I can't say I am surprised that Russian River a brewery known for challenging beer convention is brewing a spontaneous beer or for you nonbeer geeks a beer that ferments from the natural yeasts and organizisms in the air. Sounds weird or disgusting you say? Ever had a nice Lambic because that is how those are brewed in Belgium. Ever since the Brewing Network interviewed Zachary Triemert from Upstream Brewing Company and Zachary talked his beer that uses spontaneous fermentation it has been tickling the back of my brain. I don't think that Flagstaff would be ideal for such a beer, but I do have a place or two in the Verde Valley I could experiment with the idea and I suspect it would be fun.

The first time I had a chance to try the Collaboration Not Litigation Ale it was at last year's Arizona Strong Beer Festival. The problem was that because it was a special sampling they held it off until after 4pm to serve it, but when you arrived at 2pm your taste buds were long since overpowered to properly enjoy it by the time they served it.

That said when I saw a bottle of the 2007 down in Phoenix recently I couldn't resist picking it up and giving it a try with a more clean palette. For those unfamiliar with the unique history of this beer read here.

The look started out with a great sandy tan foam with nice retention. It was a hazy, cloudy pale brown ale, almost bordering on a dunkleweizen look to it. When I gave it a sniff I picked up a highly alcoholic nose, with hints of raisin and almost plum character in the background. The malt character was in the background after the alcoholic note, but the hops were nonexistent.

As I tasted I noticed a nice carbonation to balance the heaviness of the beer. The oxidation character is apparent which from the length in the bottle not surprising, but because of the high alcohol nature it seems to well balance the oxidized character. The flavor after a bit of warming reminds me of a well aged barley wine, the smoothness and nice sensation as you swallow it.

It's remarkable that in blending the two different beers they achieve such a smooth and balanced malty beer between them. If you can get your hands on a bottle of this Ale check it out, it's well worth the money.

I already have my base Recognized BJCP level, but here in Flagstaff we are about to start taking another round of classes to prepare for the test again, I already have enough experience points to get Certified status and that is what I am gunning for when I retake the exam later this Summer or this Fall. If you are interested in taking the classes email me and I can get you the information.

That said at the same time I have been interested in the new Beer Cicerone program and I am going to start preparing for that series of tests as well. Anything to help expand my experience base. What will I do with it I have some ideas but for now I think the education is the important thing. We will see where things go from there.

see beer is good for you. Not that it really is news, but that is why it has been part of our culture going back thousands of years.

Okay my Father and you wine folks out there will love this, go check out http://tv.winelibrary.com with Gary Vaynerchuk. I love his attitude about wine, very gungho and confident. I found Gary through Scoble and Hugh on Twitter. After a bit of wondering the last couple of days of who is this guy they are talking about I decided to follow his feed and check out his show. I wasn't disappointed.

He shows the real potential of internet based video programming as much as Ask a Ninja and Tikibar TV. He has a personality and voice that shines through. I admit it I am a total Beer Geek but when it comes to wine, I am an ignorant hick. Honestly I'll drink a $5 bottle from my local supermarket and enjoy it as much as a $75 special reserve batch. But I can see watching this show will broaden my vocabulary and understanding of wine in total, even if I remain a wine hick.

One complaint I am a Beer Judge and we have to swallow when we judge. This whole spitting thing, okay I know it's normal for wine, but I just can't approve of the waste.

What was interesting was I watching Episode #420 and this is how it relates to beer. He had a great short list about experiencing wine and frankly it fits to beers just as much as wine.

So here goes Gary's list...well with my commentary after the bold.

Don't Listen to Me - On occasion I talk a beer and review it. I will try to be objective, but because I don't like it it doesn't mean you won't. Wine, beer, and food are all very personal things what one person likes another won't and there is nothing wrong with that.

Try Different Things - If you stick to the same safe patterns you'll never expand your taste. Breweries love to give samples so if you see something interesting but you don't think you would like a full pint, give it a sample you never know what you'll discover.

Lastly Trust Yourself - You know what you like, enjoy.

Gary has a great show and so I recommend you all check it out.

PS - If you don't believe me just watch Gary on Conan

PPS - Watching another video, you know why I want to watch Gary more? Honestly? Because he'll make me a better beer judge and writer, I really believe it.

$6.25 for a ounce of Saaz, damn, but when you need it for a particular beer, you need it. Somethings can't be substituted.

I helped judge at the Great Arizona Homebrew Competition this weekend. It's a great opportunity to hone my judging skills, but also help a competition. I have develop a set of personal preparations before I judge at homebrew competitions. It's based on what I have heard from other experienced judges, reading, and my personal experience. I hope it may help others...

