Aloha!

Work has taken me back to Hawaii and I have a quick update for beer lovers on the islands.  Hawaii is not always the easiest place to find a wide variety of beers, and due to its remote location, drinks usually don’t come cheap either.  Even for locally made crafts.  (Which have to import almost all of their ingredients except water.)  But on this trip I found a real gem with a great selection and at reasonable prices – The Yard House on 226 Lewers Street in Waikiki.

Upon arriving here on my trip last month I took a Waikiki shuttle from the airport to the Hilton Village where I was staying.  The bus driver immediately sprang into hospitality mode before we left the airport grounds.  (I think the natives are programmed from birth to be eternally happy and gracious hosts.)  He provided us with island history, customs, a geography overview, debunked myths, etc.  And as we neared our hotel and crossed into Waikiki I distinctly remembering him saying, “you are now entering Waikiki…  everything just got real expensive.”  Hawaii is the most expensive state in the union to visit, and Waikiki is the most expensive part of Hawaii.  So when I found the Yard House directly in the center of tourist central I tried to set my financial expectations.

I’m a variety freak so I love the Yard House near my home in Golden, CO.  And I was pleasantly surprised to find the same great selection of beers in Waikiki - along with reasonable prices.  I started off with a six-pack sampler, which consisted of three Lost Coast Brewery (Eureka, CA) beers - Great White, Downtown Brown, and Alleycat Amber, and three beers from Mehana Brewing (Hilo Hawaii) - Mauna Kea Pale Ale, Humpback Blue, and Hawaii Lager.  Six wonderful five-ounce beers for $9!  Thirty ounces for approximately what one would pay for a pint across the street.  And after I finished the sampler I started drinking my way around the rest of the world for $6 to $7 per beer.  Understandably all of their beers are market price, so the cost fluctuates depending on the request.  (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to come off as a total cheap skate, but I always drink more comfortably knowing I’m not getting ripped off, not to mention that the money saved probably means another round.)

The Yard House offers 100 beers on tap from the U.S., England, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Australia, Mexico, Japan, etc. This includes a solid representation of local micros from Maui Brewing Company, Kona Brewing, and Mehana.  I’ve stopped by four times already, and ate there twice.  As a beer lover I highly recommend the Yard House for good food and a great selection of reasonably priced beers from Hawaii and around the world.  It is a short walk from the beach and right in the middle of where Waikiki is happening.   That is all for now, I have to head to Lulu’s surf club and watch the sun set.

French Beer

One of my favorite (non-beer) sayings is, "The French Impressionists were very talented at a technique known as French Impressionism."  It is always fun to poke fun at the French.  They are a people that are acutely proud of their culture and products - but for some reason they also make an easy target.  I suppose one could also say, "French Brewers are the best in the world at brewing French beer."  Obviously the French are much better known for their wine and cheese than beer, but they do make some good beer.  And, as a beer lover, if you are interested in seeking out a French specialty, I recommend you take an atlas to the liquor store with you.  France is located squarely in the wine belt, but its northern border with Belgium is an area of transition into the beer belt.  In my experience, the further north the brewery (the closer to Belgium), the better the beer.

Surely some of that beer brewing brilliance from one of the world's greatest brewing countries spills over the border into northern France.  This is somewhat ironic since over the centuries the Belgians have borrowed techniques from the French, which has led to some of worlds greatest beers brewed by them.  The art of barrel aging and blending their beers were no doubt influenced by their southern wine-making neighbors.  And many Belgian beers have characteristics closer to wine than beer - for example being dry and sour instead of malty and bitter.  Belgium is at a crossroads between Germany, France and England, and their "anything goes" creativity is a product of local expertise and borrowed practices.

There is one broad beer category that straddles the border between Belgium and France called "Belgian and French Ales."  This category includes the similar styles of Saison, Farmhouse Ale, and Bière de Garde.  (Note however, it is always risky to try and categorize any beer from Belgium or its border regions.)   Last weekend I had a excellent example of such a beer from this category - Brasserie St. Germain's Page 24 Noel from Aix-Noulette, France.  Aix-Noulette is located in French Flanders just south of the western (a Flemish) portion of Belgium.  French Flanders was originally part of the Courtship of Flanders in southern Netherlands.  Over the years borders have changed, Belgium was created, and most of Flanders is now in Belgium while the southern section was ceded to France along the way.  And unlike the Flanders region in Belgium, the inhabitants of French Flanders now speak, almost exclusively, French instead of Flemish.

