking I’ve heard mention of a certain “pizza pub” in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area that served outstanding craft beer, and nothing but. Rumor had it that said pizza pub, LANESPLITTER, even had the elusive MOONLIGHT beers on tap, and you know if that’s true then these folks certainly have got a keen eye for beer, because you don’t get that liquid gold unless you know what you’re talking about, right? I decided to find out for myself. Turns out that Lanesplitter has three locations, and word is that some are better than others. My pal Mike said the Berkeley one was where it was at, so that’s where we went.

I give Lansplitter a standing O for atmosphere, service and beer breadth for sure – this is a great place I’d be happy to call my neighborhood pub if I had the opportunity. Pizza was edible, that is all I have to say on them matter. Check out this beer selection, though, whoa! RUSSIAN RIVER Pliny The Elder on cask. Two MOONLIGHT beers. RACER 5. Some wild cards from smaller breweries like IRON SPRINGS. And the three beers I’d like to tell you about now:

DRAKE’S HOP SALAD – OK, I wrote about this crazy hop bomb a few weeks ago, and gave it an 8/10. No reason to change the scoring. This is for you extreme beer freaks, as Hop Salad is an absolute firebreather, one of the strongest Double IPAs ever witnessed. I don’t know if it will ever make it into bottles, but I have a feeling the word of mouth on this might just force their hand it bring it to the people. It’s a real special beer, one that I suspect with generate an army of supporters in the months to come. I’m drinking one whenever and wherever I get the chance, because it’s damn good.

BEAR REPUBLIC RED ROCKET ALE – Very strong, very hoppy red/amber ale from the makers (Bear Republic) of one of the greats, RACER 5 IPA. Low carbonation, a little thin in spots, and redolent of caramel perhaps – but mostly it’s bitter, bitter hops. Easily as strong as an IPA, maybe more so. I thought it was a bit much, and pined for a nice, cooling Boont Amber instead, but I’ll probably give this another go at some point. 6.5/10.

IRON SPRINGS COFFEE PORTER – Probably my first coffee-infused beer since that disastrous Red Hook/Starbucks mash-up from the mid 1990s whose name I can’t recall (whew!). This Coffee Porter was a great nitecap, and shows that this ‘lil Fairfax, CA brewery are really starting to become a player in the crowded Bay Area beer game. Thankfully they did not overdo the coffee angle, and stuck with a somewhat tart, smooth, and fairly subdued porter that really went down easy, but not so much so that you didn’t notice that someone had his gameface on when they were brewing this one, and put in some ingredients that gave this some character, unlike that KWAK we talked about yesterday. 7/10.

KWAK!

A couple months ago I was just hauling random Belgians off the shelves like a man possessed, and in so doing, happened upon a beer called PAUWEL KWAK. It is, to my way of thinking, an exceptionally average beer. It is a light-colored amber, high-alcohol (8%) Belgian pale ale. I think I tasted honey, strong malts, and fairly low hops, but what I didn’t taste was character or anything that made this particularly more interesting than, say, a STELLA ARTOIS. Now obviously some folks have been getting’ their buzz on to this one since 1791, so who am I to say – but there’s a world of unexplored beer out there, my friends – no need to get your knob wet with this one. 5.5/10.

THE 7-11 OF YOUR DREAMS

Imagine stumbling into a 7-11 at 1am on a beer run – you know the best you’re likely to do is a Sierra Nevada or a Sam Adams, but your eyes grow wide and your mouth starts a-savorin’ when you see over a hundred specialty microbrews & Belgians, all stacked in a cooler with your name on it. Well, this guy’s made your dream real. Read about it here.

