Six-Pack of News, Volume 20: It Only FEELS Like 5 Months Between Six-Packs

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Boy, I've been hitting all kinds of milestones recently. One year of video blogging AND 100 videos. 400 different beers reviewed. And now, a whopping 20 news round-ups! Just since May! AMAZING!

 

 

...let's get to it.

In what I imagine is a bi-weekly question for this city, the Asheville, NC Citizen-Times asks whether their fair city has too many breweries.

The folks at Vinepair sure like their lists, but in this news round-up, I would like to direct you to a map of the highest-rated brewery in each country, per the Untappd mobile app (find me @pourlyreviewedbeer!). Thankfully, the United States is repping itself well by having The Alchemist be our top-rated brewery!

Headlining a Brewbound news round-up of its own (and as mentioned on this week's "This Week in Beer" webcast!), Amazon plans to sell beer and wine at its super high-tech brick-and-mortar convenience store in Seattle called Amazon Go. This round-up also includes news on the possible U.S. return of the classic alcoholic beverage of the 1990s, Zima. So, we also have that going for us...

Brewbound also has news and the press release on the trade group The Brewers Association's election of a new board of directors for 2017. The press release also notes that there are now over 5200 "small and independent craft brewers" in the United States.

I note the updated brewery number, because All About Beer magazine recently reported on the extended waits brewers now face in getting their operating permits. The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) says breweries now wait an average of 166 days, over 5 months, to receive their operating permits, as of September 2016. This is a 28.6% increase in wait time from the previous year, and more than double the wait time in 2013.

Finally, the team at craftbeer.com has details on the new brewery and expansion plans for Russian River Brewing Company, makers of the Pliny pair of beers, among many others. Construction will begin in April with a target completion of late 2018.

 

 

Beers in Review: In Which I Am Pleasantly Delighted

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We'll talk about this mini-commentary thing momentarily. First, the beer reviews!

The Beer Camp collaboration series has turned into an ever-growing hit for the long-time craft beer artists at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and they’ve bridged the gap between the 2016 and 2017 Beer Camp variety packs with this Golden IPA, which uses wheat malt and experimental hops to put a spin on what turned into Sierra Nevada’s Spring seasonal. This IPA pours a clear yellow-straw color and is 6.5 ABV while rating 50 IBU. Dominant grassy aromas push into the initial flavor impressions, which include wild field grass and dandelion greens. Pushing deeper, I got a mild sweetness and a barely-perceptible hop bite, along with a slight hint of a grainy note. Sierra Nevada (and friends) knock another hoppy beer out of the park.

Next up is, frankly, an unexpected treat, the Gose from Asheville, North Carolina’s Hi-Wire Brewing. Like so many in this style, this Gose rates low in ABV (4.2%) and IBU (a mere 5), while pouring a hazy straw color. Hi-Wire utilizes Pink Himalayan salt here, and the salty flavor does differ greatly from the types of salt that one would expect to be used in such a Gose., though I admit I struggled to describe HOW, exactly, the flavor differs. It was an interesting flavor sensation, though, that blended lemons, coriander, and a few other spices that all united for a nicely balanced flavor profile where no one item, not even the unique salt, overwhelmed the others. Somewhat surprisingly, I found this to be an excellent execution of the Gose style, and leads me to perhaps give Hi-Wire more consideration. Frankly, I don’t have a good reason for my typical bypassing of this brewery. It just sort of happens. But it will not anymore. A really terrific entry from Hi-Wire!

Now, regarding last night's hoped-for video commentary and plans for March--the interweb gods were just not smiling on me. I am going to record and bank the video for posting hopefully tomorrow, otherwise later this week. The release of the next video review will depend on THAT video's release, as well as the whims of the interweb gods.

Regardless, I will see you all soon! Cheers!

Video Review: An Entry from Yards

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Greetings, all. It's been a few days. I now bring you a review of Yards Brewing Company's very good IPA. Check it out!

