Asheville, Day 1

We drove into Asheville about noon and wasted no time touring the place. We went downtown and started to walk. We walked up and down hills, looking in and out of shops. We had lunch at a place named Doc Chey's Noodle house. Not being a fan of oriental food, not too bad. I actually liked it. And that's all I have to say about that.

Finally, we ran into a great brewpub named Jack of the Wood. This little brewpub has about five beers on tap and worth the taste. This is a special brewpub to me and for a reason. This is the first brewpub or brewery to serve me Cask Ale. For those who drink bottle beer, you need you learn about cask ale. Cask Ale (aka Real Ale) is beer that is conditioned in a keg like vessel and served exactly as it is conditioned (raw). Unlike the forced carbonated beers, it is hand pumped out of the reservoir and is not the same as a bottle or kegged beer.
All I can say is learn!

After tasting beer at the Jack of the Wood, we checked into our hotel. Unpacking our stuff took no time and we were back on the trail for Craft Beer. We found a small artistic brewery named Wedge Brewing Company. This little beer company is full of artistic expression. We had a hard time finding this place, but it is surrounded by art and culture. Getting lost looking for this brewery was also an adventure. We got to see a couple of local studios by accident.


While at Wedge, the tap room guy was telling Amy and I about a local restaurant (The Admiral= awesome) and a local place that hosted a certain folk dancing called contra dancing. Well, we had to try it! Similar to line dancing, this was a local favorite that dates back to the pioneer days.

Well, after all the Contra dancing and beer drinkin, I'm tired, I got to go!

-Bye

Pit Stop in Hotlanta

Hello all,

As you have read, Amy and I are on our way to the Carolinas. We drove to Atlanta as a pit stop on the way to Asheville, NC. When we arrived, we stopped by a gas station to grab a beer to drink as we relaxed after our terrible drive. I picked up a sixer of 420 and took it to the register and the guy behind me says," I hate to tell you this, but you are not going to be able to buy that". I look at this guy with a look of unbelief and ask why? He said it is because it was Sunday!

Ahh, being from Alabama, I am aware of the Sunday alcohol law, but we are probably in the largest city in the region. Bad law making! The Falcons on TV, not to mention the Braves in the summer. Where's the beer?

Anyway, after checking into the hotel, we took off to the Buckhead area in search of a beer. We found a Taco Mac, which is known for having a huge beer selection. We get there and check out the menu. They have 100 beers on tap and 296 on the bottle menu, not bad at all, I must say. I order a Terrapin Pumpkinfest and Amy gets a New Belgium Fat Tire. The Pumkinfest had more spice than expected, but a good beer, actually great! Very flavorful beer with easy drinking. Amy's Fat Tire is right on, New Belgium Brewing's Flagship. That's what we expected.



After a beer and some food, we verture into uncharted draught beer territory. Amy chooses a beer called Laughing Skull Amber Ale. This is a local beer (believed to be contract brewed by Red Brick) availible in the area. I had a Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster. I think the Hoppy Monster is better from the bottle and Amy thought the Fat Tire was way better than the Laughing Skull.

Only in Atlanta for one night. I think we found a great beerbar. Taco Mac recently celebrated their 30th anniversery and has numerous locations in the area. So, If you are looking for a great place to find a beer with a great selection in Hotlanta, find a Taco Mac!

The trip next week and The Failed Article

As some of you know, Amy and I are headed to the Carolinas next week for some relaxation. We will be spending a few days in Asheville, NC and a few in Charleston, SC. While we are relaxing, we will also be hitting up some fun historical sites and breweries. So, stay tuned...

For the Failed Article, I guess I am 1 for 2 when it comes to being published in the local news. I submitted another article to the News Herald and was told it did not fit well. That editor that contacted me said he enjoyed the article because he was a beer person too and he would send it to the special topics editor to see if they wanted to use it. That was two weeks ago. So, let me know what you think!

Here it goes...

Hold the Whip Cream
By: Jeremy Myers

A couple of days ago, I was at the computer when I heard a commotion and someone say my name. I was hesitant and thought the person could come to the door, if they needed me. The dog walked to the door and started to yelp as though there was a visitor. Sure enough, it was one of my friends fumbling with his bicycle. As he approached the door with his brand new puppy, I thought how nice of him to bring his puppy over to play. A couple of minutes roll by and the truth is unveiled. He says, “So, I hear you made an awesome pumpkin beer”. After my friend tastes the beer, he says it tastes just like pumpkin pie and we should try some whipped cream on top. I laughed and assumed he was joking, but he was not. Later, I thought about how strange ideas, such as my friend’s, are how great ideas were created.

No one really knows when or where pumpkin ales were first created, but there are a lot of ideas of how pumpkins were first introduced to beer. Before malts were readily available in the United States, people would use whatever fermentable sugars they could find. Fruits, vegetables and other starchy foods were used in the brewing process to make the sugars needed to make beer. I have found several recipes, dating back to the 1700’s, that lack the use of malts or grain.

