Geistbear Brewing Blog

Help Honor a Local and Get a Tasty Brew in the Process

Thomas — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:33:00 -0500

Jimmy VerVaecke is great homebrewer as his win at last year's NHC has shown, but now is a chance to find out yourself. Stop in at Tyler's Taproom tonight and talk with Jimmy and try the beer he and his fellow Beer Camp team brewed. For details.

31 Beers of Xmas - #7 San Tan Helps to Welcome New Year

Thomas — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:40:00 -0500

Winter Warmer
San Tan Brewing

San Tan was one of those breweries that opened in 2007 not long before I moved to North Carolina. Because of that I never had the chance to try their beers before moving. Thankfully a friend resolved that at the New Years party I attended. In fact the first beer thrust into my hands was their Winter Warmer. They describe the beer as "an English Strong Ale spiced with fresh ginger and honey for the Holidays. Huge caramel and roasted malt character. Strong alcohol content (~10%) and served in a brandy snifter."

Initially I noticed it had a brown bordering on garnet color with a tan head. The beer had a thick nearly chewy texture with plenty of body. In the flavor the roasted malt was dominate with a bit of caramel to the background. It reminded me of a Russian Imperial Stout. My friend who is quite the hophead surprised me by mentioning he loved the balance of the beer. My only complaint about the beer was perhaps a bit of diacytel to the nose, that or something about the yeast wasn't quite right, I hope this is a unique issue with their beers but as I haven't had other examples it's tough to say. I do look forward to sampling other beers from them in the future.

31 Beers of Xmas - #6 Deschutes Jubelale

Thomas — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:49:00 -0500

Jubelale ale
Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes is one of those breweries I drank on a regular basis when I lived in Arizona but they haven't been able to enjoy in North Carolina. As much as I liked their regular beers I think I always enjoyed their seasonal offerings just a bit more. This year's Jubelale had a deep garnet color, slight brownish-tan head that dissipated quickly. It retained this deep reddish amber color throughout the glass with good clarity. There was a hint of cherry to the nose with other dried fruits character in the background, but no hop aroma detectable. As I sipped it I tasted sweet malt character with hints of roast in the background but not subtle. The beer finished with a bit of lingering sweetness on the tongue that evaporated quickly. The notes of cherry were present in the initial flow over the tongue. The ale had a nice carbonic bite that kept it light on the tongue was you drank it. It was almost Belgian like for the highly carbonated nature. At 6.7% it's larger than a session beer, but not so big you couldn't enjoy a second one. What surprised me is that the beer is listed as having 60 IBUs. It carries them well it really doesn't seem to be a bitter beer just nicely balanced.

The Session #35 New Year's Resolutions

Thomas — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:45:00 -0500

This month's edition of the Session is New Year Resolutions

So we want to know what was your best and worst of beer for 2009? What beer mistakes did you make? What beer resolutions do you have for 2010? What are your beer regrets and embarrassing moments? What are you hoping to change about your beer experience in 2010?

My best beer of the year is always a tough subject akin to picking a favorite child. This year in particular I got to enjoy a number of great beers but here are some highlights Lone Rider Shotgun Betty, it's great to see a local produced Hefeweizen in North Carolina. Next up Aviator Kracken Stout, they have since renamed it but when I had it last Spring it impressed me as one of the top beers I would enjoy last year. Another high point would include casks ales, they are really coming into fashion and when done right are a great experience. Both when I traveled to Vermont and in North Carolina they are starting to become unique events bringing the brewers and beer fans together.

Worst beer was probably tied between some homebrews that customers brought into the shop and a couple of casks that went wrong at a group cask tasting. Homebrewers make mistakes, heck I lost a keg recently to infection. As for the casks I think these were brewers not used to cask conditioning their ales and so they had some missteps in priming that lead to the issue, hopefully they learned from the experience. Another mistake or regret was due to a side project I was over committed so I couldn't spend the time I wanted to exploring NC beer culture.

