Tuesday Brewsday - Stone Lukcy Basartd Ale

While we write about them often, it has been roughly one full year since writing about our favorite brewery, Stone Brewing Company. Since our last writing, Stone has released a couple new beers to the market. Some are apart of their ever-evolving collaboration series, some are the annual additions to their Anniversary and Vertical Epic series', others are special releases.

Stone has released SIX new beers in the last year (here are five of them): 

Collaboration Series: 

Stone/ 21st Amendment/ Firestone-Walker  El Camino (un)Real Black Ale

Stone/ Victory/ Dogfish Head  Saison du BUFF (Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor) 

Stone/ Kelsey McNair/ Ballast Point  San Diego County Session Ale

Anniversary Series:

Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial I.P.A. - a British-inspired I.P.A.

Vertical Epic Series:

10.10.10 - a grape-happy beer meant to be aged (preferably until at least  12.12.12)

Tuesday Brewsday - Super Bowl Beers (not Bud, Miller, or Coors!)

The Super Bowl is considered by many to be a de-facto holiday in American culture. Each year on this special Sunday we gather our favorite snacks, rally our closest friends, dawn our team's colors, and cheer and holler at the TV together for one last time for a team we usually despise. More often than not, accompanying your snacks in each of your close friend's hands is a beer. Many people try, but Super Bowl Sunday is generally not a day for umbrella-laden cocktails or one to be uncorking and decanting bottles of wine. No, no. On this day; and virtually ever other day a sporting event falls on, save for the Kentucky Derby; beer is the celebrated beverage of choice. (Really though, a mint julep?)

This year instead of picking up a 36'er of bland Bud Light or even a six-pack of Corona with lime, how about you truly support your temporary team and pick a beer from their home state or even better, if you can find it, a beer from their home city.

Tuesday Brewsday - Acme California Ales

BREWSDAY IS BACK! 

What we consider our cornerstone post, Tuesday Brewsday, is back. I'm sure your taste buds are as anxious as mine are to find out what wonderful fermented beverage we bring to you next. This week we head up the California coast to Fort Bragg, CA all the way in Mendocino County just north of San Francisco. There we find the North Coast Brewing Company quietly nestled near the Pacific Ocean. 

Now you may be asking yourself, "Why is he talking about North Coast Brewing when it's an Acme beer?" Well, I'd say, great question! North Coast Brewing Company makes the beer but the name harks back to another notable brewing company from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tuesday Brewsday - Las Vegas Beer Festival "Brew's Best"

This Saturday at the MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas the Buckbean Brewing Company is producing a special beer festival of local Nevada breweries as well as notable breweries from the region. Buckbean Brewing Company, located in Reno, NV, is Nevada's longest operating bottler in Nevada. Granted it's only been two years that they've been operating their business but that doesn't discredit their claim. Also, it's important to note that while they do package and distribute their beer to other markets they don't in fact bottle, they can. That's right they can, and cans are the best way to have your beer reach your customers with the closest to tap quality brew. Cans are 100% protective against oxygen and light, the #1 enemy of quality beer, and provide you to carry your beer where it might be otherwise prohibited: beaches, campgrounds, concerts and more.

Free-For-All Friday - 2010 Stone Winter Storm

It's no secret that we here at Expect Odd Things are more than just casual fans of Stone Brewing Company from Escondido, California. This North San Diego County brewery is renowned for their strong ales, and various other unique creations. Next week, February 7th-13th, they will offer "The Largest Collection of Stone Beers on Tap in One Place at One Time, EVER!" during their Stone Winter Storm they will have over 36 different Stone beers on tap at one time.

Today we'll take a closer look at the different series of beers offered at Stone during their Winter Storm, as well as highlight their specialty beers and beers you've probably never even heard of before. You like Belgians? Stone actually has a couple beers to offer you. How about single beers brewed by three world renowned breweries? Stone's gotcha covered there too. I wish to no end that I was able to attend this amazing offering of what I believe to be a beer demigod. However, I'll be huddled at home crying tears of Ruination, as not attending the Winter Storm will clearly ruin my week. So, here is our wrap-up of the 36-plus Stone Brewing Company beers offered up during their 2010 Stone Winter Storm.