Smoking – I enjoy the occasional cigar or filling my pipe. But about 2-3 days in advance of a competition I put it aside so that my taste buds aren’t tarnished when I go to judge. The way I see it these people paid to enter a competition, so it's only fair I give them the best job I can.

Food - Starting the day before the competition I am a bit more careful. I tend to avoid spicy foods (Thai, Mexican, etc) and tend to make sure foods aren't too hot so I don't burn my tongue. The morning of the competition I like a bit of eggs lightly fried as protein before I go to the competition since they offer bagels (aka carbs) often before a competition starts. Helps balance your stomach for the judging.

Labels - This one took me a bit to learn but now it's a favorite. If you are or aren't a BJCP judge look at their scoring sheet and print some simple labels. Your name, BJCP rank (optional), BJCP ID (optional), and email address. Believe me after 10 beers into a flight at a competition you'll be happy you did.

Reading - If you are lucky enough to know what category you will be judging, read the categories in advance of competition. Otherwise I like to read off flavors, judging form, and scan the BJCP competition page as a refresher.

Judging – Taste, describe, then look at the requirements and judge. People often look for what the beer should be, then match the beer to it and in doing that you may find the answers you want. If you find what you are tasting then try to match to the requirements you'll get far better results. I can think of at least one beer this weekend I tasted very clear character notes, then compared to the guidelines and realized it was entered into the wrong category.

Have Fun - You get to spend the day drinking beer, so remember enjoy. Responsibly.

Vox sends me a unique beer angle on March Madness, I can't say I completely agree with her names, but it's great creativity.

As for me I'll be cheering Pittsburgh not that I am a huge fan of the school, but the former NAU Coach Jaime Dixon. He really helped step up NAU's game so I'll always be a fan of his.

I was paged to comment on this post on the Arizona Republic's blog. It's an interesting list of brews, but it was written a while ago, the initial research was well over a year and half ago. The reason I can tell is while Mogollon Brewery did bottle their Hefevenom for a while, they haven't ever since they got serious about their Vodka in 2006.

Four Peaks starts off the list and has two entries they are both very solid beers and I have no complaints being list on a survey of the best of Arizona breweries.

Next up Oak Creeks' Amber is a good beer, but if I were going to mentioned only one from this World Class brewery it would be the Nut Brown which is arguably the breweries flagship beer or their Pale ale which is a great new comer to the roster. If you stretch the listing to their more interesting offers that don't get out of the brewery you get offerings like great Scottish Ales, Saison, and barrel aged beers.

Sonoran is up next and while they have great offerings frankly I am more of a fan of the hand pump cask conditioned offering, they are usually the best in the house and often over looked by your average visitor.

Papago Brewing has their stuff brewed on contract off site, but that doesn't in anyway impact the quality. They also have one of the best beer menus in the Valley, maybe the state and you can get them all to go. Jennifer listed what I have heard is a good beer, but never seen when I have been there. That said their Baltic Porter is really quite outstanding I can attest.

Nimbus is a great brewery and you can get their beers statewide so it's a definite try. Getting the Old Monkeyshine is a bit easier I have seen it in six packs lately so it seems that part of the post should be updated.

Mogollon has stopped selling in the bottle a while ago, in fact I have been meaning to post this separately, the brewery has been sold to move the distilling operation offsite, continue as a bar, but will no longer be a brewery. I have been doing research but still haven't heard any answers back. So soon I hope to tell you more about the latest at the brewery, but for now I wouldn't expect to see Hefevenom anywhere.

Last the breweries she missed which are some big ones. She mentioned Oak Creek but the other Arizona big award winning brewery at Great American Beer Festival is Prescott Brewing Company. Jan has been doing great beers consistently for a while now. Their Fünkendunkel er Dubbel is one of my favorite American produced Belgian beers. They shouldn't be forgotten on any list.

Second, Gene has really stepped up the beers at Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff. Their beers were always good, but a bit rote with little experimentation or growth. Gene has shaken things up lately with some more bold offerings but the same great quality. Even the beer industry has noticed their growth and awarded the brewery a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival this last year for their Hefeweizen. Achievement like that should be highlighted.

Overall it's a good list, but it could have been just a bit better.

PS - 4/2/08 The Arizona Republic did a site update that broke the original post and comments paging me to comment. So I fixed the bad links.

The AHA is asking for a list of 20 best beers in America from it's members for Zymurgy so I figured I would go ahead post it here as well. Comments on why I picked that particular beer follow the choice. The beers could be domestic or import so long as they are available in the United States. This list is in no particular order of importance.