In 2010 I would like to attend more special tastings, beer dinners and help judge at more homebrew competitions. I'd like to get to know more about the people in the craft beer community. Also now that I have the 10 gallon all grain system up and running I like to brew more experiments like my recent saison. Side by side batches are a fun way to see how beers can be effect by minor changes in a recipe. 2010 as Monday Night said is the year of beer!

31 Beers of Xmas - #5 Abita Christmas

Thomas — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:20:00 -0500

Christmas Ale
Abita Brewing Company

Abita's website had little to offer about the beer, but that it changes yearly. It struck me as an IPA with a bit of dark color more in the Sierra Nevada Celebration model. Nice drinkable ale but no characteristic of it bespoke a traditional holiday ale. I asked others who were trying this beer and while it was clean there were no notes of spice to the beer that any of us were able to detect. It was a pleasant enough ale but nothing remarkable to make me seek it out again. A mediocre offering which considering the quality and diversity craft brewing produces these days was disappointing. I hope we just had a six pack that had problems in shipping and served fresh this is a more interesting beer.

31 Beers of Xmas - #4 Great Lakes Celebrates the Holidays

Thomas — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:06:00 -0500

Christmas Ale
Great Lakes Brewing

I had the chance to try a few of the Great Lakes beers when I did a beer exchange over the Summer, they were quite tasty, so I was pleased when I when this ale showed up from Chip (go checkout the Scotchcast). Great Lakes was the first craft brewery in Ohio. They first opened in 1988 and still are one of the leading brewers in the state. Their Burning River Pale ale and the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter are great examples of their regular offerings.

The Christmas ale is described by Great Lakes as a "robust style of beer made with spices to celebrate the festive season". It had a rich caramel nose with hints of dried fruit. The color was a deep amber with orange notes, the head was slightly off white. The beer had been filtered because it had a perfect clarity. As I tasted it I picked up a rich crystal malt sweetness with little hop character. The beer did have a slight warming sensation which is not unexpected for the 7.5% beer. As the beer warmed I noticed an increasing alcohol from the aroma. This beer did have distinct Winter Warmer character to it, though a bit more of ginger and cinnamon might have been nice, because while they are mentioned in the description I did not notice them. Though that said what I do appreciate in any beer that is brewed with a subtle hand in regards to spice so it is a beer worth seeking out.

31 Beers of Xmas - #3 Akron Brews A Chilled Amphibian

Thomas — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:53:00 -0500

Frosted Frog
Hoppin' Frog Brewing

Since they won a Gold for their Russian Imperial Stout at GABF I have been interested in the beers of Hoppin' Frog. Until recently they weren't available in North Carolina since the hail from Ohio. Even while we do get access to some of their ales, the seasonal offers don't make the trek yet and I have Chip from the Scotchcast to thank for this sample. Sidenote they have a great podcast and if you enjoy a good Scotch go give the show a listen.

In the nose I immediately noticed a hint of cinnamon with a bit of malt sweetness. The beer appeared a deep reddish-brown shade. The garnet like color became more prominent over time. I had the beer after the Trader Joe's Vintage ale and this ale had a thinner body in comparison. The first thing I noticed as I tasted was a bit of chocolate malt. While it had 8.6% abv, not much different from the Vintage ale but it was far less warming effect giving the perception of having a much lower alcohol, sneaky. Probably a tribute to Hoppin' Frog's experience in brewing Russian Imperial Stouts so effectively. I noticed plenty of spice character in this beer. The beer had a moderate amount of carbonation. As I sipped it became definitely red as it less in the glass. The sweet, rich caramel character was dominate with plenty of spice as the beer warmed. The beer is only has 12 IBUs according to the website which left me thinking it has too much sweetness, that the beer needed a bit more bitterness to balance it but Foodgeek enjoyed it. In fact she thought it would be perfect to enjoy by a fire.