HEY, STONE’S GOT A PALE ALE

So guess what? STONE BREWING have started distributing their Pale Ale in many more states and locales this Spring, including within mine in Northern California. I’d never seen the beer before. Their website actually dares to call it their “flagship brew” – ain’t they never heard of Arrogant Bastard?? – and says the beer was first brewed up in 1996. I had some on draft the other day at CITY BEER in San Francisco, and it was a good ‘un. It definitely has a bit more aggressive of a bite than your typical pale ale, which you’d totally expect from the Stone folks, but compared to some of their other offerings, this is a very back-to-basics, simple American pale ale. Not overpowered with hops, and with more of a biscuity, breadiness than I expected. Almost English, in fact, but definitely more intense than most session beers from across the Atlantic. I didn’t get up and do a victory dance or anything, but at the end of my glass I burped and pronounced it a 7/10.

YOUR EVERYDAY HALF-DECENT DUNKEL WEIZEN

You’ll find a great many beer people spending a goodly amount of their time harping on the lack of great beers at high-end restaurants. Certainly this is not idle chatter. Who among us hasn’t sat down at a fine dining establishment to break bread & have a fantastic gastronomic experience, only to be presented with a wine list with 30-100 varieties and a beer “list” with 2 or 3? So it was the other evening at San Francisco’s DELFINA restaurant, which just might be the single best restaurant in a town well-known for ‘em. My choices were Anchor Steam, which I’ve had a few of in my day, and SUDWERK BREWING’s DUNKEL WEIZEN, which I’d never heard of. Oh, I know SUDWERK – back in the early 1990s it was one of Northern California’s (Davis) only breweries, and many a time I threatened a road trip out there only to, uh, not go. Since 1990 there has obviously been an upsurge in such places, and Sudwerk’s kinda been left in the dust as far as desirable beer locations to seek out, and honestly, I rarely hear anyone talking about their beer. (I will say I’ve always found it to be pretty solid).

Their DUNKEL WEIZEN appears to be a beer that they only enter into competitions, or sell to restaurants, and that is actually quite hard to come by. Don’t get too freaked out, my beer dork friends, there’s nothing to get particularly excited about. This one has a very nice dry, malty flavor to it at first, reminiscent of wheat as you might expect. It’s quite thin-bodied, which I didn’t particularly care for, and generally quite “light”. It did pack some serious flavor in, like I said, but after a few big gulps I was already pretty tired of it, and wishing that Delfina has somewhere else for me to go in the beer milieu. They didn’t, so I overcompensated by eating far more than I should have. That’s what it’s all about, until the bill comes, right? Let’s go with 6/10 on this one.

THE FIRST MAN; A FINE BEER

Notwithstanding the fact that we named our son Adam, HAIR OF THE DOG brewing in Oregon also decided to name one of their unusual, well-crafted, high-ABV beers ADAM as well. You may recall that we tried their DOGGIE CLAWS barleywine a few weeks ago and found it somewhat “wanting”; not so this time with this “old ale”, which is a re-creation of a historic beer style from Dortmund, Germany. It is an exceptionally dark and full-bodied beer, one that Hair of The Dog’s own website asks that you serve as a “dessert beer”. Now I’ll admit that it’s highly rare that I’ll quaff a single brew for dessert, and far more likely that I’ll be drinking it with dinner, or on tap at a bar. This time it was the former, and it worked for me just fine. It has a massive foam head, one that did a cartoonish spill over the side of my glass while I made cartoonish “gaaaaak” sounds. Once that calmed down a bit, I took some time to admire the deep dark reddish-brown color before diving in. ADAM is quite bitter but not annoyingly so; it smells of hops, and that’s ‘cause there are quite a few – 50 IBU’s. It doesn’t taste quite like the “leather” they promise on the bottle (thankfully), but more like muted chocolate and figs. It’s not something I’m gonna throw back all that often but I think these Hair of The Dog cats are onto something with this one. 7/10. Give it a try.