 

As a programming note, if my internet decides to work with me, I might do a YouTube live stream around 8pm Eastern for a little while. I have a brief commentary I want to discuss, and I will talk about the next things up for PRB after the alcohol-free month of February concludes. Keep an eye on www.twitter.com/pourlyreviewed for info on whether this will be happening or not!

Beers in Review: Completely non-Valentine's Edition, Honest

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No lovey-dovey beers here! Except in the ordinary "loving beer" type of way. Let's get right to it!

Some time ago, Ballast Point Brewing Company aimed to create “medium-bodied” stout at their pilot brewery. The result was The Commodore American Stout, which contains 6.5% ABV and rates 62 IBU. This year-round stout pours pretty close to black, as expected, though I would probably define it as being “light-bodied”, not the medium Ballast Point claims. Perhaps that is simply picking nits, as there is no question the brewers hit their target on what certainly is a lighter-bodied stout. Flavor notes include some mild spices and bittersweet chocolate, along with a moderate coffee note—fairly standard stout offerings. There is also a fairly strong smoky note, and smoky notes tend to be a turnoff for me. They work in this beer, which is quite tasty overall, with no flavor note (including that smoke) overwhelming the rest of the stout.

I can’t quite tell if it’s global warming, or just the law of averages (the average winter high in Columbia, SC is in the low 60s Fahrenheit), but it’s felt like such a warm winter that it seems like we should abolish winter beers. Despite yet another bunch of days at or above 70 degrees, my next beer up is Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Winter Solstice Ale. The Winter Solstice comes in at 6.9% ABV and a mere 6 IBU. This take on the winter warmer style pours a nice reddish-copper color and brings hints of caramel and toffee. There are also considerable spice notes, which I believe I was interpreting as an iced tea flavor. The beer also brings a slight sweetness. Anderson Valley really brings it when it comes to the Summer and Winter Solstice ales. This is a tasty and terrific ale!

Patreon Bonus Commentary

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Hello, everyone. I am here to announce that I have written the first bonus content for PRB Patrons through Patreon. It is a bonus commentary piece featuring my thoughts on the latest entrant in the hard beverage craze. You can find it at the link highlighted above, but it will only be available to those that are kind enough to pledge $5 a month to PRB. Patreon donations go to help fund website operations, buy beers to review, help me grow in my personal craft beer journey, and more! You can find out more about patronage here.

Thank you, and we now return you to your regular programming.

Commentary: The Big Bottle Conundrum

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As I noted during Thursday’s Six-Pack of News, many breweries are starting to reduce or eliminate the use of the so-called “bomber” bottles—bottles that are typically in the 22-25-ounce range. As noted by Zach Fowle in this article at the online version of Draft Magazine, there are multiple reasons for this change. The first justification is availability, and is just flat out math: if a brewery brews a standard amount of a unique beer each year, that brewery can make many more 12- or 16-ounce bottles than 22-ounce bottles. The second reason is financial, and also distills down to simple math. As Fowle notes:

“While some customers may have balked at paying $17 for a single bottle of beer (the MSRP of Firestone’s 22-ounce Vintage Reserve bottles), a smaller bottle at close to half the price might be more palatable. (It’s also just good buisness: Why sell 22 ounces of beer at $17 when you can sell 12 ounces for $10?)”

Frankly, there’s little to no way to sensibly argue these first two points. Who really wants to debate that “beer SHOULDN’T be more widely available and more cost-conscious”?

The third and final point is more subjective: beer consumers don’t want to drink a full bomber bottle of beer. I can understand this sentiment from one angle: the big and heavy beers that tend to come in such bottles might be too much for some drinkers. Typically, these bomber bottles are used for higher-end beers (as an example, the beers that resulted in the original article: Firestone Walker’s Vintage Reserve series). Personally, bomber bottles, even of big beers, don’t bother me at all. In fact, I tend to buy nothing but singles or sampler 12-packs of beer, and a lot of the beers that come in these big bottles are damn good, even special, beers. I don’t mind having almost two beers’ worth of some awesome Imperial Stout, and I’m surprised that there’s a lot of push back from the craft beer community on this matter. But the data must say I’m wrong, given 1) the push for smaller bottles mentioned in this article, and 2) the little bit of data I’ve seen suggesting that growlers (which typically come in 32-64-ounce volumes, or 2-4 pints of beer) have begun sliding in popularity.