31 Beers of Xmas - #2 Trader Joe's Brings Back Seasonals

Thomas — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:11:00 -0500

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale
Unibroue Brewing

One of my fondest beer memories throughout the 1990's was Trader Joe's Holiday beers. They were produced by a brewer in France, I don't remember who exactly, in a large corked bottle and had a distinct Belgian character. Something about the sales and cost of shipping them over from Europe lead to them eventually being discontinued as an offered item. I always felt it a shame because there were a great offering, perhaps just a bit ahead of their time considering that seasonal beers now top the craft beer categories. But last year Trader Joe's brought the seasonal beer back this time brewed by Unibroue in Canada. Despite the new production source this beer still leans towards it's Belgian roots. At $4.99 for 750mL it's a bargain for the beer's price.

It's called a "Dark Ale on Lees" on the bottle with a 9% alcohol per volume. The description notes that they are using a different recipe from last year and will vary it again next year. Which is like Anchor's Our Special Ale and many other seasonal offerings. I do enjoy when breweries change their seasonal beer yearly, it makes each offering a unique present. This beer did contain a best before date 09-12-2012, though I suspect it will not be harmed by proper aging.

When I sampled this dark ale I noticed dark fruit and hints of licorice in the aroma. Over time I did get a slight warming in the throat from the higher alcohol in this ale. It also features an aggressive carbonation typical for Belgian styles. At the low price point I'd argue it's worth buying a case of bottles and enjoying one or two now, but saving the rest for vertical tastings over time it could be the great to the start of a new holiday tradition.

31 Beers of Xmas - #1 The Beginning

Thomas — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:20:00 -0500

Busy holiday season so posting has been light, but for the last few weeks I have had an idea for a series of beer reviews based on different seasonal and holiday beers. Thirty one seemed a nice round number so today I'll begin. There will be some national, some very local brews and hopefully most of them good. Let the holiday cheer commence!

Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale
Highland Brewery

It was a crazy, busy day at the homebrew shop when Thinkingbrew brought me a sample of this tasty ale. I was able to share a bit of a homebrew with him. What first struck me was a mild nose with hints of alcohol that reminded me of a barleywine. Which made sense since this was a bottle of 2008 edition he happen to discover. Rich malt character was apparent in the nose, but unfortunately the glasses we had on hand weren't clear so I was able to appreciate the dark color of the ale, but the offwhite head was. As I tasted the ale I didn't notice the bitterness from any hops just a rich malt character with a depth of caramel. The beer had vanilla with hints of cinnamon with minimal ester character. The vanilla character seemed to increase as the ale warmed. If the opportunity arises while working on this review series I hope to be able to compare this to this year's edition of the ale. A fine beer and great kick off to the 31 Beers of Xmas.

Session #34: Stumbling Home

Thomas — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:53:00 -0500

This month's Session post is about Stubbling home or favorite watering holes. A rather easy one, because when I think of my favorite pubs this one always tops the list. It doesn't have the most impressive tap list, though 30 taps dedicated to mostly craft brews. It's not the most tech savy, the website is a bit dated and they swore for years they never have wireless internet (they do now). It's because it's Home.

Uptown Billiards opened not too long after I returned from Germany and had the best selection in beer in Flagstaff for many years. But it isn't just that why it's my favorite, it's always been the staff and the regular customers that make it a comfortable place to be. From the days of Roger and Juron (sp?) to now with Aly, until recently Nancy, and the rest of the crew the customers are friendly to regulars and first timers alike. There is certain house rules, Never Ever play Hotel California, even the Gypsy Kings version on the jutebox.

What started out as the first upscale pool hall in Northern Arizona grew a little worn around the edges, but in the process has become a more comfortable place over the years and a move. The tables are still well kept. But the more relaxed atmosphere keeps me coming back.

The Triangle and Beyond - 12/3/09

Thomas — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:47:00 -0500

Calendar
Lone Rider Peacemaker Comes to Town (Night 2)
December 4th 6pm
Ruckus Pizza
Cary

Lone Rider Beer Tour
Decemeber 5th 12pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh

Dogfish Ancient Ales Dinner
December 6th 7pm
Tylers Apex
Apex
$45 if it's anything like the recent Dogfish dinner at Busy Bee the beers will be well worth the effort.

