Picks for Summer 2008

BRIAN’S BREWS FOR SUMMER
Now I get to break down my picks for this summer. Starting with the most common beers that you would find at most restaurants and grocery stores to the beers you really have to look for in North Idaho.

Last year I gave kudos to Coors with their “Blue Moon” Belgian-style wheat ale which is now a favorite for many beer consumers year round…but now I get to give their competition a plug.

Anheuser-Busch’s Beach Bum Blonde Ale

As the summer months gradually increase the temperatures of our weekends, adults everywhere can look forward to enjoying one of A-B’s specialty, seasonal beers while relaxing in the sun. Now available for a second year in bottles and some taps around town, Beach Bum Blonde Ale, an all-malt, traditional American blonde ale, is just the thing to refresh beach bums traveling to the coastline or those who prefer to stay home. This blonde ale, which draws its deep golden color from a choice selection of pale and caramel roasted barley malt, is brewed with imported Alsace and Hallertau hops, as well as Cascade hops from the Pacific Northwest. Using a dry-hopping technique, hops are not only added to the brew kettle, but also included in the aging tank, giving the specialty beer its distinct and pronounced hop aroma. Beach Bum Blonde Ale’s slight malty sweetness makes it a delicious complement to summertime fare, including barbecue dishes, fresh salads and fish. To best showcase its deep, golden color, pour and enjoy this seasonal ale in a pub-style glass.

Pyramid’s Curve Ball
This beer I have to plug again. Inspired by the traditional Kölsch style beers of Cologne, Germany, Curve Ball boasts a clean, crisp, slightly herbal taste and a lighter body. With its new and improved taste to compete with the “other” citrus summer beers, Curve Ball is the perfect accompaniment to summer grilling and ballpark outings.

Big Sky’s Summer Honey (Great on Tap)
When the days get longer and the air gets warmer, we get outside quite a bit. And we build a big thirst. Summer Honey helps us shake off the winter and slakes our thirst for a refreshing brew. Summer Honey is a full-flavored summer seasonal ale. Brewed with a unique, balanced blend of spices, Northwest Hops, and Montana honey. Summer Honey is brewed during the early days of spring and released around the first of May each year. Light colored, light bodied, and very drinkable, Summer Honey sacrifices nothing to create a flavorful beer that can be enjoyed during the height of the summer.

Skinny Dip
From the makers of Fat Tire of which I just have to use their verbiage because it’s just so witty,
New Belgium’s Skinny Dip is a full-bodied, figure-friendly beer that’s designed for the summer dress code. With the same amount of calories as most light beers, it makes this brew perfect for the lightly attired summer months.
Cascade hops frolic with kaffir lime and ample malt to create a bright, citrusy nose that’s as crisp as chilling in a mountain pond. If you like the taste of Fat Tire, you will love this brew. Skinny Dip is a most revealing beverage.

"Fruity" Beer
Now I’m going to begin a tradition of including a “fruity” beer to my summer line-up. This year’s entry is from Hawaii, the Kona Brewing Company’s Wailua Wheat Ale. This golden, sun colored ale has a bright, citrusy flavor that comes from the tropical passion fruit that they brew into each batch. It’s a slightly tart, refreshing wheat ale with a fresh citrus aroma and crisp finish. Tropical passion fruit is added late in the brewing process to retain the delicate fruity flavor and aroma. Wailua Wheat is an excellent beer to enjoy after a day on the water or at the beach (or even after mowing the lawn or playing softball in your "pau hana" summer league!). It typically pairs well with lighter fare like grilled fish and shrimp, roasted chicken, salads and Asian foods. Perhaps even a dish of vanilla ice cream. Wailua Wheat’s packaging is eye catching and inviting, featuring a paradisiacal Wailua Falls scene from old Hawaii.

Hard to Find Favorites
My “newest”, hard to find, favorite summertime beer is Anderson Valley’s Summer Solstice Seasonal Ale.
This copper colored ale is smooth, malty, and lightly sweet, with a delicate hint of spice for that oh-so-drinkable, extra velvety flavor. The character is lighter in body than its cousin, their wildly popular Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale. This beer is silky and creamy, perfect for our warm weather. But why do they call it Cerveza Crema? Two reasons: One, this beer has become a favorite among many of their Hispanic friends, so it's named in their honor. Two, it sounds cool, and cool is what you want when it’s hot. Serve at 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit for the most optimal flavor and enjoyment.