Ultimately, as at least one brewer put it in the article, it comes down to customer demand. If the community’s not buying larger bottles of beer, then breweries are going to stop producing and selling them. I as I said, I like the larger format bottles. I find it is a splitting of the difference between buying a single 12-ounce beer and having to buy a 4- or 6-pack. It would seem I’m in the minority though; I’ll just have to make my money talk for me and hope the bomber format survives.

Six-Pack of News, Volume 19: Featuring The High and Mighty Sierra Nevada

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Hello, everyone! I have a fresh batch of news all ready for you! Let's do it!

Yesterday, Switchback Brewing Company in Vermont has established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, in which 100 percent of company stock will be placed into a trust and distributed annually to employees based on salary. Switchback joins a number of significant craft breweries, including Deschutes, Left Hand, and New Belgium, who have gone the ESOP route, turning the breweries employees into the sole stockholders. Brewbound has all the details.

Zach Fowle at Draft Magazine notes many breweries' decisions to reduce or eliminate the use of 22-25 oz. "bomber" bottles from their stock in favor of smaller bottles. I will have more on this in a commentary piece this weekend, so stay tuned!

A recent Harris Poll of 2100 adults nationwide found that 38% of "legal drinking age consumers" prefer beer to wine or spirits. Wine was the preferred beverage of 31% of poll respondents, only good enough for 2nd place--sorry, Mom and Dad.

In addition to noting the Harris Poll above, and covering the Switchback news, Brewbound also posted an excellent round-up of some state legislative news, including laws in three states that would loosen direct sales rules in various forms. In addition, the state of Nebraska wants to limit craft breweries' off-site taproom and retail opportunities, while Virginia wants to exempt taxes paid on hops, malt, barley, and wheat that are grown in-state.

The Coloradoan newspaper notes that canned craft beer earned over 17% of the national share of packaged craft beer in 2016, roughly tripling their share since 2013. The Coloradoan is all over this news, because Longmont, Colorado's Oskar Blues Brewery was one of the craft beer canning pioneers, canning their beers since 2002.

Finally, Sierra Nevada Vice President Brian Grossman addressed an assembled group of international brewers at Sierra Nevada's new production facility in Asheville, North Carolina and dramatically proclaimed craft beer "a dying art form". Now, of course, he was trying to make a point about how the start-up cost to start a brewery has become relatively cheap so any Joe Schmo, especially a Schmo who hasn't done the homework necessary in the art of brewing, can just start a brewery. And these Schmos can put out beer of questionable quality. And because Schmos Brew is small, they will immediately be labelled "craft", and their reputation for crappy beer will affect the entire craft beer industry. The point is fair, but I feel Grossman's whole sentiment is fairly overly dramatic. I believe the quality-based capitalism of the craft beer community, and I believe in their/our ability to self-enforce through our choices. The industry recently hit 5000 domestic craft breweries. I imagine a fair number of these are still fairly new (1-3 years) and might still be going through their initial seed money. But if these relatively new breweries are putting out crap, they won't last. And I wouldn't be surprised to see that craft brewery number dip back under 5000. Which might not be a bad thing, really. It could be a matter of the community ridding itself of the inferior product.

Despite all that, I have two words for Brian Grossman: C'mon, man.

(The link above also includes an in-depth interview with Grossman, courtesy of Good Beer Hunting.)

Video Review: Yes, a Cider!