Sierra Nevada Dinner
December 6th 6pm
Elaine's on Franklin
Chapel Hill
$49 gets you into this delicious line up, details are Tri-Beer

Beer Geek Winter Cage Match
December 8th 7pm
JuJube Asian
Chapel Hill
Details here

Beer Geek Winter Cage Match
December 9th 7pm
Dos Perros
Chapel Hill
Details here

Olde Rabbit's Foot Release
December 12th 11am
Foothills Brewing
Winston-Salem
This will be much like Foothill's Sexual Chocolate release each year. Rules for the offering are here.

Big Boss Tour
December 12th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh

Homebrewing Class - High Gravity Brewing Techniques
December 15th 7pm
Tir Na Nog
Raleigh
American Brewmasters continuing homebrewers education classes this month looks at strong beers, tips for high gravity brewing and a tasting for more information click here.

Triangle Bourbon Aged Abbey & Stout Release
December 16th 5pm-8pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham

Beer Appreciation Class
January 16th 1pm-2pm
Aviator Brewery
Fuquay-Varina
$35 for details check the website.

It's Like the Late 1990s All Over Again...

Thomas — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:54:00 -0500

This morning Draft magazine posted about a store that is opening that is purely a beer apparel store. Now not to get off on the wrong foot, I like my craft beer clothing and gear as much as the next beer geek. I suggest to craft beer community keep your eyes on the ball, the business of making great beer.

It reminds me of the late 1990s in some respects that people were so interested in the quick buck that they forgot what truly matters is making amazing beer. The tshirt, the lip balm, the hats are all mementos to help your recall and celebrate a great experience with the beer, but if the beer isn't memorable all those things are marketing junk. In a society that is so advertising driven we don't need more junk. So enjoy the gear but remember it's about the beer.

Teach a Friend to Brew

Thomas — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0500

Another year, another teach a friend to brew day. This year we have been making more of a push to reach out to beginning brewers in the Raleigh-Durham area. A full days events is planned at American Brewmaster with 2 brewing demonstrations, local brewers talking about making beer, games, food, and some prizes as well. Speakers from Lone Rider, Aviator and Big Boss breweries and most of them, pretty sure all, started as homebrewers before making the move professionally. This carnival atmosphere for the day we hope to show how easy it is to make beer. So if you are in the Triangle area and want understand more about the process I invite you to stop in and say hello.

Beer Geek takes in Wine for a Night

Thomas — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:32:00 -0400

I had the pleasure tonight to listening to Tim of Winexpert talk about wine tonight. To quote Wil Wheaton, quoting Homer Simpson "I am not going to lie to you Marge..." I am not much of a wine aficionado. In fact wine peasant is generally my style. That said he does a great presentation filled with information in a very accessable style. The beergeek in me hopes to learned something from his presentation style which he has down perfect. If you want to learn more about homewine making I whole-heartedly recommend you catch his touring road show if you get the chance. If you aren't into wine making but enjoy wine still catch him, you'll thank me later.

Vermont-NY Beer Tour (Part 1)

Thomas — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:46:00 -0400

I spent the weekend up in Burlington and Plattsburgh visiting extended family and a bit of beer touring. It was great to get a glimpse of the local brewing scene. The trip started with flight up there with a small layover at JFK. We had the surreal experience of being in New York City (at the airport), eating sushi, drinking a Belgian style ale brewed in California while listening to European Techno, a truly global experience. Deep Blue was a great airport experience with good sushi and Bruery's Orchard White ale available in the 750ml bottle. The coriander and spices were pleasant and paired well with the sushi. It was great to get something other than the typical lager or pale/amber/brown ale at an airport restaurant, kudos to those responsible for raising the bar on craft beer at an airport.

