Wednesday 30 September 2009

Heather & Spice & All Things Nice

I have been horribly, horribly remiss recently - the nice people at Williams Bros. have sent me a couple of boxes of beer and, whilst I've loved every minute of drinking them, I've sucked at writing them up - so firstly apologies for that guys!

Now, if you don't know about this brewing bretheren, they are slightly crazy blokes form Scotland who like to make beers with things like heather (Fraoch, 5%) and gooseberries (Grozet, 5%) and tayberries (Roisin, 4.2%) - but they also make some very technically accomplished and extremely tasty beers of a slightly less historic nature, but generally with a twist somewhere.

One of my personal favourites is the 7 Giraffes (5.1%), which is made with seven different malts, elderflower and lemon zest. There is a decent body to the beer, it's not all about the aromatics, with a light bicuity note that perfectly offsets the light lemon and slightly astringent, but delicately floral, elderflower.

As you would expect it is intensely refreshing and just made for quaffing on a summer's day (or a winter's evening when you wish to evoke those past days of balmy weather). I must confess that I'm also being a bit of an old softy about this; the reason it's called 7 Giraffes is that one of the brewer's children pointed out to her dad that a giraffe looked like a 7, and they do at certain angles!

My next big favourite is the Midnight Sun (5.6%), which is a deep, dark sticky porter made with fresh ginger root. The underlying dark bitter chocolate, coffee and liquorice is lightened by the quite strong, yet balanced, flavour of ginger, which also gives a little spicy warming feeling to the beer as well, can imagine this going really well with a dry curry of some sort.

I also very much like the 80/- that the brewery makes too - it's a good hearty representation of the style that is mostly a showcase for the brewer's art with the malts; good deep marmaladey, jammy fruity malt flavours pervade with just enough bitterness to stop it becoming overwhelming, a real Friday night wind-down beer.

I will also be posting about the special edition of their wood-aged Fraoch after the weekend, looks damn good I must confess...

Tuesday 29 September 2009

Recipe of the Week

Welcome to the first of my recipes of the week - I've decided that I spend so much time beer & food matching that I really ought to try and publish some of what I cook & drink at home.

So the first one is spicy salmon with yellow split pea dahl (Caribbean spelling, Indian spicing! If you're that bothered about what I'm wittering about you can check out the definitions here).

Anyway, on with the show, serves two with some dahl left over for another day or freezing.

Ingredients for the salmon:
Two salmon fillets/steaks
Harissa or other hot chilli paste
Garam Masala
Sea salt
Groundnut oil

Ingredients for dahl:
Groundnut oil
100g yellow split peas
One medium-large onion
Thumb-sized knob of ginger
Two very fat garlic cloves
1dsp black mustard seeds
1dsp Garam Masala
Tsp each of dry fried cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds & fenugreek + pinch of chilli powder or flakes (alternatively use a dsp of your favourite curry powder if this seems like a faff)
Can of good plum tomatoes
Small handful of green raisins (optional)
Pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp of asafoetida (you will thank me for this addition, it's a 'digestive aid' - you can draw the conclusion as to how it helps from there!)
Bag/three good handfuls of spinach

To garnish:
Mint
Natural yoghurt (I use fat-free but you don't have to)
Seasoning
Lemon

