Thursday, January 27, 2011

21st Ammendment Brewery to can their "Bitter American" beer



A session beer in a can. Why not? San Fransisco's 21st Amendment Brewery has decided to release brewpub and previously draft only favorite in cans. 21st Amendment informs us that "4.4% ABV, 42 IBUs, with full hoppy flavors that you would find in an India Pale Ale." "Bitter American" is generously hopped with warrior and cascade hops and dry hopped with simcoe and centennial hops. High gravity beers have their place but 21st Amendment makes a very logical statement as to why they decided to release this beer in the winter " The bigger beers are fun to enjoy, but they sometimes get you in trouble with your significant other, the floor below your bar stool or the morning after for that matter." This beer is defiantly not your typical late winter seasonal.

21st Amendment has become one of my favorite breweries. Canned beer is a wonderful alternative to bottled beer. Canned beer uses 75% less packaging than glass, does not shatter, hides light, not nearly as heavy, and easier to transport. The cans used in brewing today are lined and do not have the metal taste that accompanied the beer you stole from your grandfather's fridge. 21st Amendment are the forefathers of canning styles of beer which have previously been available only in bottles.

This is the third seasonal the San Fransisco based brewery currently can. Their other two seasonals "Hell or High Watermelon", a tasty watermelon wheat beer and "Fireside Chat" a tasty 7.9% abv beer spiced with cocoa nibs. I am always excited to have new beer available in cans and look forward to trying this one. Some of my favorite beers are low gravity beers, you get to try more beers and not fall off you're bar stool. I have never been let down by the wonderful folks at 21st amendment brewery. The beer will be available soon in cans and on draft wherever 21st Amendment beers are sold.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2010 Deschutes Abyss



One the world's most eclat and coveted beers, Deschutes Abyss has just been released. Drink up. Beeradvoate.com ranks this beer #5 in the world. Deschutes never lets a thirsty person down.

Classified as a Double or Imperial stout and pouring a very dark brown with a creamy white head. The Abyss weighs in at 11% ABV and 65 IBU's. Deschutes's highly creative beer is amply hopped and is made with brewers licorice and black strap molasses. The beer is also dry hopped with vanilla beans and cherry bark. Abyss is aged in bourbon, oak, and pinot barrels. The bourbon and licorice are very effervescent and contribute to the complexity of this sipper of a beer.

The Abyss is truly a phenomenal and special beer. If you are lucky enough to find some, I suggest having a bottle right away and putting a few in your cellar for a later day. Deschutes promises that "this precious liquid only gets better with age."

Bend,Oregon's Deschutes is not available everywhere in the US yet. If you wish to see Deschutes in your market, contact your local distributor and tell them you wanna drink Deschutes. They are truly a extraordinary brewery who makes superb beers at a very reasonable price. Their Mirror Pond has long been one my favorite beers.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

"Our Side, A Collaborative Gypsy Ale": a beer from masterminds Mikkeller and Stillwater




Two of the world's hottest and most eccentric brewers Mikkel Borg Bjergsø from Denmark and Brian Stillwater from Baltimore, Maryland have joined forces to make a beer. Mikkeller and Stillwater make for an ideal team. Both brewers have been generating amazing results and have been producing some of the most coveted beers in the world. Their joint project beer will certainly generate some buzz. What a wonderful way to start 2011!

"Our Side" is a brand new beer, but the beer's label gives it's lucky recipients some insight "Mikkel and Brian are two of the world’s most unconventional brewers. By designing beers at various breweries around the globe, they have found the freedom to experiment and innovate, resulting in unique beers that often blur the lines of definition. After having met at a festival in Bodegraven, NL the two realized that their first creations both were called Stateside. It was then an obvious decision to make the two recipes into a new product, packed full of piney, resinous hops, and backed by the esters of a farmhouse yeast strain."

Their highly anticipated collaboration beer containing "piney, resninous hops" and fermented with "a farmhouse yeast strain" are elements which promise not to disappoint. This is a new beer and the information on it is sparse, I will post more info when it becomes available.

The Beer makes its official debut later today at 6 pm at 4 very lucky bars. Max’s Taphouse (Baltimore, MD), ChurchKey (Washington, DC), Rustico Restaurant (Ballston, VA) and Rattle & Hum (NYC). I have been to Max's and Rattle N Hum and they are two world class establishments. If you are free later tonight, by all means go have yourself a glass or several of "Our Side". If you make it, please drop me an email and let me know what you think. Cheers.


story compiled from Beerinbaltimore.com