Brewing News

Introduce yourself to one of the newer styles on the market, the black IPA, with Deschutes Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoYI7TE5eSY[/youtube]

In other Stone news, it seems the tasty beer mustard the company sells is just…mustard. Yesterday afternoon the brewery announced the scandal, which they were unaware of until recently. For those who’ve purchased the beer mustard sans beer, Stone’s swapping out the bottles with bombers of Stone Pale Ale or Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. So what happened to the beer?

“We had no idea this was happening, and we immediately removed them from sale as soon as we learned of it last week. We work with Russ Bruhn, a local guy who owns a company called Carlsbad Gourmet to supply the mustards; Russ then contracts with another company to produce them. It is this company that we have found failed to put the beer in the mustard. What they did with the beer, we’re not sure. We sent them full kegs and they sent us back empty kegs…one can only imagine where it might have gone.”

Swing by here for more of the press release, plus a quick video on MustardGate 2010.

To find inspiration for Stone’s 14th anniversary beer, brewers Mitch Steele and Steve Wagner traveled across the pond to England. The result? An imperial IPA that gives English ingredients a workout usually reserved for American hops.
The bold, unbridled hop aroma that floats out of this pale orange brew is everything English beers often aren’t: unapologetically pungent, with floral and candy orange scents worth contemplating. Similarly, this brew unleashes a wave of hop-forward attitude on the tongue. As soft caramel spreads out, a hop bomb explodes rustic, peppery flavors with a squirt of orange in the mouth. As the hop flavors take hold, a bitter wave sweeps across the tongue for a satisfyingly dry, earthy finish.
Emperial IPA’s a beer worth enjoying slowly, mainly because we haven’t seen these flavors intensified to this level before. While it hits all the marks imperial IPA fans have memorized by heart, its use of English hop varieties over West Coast standards turns a new page for this brash style. Just as nuanced and aggressive as American versions, yet wildly different in character, this beer is a legitimate reason to consider English IPAs fair game for imperializing.

Whenever I buy a canned six-pack I always take a moment to begrudgingly dig out the scissors and slice that annoying plastic six-loop aquatic death trap into a million pieces. It’s not that big of a deal, but feels like a pain in the ass. Why do I bother? My 1st grade teacher told me it kills dolphins, or something. Let’s just say the image of the plastic loop lodged around the beak of a dolphin is forever imprinted on my brain. So this Friday, before we venture out to the beaches, national parks or backyard party, I want to take a moment to spotlight the Eugene, Oregon-based company PakTech, who makes innovative, reusable can holders; and a special thumbs up to the companies that use them. Within a two-week period we received cans bundled together with PakTech holders from Tallgrass Brewing in Manhattan, Kan., and Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis. While it’s not going to transform the world we know, it’s reassuring to see companies take the extra step. With more and more breweries beginning to use cans, let’s hope they also consider the peripherals that go along with the portable vessel.

Know of any unsung innovations? Send them HERE. Hey, I’m on Twitter. Where are you?

Sure, neither of you were slated for a Wimbledon final, but the two of you still managed to steal the spotlight and make history at tennis’ most time-honored event. After a match that lasted 3 days, with more than 11 total hours of play, John, you finally claimed victory with a 70-68 finish in the fifth set. We’re guessing you guys probably aren’t all that keen on seeing much more of each other, but hey, what’s a few more minutes, sidled up at the bar and making a toast to the most epic match in tennis? [Photo: Rena Schlid]

The Superun 5K beer table

This year, Milwaukee’s 28th annual Superun 5K definitely lived up to its name. It was super hot, super humid and the killer hill near the end super-sucked.

But the free beer table was a sight for sore… everything.

“Only in Milwaukee is it normal to see a Miller Lite truck at the end of a sprint,” Superun finisher Polly Drew wrote on DailyMile.

Yes, it may have been Miller Light, but this may have been the best beer choice when you felt your face melting off.