Method:
  1. Roughly chop your onions, and pop them in a good-sized saucepan to gently sweat, you don't want any colour
  2. After a few minutes grate the ginger and add that
  3. As the onions turn transluscent chop your garlic cloves and add them
  4. After a minute add all your spices and when the mustard seeds start to pop pour your peas into a sieve and rinse under the tap and add
  5. Stir mix together then add the raisins and then add tomatoes and pinch of sugar
  6. Fill tomato can full of water and pour that in, bring to a boil and then leave on a low heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, you may have to top up with water, keep an eye on it
  7. After 20 minutes take your salmon out of the fridge and make some slashes in the skin (your knife will have to be sharp for this or don't bother trying, you'll slash your thumb)
  8. Rub in enough harissa or chilli paste to cover the whole surface (be careful it's not a really hot sauce unless that's how you like it) and then sprinkle lightly with garam masala and a little sea salt, and put the oven on (160 for fan, which I think is 180 normal oven)
  9. Leave covered
  10. After a further 10 minutes put your frying pan or skillet on to heat, make sure your pan is hot add some groundnut oil and put the fish in skin-side down, fry until just going golden and going opaque half-way up and pop in the oven to finish - I put mine in for about six minutes to finish as I like it a little opaque in the middle
  11. Chop the mint and stir it into the yoghurt with a squeeze of lemon, season to taste (you can also swirl in some more harissa if you want to, I use Belazu's rose harissa, it's a handy thing to have in the fridge and lasts forever)
  12. Take fish out to rest, cover with foil, and after a few minutes test your peas, they should be done and at this point you stir in your spinach & asafoetida at the last minute but if not then just leave the salmon somewhere warm to rest
  13. Serve salmon on top of spinachy dahl, drizzle with your dressing
  14. Then crack open a Weltenburger Assam Bock or, for contrast, a clear wheat beer like O'Hanlon's Goldblade or Okells MacLir, and stick your feet up
Cheers!
p.s. no pics because my camera broke whilst in Denver, it's for this reason there aren't any pics I took from there on my blog either! Grr!

Sunday 27 September 2009

All Falls Down

The curtain has fallen on the GABF but the winners were announced yesterday and I've listed them below or you can download a pdf here.

As it's a blind judging we didn't know which beers had won until everyone else did, which was actually quite nerve-wracking as the crowd watching are certainly very vociferous about whether they approve of the judges choices or not!

The stand-out beer for me that I judged, in terms of innovation, was the winner of the gold category in wood-aged beers, the Humidor Series IPA, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL. It is aged on the wood of cigar boxes, which is called cigar cedar but is actually from the mahogony family, and the spice and aroma it imparts to the beer is absolutely incredible. The base beer IPA itself was technically flawless and the pepper, sandalwood, vanilla, cinnamon, cedar, leather and tobacco notes that poured off it were more akin to a rum descriptor than a beer but still incredible nonetheless.

After my aforementioned dinner at the Samba Rooms (my empanada starter got shared with the whole table as four of them arrived about two thirds the size of a Cornish pasty!) we were wavering about whether to go back to the Falling Rock as it threatened to be a bit of a scrum and we were feeling a little fatigued - well I'm so pleased that we didn't wimp out because it was a brilliant night!

I managed to get myself wedged against the outside bar where the awesome Bill took very good care of me, once I'd finished my very refreshing starter for 10 of Dale's Pale Ale from Oskar Blues (the first people to start putting craft beer in cans by all accounts) I moved onto the Sierra Nevada Harvest, which was as spectacular as you'd expect it to be, wet-hopped, fresh and balanced, then onto the New Belgium Tart Lychee - wow!

I've really begun to change my mind about fruit beers recently and the ones that they've got out here are fascinating; balanced, sour, sweet, a little mineral salt on the palate as a general too. I also got treated to a little Lost Abbey Sinner's Reserve as well, which was very special. A nice sour nose with mocha and chocolate notes leads through to a slightly sour raspberry and charred wood middle and ends on a rich prune note - very rich yet drinkable. And there was an obligatory Pliny the Elder thrown in there too!
I also met a whole host of fabulous people, including Daniel Del Grande, the brewer of the aforementioned Honey Basil Wheat, which I accidentally in a slightly fuzzy state called ale in my previous post (apologies), Bubba from Bear Republic, Chris Fisher from Newport, Ron from Cascade and a whole host of other people, apologies if I haven't name-checked you!

I am back off to Falling Rock on the way to the airport today, and if I am invited to come back next year (finger's so tightly crossed they are creaking) there are some things that I will know.

Firstly, that I'm going to have the pleasure of meeting some amazing people, secondly, that I will drink some truly rocking beers and thirdly that long white trousers which skirt the ground are a very, very bad idea to wear to Falling Rock on the last night of GABF - they are now not white trousers four inches up the leg, nearly crack when folded and have stunk my room out with stale beer despite being in a plastic bag!!!

But, do you know what? I couldn't care less!