WISE WORDS AND WHINES FROM A BEER CONTRARIAN

You need to find an hour in your schedule to listen to this 7-week-old podcast from CRAFT BEER RADIO, in which they interview an importer named Dan Shelton from SHELTON BROTHERS. Shelton, for all his pomposity and over-the-top, I-can’t-stop-talking rants, is my new beer world hero. Listen as he lustily debunks the Beer Advocate Top 100 beers, Belgian beer in general, extreme beer, beer aging, American craft beer, and you, me and everyone else. Not only is he right-on at least half the time, he’s a welcome antidote to much of the groupthink that seems to be creeping its way through the modern beer, uh, “underground”. The first 10-12 minutes are boring – these are the guys who generated headlines by bringing in the “Santa’s Butt” beer last year, and there’s lots of chatter about first amendment rights, yadda yadda – but then Dan really gets rolling after that. The interviewer can barely get a word in edgewise. It’s a blast, as these things go (which is to say, if you have something better to do, you might want to do that instead). If not, you can download it right here.

THE HORROR. THE HORROR.

I’ve got no quarrel with those of you have a different palate than I do. You folks who like alternate beers than me, you’re still OK. What I do have a beef with is the exaltation of extreme beers that taste like garbage, simply because they’re BIG and DARING and OUTRAGEOUS. This is a faux-controversy in the beer world, the whole extreme vs. non-extreme thing, but truth simply must be spoken to power. Take THREE FLOYDS’ DREADNAGHT Imperial IPA. Clocking in with a whopping 93 score on Beer Advocate, the BA cognescenti have seen fit to rate this one the 7th best beer in the entire world. Now me, I call it one of the worst craft beers I’ve ever tasted, with a disappointment factor of 93/100. It hurts, man, it hurts, because Kevin over at KevBrews, well he’s a fan of this one, as everyone else seems to be, and he lovingly packaged up this 22-oz. bomber for me in bubble wrap & such, and sent it all the way to California just so I could enjoy it at home and join the chorus of hosannas poured from every direction over this thing.

But I shan’t. DREADNAUGHT is so over-the-top with its hopping, its alcohol, and its kitchen-sink approach to flavor (More mango! More apricot! More tastes of indeterminate origin! More cowbell!) that the result is this sweet, sticky, and barely drinkable mess. I almost cried as I poured nearly half of the bomber down the drain, knowing that this could have had a nice home in the belly of a Beer Advocate who would see all the wonderful things about it that I simply can’t. And it’s not that I don’t dig weird-ass, complex, high-alcohol beers – when they’re good. FIRESTONE WALKER’s “10”, say. Moylan's HOPSICKLE. Or ARROGANT BASTARD, even. But not Dreadnaught Imperial IPA. I gave it a 3.5/10 and switched to organic nonfat milk for the rest of the night.

YOUR NEW FAVORITE RYE BEER

Or mine, actually. This is a style I haven’t had in ages, rye beer – maybe since the last REDHOOK RYE I downed years & years ago. FOUNDERS RED’S RYE is just the ticket to reacquaint you with this style, which is described thusly on Beer Advocate:

Not to be confused with a German Roggenbier, a beer that falls into this category contains a notable amount of rye grain in the grist bill. Bitterness tends to be moderate, to allow the often spicy and sour-like rye characteristics to pull through.

Perhaps it’s not simply the fact that the word “RED” is in the title of this beer, but in so many ways this one reminded me of a slightly tinkered-with amber beer, albeit one with serious hop action and some bittering, spicy rye in the mix. That said, it is exceptionally drinkable – moderately high in alcohol (6.8%), but you won’t notice that. Founders Red’s Rye is not filling nor is it heavy, but it still has a richness and heft that’s just about perfect. There’s an old, wizened man on the label, imparting the beer-drinking wisdom of the ages with his beady little laser-beam eyes. He must be Red. Hunh. I could drink this beer anytime, save for the fact that it doesn’t sell anywhere near me, and I’d have to get on a plane to the upper Midwest to grab some. Maybe one of you can bring some out to California? 8/10.