Page 24 Noel is a 6.9% abv beer that falls into the Bière de Garde category.  (The name means "keeping beer" - a beer usually intended to be cellared/matured)  I was extremely impressed by this example of the style.  It pours a copper color with a solid head and has an aromatic bouquet.  Its flavor is well balanced with earthy, spicy, and fruity notes that transition into a mildly phenolic finish.  All in all a balanced beer with great character.  Brilliant!

The Page 24 Noel I drank was packaged in a ceramic swing-top bomber and came compliments of my beer of the month club.  (http://www.beermonthclub.com)  This beer may be hard to find in the U.S., but if you can get your hands on one, it is one great example of a wonderful French beer.

Search for the 2010 Beerdrinker of the Year

Just a quick note for you beer lovers out there seeking to be the next Beerdrinker of the Year.  Your beer resumes need to be emailed into the Wynkoop no later than Thursday, December 31st.  Your resume must include  your beer philosophy, details on your passion for beer, and your 2009 beer experiences.  It should "detail the entrant's understanding of beer and its history and importance to civilization, and the entrant's efforts to educate others to the joys of great beer."  And all of this can not exceed three 8.5 x 11" pages in 12-point font.  There are a few other rules, so make sure and check out the official Beerdrinker of the Year web site for all of the details.

As an example, and to view the resume that got me into the finals, check out my 2009 resume.  All of the beer resumes received by the Wynkoop are reviewed  and thinned down to the top 10, at which point they are sent out to a panel of experts around the country to select the three finalists.  Those lucky three will be flown to Denver for the finals on February 27th, 2010, at which time seven wigged & robed judges (of which I will be one) will ultimately select the winner.

The winner will receive free beer for life at the Wynkoop, $250 at their local brewpub or beer bar, apparel, and their name will be engraved on the Beerdrinker of the Year trophy at the Wynkoop Brewery.

A good resume will take some work, so hopefully you've already started, or are touching up a previous year's application.  (I submitted a resume in 1997 and 2005 before my 2009 resume got me to the finals.)  If you are reading this blog you are surely a beer lover, and I encourage all of you to take a shot at the ultimate beer accolade!

Primo Beer!

Growing up in Montana in the mid '80s, listening to the Surf Punks was the closest thing most of my buddies and I got to visiting a beach.  I can't remember the specific song (help me out if you know), but in the middle of one of their pieces, a band member interjects, "Primo Beer".  I always thought he just meant, "great beer".  But then I was informed by one of my more worldly friends that Primo was a brand of Hawaiian beer.  (Remember brah, our exposure to island culture was limited - so I didn't know any of this.)  That was 25 years ago, but I still remember this clearly.

Well, I just returned from our 50th state, and I finally saw, and had the pleasure to drink, a Primo!  This is somewhat weird, because I was in Hawaii three years ago, drank plenty of beer, and never saw that brand on any bar or restaurant's beer list.  If anyone has more background on these guys, please add a comment.  This brewery dates back to the late 1800s, but I believe they were silent for some time.  Anyway, they're back.  And that is a good thing.  What I expected was a bland American-style mass produced lager-type of beer.  It was light, clean and refreshing, to be expected given Hawaii's climate, but a touch richer in color than the garden variety mass produced lager.  The flavor was also pleasing with more body than the big guys.  This is all off of memory, because I did not take notes, but very pleasing and refreshing.  If you can find a Primo give it a shot and let me know what you think.  I'd call it a superior, local substitute for the big guys when you're on the islands.

Now I'd like to segue from clean & light beer to coconuts.  There are now several breweries in Hawaii (nine according to http://beervana.blogspot.com).  Probably the best known is Kona Brewing.  During my short stay on this trip I sampled a Coco Loco Coconut Brown Ale from Kona Brewing, and I also found another coconut beer, Maui Brewing Co's Coconut Porter.

First I'll start with Maui's Coconut Porter.  Their motto printed on the bottom of the can is "...Like hot chicks on the beach."  I'm not sure how that relates to their beer, but it is fine with me.  This 5.7% abv beer won a gold medal in the Herb & Spice Beer category at the 2006 World Beer Cup competition.  For a moderate strength beer, it packed a lot of flavor.  The coconut used in this beer is "hand toasted" according to the label.  I could detect some coconut flavor, but in my opinion it lent more of a toasty or roasted barley type of flavor to the beer than anything else.  The coconut played the same role as roasted barley and turned the Porter into more of a Stout tasting beer.  It was a very pleasant, albeit heavy, beer.  It probably even tasted better, because I drank it at LuLu's Surf Club in Waikiki as I watched the sun set into the ocean.  It doesn't get much better than that.