Tuesday Brewsday - 48 Beers in 28 Hours (Part 2)

* DISCLAIMER* 
 Grab yourself a good craft brew cause continuing further without one may cause extreme thirst. 

This week's Tuesday Brewsday is a continuation of story written last month, if you missed that you can catch up on the story here.

A little hungover from the previous night's escapades, however only slightly because we ended up laying our heads down nice and early around 10PM. (We had two more breweries we could have visited the night before.) However, last time in San Diego we discovered that Old Town has the cure for a mean hangover. That place is called Casa Guadalajara. Their homemade tortillas and to-die-for Machaca, which is a heavenly blend of generous amounts of carne asada, egg, onions and peppers. The spice and substance of a breakfast here cure any ails your stomach may have left over from the previous evening. Breakfast options aside, we needed to find ourselves a sampler set to enjoy!

Tuesday Brewsday - 48 Beers in 28 Hours (Part 1)

* DISCLAIMER* 

 Grab yourself a good craft brew cause continuing further without one may cause extreme thirst.

Last week I highlighted the plethora of breweries in San Diego County and mentioned that I was planning on visiting several of them. Well we're back to highlight the 48 different San Diego beers we sampled during our time in Ron Burgundy's hometown. Known for their aggressively hoppy beers, San Diego County breweries have been taking awards for years and more importantly been recognized as one of the hottest brewing spots in the World.

Tuesday Brewsday - America's Finest Beer City: San Diego

One doesn't often think of San Diego when someone says beer, but you should be. San Diego is America's Premier Beer City offering 33 breweries throughout all of San Diego County. Known for the super-hoppy beers, San Diego County breweries are quickly making a name for themselves. At this year's Great American Beer Festival, Pizza Port-Carlsbad received the Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year. You name the style of beer and it is being brewed by one of the many breweries in San Diego County. 

Tuesday Brewsday - North American Breweries

Did you know that Upstate New York has a brewing corporation of its own that spans three continents, and includes several notable North American brands? North American Breweries based in Rochester, New York is exactly that. While they don't own as many brands as AB-InBev or SAB Miller they still command a significant market share while remaining majority American owned, which neither of those behemoths can claim. They own and operate Dundee Ales & Lagers, Labatt USA, and Genesee Brewing Company.

Guest Blogger Thursday - Mike D's Trappist Monks

Anybody that may know me, probably is aware that I am not the biggest fan of organized religion. I`suppose that might be a little strange considering the topic for today is on the Trappists. Trappists, who are part of a Roman Catholic order abide by the very strict rules set forth by Saint Benedict who lived in the 500's AD in Italy. These philosophies and rules are intriguing as they follow an almost extreme sense of seclusion and solitude. They live a life mostly in silence, speaking only when necessary. Most of their time is spent between studying, prayer and work related activities. They are almost entirely self sufficient, as they are known to grow their own crops and live stock as well as produce many goods such as cheeses, breads etc. The ones that interest me the most are the ones that (you guessed it) brew beer!

Tuesday Brewsday - Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout

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This year Guinness & Company brewery at St. James Gate in Dublin, Ireland turns 250 years old. In 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the unused St. James Gate Brewery and ten years later he exported his first barrels of Guinness beer.  Fast forward 250 years and you get to 2009 and the 250th celebration of Guinness.

Tuesday Brewsday - Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is the second largest craft brewery in the country. It was founded by Ken Grossman and Paul Casumi in 1979. They developed one of the cornerstones of the craft brewery movement along with Sam Koch's Samuel Adams. Their flagship beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was first brewed in late 1980 and is considered by the Beer Judging Certification Program (BJCP) Guidelines to be the best commercially available example of American Pale Ale. According to  Sierra Nevada's website, "It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor." If you've never tasted a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I highly suggest you run down to your local liquor store and buy one. It is likely one of the few craft beers available in all 50 states.

However wonderful their pale ale may be, they brew many other styles excellently as well. In fact it was recently announced that they were teaming up with the hottest craft brewery at the moment, Dogfish Head of Milton, Delware. They will brew two beers in "Life & Limb" series, called 'Life & Limb' and 'Limb & Life'. The description of both beers from the press release is here:

Life & Limb is a 10% ABV strong beer that defies style characteristics—brewed with pure maple syrup from the Calagione family farm in Massachusetts and estate barley grown on the Grossman “farm” at the brewery in Chico. The beer is alive with yeast—a blend of both breweries’ house strains—bottle conditioned for added complexity and shelf life, and naturally carbonated with birch syrup fresh from Alaska; it is the first beer we know of ever to use birch syrup in the brew. If stored under good conditions, this rich, full-bodied beer should age well for years.  Life & Limb will be available in 24-oz. bottles and limited draft starting this November.