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As you can tell by the title, I'm throwing a curve ball for today's video review (which I want to get uploaded while my interwebs aren't on the fritz). It is a cranberry cider, and it comes from Wyndridge Farms, not far from where I went to school! Also, I invoke the late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper in this video. Check it out!

Beers in Review: Back to Local Brews

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Now that I've worked my way through everything written from up north (I still have a few for videos), I can return to my group of decidedly local beers.

We'll start with Palmetto Brewing Company, and their Huger Street IPA, which they officially call a "Wheat India Pale Ale", and pours a slightly occluded gold-to-orange color. At 7.2% ABV, Palmetto uses Falconer's Flight, Cascade, Chinook, and Citra hops to create a flavor profile that starts off with pine needle notes. This pine presence ramps up through the entire drinking experience and is joined by just a little bit of citrus, specifically orange and grapefruit. Similar to the pine note, the hop bite starts out fairly mild and gradually increases in potency throughout the drinking experience. It seems like the "wheat" portion of this beer comes through in a subtle grassy note, and perhaps a spicy note, as well. A medium-bodied beer, I was impressed with the overall complexities throughout the flavor profile and tasting experience. While the piney notes were generally the most prevalent feature, various other flavor notes came through the drinking experience at various times, making for a fun ride of a beer.

Next up is Kerry's Peanut Butter Porter from River Rat Brewery. It has 6% ABV and pours a moderately deep brown, similar to dark iced tea or watered-down cola. Peanuts and hazelnuts, though not necessarily peanut butter, come through in a generally light-to-moderate overall flavor profile. I also felt like there was just a hint of coffee, but I couldn't quite tell if that was the porter talking or if I was reinterpreting roast from the peanuts. This porter has a creamy mouthfeel that's very nice, though this is probably the beer's best attribute, frankly. Based on the beer's description, they were going for a porter that is quite light overall, and I feel River Rat overshot this mark. There is nothing bad or off-putting about this beer; everything tastes and seems fine. It's just all quite light or mild--the flavors, the body--and it's all a tad underwhelming. I would have liked a little more potency, instead of tasting something that almost felt watered down. I really liked the idea, River Rat. It just needed to be stronger.

Commentary: Et tu, World of Beer?

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Since its arrival in Columbia, SC a few years ago, I have been a fan of World of Beer, a semi-national chain of craft beer bars. I was especially impressed early on, when our particular branch did not stock pale macro lagers like Budweiser, Coors Light, and the rest. Within a year or so, they started stocking such beers in cans. While I was not a fan, I could at least acknowledge the potential market share being surrendered by not offering these beers, though why people would go to a craft beer bar and order Bud Light is beyond me. Still, as long as those tall boys were stashed away in a fridge in the corner, out of sight and out of mind, they weren’t bothering me at all.

Then I stopped by WoB last week, and saw this:

 

If you look closely at the left-hand side of that row of taps, you will see none other than a Bud Light handle.

Bud Light…and I’ve been told this is a company-wide addition to tap walls. Et tu, World of Beer?

I freely admit that I have held World of Beer to a higher standard, but that’s because this is a bar that prides itself on setting that higher standard. Their website openly brags about having “550+ different beers from around the world”. And I’m sure they are still holding to that impressive benchmark, or at least awfully close to it. That high quality carries through to the staff, who I find to be highly knowledgeable and passionate about the craft beer they sell. This passion reflected back to me, as I felt pride AS A CUSTOMER to be able to look at a 50- or 60-tap wall, and have the most common thing on it be Stella Artois. I love being able to find a dozen local beers, and a few relatively rare offerings that I have ZERO chance of finding most anywhere else.

For right now, yes, this Bud Light thing is just one tap, out of 50-some. There is still plenty of room for great beer. But that’s right now. Can the addition of Bud Light to the tap wall result in a slippery slope? How long until it’s joined by its big brother Budweiser? Or Miller Lite? Or any of a dozen or more macro lagers? The drinkers of these beers can be awfully hard to ignore—that’s a lot of market share being given up. It would be easy to populate a tap wall with these macros.