A TRIP TO RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING

I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 18 years, but I'd never made the 80-minute drive north into the heart of Santa Rosa, CA for any reason whatsoever before, that is until the sweet siren song of the world-beating brewery RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING starting chirping, & I made elaborate plans to get up there and do battle with their best. Russian River have a much-deserved reputation of world renown on the beermaking front, creating beers that are so involved, complex and amazingly delicious you’d think they were made by master homebrewers or old-world monks. Their DAMNATION Belgian-style golden ale and REJECTION black beer are the ones that get me frothing, among others; different beer fiends will instead fly the flag for SALVATION or TEMPTATION.

Last Monday night me & my trusty beer snob sidekick CM got rolling right after work, and 80 minutes later, there it was, a beckoning beacon of taste and refinement right in the middle of a faux downtown mini-mall. Given that I was the designated drinker/driver, I only had three small-ish ones (alcohol content cut immensely by a massive pizza), but man, did this place live up to all the hype. Actually it's sort of jarring to have some of the world's finest, high-end, meticulously-crafted beer on tap at such a yahoo, wood-paneled, sports-n-pizza bar, but it was NCAA basketball finals night, so many of Santa Rosa's finest were there to see the big game, and rather than getting lit with MGDs and Coronas, these fine folks were sipping fine Beligan-style ales by the chalice-full, and keeping their wits about them to boot. I reckoned that I could hang out here with my beer doggie "bros" in a heartbeat for a baseball game, and perhaps someday I will. On to the beer!

RUSSIAN RIVER PERDITION – After arguing to a near-fistfight for 20 minutes about whether it made more sense to go “dark to light” or “light to dark” first, or “low-alc to high-alc” or vica versa, we agreed to throw caution to the wind & order whatever. I went with PERDITION, a Biere De Garde, which I know has been in bottles in the past but which I’ve never seen. It was delicious. Really intense banana/clove smell to it, with fairly high carbonation and a sweet but also fairly astringent taste to it at times. Not super-high on the alcohol – 6.10%. Definitely Belgian inspired, and served in the appropriate Belgian glassware. Excellent. 8/10.

RUSSIAN RIVER COMPUNCTION – The crazy thing about the Russian River brewpub is that these incredible Belgian-style beers are only $3 a glass (!!), and a full growler of these things will only set you back $17. Incredible. That said, this one was a special limited release offering, and thusly ran $6.50 for a 15-oz. glass. Who cares! Another winner. This is a sour but not sickeningly-so “wild ale”, with the dominant fruit being pluots. Do you know what a pluot is? It’s a hybrid fruit, part plum & part apricot, so it’s got quite a zing to it. This beer does as well, and I bet it was totally steeped in these things. At first I blanched from the taste, but all it took was a little courage and by glass’s end I was really impressed. Russian River are just master craftspersons & you can taste the care and discipline they put into their beer with every sip. 7.5/10.

RUSSIAN RIVER O.V.L. STOUT – The beer of the night was the most simple – a super-basic, creamy, low-alcohol stout, which these guys of course hit out of the park. There is no one – no one – who could argue with this beer. Roasted malts and perhaps that smoked/burnt barley taste as well, but essentially just a creamy, dense, near-perfect stout. Wow. 9/10.

Best beer-themed road trip I’ve taken since last year’s BOONVILLE BEER FEST – which by the way, is in just over 3 weeks if you’re counting......

I’M DRINKING AS FAST AS I CAN

Here’s a handful of mini-reviews & rating of beers that I’ve tried over the past month that haven’t made their way onto this site:

HOEGAARDEN ORIGINAL WHITE ALE – An old standard, a great Belgian witbier on taps at many, many beer establishments across the US. Have had it a dozen times but never “critically” if you know what I mean. It’s a very crisp, dry, medium-carbonation beer with lots of yeast and a little floral action (i.e. it smells good). If you’ve never had a witbier, this is a great place to start, and if you have, chances are you’ve had this one. 7/10.