The second coconut beer I had that evening was Coco Loco Coconut Brown Ale from Kona Brewing.  Coco Loco was a much different beer than the porter.  Basically a traditional Brown Ale, but spiced with coconut.  I was not able to detect the coconut in the flavor nearly as much as I picked it up on the nose.  Very effervescent.  A very "tropical beer" aroma if there is such a thing.  Much lighter and more refreshing than the Porter, and like the Porter, also an excellent beer.  I'm not much of a gadget beer guy, but after seeing two coconut beers in the same day, I figured it must be some sort of a Hawaiian specialty and that I should try them.  It was a pleasant change up.

Securely on board with the craft beer movement, Hawaii now has something to offer beer lovers.   Most bars still serve the obligatory brands (Stella, Bud, etc.), but if you like to drink local, try out Primo for something light and refreshing, or hunt down an offering from one of the other craft breweries, which usually offer the full slate of traditional styles from Golden Ales, to Hefeweizens, to Pale Ales, to Stouts.

Enough about Hawaii.  Tomorrow morning I'm off to Montana for Christmas where it is safe to say I probably won't be watching any sunsets into the ocean.  I'm trading in my Aloha shirt for Sorels.

Beer of the Month Clubs

One of the things that really helped me learn more about beer and beer styles was being member of a “beer of the month” club.  Two friends and I signed up for such a club back in 2000 (it was originally a Michael Jackson club, and was later purchased by C&H Clubs Inc.) and we’ve been members ever since.  I’ll never forget our first shipment.  It was a beer that, at the time, I had never heard of – Olde Suffolk by the Greene King Brewery in Bury St. Edmunds in England.  This beer blew me away.  It is Old Ale made by blending a two-year-old oak aged beer called Old 5X and their Best Pale Ale (BPA).  Though once common, the practice of blending is now very rare in England.  (But still widely practiced in Belgium.)  Olde Suffolk is a very complex dark ale, providing a slight oaky tartness along with earthy hops, a sold malt body, hints of dark sugars, and a mineraly English finish.  Needless to say I was sold on the club after this first shipment.  Not all of the selections have been as good as the first (that would be an impossible task), but their selections seldom disappoint.

Joining as a team like my friends and I did helps us keep the cost down while still getting to sample new, usually difficult or impossible to find, beers each month.  Initially we were subscribed in the International category, where we received two six-packs of two different beers each month.  So we each got four beers – two each of two different types.  Recently we switched to the International & Domestic category where we each get four different beers – two of which are domestic and two that are International.  It doesn’t sounds like much, but our club allows us to order more of any particular beer, so if we find a special gem in our monthly selection there is a way to get more.  Anyway, the point is, there are different categories and options to suit different beer drinker tastes.

I love variety, so this club has been perfect for me.  Not only do we get four different types of beers each month, but also they are often styles that may be something we would pass up at the liquor store.  So we’re “forced” at times to try something we normally would not think of.  Obviously some offerings are better than others, but I’ve never been disappointed, even on the styles I would have never though of buying on my own.  And each shipment comes with history about the style and the brewery, as well as tasting notes and suggestions for things like serving temperature, serving glass and food pairings.  So it is truly a learning experience that really helps develop beer knowledge as well as a better understanding of history and geography.

Our club costs $43/month, or about $14 per person.  I handle the payment, delivery and distribution.  My counterparts direct deposit their payment into my bank account each month so we don’t have to worry about much about exchanging money.   So we enjoy teaming up.  With that said, most probably join alone.  No problem with that either - more beer for them!

If you want to sample unique specialties every month and learn more about beer in general, I highly recommend such a club.  (I’m a long time member that has enjoyed it so much I joined a second club of theirs called the Rare Beer Club.  It is similar except I receive two rare specialties, usually strong beers packaged in cork finished champagne bottles.)  If you’re not sure how well you’ll like such a club, start off with a three-month subscription and try it out.  You may end up like me and still be a member nine years later.  Since Christmas is right around the corner, it also makes a great gift for any hard-to-shop-for beer lover.  For more information about C&H’s Beer of the Month club visit their web site at http://www.beermonthclub.com/join-gift.htm.  I’m not advocating any particular club; these guys are just the ones I’m familiar with.  If you have other recommendations, please drop a comment.

