Believe me when I say ,"you can find great beers at wine bars."

Recently I took a friend up on an invitation to go to a wine and beer tasting event in the El Dorado Hills area. I was trying to picture in my head how the event would lay out. Beer at on end of the room with hardly any one in line?

The place is the Wine Konnection in the Town Center Village. The easy and relaxing atmosphere invites one to sit, sip, and stay awhile. I found that very easy to do when I arrived.

The décor is open, inviting, with sleek hardwood floors, and deep rich red walls.
I couldn’t help but notice the large glass walled cellar that showcased some rare and hard to find wines.

The owner, Bill Ramsey was out in the main area chatting it up with their patrons. The tasting area had a selection of five wines and five beers from Lost Coast brewing Co..

Jack Van Stone was on hand as the Northern Rep for this iconic brewing company. Typical for beer festivals, Jack had the plastic cups. I gave him the wine glass I was given as part of the wine tasting. Today, my tastes included Alleycat Amber, Indica IPA, 8-Ball Stout, and Great White.

It was a gorgeous day. The doors to the patio had been opened. Soft breezes coaxed me onto the patio. It was a very comfortable summer evening. The patio was not crowded with many tables and chairs. The landscape had been developed with large fountains surrounded by gentle sloping banks.

My server brought me the summer menu.
I made two selections. I wanted to see how the entrée and appetizer plate I selected paired with the beers of Lost Coast Brewing Co.
Are these plates designed to be paired only with wine?

My first choice was the Skewered Kobe Beef on a bed of heirloom tomatoes and Oregonzola bread salad. Of the five styles offered to sample, I found that the combination of rich beef played up with ripe tomatoes and the Alleycat Amber best complemented piquant Gorgonzola cheese. The malt profile worked really well with the natural sweetness of the beef and the tomatoes without competing with the aged cheese.

My next selection was the Cheese Plate. Humbolt Fog from Cypress Grove, Oregonzola from Rogue River, Camembert from Le Chatelain, and Mezzo Secco Jack from Vella were offered with an assortment of crackers, nuts and dried fruit. Slowly savoring each cheese I decided that the one beer that tied the flavors developed with a careful aging process was enjoyed best with the Great White. Great White is an American Wheat style. The soft wheat flavor really added to the complexity of the cheeses offered.

The Wine Konnection captures everything great about the Northern California area. World class wines, award winning beers, and fabulous food, and the rolling hills of the Gold Country. I live thirty minutes away and I can’t wait to bring a friend very soon.

I know that as a beer enthusiast, when I ask my server about beer, she will be happy to make some very good recommendations.

The Wine Konnection is located off HWY-50 and Latrobe Rd. 4364 Town Center Blvd. #128Tele: 916.941.1555

http://www.winekonnection.com/

Dress Code upscale casual for days/ elegant for evenings

The WK is always open at 11:00 a.m.

reservations are available

Summer features live jazz music on Wednesday and Friday evenings

Dortmunder Export

Dortmund started out as a small town in Germany in the late 800’s. It turned into on of the Germany’s most powerful towns. Could it be because of the incredible beer they brewed?
Really, the beer wasn’t developed until 1873. But it is fair to say that the city did grow in popularity due to the Dortmunder beer.

To symbolize the city’s major industry of brewing, a ten foot bronze statue was presented to Dortmund by DAB (Dortmunder Actien Braurei) in 1979. Artur Schulze-Engels designed the sculpture. The sculpture is called the Dortmund Drayman.

“A Drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that was used for transport of all kinds of goods. Now the term is really only used for brewery delivery men, even though routine horse-drawn deliveries are almost entirely extinct. Some breweries do still maintain teams of horses and a dray, but these are used only for special occasions such as festivals or opening new premises.(Wikipedia)”

The term export is said to be a category of strength as determined by German Law. I could not find what qualified the beer to be labeled as an export. The term export is not limited to Dortmunder. It is a legal description of a bee. It is possible to find other German or European beers with that terminology. It is probably the strongest beer in alcohol (4.6-6%) for the color and style.

Dortmunder Export is defined by Michael Jackson as a “sociable beer”. That was certainly the case during the height of its popularity. It was responsible for Dortmunder Union becoming Germany’s largest brewery with the highest concentration of breweries.

The most notable factor about this beer is that it starts out large and finishes small. This contributes to the higher alcohol content. The beauty of the beer is its balance between the Noble hops and the generous amounts of Pilsner malt. It is possible for this beer to be a dark golden color; in most cases the color is a very pale color.

Water profile also contributes to the aroma and mouth feel of this style. The water in the area of Dortmund is high in Sulfite, Carbonates, and Chlorides, This gives the malt beer a slightly sulfur nose and draws out the bitterness of the hops. It also contributes to the mouth feel. This beer is very crisp.

It seems like a contradiction to have a beer with smooth malt flavor and crisp mouth feel, but once you have a glass you will be able to appreciate the appeal of the beer.