Anchor Steam - Sometimes a classic just deserves the credit
Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA - Rock solid brewery
Bells Expedition Stout - I only had one bottle but wish I could get more
Bellhaven Scottish Ale - I prefer the canned version, but just love the flavor and complexity
Brooklyn Brown Ale - Hands down this is the beer I miss most from the East Coast, I want to brew a clone because I can't simply find it
Czechvar - I don't care what they call it, Czechvar or Budvar it's a damn fine Czech Pilsner
Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale - I can finally find it here in Arizona, they are masters at blending beers
Four Peaks Kilt Lifter - I like this one as much 8th Street Pale, but this one is better known and more likely to make the list
Lagunitas IPA - This is my semi-regular beer at my regular bar, when I am in a hoppy mood this is the best and biggest they have got
New Belgium 2 Below - I love most of their beers but this one is my favorite
Oak Creek Nut Brown - Again another pick of what I think others know and like, while I love all their beers my favorite is the Hefeweizen
Ommengang Three Philosophers - One of my favorite breweries, sadly we don't get the speciality limited batch runs, just these the standards
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale - Beer Can Chicken, it makes an amazing one, but it's a tasty ale to boot
Rodenbach Grand Cru - Sour tangy, oh so yummy
Rogue Brutal Bitter - This was a tough choice, I have had so many great beers at their taproom
Russian River Pliny the Elder - So hoppy, so balanced
Santa Fe State Pen Imperial Porter - I really enjoyed this at Strong Ale Festival, but contrary to what they call it, it's really a great Russian Imperial Stout
Speakeasy Bootlegger Black Lager - They are one of my favorite breweries in the last few years, I wish I could get their Lager here
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 25th Expedition - I have had a few six packs the last few weeks, so dang tasty
Stone Old Guardian Barleywine - Very tasty brew
Stone 11th Anniversary - Loved this new look at the IPA, yea I did list the same brewery twice, heck on my first draft they were on the list four times, I really didn't want to list anyone more than once, but they are so good I couldn't help but list them twice

Tomorrow the second part of the assignment 150 words on one of these beers.

One of the advantages of the Artwalk beers we brew for each First Friday is we can play. One beer is rather safe choice, often a kit beer from the shop. The second is something to show people something different about beer. For example a few months ago I made a Peppermint Chocolate Stout as playful take on the holiday season and another month I brewed Heather tip Mild to show people an ingredient they may not be familiar. We take chances that people don't expect from a beer and hopefully to open their eyes to a wider world. This month was an American Pale ale made with only Sorachi Ace hops.

This variety of hops is a new hybrid based on some Noble hops developed in Japan, hence the name. No one in the shop had used the hop yet, so I took this month as an opportunity to showcase it's personality and so that everyone in the shop could taste it. That way they would be able to tell it's customers what the hop is about. We thought it was a great success.

Recipe
3lbs Pale Liquid Malt Extract
1lb 13 oz Pale Liquid Malt Extract
2.5lbs 2 Row Malt
.25lb Crystal 20 Malt
2oz Crystal 60 Malt (with some dark roast dust present)
2oz Sorachi Ace hops
White Labs Califorinia Ale yeast

If some of the ingredients amounts seem odd, because they were extra scraps around the shop that we put to use in this test batch. I didn't measure OG or FG because with a partial mash most of the sugars come from known sources and frankly I am a bit lazy about that part.

I mashed the 2 Row and Crystal malt for 45 minutes at 155 degrees. I sparged with 165 degree water. Add the 1lb 13oz bag of malt extract and bring to a boil. Once hot break is reached I added 1.25oz of the hops and boiled for 60 minutes. At 15 minutes remaining I added half of the remaining hops, at 10 minutes I added remaining malt extract. I like the results of late malt extract method which seems to prevent that extract twang that some beers have as a present flavor. At the end of the boil I added the remaining hops to the mash. Chilled the wort, fermented at 65 degrees for two and half weeks, then keg.

The beer had a definite citrus and lemony character from the hops. As a solo hop it may be a bit much to use except in Summer lighter ales, an American Pale ale like this or maybe a Cream ale it would work well. Late addition hop usage this hop seems to have great potential and it may even work well in a Blonde ale or Hefeweizen.

In this time of limited hop resources this hop will be a great option to have available. If you are a homebrewer I definitely recommend you check it out.

I was talking with Charlie at Speaking of Beer and asked if he was interested in book reviews for his podcast. He was so I did a review of Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer on Episode 45: Portrait of a Brew Day. It was fun and I may start doing the reviews on a semi-regular basis as topics and good material comes along. You can buy the book at Amazon or if you don't mind pay a bit more the Brewing Network would appreciate the support, that's where I got my copy.