Winners
Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager, 24 Entries
Gold: Milwaukee’s Best, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Hamm’s, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO


Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer, 19 Entries
Gold: County Seat Wheat, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS
Silver: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: Double Eagle Ale, Rockyard Brewing Co., Castle Rock, CO


Category: 3 American-Style Wheat Beer With Yeast, 43 Entries
Gold: Haywire Hefeweizen, Pyramid Breweries, Seattle, WA
Silver: Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA


Category: 4 Fruit Beer or Field Beer, 104 Entries
Gold: Raspberry Creek, Breakwater Brewing Co., Oceanside, CA
Silver: Magnolia’s Peach, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery, Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Raspberry Tart, New Glarus Brewing Co, New Glarus, WI


Category: 5 Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beer, 85 Entries
Gold: Stillwater Rye, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT
Silver: Imperial Chocolate Stout, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Bronze: Rude Elf’s Reserve, Fegley’s Allentown & Bethlehem Brew Works, Allentown, PA


Category: 6 Coffee Flavored Beer, 45 Entries
Gold: Dude! Where’s My Vespa?, Rock Bottom Brewery - Arlington, Arlington, VA
Silver: Overcast Espresso Stout, Oakshire Brewing, Eugene, OR
Bronze: Coffee Bender, Surly Brewing Co., Brooklyn Center, MN


Category: 7 Specialty Beer, 21 Entries
Gold: Chateau Jiahu, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Silver: Palo Santo Marron, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: Drunken Angel, Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago, Chicago, IL


Category: 8, Rye Beer, 21 Entries
Gold: Crazy Jackass Ale, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
Silver: Blue Point Brewing Co. RastafaRye, Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue, NY
Bronze: Hoss, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO


Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer, 36 Entries
Gold: Countdown Honey Brown, Thunder Canyon Brewery, Tucson, AZ
Silver: George’s Fault, Nodding Head Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE


Category: 10 Session Beer, 27 Entries
Gold: KinderPils, Triumph Brewing Co. of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Silver: Firestone Xtra Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Bam Biere, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI


Category: 11 Other Strong Beer, 44 Entries
Gold: Cardiff, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Winter Wheatwine, Rubicon Brewing Co., Sacramento, CA
Bronze: FiftyFifty Imperial Stout, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA


Category: 12 Experimental Beer, 32 Entries
Gold: TPS Report, Trinity Brewing Co, Colorado Springs, CO
Silver: Bloody Beer, Shorts Brewing Co., Bellaire, MI
Bronze: Brabant, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO


Category: 13 Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer, 82 Entries
Gold: W ‘10, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR
Silver: Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
Bronze: S1NIST0R Black Ale, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR


Category: 14 Gluten Free Beer, 10 Entries
Gold: Celia Framboise, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT
Silver: Redbridge, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Saint Louis, MO
Bronze: Celia IPA, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT


Category: 15 American-Belgo-Style Ale, 51 Entries
Gold: Exit 4, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Cherry Hill, NJ
Silver: The Crow and The Sparrow, Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Temperance, Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, Boulder, CO


Category: 16 American-Style Sour Ale, 32 Entries
Gold: Rosso e Marrone, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co, Pleasantville, NY
Silver: Raspberry Torte, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Diamond Kings ‘09, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN


Category: 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 33 Entries
Gold: Humidor Series IPA, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
Silver: Red Woody, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Red Brick Anniversary Ale 15, Red Brick-Atlanta Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA


Category: 18 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 110 Entries
Gold: Cereal Killer Barleywine, Arcadia Brewing Co., Battle Creek, MI
Silver: Barrel Aged Gonzo, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: Duck-Rabbit Barrel Aged Baltic Porter, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, Inc., Farmville, NC


2009 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards:
Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO
Dr. David Ryder


Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Crosby & Baker Ltd.
Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Robert Malone


Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Microstar Keg Management
Dry Dock Brewing Company, Aurora, CO
Dry Dock Brewing Team


Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Pizza Port Brew Guys


Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Will Kemper


Category: 19 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 45 Entries
Gold: Bourbonic Plague, Cascade Brewery Co. LLC, Portland, OR
Silver: Vlad the Imp Aler, Cascade Brewery Co. LLC, Portland, OR
Bronze: Phruit Phunk, Nodding Head Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA


Category: 20 Aged Beer, 32 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Vintage 2007, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: St. Bob’s Imperial Stout, IL Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Winterfest 2008, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT


Category: 21 Kellerbier/Zwickelbier, 27 Entries
Gold: Hell In Keller, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que, Austin, TX
Silver: Natural Born Keller, Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Bronze: Red Rock Organic Zwickel Bier, Red Rock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT


Category: 22 Smoked Beer, 43 Entries
Gold: Smokejumper, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Silver: Up In Smoke, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH
Bronze: Diesel Imperial Smoked Porter, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA


Category: 23 International-Style Pilsener, 13 Entries
Gold: Gold Leaf Lager, Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Silver: OE800, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Gold Mountain Pilsner, Silver City Brewery, Silverdale, WA


Category: 24 German-Style Pilsener, 48 Entries
Gold: 106 Pilsner, Rock Bottom Brewery - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Pilsner, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Troegs Sunshine Pils, Troegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA


Category: 25 Bohemian Style Pilsener, 39 Entries
Gold: Vermont Lager, Otter Creek Brewing/Wolaver’s Organic Ales, Middlebury, VT
Silver: Gordon Biersch Czech Pilsner, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Broomfield, CO
Bronze: Bell’s Lager Beer, Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Galesburg, MI


Category: 26 Munich Style Helles, 31 Entries
Gold: Saint Arnold Summer Pils, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Silver: Where the Helles Bill?, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: Gordon Biersch , Golden Export, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Broomfield, CO


Category: 27 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest, 20 Entries
Gold: Move Back, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Greenside Up, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: Capital Bavarian Lager, Capital Brewery Co., Inc., Middleton, WI


Category: 28 American Style Light Lager, 25 Entries
Gold: Budweiser Select, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Saint Louis, MO
Silver: Keystone Light, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Michelob Ultra, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Saint Louis, MO


Category: 29 American-Style Lager or Premium Lager, 34 Entries
Gold: Coors Banquet, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Totally Naked, New Glarus Brewing Co, New Glarus, WI


Category: 30 American Style Specialty Lager, 23 Entries
Gold: Keystone Ice, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Pre-Pro, Coors Brewing Co., Gol, Golden, CO
Bronze: Steel Reserve, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO


Category: 31 Vienna Style Lager, 25 Entries
Gold: Vienna Lager, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Vienna Lager, Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Bronze: Clipper City Marzhon Vienna Lager, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD


Category: 32 German Style Märzen, 45 Entries
Gold: Dogtoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: Reines Marzen, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Bronze: Rocktoberfest, Rock Bottom Brewery - Long Beach, Long Beach, CA


Category: 33 American Style Amber Lager, 45 Entries
Gold: Durango Colorfest, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Killian’s Red, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Michelob Marzen, Michelob Brewing Co., Saint Louis, MO


Category: 34 European Style Dunkel, 21 Entries
Gold: Dunkel, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Gordon Biersch Dunkles, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Broomfield, CO
Bronze: Dunkel, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO


Category: 35 American-Style Dark Lager, 15 Entries
Gold: Session Black Premium Lager, Full Sail Brewing at Riverplace, Portland, OR
Silver: Roadrunner Red Lager, Thunder Canyon Brewery, Tucson, AZ
Bronze: Saranac Black Forest, Saranac/F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Utica, NY


Category: 36 German Style Schwarzbier, 34 Entries
Gold: Schwarzbier, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Schwarzbier, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Dark Helmet, Titletown Brewing Co., Green Bay, WI


Category: 37 Bock, 40 Entries
Gold: Troegenator, Troegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA
Silver: May Bock, Backcountry Brewery, Frisco, CO
Bronze: Fornicator, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL


Category: 38 German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock, 21 Entries
Gold: The Kaiser, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Silver: Samuel Adams Double Bock, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Carbonator, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO


Category: 39 Baltic-Style Porter, 16 Entries
Gold: Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, Inc., Farmville, NC
Silver: Danzig, Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Bronze: Veles Baltic Porter, FireHouse Grill & Brewery, Sunnyvale, CA


Category: 40 Golden or Blonde Ale, 43 Entries
Gold: Golden Spike, Tustin Brewing Co., Tustin, CA
Silver: Kiwanda Cream Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Red Rock Blonde Ale, Red Rock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT


Category: 41 German Style Kölsch, 43 Entries
Gold: Kolsch, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: Clearwater Kolsch, Ram Restaurant & Brewery (2), Tacoma, WA
Bronze: Stoudts Kolsch, Stoudt Brewing Co., Adamstown, PA