LEFFE BLONDE – Another well-distributed Belgian, and my first of these in a great long while. Good light, easy-finishing, very clean beer, with hints of banana and a “bready” taste. I like it, but not if there are other quality Belgians on tap. 6.5/10.

NORTH COAST BLUE STAR GREAT AMERICAN WHEAT BEER – Never heard of it before, but had it on tap at this funky art gallery/bar in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Mistake. This “American Pale Wheat Ale” has a strange and off-putting taste, very wheat-dominant in an annoying way, and quite acidic and unpleasant at times. This beats Coors Light and Heineken, but not much else. 4.5/10.

LOST COAST DOWNTOWN BROWN – When I first got hooked on craft beer 17 years ago this was a big favorite, and I still enjoy it to this day. A simple, unadorned American brown ale in the English style, Downtown Brown is a dark and quite dry “session beer” that has caramel and toffee tastes that are muted & just enough. This one’s for drinkers, not for dorks. I’m a little of both, so I give it a 7/10.

21ST AMENDMENT ST. MARTENS ABBEY ALE – Another hearty cheer to the 21A for trying all these Belgian styles, another disappointment that it was only OK. This is a strong dark ale, but lighter in alcohol than all the ones these fellas were brewing up during “strong beer month” in February. I found it malty and sweet but jarring at times, like someone overtipped the sugar container or threw in some bad hops or both. 5.5/10.

THIRSTY BEAR FRAMBOISE – I know this is not the official title, so it’s not going to do you a lot of good, but at THIRSTY BEAR in San Francisco they have this excellent blended beer that’s have framboise lambic and half something else – I think IPA. That’s what it tasted like anyway, and it was delicious. Light, exceptionally fruity and packing a real deceptive alcohol wallop. 7.5/10.

THE DEEP MYSTERIES OF HOP HENGE

I totally trust the guys on the Pacific Brew News podcast, I do, just that they spent a good chunk of their most recent show effusing con mucho gusto about the new Imperial IPA from DESCHUTES called HOP HENGE – all this with the California/Nevada rep for the brewery sitting right there with them. I got the sense from that show that this was a double IPA sent directly to earth from the godz, and responded accordingly, rushing out to buy a 22-oz. bomber (at $3.99, too – good value). Now I heart Deschutes, too, always have, but HOP HENGE is kind of a bust. My first few gulps were atrocious – full of alcohol and clumps of harsh, unidentifiable flavors – and I advise any potential drinkers of said beer to wait until it warms a bit, because it does indeed improve. The fruit comes out, the warm citrus glow appears, the hops start hopping like crazy, but unfortunately it’s still too much very obvious alcohol for my taste, with not enough carbonation to carry the hops to their intended pleasurable rendezvous with my stomach. It was just off, not quite the winner I was expecting. 5.5/10 – still drinkable, but I probably wouldn’t go for it again.

DE REGENBOOG ‘T SMISJE DUBBEL

You’re going to be a hero to yourself and others if you can remember the name of this beer next time you’re at your local Belgian beer emporium, and a true bonafide stud if you pronounce it correctly. Monday night I asked the barmaiden at my local house of beer worship if she’d recommend me a fine dubbel, and this is what she came back with in some stunning Trappistes Rochfort glassware, along with a whopping $9.75 (!!) price tag. I was suitably impressed just a few tastes in with this one – a truly standout beer. The DE REGENBOOG ‘T SMISJE DUBBEL is a dark orange, exceptionally smooth dubbel, redolent of yeast and deep, rich malts. No question about the dried fruit taste, either – they’re strong and all over this one, likely apricots and raisins if I had to guess (I’m bad at this sort of thing). Not very carbonated and again, smooth in a very pleasing way. Only minus points at all were for having a flavor that dissipated in the mouth fairly quickly, with not much lingering aftertaste, but that also makes it kinda unique for its style and place of origin. I’d drink this again in a heartbeat, especially if you were paying. 8/10.