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From Gold Star of Israel.

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Back from Alaska

Just returned from the Alaskan Beer & Barley Wine Festival. What a great event! Since Alaskan beer never makes it to the east coast, it was 4 straight days of almost all new beer for me: Midnight Sun, Glacier, Homer, Urban, Kassik’s Kenai, Moose’s Tooth and many, many others.

Sleeping Lady poured a beautifully balanced barrel-aged barleywine to win top Alaskan barleywine at the event. The No. 1 overall was Lagunitas Gnarlywine, a classic California barleywine that was perfectly hopped.

For me, though, the biggest revelation was all the cider and mead they’re making up there. They can hardly grow apples in the region, and all the honey is imported. Yet the varieties from Celestial and Ring of Fire were undoubtedly the best I’ve ever sampled.

I spoke on the tradition of winter beers at the annual Great Northern Brewers Club meeting. Let’s just hope I didn’t leave the homebrewers with any fodder for bumper stickers (like a certain Delaware brewer did last year).

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New beer joints

My next two weekly columns focus on spots that have opened in the city and ‘burbs in recent weeks. Here’s one I haven’t heard any buzz about, yet: The Taproom & Grille (427 West Crystal Lake Ave., Haddon Township).

South Jersey is a notororious beer wasteland where, thanks to unbelievably expensive liquor licenses, the landscape is almost completely Hooterized. The Taproom is looking to buck that trend.

The owners have spent a bundle shaping up the former dairy (last known as RMacs) with new and expanded taps - more than 50 of them. Yes, the majority are devoted to the same, old thing. But you’ll find a nice lineup at the bar to the left of the main entrance.

Check out these taps:

• Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel
• Flying Fish Grand Cru
• Fulers ESB
• Magic Hat Lucky Kat
• River Horse Triple Horse
• Rogue Dead Guy
• Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
• Smuttnose Robust Porter
• Stoudt’s American Pale Ale
• Troegs Troegenator
• Victory Whirlwind Wit
• Lindeman’s Framboise
  
• Capt. Lawrence Smoked Porter

There’s also a fairly decent  bottle selection that includes Duvel, FF, Erie, Mercury, Bard’s Tale, River Horse and others.

The owners seem earnest about expanding craft beer selections. It’s not a Beer Mecca, yet, but you’ll definitely find a very good brew.

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Philly takes over Earth

Here’s a fun night of collaboration: On Thursday night, Earth Bread + Brewery (7136 Germantown Ave. , W. Mt. Airy) is turning over its taps to Philly Brewing. This is basically the equivalent of, say, Geno’s selling cheesesteaks from Pat’s.

But beer is friendlier than meat, and so for one night starting at 6:00, Philly Brewing’s best will pour from EB+B’s taps. The spigots include  PhilaBuster, Phillyz Navidad and Joe Porter.

PBC’s Chris (The Enabler) Morris and co-founder Nancy Barton will be your guest bartenders.

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Separated at birth

Yes, that’s Michael Strahan, the former N.Y. Giants defensive end, on the label of Boaks Monster Mash. The Jersey contract brewer is run by longtime homebrewer Brian Boaks, a Giants season ticket holder.

He’ll be at the Meadowlands on Sunday cheering on his team. I’ll be at home polishing off my last M.M. and, hopefully, watching the Iggles polish off the Gints.

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Smoke and more

In honor of the release of Weyerbacher Fireside, this week’s column takes a look at smoked beer. Make your way to Devil’s Den (1148 S. 11th St., South Philadelphia) for the debut.

Speaking of Weyerbacher, one of the things that has always puzzled me about the Easton brewery is its Winter Ale. Here’s a brewery that is known for BIG BEERS (Quad, Merry Monk’s, Heresy…) and yet it opts for a mild-mannered winter warmer as  its annual Christmas beer.

Don’t get me wrong - I enjoy Winter Ale. But in honor of the holidays, I’d kind of like to see something more adventuresome from a brewery known for pushing the envelope.

Then, I stumbled across Weyerbacher Delta yesterday among the taps at Ron’s Original Bar & Grille out in Exton. It’s described as “a pitch black stout made with ginger, cinnamon and a touch of molasses [with] flavors of dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans and ginger snap cookies.” It’s quite roasty and - if you let it warm in your glass - just full of all kinds of complex flavor. A perfect beer for a cold afternoon.

I noticed from Weyerbacher’s calendar of seasonal releases that it plans a new beer for December ‘09. Guys: Delta should be your Christmas beer!

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Winterfest @ the General

Just a reminder, the Gen. Lafayette Inn & Brewery’s Winterfest is coming up quickly (2/16) - now’s the time to grab tix.

This event is one of my favorites of the year for 3 reasons:

• The more than one dozen breweries on hand all bring their biggest, warming brews.
• Gen. Lafayette’s Chris Leonard puts out a helluva feast (included in the entry fee). This year it includes roasted pork tenderloin, short ribs, risotto fritters, sweet-and-sour meatballs and much more.
• Ticket sales are limited to just 350, which means the festival isn’t asses-to-elbows.