Category: 42 English-Style Summer Ale, 33 Entries
Gold: Light Rock Ale, RJ Rockers Brewing Co., Spartanburg, SC
Silver: Surfer’s Summer Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: True Blonde Ale, Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO


Category: 43 Classic English Style Pale Ale, 33 Entries
Gold: Mactarnahan’s Amber, Pyramid Breweries, Seattle, WA
Silver: Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Bronze: Hopfish, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Cherry Hill, NJ


Category: 44 English-Style India Pale Ale, 40 Entries
Gold: Beech Street Bitter, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: IPA, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Brewer’s Alley India Pale Ale, Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery, Frederick, MD


Category: 45 American Style Pale Ale, 108 Entries
Gold: Sweetgrass IPA, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Victor, ID
Silver: 44 Pale Ale, Colorado Brewing Co./Draft House, Boulder, CO
Bronze: Tumble Off Pale Ale, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR


Category: 46 American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 70 Entries
Gold: Racer 5 IPA, Bear Republic Factory Five, Cloverdale, CA
Silver: Hopshot IPA, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze: IPA Nectar, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA


Category: 47 American-Style India Pale Ale, 134 Entries
Gold: Union Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Co, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Blind Pig IPA, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA


Category: 48 Imperial India Pale Ale, 77 Entries
Gold: Organic Ace of Spades Imperial IPA, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Silver: Denogginizer, Drake’s Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Hip Hop Double IPA, Hollister Brewing Co., Goleta, CA


Category: 49 American Style Amber/Red Ale, 78 Entries
Gold: Organic Rise Up Red, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Silver: Red Rock, Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: Hop Head Red, Green Flash Brewing Co., Vista, CA


Category: 50 Imperial Red Ale, 36 Entries
Gold: Shark Attack, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: 547 Haight - The Toronado San Francisco’s 20th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Organic Deranger Imperial Red, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR


Category: 51 English Style Mild Ale, 17 Entries
Gold: Sara’s Ruby Mild, Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: AK Session, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Coyote Moon, Snipes Mountain Brewing Inc., Sunnyside, WA


Category: 52 Ordinary or Special Bitter, 45 Entries
Gold: Big Rapid Red, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Silver: Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Numbers Ale, Red Brick-Atlanta Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA


Category: 53 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter, 47 Entries
Gold: ESB, Redhook Ales - Woodinville, Woodinville, WA
Silver: Motorboat ESB, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Bronze: Colorado Boy IPA, Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery, Ridgway, CO


Category: 54 Scottish Style Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Railbender Ale, Erie Brewing Co, Erie, PA
Silver: Kilt Lifter, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ
Bronze: Cold Smoke Scotch Ale, Kettlehouse Brewing Co., Missoula, MT


Category: 55 Irish Style Red Ale, 32 Entries
Gold: Ridgetop Red, Silver City Brewery, Silverdale, WA
Silver: Colorado Boy Irish, Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery, Ridgway, CO
Bronze: Saranac Irish Red Ale, Saranac/F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Utica, NY


Category: 56 English Style Brown Ale, 41 Entries
Gold: Longboard Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery - La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Silver: Buster Nut Brown, Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Bronze: Good Grief Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA


Category: 57 American Style Brown Ale, 43 Entries
Gold: Dirty Helen Brown Ale, Barley Island Brewing Co., Noblesville, IN
Silver: Cheyenne Cañon Ale, Bristol Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO
Bronze: Great American Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA


Category: 58 German Style Altbier, 35 Entries
Gold: Bismarck Altbier, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Silver: Boca Alt, Brewzzi West Palm, West Palm Beach, FL
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Alt Bier, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Broomfield, CO


Category: 59 German-Style Sour Ale, 13 Entries
Gold: Berliner Weisse, Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY
Silver: NBB Love, New Belgium Brewing Co., Inc., Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Bad Kitty, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN


Category: 60 South German Style Hefeweizen, 66 Entries
Gold: Top Heavy Hefeweizen, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Silver: U-Boat Hefeweizen, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Bronze: Wiezen, Redhook Ales - Portsmouth, Portsmouth, NH


Category: 61 German-Style Wheat Ale, 38 Entries
Gold: Hefeweizen, Triumph Brewing Co. of New Hope, New Hope, PA
Silver: Weizenbock, The Covey Restaurant & Brewery, Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Upslope Dunkel Weizen, Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder, CO