Limb & Life is a companion to the big beer—an acorn off the larger tree. It is a 5% ABV small beer—a low-gravity beer made using the residual sugar as “second runnings” from the first larger brew, fortified with American hops.  This is a session beer. Its big brother is a sipper. Limb & Life will be a limited draft-only product, a prelude to the bigger beer, available in select bars and restaurants this October. 

The two beers will be brewed at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., in Chico, CA and released through the Sierra Nevada distribution network.

Since 1998 Ken Grossman has been the sole head of Sierra Nevada and continues to one of the key persons in the world of craft beer. There have been rumors of their corporate buyout, but to this day they are independently owned and operated. So keep a look out at your local beer freezer for the Sierra Nevada family of beers including their all new beer with Dogfish Head Brewery.

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Tuesday Brewsday - Deschutes Brewery

Located in Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is personally my second favorite brewery. When it comes to picking favorites, for me it is about consistency. Any brewery can produce a phenomenal ale or lager, however to produce a family of great beers is much more difficult to achieve. Like Stone Brewery, (my personal favorite) every Deschutes beer is a highly styled, well-crafted piece of art.

Founded in 1988 Deschutes has been brewing craft beer for more than 20 years. It was start by Gary Fish who named the brewery after the nearby Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. They have since expanded to four brewhouses, with Brewmaster Larry Sidor monitoring all sites to insure consistency and a quality standard that Deshutes has been known to withhold.

They distribute to 14 western states; Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, California, Hawaii, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, and parts of Texas. They have no intentions on expanding eastward, much like America's oldest brewery Yuengling having no desire to go westward. In both instances, they wish to simply resupply their markets with the great beer they're known for, rather than risk losing established customer bases for the concept of new ones abroad. 


One final interesting fact about their beers is that they are VEGAN BEERS! Yes I know I've never really heard this moniker attached to zymurgy but alas Deschutes makes animal-product free beer using Irish Moss to produce a clarifying agent, red algae. 

- Beers in the Deschutes Family -

Year-Round Releases:

Black Butte Porter

Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Green Lakes Organic Ale

Inversion I.P.A.

Cascade Ale

Obsidian Stout

Bachelor E.S.B.

Their Seasonal Ales:

Jan.-March - Buzzsaw Brown 
Apr.-June - Cinder Cone Red

June-Sept. - Twilight Ale
 Oct.-Dec. - Jubelale 

Bond Street Series: "Hop-Forward Beers"

 Jan.-Apr. - Hop Henge Experimental I.P.A.

May-Sept. - Red Chair I.P.A

Oct.-Dec. - Hop Trip Pale Ale

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Streaming Sundays - Beer Wars

This week on Streaming Sundays we really do have a special treat in store for you. Our feature this week is: BEER WARS. The documentary focuses in on the fight of small craft breweries to corner just a small percentage of a multi-billion dollar industry dominated by three major breweries. Bud, Coors, and Miller are practically all that most Americans know about that oft-drank elixir. Now, as never done before, these small breweries are NOT taking this fight lying down. Here is the movie synopsis:

"In America, size matters. The bigger you are, the more power you have, especially in the business world. Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries. 

Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs – Sam and Rhonda – battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch. This contemporary David and Goliath story is ultimately about keeping your integrity (and your family’s home) in the face of temptation.  

Beer Wars is a revealing and entertaining journey that provides unexpected and surprising turns and promises to change the world’s opinion on those infamous 99 bottles of beer on the wall."

Check out their fight in BEER WARS:

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All Beer Is Yellow . . .

. . . I know, I know it isn't. However, in a recent Facebook thread I was told such, TWICE! Now this is not a candid reply to such, merely a developed explanation on how this simply is not the case.

Now not only can this be refuted in an instant but it begs to ask the question, "Why would someone think this is so?" The answer to that is probably the massive marketing campaigns that BIG BEER produces. These campaigns dominant marketing all over television, radio, and the internet, telling you that their beer "Tastes Great" and is "Less Filling," enticing you to tell another "I Love You Man" to snag a beer, or that their beer is "As Cold as the Rockies."