The modern commercial pumpkin ale is probably a little different than those of the 1700’s, but is quite delicious. Most pumpkin ales are flavored just as my friend described. Spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice blend very well with the pumpkin flavors and give you the traditional pumpkin pie taste. Most people give credit to the modern day pumpkin ale to the micro/craft beer breweries. For the most part, the style did not exist before the 1970’s. The most recent pumpkin ale I have tasted, besides the one I made, was Smuttynose Pumpkin. It pours a light orange color with a small amount of head. The initial taste of this beer is the pumpkin flavor followed by a slight sweetness. As the sweetness subsides, it finishes into the pumpkin pie spices. In my opinion, Smuttynose has a distinct English hop flavor, which is their signature taste. But, pumpkins are not the only interesting ingredient used by brewers this time of year.

Usually in fall season, there are other exciting ingredients used in the breweries. Select breweries across the nation will brew a special beer in the crop harvesting months of the year. This beer consists of freshly harvested ingredients that will only enhance the flavor of the beer. Some breweries will use freshly picked hops, others fresh fruits or vegetables. It really depends on the geographical location of the brewery and what crops are available. Sierra Nevada releases a beer named Southern Hemisphere Harvest ale. This hoppy beer was made using a blend of fresh New Zealand hops. The New Zealand hops are used within a week of being picked. It is classified as an American Pale Ale and this beer definitely has a strong hop character.

This time of year is a great time for discovering the real talent of beer making. Homebrewers, craft and microbrewers all have beers they can truly call their own. Using ingredients indigenous to their areas and blending flavors no one has ever thought about.

A more local brewery named Abita, from Louisiana, releases an annual Pecan Harvest Ale. This beer is one of my favorites. I consider it more of a local beer than others because it is one of the closest craft breweries in the area. It is made with real Louisiana pecans that were toasted. The pecan oils help give a great malty pecan character. The Pecan Harvest Ale is available now at stores in the Panama City area. When you go to your local store, check out a pumpkin or harvest ale, you will not be disappointed. But be sure to hold the whip cream.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Amy and I stopped by the Destin Wine World Sunday to say hello to a fellow Beer Advocate and Blogger. Jeremy (aka The Beer Buddha) is the beer guy at that store and is also on a quest to help the beer culture in the panhandle. He is originally from Louisiana and moved here not too long ago. If you are in the Destin area, I suggest you stop buy and see the store and The Buddha.

The Destin store had a couple of beers we do not. They carry a couple of selections of Avery Brewery from Colorado, which I will post later this week. I picked up a brew I have been wanting to try for a while named Burton Baton, by Dogfish Head. This Imperial India Pale Ale is oak aged and is a blend of young and wood aged Imperial IPA. The bottle does not say it was aged in a barrel, so I think it was aged on chips. That is what I do with my homebrew, nothing wrong with that. One last note, the country guy on the label looks a lot like the cowboy on the Olde School Barleywine label. I wonder if there is a connection?

I found the connection! As I pour this beer into my small snifter, it looks a lot like the Barleywine. It smells alot like the barleywine. Hell, it even tastes a lot like it. Not quite as syrupy as the Barleywine, but does have an American Barleywine taste. After looking up the Olde School label, it turns out it is a 15% beer and this one is 10%, which explains why it does not have the syrup Barleywine character. It starts off with a bitter flavor that is correct for the IPA style, then you get in to a sweet malty flavor that is more of a Barleywine style. The oak flavors are coming more at the end and finishes pretty good. I like stuff aged on oak. I wonder if they oak aged the Barleywine and blended it with the 60 minute IPA, or something along those lines? Just a thought.

That is one of the problems when you start to juice up beer styles. They taste like a different style all together. While I do like this beer, I think they should have called it Young School oaked Barleywine or something like that.

My opinion.

Sierra Nevada Anniversary ale 2009

Went to Publix this afternoon to pick up some chicken and I saw this little surprise looking at me on the beer aisle. I gave it a double look, just to make sure it wasn't last year's ale and it passed the inspection.

For the last three years, Sierra Nevada has released an anniversary ale to celebrate the wonderful beer they make. This year is an American Style IPA that has lots of citrus and pine flavors.

It pours a golden color with a great frothy head. The lace follows the glass as you drink, I like. It is a bit hazy, which means one thing, HOPS! The hazyness is due to dry hopping. This is how Sierra Nevada creates such great aroma and aids hop characters to their beer. As you drink, you can taste the cascade hops, which promote the citrus flavors.

The bitter aftertaste is a little overwhelming, but it is an IPA. That's what it is known for. The next time you are looking for an IPA that is made by the hop experts, give this one a try. It is not going to be around for long.

Cigar City Tasting at Wine World

Last night, I so generously donated my last bottle of Cigar City Brewing's Humidor Series Jai Alai IPA to Wine World's Wednesday night beer tasting. The Jai Alai IPA is one of Cigar City's normal brews, but this one has been aged on cigar box cedar, which makes it a Humidor Series Beer. I have had this bottle since June and I thought it was time to enjoy it. The panhandle has not received any Cigar City yet and I was sure that it would be a hit, and it was. After the tasting, Dan busted out an awesome bottle of Terrapin Depth Charge, which I had seconds, Thanks Dan.