And here’s something else for those worried about the ride home. Rooms are available at the nearby Spring Hill Suites, and the General will provide shuttle service between the brewpub and the hotel.

Tix are $45, advance only. Info: 610-941-0600. Or go here.

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Beercycling

Two of my favorite pastimes - biking and beer drinking - often intersect, as they did this summer with our 350-mile bike ride to the Ommegang Belgian beer fest in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Judging from the great collection of Flickr phots sent along by reader (and my bike guru) Michael McGettigan, I’m not the only one who with a passion for gears and beers. Enjoy the collection here.

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Clearing out the in box

A few cool things on the horizon:

Caribou Cafe (1126 Walnut St., Center City) isn’t always a big player in the local beer scene (despite an often overlooked tap  that currently includes DFH 60 Minute, Bell’s Porter, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin, plus bottles of Frenchy Jenlain, 3 Monts and St. Amand). That’s why it’s nice to see the joint host its first-ever beer dinner, 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. The event, called Brews n’ Crus, features a four-course dinner paired with both wine and beer. Most intriguing matchup: Creme brulee served with Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne and Kasteel Rouge. Tix are $55 ($65 door). Info: 215-625-9535.

Both Philadelphia Brewing and Flying Fish are coming out with coffee-flavored ales. PBC Joe Porter is a 5% ABV porter brewed with 50 pounds of locally roasted fair trade Peruvian coffee. It’s available around town on tap at several places, including the Khyber, Monk’s and Brownie’s. FF tweaked its Espresso Porter with a blend of 5 different beans from a local coffee roaster (the previous version used extract from Green Mountain). It’s available in bottles.

For those too lazy to troop up to West Mt. Airy’s Earth Bread + Brewery, brewer Tom Baker is coming down to Center City Thursday night (1/8). He’ll be the guest at Tria Cafe (12th & Spruce, WashWest) from 4-7 p.m. No reservations needed, just show up for specially priced tasters of EB+B beer paired with Calkins Creamery Cowtipper.

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Clueless, useless idiocy

Read Consumers Reports before you buy a phone, a washing machine, a car, an insurance policy. But never turn to the magazine for advice on beer.

The magazine’s infrequent taste tests, I imagine, are designed for the sector of beer drinkers who stride into a bar, pause in utter confusion and wonder, “Should I drink Miller or Coors tonight?” 

(Don’t laugh - how many times have you been stuck in line behind someone trying to decide?)

The analysis in February’s edition, with an overview posted online here, is completely useless, with lame insight like:

Tasters said that the beers have similar flavor and seem related to each other, but Miller Lite is slightly more complex and heavier-bodied, with a more intense flavor.

I’ve railed before about how CR almost completely ignores craft beers in these reports (see PDF below). This one focuses on light beer, but the overview mentions only MGD64, Miller Lite, Miller Chill and Bud Light Lime. (Note: if someone out there has a paper copy of the issue, pls send me scan and I’ll post it.)

Of course, no one serious about beer turns to CR for advice. So I won’t bother cluing them into the growing number of full-flavored, low-cal craft beers on shelves.

Instead, my wrath - or, actually, concern - is for the three so-called “experienced beer tasters” who conducted the analysis. Note, they’re called “beer tasters,” which I presume means they’re not actual certified beer judges.

Not that it matters because either way I question their credentials. CR says they’re qualified because “seriously, they actually spit out the beer between tastes…”

I have never met a beer taster who SPITS! At least, not on purpose.

To properly taste beer, you must swallow, otherwise you miss half the enjoyment.

• You lose aroma and flavor that only presents itself as you swallow.
• You miss the finish - the dryness or sweetness or whatever you find in your mouth and throat after you swallow - which is an essential part of the flavor of beer because it’s what leads you to the next sip. (Especially true for light beer, which is designed for continued quaffing.)
• And you miss the alcohol. And honestly, the buzz is a big part of the experience; it’s why Michael Jackson said “beer’s greatest use is as a sociable relaxant.”

CR won’t divulge the names of the judges, possibly because of they’re actually underage sorority girls they picked up one night at Houlihan’s. Nonetheless, I will repeat the offer I made in 2001:

To any Consumer Report’s beer judge (or one of the magazine’s “experienced beer tasters”), drop me a line at joe@joesixpack.net and tell me the details of your analysis. I want to know your methods and your qualifications. In return, I will provide you with a free case of beer - let’s say a variety pack from Weyerbacher - and we’ll taste the damn thing together.

Of course, you’ll have to provide some proof you actually made you way through a tasting of MGD64. (Last time some dude up in Tacony tried to scam me out of a case.)

Joe Sixpack on Consumer Reports 2001

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