Category: 62 Belgian-Style Witbier, 53 Entries
Gold: ZON, Boulevard Brewing Co, Kansas City, MO
Silver: Belgian White, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Wits End, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA


Category: 63 French- and Belgian Style Saison, 56 Entries
Gold: Saison Vautour, McKenzie Brew House, Glen Mills, PA
Silver: Belgian Summer Ale, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Bronze: Saison Du Bastone, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI


Category: 64 Belgian and French-Style Ale, 41 Entries
Gold: Carnevale, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Silver: Demolition, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Collaborative Evil-Sacramento, Sacramento Brewing Co., Sacramento, CA


Category: 65 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Duck Duck Gooze, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Silver: Red Rock, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI
Bronze: Supplication, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA


Category: 66 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale, 58 Entries
Gold: Signature Dubbel, Choc Beer Co., Krebs, OK
Silver: Tripel, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Bronze: Deschutes Brewery Quad, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR


Category: 67 Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale, 70 Entries
Gold: Revelations, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: “100”, The Covey Restaurant & Brewery, Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Father Damien Abbey Ale, Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI


Category: 68 Brown Porter, 38 Entries
Gold: St. Charles Porter, Blackstone Brewing Co., Nashville, TN
Silver: Lazy Jake Porter, Long Valley Pub and Brewery, Long Valley, NJ
Bronze: Black Butte Porter, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR


Category: 69 Robust Porter, 57 Entries
Gold: Pt. Reyes Porter, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA
Silver: Mocha Porter, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Bronze: Pirate’s Porter, Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill, Frankenmuth, MI


Category: 70 Classic Irish Style Dry Stout, 19 Entries
Gold: Dark Starr Stout, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Silver: Three Steve Stout, Cambridge House Brew Pub, Torrington, CT
Bronze: Pub Dog Black Dog Stout, DOG Brewing Co., Westminster, MD


Category: 71 Foreign Style Stout, 20 Entries
Gold: Space Stout, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: San Quentin’s Breakout Stout, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA
Bronze: Whiteface Black Diamond Stout, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY


Category: 72 American-Style Stout, 22 Entries
Gold: Liberty Stout, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Silver: Troegs Dead Reckoning, Troegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA
Bronze: Stonefly Oatmeal Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA


Category: 73 Sweet Stout, 27 Entries
Gold: Cow Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Bronze: Steel Toe Stout, Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO


Category: 74 Oatmeal Stout, 31 Entries
Gold: Ernest’s Silky Smoove, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: Oatmeal Stout, Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, Antioch, CA
Bronze: Sleeping Dog Stout, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM


Category: 75 Imperial Stout, 56 Entries
Gold: Gonzo Imperial Porter, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem, NC


Category: 76 Scotch Ale, 37 Entries
Gold: Reed’s Wee Heavy, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: BagPiper’s Scotch Ale, Fegley’s Allentown & Bethlehem Brew Works, Allentown, PA
Bronze: MacPelican’s Wee Heavy Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR


Category: 77 Old Ale or Strong Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Old Scrooge ‘98, Silver City Brewery, Silverdale, WA
Silver: Outback X, Bend Brewing Co, Bend, OR
Bronze: 4th Dementia Old Ale, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI


Category: 78 Barley Wine Style Ale, 54 Entries
Gold: Old Inventory Barley Wine, Valley Brewing Co., Stockton, CA
Silver: Treblehook, Redhook Ales - Woodinville, Woodinville, WA
Bronze: Old Ruffian Barley Wine, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO


2009 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition
Gold: Herbal Joe’s Columbarillo IPA, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Brewmaster: Jeff Erway, AHA Member: Ben Miller
Silver: Alright Already Amber, O’Fallon Brewery, O’Fallon, MO
Brewmaster: Brian Owens, AHA Member: Jim Yeager
Bronze: Time of the Season, Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Brewmaster: Daniel Pages, AHA Member: Brian Patterson

Saturday 26 September 2009

Beered in the USA



Well, the GABF has started off well for me, had a whole series of top-quality beers last night that I thought I'd share with you!