I was not able to find a micro brewed version of the style that had been submitted to the fair that took any awards. However I did see that GB is considered to be a classic example of style for the beer.

This would be the perfect beer to serve during your summer BBQ. If your recalling your P’s and Q’s about serving beer you know that this beer is served best cold. May be some bratwurst on the grill would be just the ticket.

Need an excuse to come down to Old Sac?

River City Brewing Company is at the gateway of Old Town Sacramento.
Another reason to head down there, they don’t distribute their beer. If you want their beer, you have to go there.

There is a third reason you have to go. I talk about that later.

River City Brewing Co. is a great destination point because there is so much to do in the area: theatres, the Crocker Art Museum, mall shopping, The Historic Railroad Museum, a comedy club, a romantic walk along the Sacramento River. It’s all there. Once you have worked up a thirst or a hunger, River City Brewing Co. is an easy walk.

River City Brewing Co. was the first brewery I went to when I had the beer “sampler”.
It was also my first experience with stout. That took some getting used to but I’m glad I am a fan of the style.

Nowadays, when I go down there, my favorite beer to have is the Woodenhead. A rich red ale that is aged in oak barrels. It is also the strongest beer they carry on tap for the time. Any other beer you order will be lower in alcohol. If you go there for the day or with friends or family any other beer you select will be closer to a session style of beer.

Of course no one drinks on an empty stomach. My favorite plate to order is their signature steak salad. Another great signature menu item is their Eggplant Neapolitan; Even if you don’t care for eggplant, this is a real treat. Really, anything you order from the menu will be great. River City Brewing Company has a menu to rival any other brewing establishment. The chef takes great pride in everything they have to offer.

The other chef is Brew Master Brian Cofresi. Brian has been with River City Brewing Company almost from the time he began to brew professionally. I asked him how he got into brewing. Was I surprised when he told me that he started as a home brewer? No. I was surprised to learn that he was a member of GCBA? Yes.

After brewing several batches of all-grain homebrew, Brian said he decided to attend the American Brewers Guild. With a few short stints at other brewing companies, Brian made his home with River City Brewing Company in 1999.

Reason #3- Brian has ale he has been aging for 18 months. It is called “Consternation”. This is a malty ale with subtle vanilla, almond and chocolate notes. There is a complementary sour nose and a low hop aroma. It has a deep reddish brown color with good clarity. It has a low head and resembles old ale when poured. The process of aging the beer was to achieve a smooth complex sour beer that has layers of malt and brett . It is very similar to a Flanders without the fruitiness. It is medium bodied ale with low carbonation.

Let there only be amazement, when you enjoy this beer. Brian worked very hard to save it. If you have not been there lately you may notice several fermenters missing. There was a small shift in floor space and the effort it took Brian to hang on to this little specialty took some effort.

I find the beer to make a great aperitif. The sourness in the beer gets the juices rolling.

Six Months

It has been six months since I began blogging about beer subjects. I started to do it as an exercise in writing. I wanted to develop a voice. I also wanted to be disciplined enough to put out articles on a regular basis. I knew I wanted to write about what I know and what I have been doing.

At first I left the comment section off. I told myself I just wanted to be able to write. I needed more self esteem before I subjected my new venture to criticisms from strangers. I just turned on the comment button so I am open to your comments now. I will say that what you can expect on my blog is anything to do with the Northern California area.

Brewers, beers, tap houses, beer issues, and events. I will not write about any thing outside the area. I believe those areas are already well covered. I see Christina Perozzi in Southern California doing her thing and calling herself “The Beer Chick”. I see Lisa Morrison focusing on the Oregon and Washington area referring to herself as the “Beer Goddess”. Seeing my niche as the female voice in the Northern California area, I decided to adopt the title “The Beer Maven”.

As the Beer Maven I will continue to devote myself to the area.
I wont write about beers brewed in Oregon, Washington, or Alaska. I wont write about any beer related adventures I may have outside the Northern California area.

It is my goal to form a bridge for you, who appreciate beer to understand more than just where to go to get a good beer. Breweries also face a lot of issues as producers and distributors of America’s numbers one choice of alcoholic refreshment.

A good brewery understands that it is not in a bubble and has a responsibility to the community. It is my goal to help you understand these issues. I also hope to share with you all the events and celebrations that breweries love to promote to encourage a sense of community.

Thank you for your support. Please share this link with family and friends. If you have a comment or constructive criticism please let me know.

Sincerely,
The Beer Maven

emailthebeermaven@gmail.com

"Some decanted evening"

Bubbles can be fun.
Sometimes they will detract from the real thing.
You may not always want them in your beer, at least not so many.





There are several companies that package their beer with CO2. Sometimes they get carried away. Sometimes their regulator is set to XXX ppsi and you get more fizz than the beer justifies.

