Out With the Old; In With the New

Only three years in the market, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is making the choice to pull the Anniversary Ale.

The past several years, Sierra Nevada has been focusing on fresh local hops. It even has its own hop yard. Now SNBC is focused on a beer made with the freshest malt possible.

We all appreciates the difference in a coffee that has been brewed with freshly roasted beans and the coffee brewed with pre-ground beans sitting on the store shelf for months.
Following the principle of fresh brewed coffee, special arrangements have been made with maltsters to deliver the specialty malt within days after being kilned. With this they are producing a new seasonal brown ale.

American Brown ales are typically malty and rich with a medium dry finish. The hop character is low hop aroma and medium to high bitterness.. It is not uncommon for these styles to have a chocolate background due to roasting techniques.
The fresh malt showcases the rich roast and nutty flavors associated with fall.
While the american brown ale has fallen by the wayside with some of the larger breweries, Sierra Nevada is looking for this ale to be the new standard in brown ales.

More Beer For Our Money?

Scenario:
You want to pay cash for your pint but your credit card company is offering a rewards program every time you use it. You only want a pint of beer but the bartender tells you that there is a “minimum purchase” to use the card. So you order a pint and whatever. You swipe your card have to pay a transaction fee of $1.00.

Recently, the Senate agreed to an amendment which would limit usage fees (the $1.00 charge), make it unlawful for merchandisers to enforce a minimum purchase to use the card ($5.00), and reduce the reward programs featured by credit card banks to encourage the usage of cash.

In an economy which does not seem to foster the American tradition of beer it looks as if there is a silver lining somewhere.
Copy and paste the url for the full story.

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/05/pittsburgh----you-probably-swipe-a-credit-or-debit-card-through-a-magnetic-stripe-reader-dozens-of-times-each-month-its-a-s.html#posts

Wheat Beers Make a Great Summer Time beer

These beers tend to be pale straw to pale gold in color. They have very thick, white, persistent heads. Wheat beers are relatively low in alcohol. These beers can range between 4- 5.5% ABV. This puts them close to session beers, so they are very drinkable without dehydrating you (alcohol acts as a dehydrant which is the main reason why those who overindulge without drinking water end up with a headache or a hangover).
Wheat beers have a fun, refreshing, crisp, effervescent mouth feel due to the high malted wheat content. The grist for these beers is generally 50%.
The hopping rate for these beers is generally between 10-20 IBU’s (international bittering units). This is about the same bitterness as an American Lager. The low hopping rate makes this beer extremely food friendly.
These beers are well paired with salad, fruit, and cheese platters. Their flavors range from the neutral American wheat, to the banana, clove like fruitiness of a German Weiss (the term hefe refers to the yeast not the wheat), or the spicy coriander and orange-like profile of a Belgian Wit.
These beers lend themselves very well to fruit style beers. It will not be uncommon to find the brewer play with berries or stone fruit. 21st Amendment does a great job in playing with summer themed wheat beer and fruit by featuring watermelon in their wheat beer.
These beers are a perfect example of my "Wars of the Yeast" article. While the water, hop schedule and grain bill may be similar, it is the yeast that gives the beer a very distinctive profile.
I personally have never been a fan of the German style wheat beers. I have come across many others who say they do not like “wheat beers”. In fact it is the style they may not care for. I love it when I can turn them on to other wheat style beers and see their faces light up!
Because of the general appeal of wheat beers, you will almost always find a wheat style on tap at your favorite brewery or in bottles at your favorite beverage store or supermarket.
Typically you will be served these beers with a wedge of lemon or orange. Although these beers are not traditionally served in this manner, you don’t have to be hoity- toity about it like I was when I learned this little fact and toss the fruit. If you don’t want the fruit, discreetly set it aside. No big deal.
These beers are also the most common styles in which you may find a fruit profile on the label of the beer.  Wheat beers lend themselves very well to fruit flavors, particularly stone fruit.
When you serve a wheat style beer don’t forget what I mentioned in my earlier article about decanting beers. These beers are often bottled with the yeast and or are unfiltered. It is up to you how you would like to serve them. I recommend that you start without the yeast. Be sure to read the article on decanting.
Aside from decanting the beer, you want to pour carefully. These beers have a large head and need to be poured so that you don’t waste the beer.
These beers also call for a particular glass style, usually short stemmed with long narrow bowls. Check out the picture to get an idea of an appropriate glass style for these beers.

My personal favs are:
American –Lost Coast Brewing Co.: Great White
German- Sudwerk’s: hefeweizen
Belgian- St.Bernardus Wit. This comes in a 750ml. Bottle with a champagne cork and tie. It makes a great beer to try at parties and there is plenty to share.

Is the "City of Saloons" turning into a dry town?

In the past several years, Sacramento’s brewing culture has taken a hard hit. Not because of the lack of interest in good beer! Unfortunately the majority of these breweries have been tied to restaurants. The economy has hit the industry very hard. When an eating establishment has to close it’s doors so must the brewery it supports.
First we lost Elk Grove Brewing Co., then followed Beerman’s and BJ‘s (we lost the onsite brewing house and brew master). Not long after that Oasis closed it’s doors. Swiftly following that was Roseville’s Greenhouse which served only it’s own beer. It was a tragic blow to the Sacramento when Sacramento Brewing Co., closed its doors.
Now we are facing American Craft Beer Week with only a handful of breweries left to our name. Sacramento is bigger than ever. We have experienced an exponential growth over the past ten years. We have become the bedroom community for San Francisco.
Back in the 1890’s, Sacramento with a population of 80,000 was only second to San Francisco in beer production. Almost 10 years ago, Sacramento rivaled S.F. per capita in breweries. Now with a population of almost 500,000, we face a dismal representation of the namesake bestowed upon us by Mark Twain as the “City of Saloons”.
With so many people and so few breweries, it should not be a difficult task to show our support for our local breweries. Get out there and have a pint! Please remember to drink responsibly. Designate a driver before you hit your favorite watering hole.

Celebrating Craft Brew Week

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

Support Your Local Brewery during American Craft Beer Week