I kicked off with beers from the Blue Corn brewery (Santa Fe), served up to me by the brewmaster and original cowboy Brad Kraus, and the first beer of Atomic Blonde pils at 5% was an absolute treat! Sometimes in this job you can forget that a really good clean pilsner at the right time can be an absolute treat - and this was, clean, zesty and with a little punch of bitterness at the end.

The brewery's award-winning oatmeal stout was also an absolute cracker, an enticing chocolate and coffee nose with a balanced coffee and hop  bitterness combined with a really creamy mouthfeel makes it intensely drinkable and it's understandable that it took a gold medal in its class last year. As an aside it also helps no end that Mr Kraus is an absolute blast and has definitely gained the title of my favourite person in the world to share a Rochefort 10 with.

Then it was on to Buckbean and their 5.8% Orange Blossom Ale, Pallisade, Ahtanum and German select hops marry beautifully with orange blossom, Munich & caramel malts.

The result is not so much an orange blossom ale but a fabulously jasmine tea-like end to the beer that begs to be drunk over and over - interestingly a lot of the craft beers out here are canned, what they do is use the technology that soft drinks companies have been using for years and have a lining on the inside of the can that prevents all metallic taint.

My next great beer was the Saint Arnold Elissa IPA - rather sad that I chose it because it's so close to my name but I'm glad I was feeling childish because it was a really pleasant honey pine nose, with a rich spicy flavour with a not unpleasant prickly hop bitterness, very fresh in the finish and well-balanced.

Rogue Morimoto Soba, which I believe is only around 5%, is a truly incredible beer - a buckwheat nose leads to a similar profile in taste augmented by a light lime, then after you've swallowed you get this most amazing rush back of bready/buckwheat right at the front of the palate - totally unique in my opinion and well worth seeking out.

I also had the great pleasure and privelege of drinking Sierra Nevada's Estate beer at 6.7%, all the ingredients are grown at the brewery and it's a got a lovely clean mineral nose with a bit of peach/passion fruit and then a jammy middle throught to a balanced bitter end - fabulous.

So, that was yesterday, today my standout beers were the 21st Amendment Watermelon wheat, which I'd heard about from Richard Dinwoodie who raves about it, however I was a bit sceptical - ohhhh how foolish I was to be so pre-judgemental, it's utterly, utterly awesome! It smells like watermelon and then on the palate anyone who ever ate the watermelon Nerds as a kid will recognise that sour watermelon flavours are some of the nicest things in the world and that's what this was. Unbelievably refreshing and fabulous this also came from a can and was just a revelation.

Next standout was Bison Brewery's Honey & Basil ale Wheat, I can't tell you how nice this was and how much I wished I'd had something Italian to eat with it. A honeyed basil nose leads through to a really balanced slight sweet herbal body with a great earthy herbal bitterness you'd associate with English hops; utterly stunning and I asked the owner if I could shamelessly try to reproduce something close on one of my next brewing adventures and he was really stoked about the idea, everyone is so incredible like that out here - it's all about sharing ideas, stamping out politics and growing the category.

Deschutes Red Chair IPA was another cracker, I judge these in the World Beer Awards a lot but rarely see them and wish they'd export more to the UK, I really do, a wonderfully restrained example of an American-style IPA, it balances that usual huge grapefruit note out with some nice lime and caramel-bready body (without being too toffee) and a rich jammy bitter finish.

And finally Alaskan's beers were something special, the Smoked Porter is a living legend but I thought the White (the spiced wheat) was very elegantly done. For those of you who have tried the Coney Island Albino Python think this done much more delicately, not to say that's not a great beer, but the White has many similarities without the huge pot pourri nose.

And talking of Coney Island I'm also pleased to say that I've been introduce to the most fabulous American diner called Sam's No. 3, at which I've been eating with Glenn, and today I decided, when in Rome, to have their Coney Island hotdog, which was sublime; if you're ever in Denver then Sam's No.3 is a must-see.

Will update you on the winners etc. tomorrow, back off to the festival now and then onto dinner in the Samba Room!

Thursday 24 September 2009

Yee Haw


Judging at the GABF is hard work, no seriously! The quality of the beer is for the most pretty good, and in places stellar, with fewer brewing defects in general than most other competitions I've judged but what is really amazing is the level of technical detail that they look for.