Once we arrived and settled in Burlington we hit Burlington's brewpubs. Currently there is a core in the downtown that are all just a short walk from one another which made for an easy sampling experience. Our first stop was Vermont Pub and Brewery despite the recent sad passing of Greg Noonan, one of the founders, the Pub was a lively environment. The pub has one of those newspaper menu styles that always strikes me with a certain kitsch charm. I started with a cask ale which to my pleasant surprise they offered two selections. Throughout my time in Vermont it seemed cask ales were constantly available, which I took as a promising sign for craft beer in the region. The choices were between a Dogbite Bitter and Handsome Micks Stout. I went with the bitter that had a pleasant herbal hop character. The Foodgeek had the stout, it was a smoked stout with just enough smoke to be noticeable but not so overpowering that it was distracting. I could see it pairing well with food or just the thing on a cold Autumn night. After that I tried the Vermont Hop a pale ale brewed with hops grown locally in Westminster Vermont. It came across to me as a light in hop character beer but with a sessionable character to it. The O-fest was a deep red lager with a fair amount of Vienna character it seemed to me and a bit of carmel sweetness.

On the odd side were a few interesting selections. Blue Night was a compelling beer with a cloudy haze. The beer had an earthy herbal floral notes that reminded me of heather ales or a bit like La Fluerette without the pepper character. The foodgeek ordered me to write "orange flower water" as what it reminded her of it had a murky spice note. Then there was Spuyten Duyvil. It had a belgian gueze nose with a mild horseblanket character and a bit of funk but not overpowering. Last was Forbidden Fruit, my first thought it reminded me of 3 Rivers Cider with a mild tart character but with some sweetness. They made it with 500 lb of raspberries and sour mashed. The oak aged character was a pleasant not in the background but not overpowering.

In regards to the experience at the Pub. It offered pours in pint, 12 ounce and 3 ounce servings which was nice to be able to sample but not overwhelmed by their large selection. I really appreciate when pubs and breweries offer smaller than pint options so you can sample more of the beerlist. The atmosphere of the pub was a bit cavelike and loud, but people were enjoying themselves. The staff was very knowledgable about their beers which is always a plus. The food was decent, but didn't impress. I enjoyed the cheese plate and they had a local saltine like cracker for it which seemed to be a bit light to pairing with the strength of the cheeses. Overall it was a great start to our Vermont brewery experience.

Next up 3 Needs and American Flatbread.

Travel Blues

Thomas — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:48:00 -0400

Been at JFK Jet Blue Terminal since yesterday at 4:30pm, I'd very much like to go home. Let's hope it happens soon.

On the Road - Vermont and New York

Thomas — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:02:00 -0400

I have been on the road since Thursday with visits to breweries around Burlington and the area. Stops include Vermont Pub and Brewery and newsworthy Rock Art Brewery. Pictures and a more detailed account to follow soon but for the moment if you haven't seen the video of Matt from Rock Art talking about his recent trouble with Monster Energy drink check it out.

In the Classroom Again...

Thomas — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:50:00 -0400

I helped to teach another Beginner Homebrew class at Tir Na Nog through American Brewmaster tonight. It was fun getting to share your passion for homebrewing with others. In comparison with the more advanced classes we seem to get asked more questions, which helps explain the process better. Also the experience speaking in public again is good practice on a certain level it has become more relaxed and natural. The advanced topics are more work to prepare, but the beginner are more of a set format.

Beer blogger? Beergeek? Find a way to share that love with others, it will pay off.

The Triangle and Beyond - 9/30/09 Edition

Thomas — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:41:00 -0400

News
The new Tap House for Aviator has opened. It's located at 600 E. Broad St. in Fuquay Varina, NC 27526. Mark has mentioned they would like to have cask tastings as regular part of the Tap Room experience on the weekends once they get settled in the new location. Tours at the brewery will continue on Saturdays.

Mother Earth has started brewing, no word when to expect their arrival in the Triangle, but soon for sure.

In case you missed it, North Carolina had two breweries win at the Great American Beer Festival. Check out all the winners here.

Calendar
Bruery Release Party
Sept 30th - 6pm
Busy Bee
Raleigh
Tonight North Carolina's debut of the Bruery's beers. All the way from California for just you to find.

Carolina Beer Dinner
Oct 1st
Carolina Inn
Chapel Hill
Call for details

World Beer Festival - Durham
Oct 3rd 12pm-4pm, 6pm-10pm
Old Bulls Stadium
Durham
Tickets are sold out, but if it's like last year you may be able to find tickets at the door. Link

Backyard Beer Festival
Oct 3rd
Fullsteam Brewery (726 Rigsbee)
Durham
Can't find a WBF ticket maybe Sean will let you into his beer festival where he will showcase the local homebrewing community.