The hardest beer for me to locate is from the makers of Shiner Bock. Spoetzl Brewery’s Shiner Summer Stock.
This brew has an appearance of brilliant clarity and an extremely light yellow color. The aroma is one of soft sweet malt. There's a little hint of caramel along with a very slight scent of pear ester. Even though this beer is light on the aromatics, I like the generally complex way that a lot of things seem to be going on at once. The flavor of this beer is soft and gentle with a sweet clean maltiness. It tastes of fresh pale malt with just the slightest hint of softly, barely toasted sweet bread. The beer is extremely well balanced. It is sweet, but there is an unmistakable lightly pepper-like hop edge. This is such a soft, delicate beer that there is absolutely no room for flavor flaws to hide.

Summer Brews

For beer lovers, this expanding seasonal choice is a nice problem to have. But it begs some questions: What makes for a great summer brew? What traditions are behind these seasonals? And what foods work best with these beers?

Ideally, great summer beers should be crisp, refreshing, and food-friendly, with light to medium body and moderate alcohol, yet still be packed with aroma and flavor. Various beer types qualify, but the best summer "models" tend to hail from Germany and Belgium, two centers of brewing excellence. And for quality summer quaffing, no style outshines the wheat-based brews from these two beer-loving countries. 



SUMMER WHEAT

Most beers are made with at least some malted barley, for practical reasons. With a hard husk and relative lack of glutens, barley performs poorly in the bakery but ideally for malting and beer brewing. Wheat is the exact opposite: The grain has no encasement and it's rich in glutens and other proteins useful in bread-making, but it tends to gum up the brewing process. In fact, it's almost impossible to make beer solely from wheat.


In the Middle Ages, when all beer production was "micro," farmer-brewers rarely had the luxury to choose which grain to use, they simply employed what was available. In southern Germany and present-day Belgium, wheat was part of the mix. Through trial and error, it was discovered that including a proportion of wheat in the mash leads to a highly desirable beverage, a lighter-bodied beer with refreshing, thirst-quenching acidity. And so, a great beer style for the hot weather evolved. 

Because of the paler color and yeasty haze of these ales (yes, they are technically ales, made with top-fermenting yeast), especially compared with the darker beers, people called them "white" beers —witbier or bière blanche in Belgium, and Weissbier in Germany. 



KEEP YOUR WIT

A true holdover from the spice trade era (15th and 16th centuries), the Belgian witbier is brewed from malted barley and raw wheat, and spiced (mostly) with coriander and Curaçao bitter orange peel. Hops come into play nowadays, but subtly. A bright, refreshing style that almost died out after WWII, this hazy, pale yellow-gold beer has made a big comeback in its homeland and has a bevy of sincere imitators in the U.S. and elsewhere. Even Coors Brewing Company puts out a Belgian-style white under the Blue Moon label. An excellent Belgian prototype widely available is Hoegaarden.



WEIZEN UP

Go to any outdoor café or Biergarten in Bavaria during the warm weather, and you'll find scores of tall, slender glasses used solely for Weissbier on the picnic-style tables, bearing insignias from breweries like Schneider, Franziskaner, and Weihenstephaner (the "world's oldest brewery" — since 1040!). While there are various styles of Weiss or Weizen (wheat), including the oxymoronic Dunkelweiss (literally "dark white"), the Hefeweizen ("yeast-wheat") is the choice for the summer. 

As the name indicates, this "bottle-conditioned" beer contains unfiltered yeast sediment — accounting for the cloudy appearance — and full flavor. Most Hefes are brewed with at least 50 percent malted wheat and are delicately hopped with aromatic, citric strains. Unlike their Belgian colleagues, however, German brewers still observe the German Beer Purity Law of 1516, meaning that spices and other flavorings (besides hops) are verboten in the brewing process. And yet, the orangeish, thick-headed Hefes are often chock-full of amazing fruity and spicy elements, ranging from fresh apples, banana, and Juicy Fruit gum to cloves and nutmeg. The responsible agent: ancient strains of yeast, enhancing the naturally fruity arc of the wheat. 