I urge World of Beer to remain strong. You cannot let the macro lager culture take over your tap walls. There’s enough macro lager culture already; this being Super Bowl Sunday, there’s a fair chance we can look forward to another commercial mocking craft beer. We, the craft beer lovers, must remain strong against this culture. World of Beer establishments are beacons of this craft beer culture, and their foundations are the thousands of great craft beers that can be found across this country and all over this world. It is my wish to no longer see Bud Light or other macro lagers on the WoB tap walls.

Video Review: It DOESN'T Taste Like a Potato!

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So, it's started. The dark times. The dry period. Whatever you want to call it. I call it "Booze-Free February".

But when you have responsibilities like a beer blog, the show must go on. As I mentioned in a few videos, I have created a back catalog of reviews to get through the month of February. In addition, you will see more news round-ups and commentaries, including one coming tomorrow (Sunday, 2/5/17).

But for today, I bring the first of this month's TWICE-weekly (instead of THRICE-weekly) video reviews, this one coming from Lagunitas Brewing Company. Enjoy, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Six-Pack of News, Volume 18: Who Wants to be my Disney World Correspondent?

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Admittedly, it has been quite a while since the last news round-up. That is partially due to a somewhat slow news period around the holidays, but I was also waiting for February to come around so that I would have content to post during my dry time. Anyway, I have plenty to write about, so let's get started!

The Walt DIsney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is always looking for an angle to draw more guests to their theme parks and hotels--that's just plain capitalism. The main play at the Epcot theme park has been to add to and expand on their group of festivals held around the park. The latest is being called the Epcot International Festival of the Arts. Tom Corless and crew at WDWNT has full festival details, if you are interested, but what caught my eye were the beer offering at two of the food and drink kiosks set up around the park. The Cuisine Classique kiosk has a wonderful trio of beers: one of the iconic pale ales of the last generation-plus (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale), one of the top breweries in America right now (Bell's Two-Hearted Ale), and one of the best Milk Stouts I've had (Duck-Rabbit). The beers from the Painter's Palate are less revered, but given the creative angle the Epcot folks were going for, the choices of 3 Daughters Strawberry Nitro, Breckenridge Nitro Vanilla Porter, and Young's Double Chocolate Stout are just fine choices. Find all the details of those specific booths in the respective links. The festival runs Fridays through Mondays at Epcot through February 20th.

I first mentioned this back in November, when it was backed by the Brewers Association trade group, but Senators Ron Wyden or Oregon and Roy Blunt of Missouri have reintroduced the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act for the Senate side of the 115th Congress, which began its legislative work earlier this year. The bill reduces excise taxes collected for smaller-scale breweries. Representatives Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Ron Kind of Wisconsin introduced the House version of the bill, as well. The Brew Studs have all the details on the bill.

The Smithsonian Institution has hired a beer historian for the National Museum of American History. Theresa McCulla will soon receive a doctorate from Harvard in American Studies, which includes a doctoral dissertation on New Orleans cuisine and racial influences of said cuisine. For the National Museum of American History, "McCulla will research America’s brewing history and share her findings with the public," according to the article from Brewed Culture.

Because nostalgia seems to be all the rage right now, Bud Light has resurrected legendary 80's advertising canine Spuds McKensie for an ad in this weekend's Super Bowl.

Guinness beer will soon be brewed in America for the first time in over 60 years, according to this article from Brewbound. Diageo Beer Company, USA will be opening a Guinness brewery and visitor center in Maryland that will brew traditional Guinness and develop experimental styles for U.S. markets.

Delaware's Dogfish Head Brewery has teamed with Annapolis, Maryland's AC Beverage to create a straight-from-the-barrel draft beer system. The system allows nitrogen to be fed into oak barrels, and has an inline set of equipment from the barrels to cool and pressurize the beer for service. Beer Street Journal has all the details.