Victory Beer Dinner
Oct 6th - 7pm
Brixx Pizza
Brier Creek
$35 for a ticket, details can be found here.

Duck-Rabbit Marzen Release Party
Oct 8th - 6pm
Flying Saucer
Raleigh

Lone Rider Tour
Oct 10th 1-2pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh

Big Boss Tour
Oct 10th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Triangle Brewey Tour
Oct 10th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham

Octoberfest Beer Tasting
Oct 15th 6:30-9:00pm
Brixx Pizza
Brier Creek
$5 for four samples with 8 different Octoberfest beers on hand. Breweries to be featured include Foothills, Paulaner, Stoudt's, Spaten and more.

Lighthouse Beer Festival
Oct 17th - 1pm-5pm
Wilmington
Link

Carolina Annual Oktoberfest Celebration
Oct 17th - 5-9pm
Carolina Brewery
Pittsboro
Featuring limited edition Oktoberfest t-shirts, pint glasses and 25oz mugs and of course plenty of food and drink. Admission $5

Lone Rider Tour
Oct 23rd 6-7pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh

Aviator Cask Night
Oct 24th
Aviator Tap Room - 600 E. Broad St
Fuquay Varina
Featuring a couple of special casks that have been aging.

Great American Beer Festival Winners

Thomas — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:42:00 -0400

Congratulations to all of this year's winners. Every day these people represent the future of America's brewing, go support them. You can find the winners here.

More specifically congratulations to my friends in Arizona.The Four Peaks Brewing won a Silver for their Kilt Lifter, a Scottish Style Ale, frankly one of the first beers in the state I expect to gain eventual national attention. Thunder Canyon Brewery won two awards with their Countdown Honey Brown getting a Gold for Specialty Honey Beer and Roadrunner Red Lager received a Silver for their American-Style Dark Lager. Last certainly not least my friends at Beaver Street Brewer in Flagstaff. They won for a Gold for their Big Rapid Red their Ordinary or Special Bitter and a Silver Hopshot IPA their American-Style Strong Pale Ale. With these beers in their arsenal it's a promising start to their Lumberyard Brewery operation to open later this Fall.

More locally congrats to Foothills Brewing for a Bronze on it's beer Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, it's been wowing beer fanatics locally and on beer lists for years it's now had a chance to shine nationally. Always congratulations to Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery for it's Gold for it's Baltic Porter and it's Bronze for the Barrel Aged Baltic Porter just goes to show how North Carolina is flexing it's brewing muscles as well. I'll have to ask Paul if he has any of those around the next time I see him, we need to get them on tap in the Triangle somewhere.

Fermentation Friday - Where It All Began

Thomas — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:48:00 -0400

This weeks topic for Fermentation Friday "Where it all Began"

For me this is a very easy answer, Germany. I was never interested in beer before that trip, sure I had tried some at parties but no real interest. Before I went to Germany in 1992 my father said to me these words "Try Dunkleweizen." I did and was immediately hooked on the wheat beers of the Southern Landers. When I returned to the states German beer was unique if presented at all in my college town. Eventual I found Uptown Billiards and Homebrewing. Without them, I would not be the beer geek I am today.

Uptown introduced me to a wide spectrum of beer, when it first opened it only served beer and wine, but it had one of the best selections North of Phoenix in the state. It has grown over the years to a 'Cheers' to the people of a Flagstaff where the regulars always know your name but it's much more than that. It's a home for friend's and a special place, stop in if you ever get the chance. I simply call it home.

Homebrewing is the other leg of this just as important. It gave me an understanding to the hard work and skill required to create great beer. Homebrewing has given me and understanding of the roles of malt, hops and most importantly perhaps yeast. It's given me a job of late and will always be a love, though if I could hire a team of robotic helpers to clean and keg beer for me, I don't think I'd have any complaints.