These beers are arguably best on a hot day after a workout — extremely restorative. They are fantastic food companions too, with slightly more heft than the Belgian witbier. Fruity, spicy, and geyserlike in carbonation, Hefes are second to none with spicy ethnic foods, especially Mexican, Chinese, and Indian, which have their share of fats and oils to cut through.

Winter brews

Brewing beer has historically been a specialty of regions where winters are harsh and grains are grown, like Germany and the British Isles. For centuries, brewers have made seasonal beers for winter that are fuller in body and maltier than standard styles. Some are festively spiced, others are simply turbocharged versions of year-round recipes. Malty winter warmers have less water in the mix delivering more nutrition and higher alcohol than summer quenchers. These beers are best served no cooler than 50o, which is ideal for showcasing their flavors. Serving “ice cold” suppresses flavor; a good strategy only if you’re not keen to taste your beer.

Winterbraun, from the Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka, CA, is a full bodied brown ale with a rich chocolate taste created from roasted chocolate and caramel malts. Czech saaz hops give it a spicy flavor. The beer has a dark mahogany color with tan head and a medium body with sharp, but mild, carbonation. The finish is roughly sweet, with some bitter to balance and a slight hint of coffee. Relatively smooth as brown ales go.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager from The Boston Beer Company is a spiced lager or Weizenbock. Highly carbonated and spiced, this lager triggers cravings for gingerbread and egg nog. Walnut malt flavors with subtle notes of cinnamon and orange peel make this beer fit seamlessly into the beer drinker’s routine.

Another great beer from the Boston Beer Company is Samuel Adams Holiday Porter. A traditional, British style beer that is robust and full bodied. With it’s rich malt complexity it has become a favorite among our winter seasonal brews. In total, five varieties of malted barley are used in the brewing process including a variety of German malt called Carafa.

Thirty-third Annual Christmas Ale, from the Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco who are also the brewers of Anchor Steam Beer. Every year since 1975 the brewers have created a distinctive and unique Christmas Ale, which is available from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year, as is the tree on the label.

Jubelale, the first beer ever bottled by Deschutes Brewery, is a festive winter ale. Highly anticipated every fall, it’s in a category of its own with a flavor and following that is impossible to match. Dark crystal malt creates a luscious holiday note while the roasty flavor and bountiful hops excite your tastebuds. Jubelale is the perfect holiday beer and only available October through December.

Winterhook, from the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville, WA, has a rich, full body and deep chestnut color which makes it the perfect beer for chilly winter days. The taste is not far from from the aroma, producing a strong pine flavor, with a slight citrus kick. Along with hints of chocolate and caramel, the alcohol is completely concealed and the flavor was inviting and interesting without overpowering.

2° Below Winter Ale from the New Belgium Brewing Company in Colorado (who also brew Fat Tire) created this seasonal beer with a bright, warming blast of Sterling and Liberty hops. By pushing this beer into a final, nearly freezing state, its ample structure develops a brilliant clarity. Dry-hopping during fermentation creates a rosy, floral nose with a hint of pepper spice and subtle, estery undertones.

My favorite winter beer (best on tap) is still Snow Cap, from the Pyramid Brewery in Washington. A rich, full-bodied winter warmer crafted in the British tradition of holiday beers. This deep mahogany colored brew balances complex fruit flavors with a refreshingly smooth texture, making it a highly drinkable and desirable cold weather companion. It has a warming 7.0% alcohol by volume. The Malts: 2-Row Barley, Caramel, Chocolate malt. The Hops: Willamette, East Kent Goldings. Availability: Mid October - January.

Funniest Winter Beer Label this year is Ridgeway Brewing’s Warm Welcome from England with a classic Christmas painting of Santa coming down from the chimney while the fire was still ablaze. Besides the government warning on the label, it has some other great literature to read to your holiday guests.

Winter Beer Warm Up

Beer is associated more with cooling off than warming up, thanks to the marketing of mass-market lagers. Images of beaches and bikinis and slogans like, “Drink ice cold,” emphasize beer’s role as frosty refreshment. Calling for a “cold one” leaves few Americans in doubt as to what beverage is desired. But, what to do when the weather turns frosty, when we’re already cold enough? Warm up with a “strong one” of course…a hearty winter brew.