What, beer with less fizz?
I came upon this not with any intent. One day I was enjoying some time at my favorite tap house in the Folsom area. You know, the one that has been open for less than 6 mos. and has already received an award, yea, that one. Any way, they had Lagunitas Lucky 13 on tap. Lucky 13 began life as Lagunitas Anniversary ale. It is a deep, rich, vinuous, red ale. I enjoyed it so much that when I found it at my local grocery store in a 22oz. bottle, I picked it up . I wanted to serve it when the cool delta breezes were stroking the warm Sacramento evening.

When such an evening presented itself, I poured the red ale into a short-stemmed glass. However, as I savored the liquid, it seemed as if the carbonation was running interference with the rich flavors of this finely crafted beer. Hmmm…. What to do?

I pulled out my decanter, turned the remaining contents of the 22oz. bottle upside down into the decanter. The decanter was filled with foam. I set my timer for 15 minutes to give the beer time to gas out.
I returned to the beer, and re-poured my glass. Low and behold I had a completely different beer. All the malt richness, and complexity was standing alone as it should. It didn’t need the CO2 to hold it up. The vinuous character that was being suppressed by the show off bubbles was now able to shine through.
I spent the rest of the evening slowly savoring the beer in a way that would not have been possible otherwise.

There are several other companies that consistently over carbonate the beer. It does not always do the beer credit. If you come across a lovely beer and you think that the carbonation in the beer is overwhelming the .seductive flavors of the beer, then see if you can draw out those flavors by decanting the beer and allowing the superfluous gas to escape. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find a different beer than what you initially tasted.

This principle follows that same line of reasoning as the serving temperature of beer. It could have been that while the beer was gassing out it also had time to warm up and allow more flavors to be enjoyed without being accosted by the cold.

Invariably the beer sensory experience is just that, a sensory experience. The more appreciation you learn to give beer and what it may have to offer, the more opportunities you look for to increase your pleasure.

Take time to enjoy your beer. Allow it to unfold. Not all beers are designed to be chased with nachos.

I hope that with these articles you are learning to appreciate the many nuances that you beer selection has to offer. I would love to hear from you and any comments you have or articles you would like to see me write about.

Munich Helles

Munich Helles

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria. It is the third largest state in the country of Germany.
The word “munich” is derived from an old German word munchen, which means monk. Munich is one of three cities with this classification. Munich’s coat of arms has a monk on it.
Where there is a monk, there is beer.
Helles is pronounced hell-es. It is German for bright.

The term Munich Helles refers to a very light German lager. It is the lightest beer in color and ABV, for it’s style classification. There are some who say that it was created to offer a lighter version of Munich Dunkel, which is a dark lager. There are others that say that the beer was designed to compete with the Pilsner-style beers. Perhaps it was developed to offer a different version of a similar product much like we do in product placement today.

This beer was designed as an alternative to the Pilsner and not the American Pilsner. For that reason, we will find a very different beer. This beer is brewed to the German Purity Law.
Ingredients play a very distinctive part in the final product. First of all there are no adjuncts. No rice or corn to lighten the flavor, color or ABV. Yet is it a remarkably light beer. The alcohol content is generally less than 5.5%. The lager yeast used in the beer attenuates to make it a very dry beer for the amount of grain in the malt bill.

The malt profile is not hiding behind rice or corn so you can expect to enjoy a clean, sweet, malty aroma with no diacetyl or very low notes of DMS and no fruity esters.
Secondly, another attribute you can expect to find in Munich Helles that you won’t get in an American Lager is foam. The Helles has a thick, white tall stand of foam when poured.

Thirdly, in addition to the malt bill being entirely malted barley, you can expect to find a lot of hop flavor in this style. You will not find this in an American Lager. The IBU in this “bright” beer is a whopping 16-22. It is for the style on of the hoppier beers. It is right up there with the American Pale ale.

What really makes the hop profile for this beer style pop is the fact that the water in Munich is high in carbonates. The carbonates in the water really pull out the alpha acids from the hops and rather than soften the acids.

The mouth feel for this beer may be harsher than what one might expect due to the high carbonate is the water. If you think you are experiencing any astringency it may be more an attribute of the hop bitterness. Astringency is very seldom a quality in any beer.. This style typically has medium carbonation and medium body which accentuates the malt profile of the beer.

There are several breweries in the Northern California area that submitted their fine beer as a Helles Bock. These are not to be mistaken as a Munich Helles. The Munich Helles was in response to the Pilsner craze and Bocks are not Pilsners. It is a good example of creating a light version of a beer. This was the incentive for designing the style.


So for sporting purpose I will mention the breweries.
Blue Frog Grogg and Grille- Fairfield
River City Brewing Co.- Sacramento
Brew It Up- Sacramento
Sierra Nevada- Chico

I will add that Gordon Biersch does make a Munich Helles. However, their beer was not submitted for competition.


Munich Helles is a lager and should be served cold. Due to the high hopping rate of the beer, it will go great with salads with a lot of bitter greens. Curly endive, escarole, radicchio, arugula, and dandelion make are great bitter salad greens. Hey, it’s summer! Need another excuse to drink beer and eat your greens?