Germany then Uptown Billiards and Homebrewing a simple equation to make a beergeek, or this one to be sure.

Carolina Ale House, Live Up to Your Name

Thomas — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 09:16:00 -0400

Between their up coming Beerfest and a conversation with a friend I have been thinking about the Carolina Ale House this week. I have had the chance to stop in on occasion and the experiences have left me with this thought, what a wasted opportunity.

It's your typical sports bar but with a decent beer bottle list, the taps however are filled with mostly the light lager crowd and a few usual suspects of national craft beers you could find in any bar in the country. Change out the local college colors on the wall and you could be really sitting in a bar in Boston or Phoenix.

In an age when North Carolina is becoming national recognized for it's growing craft beer scene this seems a shame. I can understand the need to meet consumer demand and I can see keeping a couple of lager taps. That said the rest of the taps could be used to showcase all the great beers North Carolina is producing from Foothills to Old Mecklenburg, Big Boss to Lone Rider, to nearly 40 others. There is a world of options being brewed in their own backyard. Yes they may need to run some beer classes to educate their regular customer base, but there are plenty of people willing to help in that regard including myself. Carolina Ale House live up to your name, it's a great time to make the local crafted beers shine.

The Triangle and Beyond - 8/24/09 Edition

Thomas — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:47:00 -0400

News
Duck Rabbit is looking for brewer.

Mother Earth Brewing may start brewing in the next few weeks.

Events
IPA Showdown
Aug 25th 6:30pm
Flying Saucer
Raleigh
$15 gets you into the ultimate West Coast vs East Coast showdown. 9 beers enter, none hopefully leave.

Beer Dinner - Foothills Brewing
Aug 25th 7pm
Busy Bee Cafe
Raleigh

Carolina Brew Fest
Aug 29th 4-6pm and 7-9pm
Carolina Ale House - Briar Creek
Raleigh

3rd Annual Cask Ale Tasting
Aug 29th 6:30pm
Rigsbee Hall
Durham
$40 gets you into this special event with 12 casks from such breweries as Highland, Triangle, Duck Rabbit, Foothills, Aviator, Top of the Hill, French Broad, and Lone Rider.

Beer Dinner - Foothills Brewing
Aug 31st 7pm
Broad Street Cafe
Durham
$30 for a great dinner and beer how can you beat the value on this event?

Beer and Chocolate
Sept 3rd 6-8:30pm
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh
$25 gets you into this tasting hosted by Julie Johnson Editor of All About Beer. It sounds like a great lineup so check it out.

High Country Beer Fest
Sept 5th
Boone

Big Boss Tour
Sept 9th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Triangle Brewey Tour
Sept 9th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham

Asheville Brewgrass Festival
Sept 19th
Asheville

LoneRider Brewery Tour
Sept 25th 6pm
Raleigh

World Beer Festival
Oct 3rd
Durham
Tickets go on sale Sept 8th.

Octoberfest Beer Tasting
Oct 15th 6:30-9:00pm
Brixx Pizza
Raleigh
$5 for four samples, they will have 8 different Octoberfest beers, four on draft, four in the bottle. Breweries from around across the globe and NC.

Happy 4th Pop the Cap

Thomas — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:55:00 -0400

This week is the 4th Anniversary of Pop the Cap. For those not familiar with it, the effort raised the 6% ABV restriction to 15% on beer, while not perfect it was a huge leap forward for giving North Carolinians access to IPAs, Belgian styles, and barleywines to name just a few beers. I was talking with a native this week, when he first tested for the BJCP, before the lift of restrictions he had to travel as far away as New York to get access to some styles. In fact he said the first time he ever had a Doppelbock was when he brewed one.

My how things have changed with a bustling beer community of over 40 breweries and more in startup mode or planning. These vibrate small business are making a big impact on diversity in the local beer market. One thing I wasn't confident about when I moved here was how vibrant the beer culture was going to be given how many breweries were in the Triangle area. While there were some good pubs, the number of breweries was the same Flagstaff. Fast forward a year and the number of local breweries has more than doubled. While North Carolina hasn't one high accolades nationally yet, I now know it's a matter of time, not quality.