Now that may sound super-nerdy but judging within strongly classified classes and styles actually makes the process a lot easier but the level of information and feedback they encourage you to give is very intensive.

But, all that stuff aside, I've met some truly fantastic people who I hope to stay in contact with for many years and I would be delighted to come back to Denver because, I must confess, the Falling Rock pub is simply the best place to drink I've ever been - I could kick the bucket in that place and die happy! If you want to see what I'm talking about then click here.

Sorry for the brevity of the post but festival is now open so I'm off to do the rounds, I'll be taking names and making notes so will feed back to you what I've had tomorrow but I sadly can't tell you anything about the beers that I've been judging until it's all over but there are soooo some I'll be seeking out over the next few days that's for sure!

Tuesday 22 September 2009

American Adventure Has Begun

Howdy!

Right, I'm in Denver and raring to go on the judging front - however that doesn't start until tomorrow so today I'm off on a little adventure.

Had a couple of brews in the Rock Bottom Brewery (as my colleague Glenn texted me very wittily, hit Rock Bottom immediately eh?!) whilst reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope and thoroughly enjoyed their Golden Buffalo - which was indeed an orangey gold, with a good tight head, laced down the glass well, typical American floral/fruit on the nose, a nice orangey bite on the palate and a very, very clean aftertaste - almost like a good pilsner.

I'd love to tell you what the ABV was but all I could elicit from the waitress was 'they are mostly around five except the Falcon' - but she was very sweet and attentive otherwise and I was too tired to give a rat's patootie about the nerdy details!

And today we're off to see the JuJu Ginger Wizard, Eric at Left Hand Brewing, which I'm super-excited about.

Apparently I'm getting on a bus to do this, but fortunately Glenn is here to guide me and given that I managed to get lost finding Rock Bottom last night (walk out the door go straight, take a right after two blocks) I think that's probably a very good thing!

So, this is just the beginning and I'll let you know more when I do!

p.s. If you haven't already, place your cynicism aside and read Obama's first book -
Dreams from My Father - it's an excellent and very personal story from a man with a really fascinating background, who also happens to be President of the USA. This one's a little more heavy-going on the idealogue front but really well-written nonetheless and a good insight into the American political machine.

Wednesday 16 September 2009

The Evel Has Landed


Oh dear, Eve's here and targeting me via Facebook!

I particularly love the line 'Eve is a brand new drink that’s just made for us girls.' Am I supposed to twiddle a piece of hair round my finger, twist my foot, pout and giggle after saying that?!

Money on any advertising of this product including less of a girls' night out and more of a Diet Coke 'ooh we're only here because the barman's hunky' moment?

Greed is NOT Good


Sorry for the serious note but it's come to my attention that some of my fellow beer bloggers are demanding cash for posts and then passing them off as personal opinion, comment or recommendation and I'm just not cool with that.

There's a big difference between a blog being sponsored, or carrying advertising, to authors asking for cash for coverage and then presenting it to their readers as editorial - I don't care what Michael Douglas's Gordon Gecko character said in Wall Street, I think we have seen enough woe in the economic world recently to recognise that greed is just not good.

This trend came to my attention a few weeks ago and whilst I'm not willing to out those responsible I have been having a bit of a personal dilemma about what to do with the information; but when someone called my blog's integrity into question the other day over the Zeitgeist post , which I did NOT get paid for, I felt I had to let everyone who kindly follows my work know where they stand with me.

I never have and never will take payment for comment because if you have the courtesy to read my work then I owe you the courtesy of making it honest.

However, what I am doing is going back over my posts and marking up any that I've put up for my lovebeer@borough tastings, or those that I've had a financial interest by working with the party mentioned, so that it is utterly transparent.

Thanks for your continued support.

Thursday 3 September 2009

Missing Licensee

UK pub-goers & publicans please check this story in case you can shed any light on this chap's whereabouts.

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Travelling Well


Just a little update on my weird world - the Epic Armaggedon IPA that has been on the NZ Inter-Island ferry in barrels named after myself and Pete Brown have finally been tapped!

Pete & Melissa were opened to the public at Beervana, a beer fest in Wellington that was held over the weekend, and apparently we both travelled very well.

Anyway, if you'd like to see a bit more then take a look at this Youtube clip...

p.s. at least he's not assaulting me in this picture, unlike the last one!