A Beerlover's Dream!

After winning the Beerdrinker of the Year competition back in February, the event host and organizer, Marty Jones, told me that he and some friends get together a couple of times each year for some beers.  And after reading about my basement brewery & pub in my beer resume, he wanted the gang to visit my basement.  He went on to tell me whom this group included.  It was a list of who’s who in Colorado’s beer society.  Marty’s group included Buddy Schmalz (head brewer at Dostal Alley Brewpub in Central City), Lou Cady (among other accomplishments, the man that originated the BDOTY competition), Dave Thomas (former scientist at Coors), Matt McAleer (marketing and sales at the Wynkoop), Dick Kreck (author & beer writer), and none other than Charlie Papazian (no introduction needed).   I couldn’t believe it.  A chance to have such an elite group, including the legend Charlie Papazian, in my basement!  Well, it took us several months to coordinate, but last Saturday it finally all came together.

When this group gets together, their plans are not random – and this day they had three stops scheduled.  They started at our house at 10 am.  It sounds early, but the atmosphere in our basement was electric.  In addition to the gang, I also invited about a dozen of my friends over.  So there were lots of introductions, many samples consumed of the four beers I had on tap, and cameras going off like crazy.  We hung out and discussed all things beer while drinking a couple of our own.  And it was great to get feedback from these experts on my homebrew.  All the reviews of my beer were favorable, and people raved about the Pilsner.  “The best Pilsner I’ve ever had,” was the comment of one in the group – whose name I’ll leave out.  You can imagine how proud I felt hearing that, and it was just wonderful having all of these people enjoy the fruits of my labor.

And in addition to what I had to offer, we also got to sample a gem brewed by Charlie Papazian.  He brought along a bomber of a Rauchbier that he had brewed using a new applewood smoked malt.  I know Rauchbier can be “love it or hate it”, but this masterpiece was well balanced and delicious!  I guess nobody should expect any less from the father of modern day home brewing – and a person that still brews regularly.  “You can’t use an overly attenuative yeast – a smoked beer needs a solid malt backbone,” Charlie said.

It was a wonderful reunion for the beer gang, and a great meet & greet for my friends, Joycelyn and I.  And a couple of us took the opportunity to have Charlie to sign our wort-stained homebrew books.  Charlie did not hesitate to sign the “Complete Joy of Home Brewing” book that Chris Cross and I purchased in 1990 when we both started brewing up at Montana State.  “Cody, relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew” he wrote!  I’ve enclosed a good photo of Charlie doing the honors.  I was somewhat surprised that the beer gang was taking more pictures than my friends and I.  They were loving it too.  (I’ve attached a great picture of Charlie, my wife Joycelyn, and I.)

At noon it was time for the gang to migrate to their second appointment.  To my surprise they invited me to accompany them – an offer which I quickly accepted.  The next stop was a private tour at the Golden City Brewery.  Owner and brewers Charlie Sturdavant and Jeff Griffith gave us a private tour of their surprisingly large brewing facility in a garage-looking building behind their carriage house tasting room and beer garden.   The 30 and 40 barrel Unitanks were imposing, and I was especially impressed by the old-school brick jacketed boiling kettle.  Every corner of the machine shop was packed with brewing equipment, including their hot liquor tank and a horizontal lagering vessel elevated on steel I-beams high above the brewery entry.  Just the way a snug craft brewery should be.

It is worth noting that when one travels with Charlie Papazian to any beer related outing, they are treated like royalty!  We were very well catered to and received excellent treatment by the Golden City Brewery.  Every question to Charlie Sturdavant and/or Jeff was answered in detail, and both of them dug into their private stockpile to provide us with samples of seasonal ales still in fermentation, experimental beers, and other gems in their stash.  In addition to traditional beer, they also offered a couple of sour beers and two bottles of mead.  Thanks guys!

It was tough to leave the GCB, but we had an appointment at Coors.  Through a connection in the group, we were privileged to have a private tour of Coors’ pilot brewery by one of the brewers there.  (The pilot is now also serving as the AC Golden Brewery.)  Coors’ Golden facility is the world’s single largest brewery, and it was fascinating to tour their pilot brewery – a scaled down setup that sits above and overlooks the main, massive Coors brew house. With that said, we all promised we would not provide any other information about this visit. (Though no classified information was provided to us.)  So I will leave it at that.