In the last year, Cigar City has begun production. They have been the newest and most talked about beer on www.BeerAdvocate.com and everyone is eager to taste their stuff. I picked this bottle up in Tampa after visiting the brewery and getting a small tour from Head Brewer, Wayne. He showed us just about everything except the recipe book. Wayne and Cigar City has earned several awards including a Gold Medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. That's right, the Humidor Series Jai Alai IPA earned a Gold Medal a couple of months ago, and deserves it.

When I tasted it, a few months ago, I felt there was a strong citrus taste and the cedar came into the background. Now, the citrus flavors have subsided and the bitterness is more relaxed, which makes this beer a different animal. When all was done, there were people ready to drive to Tampa to grab some beer. I'll chip in on gas, but we only have to go to Tallahassee. Word on the street, Cigar City will be available here in January. Ask your local store for details. But, in the meantime, check out their website or the blog attached to my blog.

-Jeremy

Saint Somewhere Brewing Company

This past summer, I had the luxury to stop by one of Florida's most interesting breweries, Saint Somewhere Brewing Commpany. My girlfriend and I were headed down south for a conference she was attending and we took a detour into Tarpon Springs, FL. Accompanied by our friend Brad (the balding guy on the right), we drove into the parking area of this brewery or should I say warehouse. What makes this brewery interesting isn't that it is in a warehouse,but the beer that is made. Saint Somewhere Brewery only makes Belgian Style Ales. They are the only brewery in the state that specializes in only making Belgian Style Ales.

The owner and Brew Master, Bob, was nice enough to show us around. In addition, he gave us samples of his great brews including a Belgian Pale Ale named 'Lectio Divina' being aged in an old wine barrel. Bob also brews a Saison called 'Saison Athene', which has a sweet zesty citrus flavor accompanied by some herbs. In November, he is releasing a Belgian Dubbel named 'Pays du Soleil'. I can't wait, I love Dubbels!

So, if in the Tarpon Springs area, I suggest you stop by and say hello to Bob. His beer can also be found in the Panama City area. I recommend a taste, it is worth a try.

'Lectio Divina'

Brewery Ommegang Abbey Ale

When you think of American breweries, you typically do not think of Belgian Style Ale. But, when you really think about it, there are American breweries making styles from all across the world. Pilsners, bocks or lambics (just to name a few) are some of the international styles that are being brewed right here in the United States.

I have been wanting a nice Belgian Style lately. So, I picked up a four pack of Abbey Ale made by Brewery Ommegang. This New York brewery specializes in Belgian Style Ales. I think their Abbey Ale Dubbel is very tasty. As I pour it into my St. Bernardus chalice, I notice the high carbonation, which is typical with Belgian styles. The smells of dark fruits and Belgian sugars are prevalent. The Abbey Ale Dubbel has a taste like none other. Holds a medium body with rich sweet flavors. Finishes with a bread like yeast flavor that can be mistaken for hop flavors, but Belgians are not traditionally hop monsters.

If you have a hankering for a Belgian Style, give Brewery Ommegang a try.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

As the temperature drops, the beer you drink starts to get darker and thicker. The story behind the Imperial Stout is very impressive and I plan on writing about it in depth soon. But, this Big Bold Black Stout is worth a try. I recently picked some up and could not wait to see what was in store.

It pours a heavy brown, not completely black, but close enough to say black with a light tan head. You can really smell the black malts that fill the glass and the estery smell lets you know this one is every bit of a 10%er. The initial taste tells you there is a presence of black malts and English hops. The black malts have a slight bitter flavor and the hops are what make an Imperial Stout the great beer people love. In my opinion, this beer is good fresh, but will be great in about four months. Don't get me wrong, it is a tasty beer. But by February, the hop bitterness will fade and this beer will have a whole new meaning. I say, take some notes of how it tastes now. Put a couple away in the cupboard and wait for a freezing winter day.

That's my opinion, what's your's?

Who wants a Victory?

Recently, the Pennsylvania brewery announced that Florida deserves their beer! Victory is already found in stores across south Florida and will be in the northern part of the state by January. The word on the street is that we will find select Victory products here by February. Some of those varieties will include: Hop Devil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey and Storm King.

Storm King is one that I am familiar with and I highly recommend. At 9.1% ABV, this beer can be enjoyed now or put back into the cellar for a later celebration. Pouring it into your glass, you will notice the dark roasted character and you will definitely notice it in the smell. When you first taste it, you get a sense of hoppyness, which is usually apparent with Imperial Stouts. As the hop flavors subside, you start to gather all of the malty flavors that make this beer unique.

If you are interested in a one of Florida's newest Victory's, you will not have to wait much longer. It is truly a Victory for all of us!

-Jeremy