It shows in the eyes of brewers. As evidence...

If you want to see the passion of brewers speak with them about their craft. It shows in people like Mark Doble at Aviator, Mike Morris at Big Boss, er soon to be Natty Greens Raleigh, and Ian Vangundy at Lone Rider as a few examples. And there are so many more I haven't mentioned or had the chance to meet yet.

At least once a week I see or hear of something that reminds me that the local beer culture is exploding and the state is on the cusp of a beer mecca in the making. I feel very fortunate to get to be here and witness it happen. All of this made possible by all the hard work of those associated with Pop the Cap, so thank you everyone.

Ask your Congressmember to join the House Small Brewers Caucus

Thomas — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:35:00 -0400

The AHA sent out this request and Shawn at Beer Philosopher has the whole text. I think it's a great idea and a good base document, that said there is a minor improvement you can add to the letter. Add the number of breweries and people employed locally into the text. It will mean more if they know how many people in their district are working in the field. If you don't have access to the data you can find it here. If you don't have much in your district use the data on how it impacts your home state, it will still be a helpful supporting point. Get out there and support craft beer!

BJCP Classroom

Thomas — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:25:00 -0400

Last night's class was a good experience, it was more of a planning class than digging down into the study guide but with almost 6 months until the exam we aren't in a rush. It started out with a local who has given the exam and judged it giving his perspective on things that are important to study for. This was important because rather than just the 'you do things this way' it gave me a better understanding of the whys. It also gave me chance to see how the exam has changed the last few years. When I tested before it was on the cusp of the change so we had the new style exam but had not been told about them so we walked in a bit blindsided. Not that I am complaining it was just we didn't have experienced locals active in the BJCP at the time of the exam so we didn't have the best study prep.

The group is a good mix of beginners, brewers, and experience folk so it should be a well rounded group. Rather than self study it was decided to do more of a combined group study with some homework. Tastings are part of the program, but the process understanding of brewing should be the part that I expect to be the most beneficial. We will be combining some class elements with the local homebrew club events which will get a more social atmosphere to the studies and keep the class energized I suspect. All and all it looks like a great start to the classes.

Back in the Classroom Again

Thomas — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:35:00 -0400

Tonight I start another round of classes in preparation for the BJCP exam. The BJCP is the Beer Judging Certification Program. I first took the exam three years ago and passed, but wasn't as prepared as I needed to be for it. It is a difficult exam three hours long and at least in the past a lot of writing required. You have to know beer styles, flavors, and understand the entire process of making a beer. I think the best part of the program is it provides a common language base for discussing beer. The test is in January but between now and then I'll be attending a class to prepare for the exam. I am looking forward to learning more and will try to document the process here.

German Styles Examined

Thomas — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 09:03:00 -0400

I am in the process of preparing to teach a German beer style class for American Brewmaster as part of their advanced homebrewing classes. I'll be including Austrian and even Czech styles in the class, but that will probably be the outer limit. I feel pretty comfortable with them or I wouldn't be doing the class. That said I haven't been to Germany recently so I am curious if there is anything new that I may want to mention. I did pickup Good Beer Guide: Prague and the Czech Republic by Evan Rail for the Czech beers. I'll be covering beer styles, beer bar culture(including Oktoberfest), and homebrew recipes. If you have any suggestions please leave a comment or email me geistbear(at)gmail(dot)com.

The Session #30: Beer Desserts

Thomas — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:13:00 -0400

This month's Session topic “What beer desserts have you tried and liked? Disliked? What beer styles work well with dessert and which ones do not? Do you have any beer dessert recipes that you enjoyed and would like to share?”

This is easy I haven't had any as of yet. I would like to try the float of chocolate ice cream with a nice stout. That said I don't really think much about desserts because beer generally is my dessert if I have any. While I did have a bit of a sweet tooth in my younger years I am just don't have the cravings anymore, perhaps something in my enjoyment of beer fulfils that interest.

Putting Up With

Thomas — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:05:00 -0400

Thanks to all my readers who are "Putting Up With" me.