As famous beer critic and writer, Micheal Jackson 'The Beer Hunter' put it, "Now someone farts and they put a TM after it. Even Miller Lite says 'A Fine Pilsner Beer' on the label. It is a crime."

The late Michael Jackson, "The Beer Hunter"

The Big Beer I refer to would be the three largest breweries on American soil, Anheuser-Busch (brewers of Budweiser), Miller, & Coors. I unfortunately have to say on American soil because they no longer are majority-owned by Americans. Miller Brewing is owned by SAB Miller, a British company based in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2005 the Coors Company merged with Canadian owned Molson and is now MillerCoors, a joint venture created in 2007 between British-owned SAB Miller and the now Half-Canadian, Half-American MolsonCoors, to be one third American owned. Last to join the foreign market is Anheuser-Busch. They were purchased in August of 2008 by the Belgian owned InBev to the sum of $52 billion. This makes InBev the largest brewer by volume with all of the Anheuser-Busch brands (Bud, Michelob, Busch, Rolling Rock) joining notable brands like Bass, Beck's, Stella Artois.

So that leaves the meager Boston Beer Company as America's Largest American-owned brewery. When I mentioned this fact to my Facebook friend they rifled back with, "You know, Sam Adams is a 'BIG' corporate company." While they may be publicly traded company, they are no doubt a craft brewery and not Big Beer. Here is how the Boston Beer Company describe themselves:

The Boston Beer Company is America's leading brewer of handcrafted, full-flavored beers. Founder and Brewer, Jim Koch, brews Samuel Adams® beers using the time-honored, traditional four-vessel brewing process, and the world's finest all-natural ingredients. With 18 distinctive, award-winning styles of beer, Samuel Adams offers discerning beer drinkers a variety of brews. The brewery has won more awards in international beer-tasting competitions in the last five years than any other brewery in the world. Samuel Adams is an independent brewery and has half of a percent of the domestic beer market. The Company's flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, is brewed using the same recipe and processes that Jim Koch's great-great grandfather used in the mid 1800s. The result is a beer renowned by drinkers for its full flavor, balance, complexity, and consistent quality.

With that I'll continue to refute the statement of "All Beer is Yellow." The following styles in the there nature are anything but yellow; stouts, porters, ambers, brown ales, dark largers, bocks, lambics, and irish red ales. For the majority of their styles you need not read their BJCP Style Description but simply read their name. Some lambic's colors are so vibrant they are more akin to pure juices than beer or even wine.

As you can see from the BJCP Color Chart, each style varies in color greatly. While most lagers and pilsner styles are meant to be clear with a golden yellow hue, most porters and stouts are meant to be dark and slightly opaque. These are attributes to their style and are not necessarily for better or worse. I sampled a wonderful pilsner by Green Flash Brewery in San Diego called, in fact, Fizzy Yellow Beer - a Bohemian Pilsner. It was full-bodied, had Belgian yeast notes, as well as a nice finish.

So in closing, I state that there is good beer that is yellow. I do not think, however, that the yellow beers that are worth drinking would be classified as 'fizzy' and 'yellow'. On the other hand, most beers brewed in corporate mega-factories in Golden, CO, St. Louis, MO, and Milwaukee, WI are more than likely LESSER THAN to say the least.

If these are your beers of choice fine, that's okay. No one is saying we should ban such products from the market. Be that as it may, you cannot argue that a box wine is better than an aged wine, nor can you argue that a cheaply produced beer made with rice and corn can rival that of a true craftsman and artist. Paint-by-numbers isn't Picasso, so let's not pretend such with our evening libations. Okay?

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

"I Am A Craft Brewer" is a collaborative video representing the camaraderie, character and integrity of the American Craft Brewing movement. Created by Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. and Chris & Jared of Redtail Media...and more than 35 amazing craft brewers from all over the country. The video was shown to a packed audience of 1700 craft brewers and industry members at the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference as an introduction to Greg's Keynote Speech entitled "Be Remarkable: Collaboration Ethics Camaraderie Passion."



A program is in development to include even more of America's amazing craft brewers. Please stay tuned!

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