So in less than one day we toured the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd largest breweries in Golden, CO!  And I had the opportunity to meet some true beer legends.  It was really a wonderful and enjoyable group – each and every one of them.  Marty, Lou, Charlie, Dave, Buddy, Dick and Matt.  And it was a homebrewer and beer lover’s dream to meet Charlie Papazian.  He is the person that started everything that we, as beer lovers, now take for granted.  His 1984 book “The Complete Joy of Home Brewing” has sold almost one million copies and started a home brewing revolution.  A revolution that grew into the craft beer movement that flourishes today.  When he authored the first edition of his book there were less than 70 breweries in the U.S., now there are over 1500.  And as the founder of the Association of Brewers and the American Homebrewer’s Association, and the person that made home brewing simple, fun and good, we’ll all owe him a lot of gratitude.  Thanks for everything Charlie, and it was a pleasure sharing a couple of beers with you.

Beer in Houston

I just returned from a business trip to Houston where I attended an IPv6 conference. I don’t know the town very well since I’ve only been there once before, but on that first trip I did manage to find some great beer culture in the Lone Star state. I had the pleasure of visiting the famous “Ginger Man” pub in Houston’s Rice Village near Rice University. It was one of Michael Jackson’s recommendations, and a couple of coworkers and I got the chance to check it out. It did not disappoint. It is a cozy pub with a beer selection much bigger than its humble structure. The Ginger Man was definitely worth another visit, but my schedule on this visit didn’t allow me to make it back.

Unfortunately I didn’t get back to the Ginger Man, but I did find another gem. I was staying in downtown Houston at the Magnolia Hotel, and right around the corner was a pub called the Flying Saucer. (On the corner of Capital and Main Street – more information can be found on their web site: http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/houston.) “Flying Saucer” doesn’t really scream beer, but a local claimed it was a must visit for beer lovers. So a few of us from the conference thought we’d check it out. The inside of the Flying Saucer has a very open, yet a quaint and comfortable pub feel adorned with lots of beer paraphernalia. There is also a small beer “garden” out front. Their hook appears to be a mix of a nice beer-centric atmosphere, cute waitresses wearing short skirts, about 100 great beers on tap, and even more classics in the bottle. So if you’re in to those sorts of things, you’ll probably like Houston’s Flying Saucer! In addition to great beers, they also have the best selection of meads, ciders and perry that I’ve ever seen. There is a little something for everyone and any taste.

We arrived at 6 pm during happy hour and the place was packed with an electric atmosphere. After unsuccessfully searching inside for a seat, we spotted a young man sitting alone outside who was nice enough to let the four of us invade his table. We all had several beers as well as dinner. (Basic pub food – I had a French dip served with Guinness au jus and pub fries) Four hours of drinking along with our meals only cost $130. So the prices are surprisingly reasonable too. At 7 pm they offered a special in which they were selling half liters of Schneider’s Edelweiss. In addition to the wonderful Hefeweizen it contained, you got to keep the custom Edelweiss Sahm Krug it was served in. Luckily TSA did not give me any grief in the airport getting this souvenir back home. It will make a nice addition to my Stein collection.

I have to say my favorite part of the Saucer’s offerings were their beer tasting flights. They offer German, Belgian, and Texas flights, as well as a “build your own.” They will pour any five of their tap beers for a custom sampling. Very nice! I worked up one of these custom flights for Tim (Pilsner Urquell, Fuller’s ESB, Franziskaner Hefeweizen, Paulaner Salvator, and an IPA - the name of which I forget), and I had, among other beers, the Texas flight. I knew this before, but it was nice to reaffirm that Texans know how to brew beer! I was pleased by all five offerings, but I was particularly impressed with Live Oak Brewing Company’s Hefeweizen. (Austin, TX) A very good U.S. representation of the Bavarian specialty.

So if you are ever in Houston I recommend a visit to the Saucer. They have 13 other locations, all of which are in the south. (Maybe why I had never heard of them.) I can’t vouch for all of them, but if they are anything like the one in Houston, they are worth a visit. And don’t forget the Ginger Man too. Michael Jackson’s recommendations never disappoint. (You can find more information about the Ginger Man at http://houston.gingermanpub.com.) Houston may not be known for its beer, but I’ve never had a problem finding great beer culture down there. Do you have any other suggestions for that area? If so please add a comment. Hopefully I’ll make it down there again some time soon.