Alcoholic beverages give an instant warming sensation, like the feeling of sunshine on your skin, but spreading from the inside. Brewing has historically been a specialty of regions where winters are harsh and grains are grown, like Germany and the British Isles, not of the tropics. For centuries, brewers have made seasonal beers for winter that are fuller in body and maltier than standard styles. Some are festively spiced, others are simply turbocharged versions of year-round recipes. But, all feature that extra richness of texture that comes with heaping helpings of barley malt. Malty winter warmers have less water in the mix, delivering more nutrition and higher alcohol than typical summer quenchers. To best banish winter’s chill, serve these beers no colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which is also ideal for showcasing their delicious flavors. Serving “ice cold” suppresses flavor; a good strategy only if you’re not keen to really “taste” your beer.

Summer Picks 2007

Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White (yes it’s from Coors) is a refreshing, medium-bodied, unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale spiced with fresh coriander and orange peel for a uniquely complex taste and an uncommonly smooth finish. It’s unfiltered, allowing protein and yeast to remain suspended in the beer creating the cloudy appearance. Twisting the lime ritual, Blue Moon is served with a slice of orange.

Alaskan Summer Ale is based on the traditional style of Kölsch beer brewed in Cologne, Germany. It balances a softly malted palate with the clean freshness of Hallertauer hops. Both hops and malt come together to refresh and renew the palate. The straw-gold color and easy drinkability are an enjoyable way to celebrate summer.
Pyramid’s Hefe Weizen is left unfiltered for extra flavor and aroma. Handcrafted with 60% malted wheat (10% more than Bavarian tradition calls for), the award-winning Hefe Weizen is unsurpassed in quality and is exceptionally smooth and refreshing. This is America’s first original hefeweizen and is normally served with a slice of lemon.

Pyramid’s Curve Ball is also inspired by traditional Kölsch style beers. Curve Ball boasts a clean, crisp, slightly herbal taste and a lighter body making it the perfect accompaniment to summer grilling and ballpark outings.
Big Sky’s Summer Honey (Great on Tap) is a full-flavored seasonal ale which helps us shake off winter. It’s brewed during the early days of spring and released around the first of May. Light colored, light bodied and very drinkable, Summer Honey sacrifices nothing to create a flavorful beer that can be enjoyed during the height of the summer.
Samuel Adams Summer Ale is an American wheat ale that uses malted wheat as well as lemon zest and grains of paradise, a rare pepper from Africa, to create a crisp and spicy flavor and body. The ale fermentation imparts a tropical fruit note reminiscent of mangos and peaches. All of these come together to create a quenching, clean finishing beer perfect for summer days.

From the makers of Fat Tire, New Belgium’s Skinny Dip is a full-bodied, figure-friendly beer designed for the summer dress code. With the same amount of calories as most light beers, it’s perfect for the lightly attired summer months. Cascade hops, kaffir lime and ample malt create a bright, citrusy nose that’s as crisp as chilling in a mountain pond.
New Belgium’s Sunshine Wheat is a great beer for quenching thirst. Ripples of coriander and orange peel tartness settle nicely into a tranquil sea of apple and honey tones. A filtered wheat beer it’s a crisp, refreshing alternative to heavier-bodied heffe-weizens. Its silky pale golden color seems to beckon, “forget the half-finished lawn, kill the mower and come hither overworked one.”

Brian’s “all time” favorite beer (and a must try) is Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic. With a fragrant, slightly sweet aroma, Pilsner Urquell evokes images of grain, flowers and Bohemian sky. A hint of bitterness accompanies a buttery sensation. It’s best served chilled in order to complement the striking clarity and flavor. Just like summers in North Idaho, it’s gone all too quickly, leaving a powerful thirst for more of the same.

Winter Brews 2006

Here are my “Top Taps” and recommendations for this colder time of the year…

First of all, my favorite bottled beers for the fall and winter that can be found in most grocery stores here in North Idaho are as follows.

For the lighter, more of a fall style favorite,

Moose Drool, from the Big Sky Brewery in Montana. It's chocolate brown in color with a creamy texture. A “malty” beer with just enough hop presence to keep it from being too sweet. The aroma mostly comes from the malt with a hint of spice added by the hops. Moose Drool is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and whole black malts; and Kent Goldings, Liberty and Willamette hops.