For me, this was the first 5K since I became a dad eight whole weeks ago. So I may have been subconsciously (or not-so-subconsciously) trying to prove I still had some post-parental speed in my legs.

This may not have been the venue for such a test. I finished in 19:45, a bit slower than my last 5K when it was a good 70 degrees cooler and lacking a monster hill. It sort of sucked the life out of me.

Despite those challenges, more than 700 people finished the Lake Park course. Anne captured this image of the runners at the start.

If anyone deserves a beer, it’s defending champion Scott Mueller. Though it was 12 seconds off his own course record, he still crossed the finish line today in a smoking 15:33.

Do you have a burning question that can wait up to a week to get answered? Send it over HERE.

From Jim

“Don’t get me wrong, I totally love the wide variety of beer out there but sometimes I find my mind drifting off into the world of fiction. To be more precise, Romulan Ale. It’s potent, may cause hallucinations and if I was a member of Starfleet, it would be outlawed…which makes it even more attractive.”

I totally see where you’re coming from Worf. I’ll see your Romulan Ale and raise you one pint of Klingon Bloodwine (twice as strong as whiskey!). I too have contemplated the fictional spirits that pour into my living room from the TV screen: Duff Beer from “The Simpsons,” Buzz Beer from “The Drew Carey Show,” and who could forget Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, courtesy of one Zaphod Beeblebrox of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fame. I’d gladly welcome all of these to happy hour, but the one drink I’d love to try – hold the laughter – is Butterbeer from Harry Potter. Given the amount of time I’ve spent drinking in bars on both sides of the pond, I’ve come across a few beers that deliver a thick butterscotch flavor, but sadly these beers were infected by dirty lines.

As I understand, Butterbeer can be served both hot and cold, and delivers a sweet buttery (or light butterscotch) flavor. While this barely alcoholic drink hit the big times in the Harry Potter series, English celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal claims the drink actually dates back to his country’s Tudor period. Here’s his recipe courtesy of England’s Channel 4:

Butter Beer
500ml ale
Yolks from 2 medium eggs, whisked
60g sugar
Dash of nutmeg
15g unsalted butter

* Pour the ale into a warm pan on medium heat. When the beer begins to boil remove from heat and add the whisked egg yolks, sugar and nutmeg. Return the pot to a low heat and stir for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter. Decant into your finest flagon and chug.

Of course, if you don’t want to slave over the stove you could just shell out your hard earned recession bucks at the shiny new Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando. Take it away John Thomas!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBnLAwyDbAE[/youtube]

Pumpkin Juice? Really? You missed the big story John, and that big story’s called Butterbeer.

Know of any recipes for fictional drinks? Send them HERE and I’ll post them. Until then, check in on Twitter for musings on real beer.

Yesterday, SABMiller arm Pacific Beverages introduced its newest brewery, Bluetongue, in the town of Warnervale, Australia, just north of Sydney. The project actually combines two brewhouses into one brewing machine capable of churning out 500,000 hectoliters—that’s 141 million cans of beer. The brewery will produce many of its parent company’s popular international brands including Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Chill, Grolsch, Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Peroni Leggera. Built in 18 months at a cost of $105 million, the brewery features new technology that minimizes water and energy consumption, plus a water recycling plant and storm-water harvesting technology that will help preserve nearby wetlands.

Bummer, guys. You kept your cool during a red-card shuffle. Your own Katlego Mphela and Bongani Khumalo nudged in two nice goals. You outwitted France 2-1. But it wasn’t enough, and as Uruguay and Mexico advance, you’re now the first World Cup host nation ever to be eliminated in the group stage. So, here’s a beer. Hey, there’s always 2014, right? [Photo via Reuters]

A new report commissioned by the Beer Academy has some suds lovers rethinking how they got their beer bellies. When drank in moderation, beer has less calories than many other alcoholic beverages and is among the healthiest drinks available, according to the report. The study also found beer is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.