Drop Top Amber, from the Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. in Oregon. A rich, flavorful Amber that's smooth and easy to drink. Drop Top is fermented by an American Ale yeast to produce beer with a clean flavor and fruity aroma. The velvet texture is from using Honey malt and a touch of milk sugar. The Alchemy bittering hops provide soft bitterness. Simcoe, a newly developed hop variety, adds unique hop flavor and aroma.

Extra: A new fall favorite from the New Belgium Brewing Company from Colorado (the makers of Fat Tire) is called Saison. This seasonal release pays tribute to Belgian farmhouse ales brewed to celebrate the fall harvest. Pale bronze in color, our Saison is slightly spicy and delicately hopped. A sweet, malty note glides along with herbal tones produced by an authentic Belgian yeast strain. The finish is surprisingly dry. 


Okay, now for my darker, spicier winter picks,

Powder Hound, from the Big Sky Brewery in Montana. 
This seasonal beer has a rich malt taste with fine, hand-selected British hops that fully complement the smooth malt notes. Big Sky Brewery calls this beer their "Northern Rockies Strong Ale” which is available November through March.

Alaskan Winter Ale, from the Alaskan Brewing Co. in (you guessed it) Alaska.
This beer’s style is an English Olde Ale. Traditionally malty with the warming sensation of alcohol, Olde Ales are brewed in the fall as winter warmers. This ale balances the sweet heady aroma of spruce tips with the clean crisp finish of noble hops. Its malty richness is complemented by the warming sensation of alcohol (again). 
 Note: From the seafaring adventurers of the 1700s to the homebrewers of today, adding spruce tips to beer has a rich history in Southeast Alaska.

Snowplow, from the Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. in Oregon. Milk Stout is Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.'s Winter Seasonal. Dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt aromas, milk sugar and flavors characterize this Stout providing silky, smooth warmth for the winter season.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in California. 
It pours an orange-copper with a slight head. Robust hops - pine and floral are balanced by a roasted malt aroma. There's a slight sweetnesss - caramel / cinnamon. The taste has citrus (lemon / orange) notes, but mostly - it's very balanced. Perhaps, because it was only bottled quite recently - it tastes extremely fresh. This is what fall tastes like. It's very crisp, thorough palate coverage, with bitter finish.

Winter Welcome Ale, from Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery in England. Throughout history, beer of somewhat higher alcohol and richness has been enjoyed for the winter holidays, when old friends get together to enjoy the season. Wassail, a festival to celebrate winter and the beer that goes with it, predates the Christian era. Winter Welcome is vintage-dated with a special label each year. Serve in a traditional tankard for the holidays. Honey-amber-colored, creamy head of small bubbles, floral aroma and delicious malt flavor with great finesse.

Okay, my favorite winter beer (best on tap) is,

Snow Cap, from the Pyramid Brewery in Washington. 
A rich, full-bodied winter warmer crafted in the British tradition of holiday beers. This deep mahogany colored brew balances complex fruit flavors with a refreshingly smooth texture, making Snow Cap a highly drinkable and desirable cold weather companion. It has a warming 7.0% alcohol by volume. The Malts: 2-Row Barley, Caramel, Chocolate malt. The Hops: Willamette, East Kent Goldings. Availability: Mid October - January
Best Paired With: Shellfish, rich game and even rich chocolatey desserts

Extra: My favorite bottled winter beer (if I can ever find it again) is a beer from a place that you would least expect a seasonal from…it’s called Noche Buena. Over 70 years ago the brewmaster from Mexico's oldest and most famous brewery created a holiday gift for his co-workers, family and friends. He called the new brew Noche Buena, which means Christmas Eve in Spanish. In 1938 the brewery treated the public with this special beer and 55 years later, in 1993, finally let the U.S. in on the tradition. Noche Buena is a dark amber beer in the style of a German bock with caramel malts that yield a rich, full-bodied taste and aroma. The exceptional smoothness comes from completing the brewing process with bottom-fermenting yeast and lagering (cold-storing) the beer longer than most. Subtle toffee notes and roasted nuts can be tasted in this complex and balanced beer, making it an excellent pairing with your holiday dishes. For your special taste, look for the Dos Equis package with the poinsettia adorning the label. Noche Buena is brewed by Cervercería Cuahtémoc Moctezuma of Mexico and is available in the U.S. only once a year from November-December,