Brewtal truth

Brewtal Truth Guide To Must-Try Beers at the Great Canadian Beer Fest 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 18:29:00 +0000

This is now my fifth year posting my suggestions for brews to seek out at the Great Canadian Beer Festival, which takes place at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, BC, Sept. 7 & 8. The festival is especially exciting for me this year as Day 1 falls on my birthday. So if anyone wants to buy me a celebratory drink, you'll be in the perfect place to do it.

This is Year 26 for the GCBF and it's pretty cool to see how significantly it has grown of late—a direct reflection of the exponentially increasing growth in the Canadian craft beer industry. One unfortunate result of this industry growth is that some breweries who wanted to show their wares at this year's fest, aren't able to. Though it would be great if all who wanted to participate could, the fact is that the venue has a finite amount of space and trying to pack more breweries into that space would diminish the quality of the experience for all.

On to my beer picks from the breweries that are attending. As the author of The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers (which you can buy at Cook St. Liquor), my tastes do run toward out-of-the-ordinary brews. These aren't for everyone, I get that. Don't worry, though, if these seem too "out there" for you, there are plenty of attending breweries who continue to pour the same familiar stuff they bring year after year. I'm tired of pointing them out, but I'd like to suggest that they may want to look at the long lines of people at the breweries who do bring interesting beers to the fest.

Lastly, it should go without saying that I'm not going to guarantee you'll love or even like my picks. Hell, I may not even like some of them. But at events like these, I'd rather see a brewer trying to pull off something magnificent than play it safe by sticking solely with core brands or minor tweaks to core brands. So, here's what I'm seeking out.
(Also, if you run into festival organizer Gerry Hieter while looking for these beers, please thank him for all he has done for craft beer in BC and Canada at large.)

MY PICKS (arranged by booth number this year)

TOWNSITE (Booth 16)

Wild Zunga with apricots and lemon verbena (cask)

Townsite has developed a "wild" streak lately, doing all kind of interesting stuff with mixed fermentation and barrel aging. A "wild" version of their Zunga blonde ale (with added fruit & herbs!) sounds very intriguing.

FUGGLES & WARLOCK (Booth 18)

Gin & Lime Pilsner

Carefully made pilsners are finding a lot of fans in the craft beer world. When done well, this style is a sublime expression of beer's four ingredients. It is NOT easy to brew a clean, tasty pilsner true to style. So I'm intrigued by this "extreme" take on the style which was brewed with fresh limes and infused with Unruly Gin from Wayward Distillation from Courtenay, B.C. An interesting combo of two of the most refreshing summer beverages.

BLOOD BROTHERS (Booth 19)

• Hail Saison

• Narcostanicos Farmhouse

These Toronto (relative) newcomers had me at "Hail Saison," which is a dry hopped saison with honeydew brewed with Pilsner malts, oats and wheat. Yes, to that and to their mixed fermentation, tequila barrel aged farmhouse ale infused with herbs and spices.

BRASSERIE DUNHAM (Booth 34)

Mata-Hari Gose

I'm a huge fan of this Quebec brewery, who do a number of styles well. Year in and year out, though, their farmhouse ales, saisons and sours are the winners. This brew brings together the classic elements of a German Gose (salt and coriander) with exotic Asian fruit and herbs (star fruit and keffir limes leaves). And "no hops."

TOWN SQUARE (Alberta brewers booth 39)

Beets By Sinden Sour

Sinden being the last name of Town Square's brewer, this is a kettle sour brewed and fermented with, you guessed it, beets. The colour's gotta be amazing and the natural sweetness in the beets should add a nice balance to the tartness. Could be great, could be not so great.

PARALLEL 49 (Booth 42)

Son of a Peach Tart Peachweisse

I've had this and absolutely love it. I also think that Parallel 49 is selling it a bit short with its marketing. This isn't a typical kettle sour with fruit. It actually has more in common with a peach lambic, as it's a combination of a Berliner weisse (sour) that was fermented with peaches and blended with a sour white ale aged in a foeder for one year. So good.

BACKROADS (Booth 44)

Big Smokin' Joe Smoked Baltic Porter (cask)

I'm a sucker for big, dark, boozy beers and Baltic porters are a favourite. This one was brewed with German beech wood-smoked malt to add a little smoke to the fruity, roasty complexity. And since Baltic porters are actually strong lagers, this sound like an Imperial Rauchbier (smoked lager).

BEAU'S (Booth 47)

• Farm Table Hopfenlager

• Halcyon: Infinity Mirror Brett IPA

• Tagwerk Witbier with Quince

I'm loathe to pick all three beers from one brewery, but year after year Beau's brings at least one beer that I leave thinking, "that was the best beer I had at the entire festival." This year they have strong lager hopped with Alsatian Barbe Rouge and Mistral, a "wild" Brett IPA aged in red wine barrels, and a Belgian-style witbier brewed with organic quince juice, coriander, and hibiscus flowers.

FOUR WINDS (Booth 49)

Josta Sour Ale

If it says "Four Winds" and "sour ale" then you can rest assured it's worth your token. The "Josta" part refers to josta berries, which I know nothing about. This beer had all the good things done to it that make a sour excellent: oak barrel aged on cherries, addition of Brett C for funk and complexity and also some josta berry juice added.

LONGWOOD (Booth 53)

Wild Child Age

18 months in barrels for this brew, giving the good bacteria in the barrels plenty of time to work their magic. Who knows what the results will be, but it should be funky and tart and definitely a bit fruity.

STEEL & OAK (Booth 55)

Double India Pale Ale

I won't be recommending many hazy IPAs here (in fact, this is the only one), but for a brewery that started out specifically NOT brewing IPAs, Steel & Oak, as it turns out, makes some damn fine IPAs.

SMITHERS (Booth 58)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Blonde

My favourite pie in beer form. What's not to like? The base is a blonde ale brewed with lactose and conditioned on "a staggering amount of strawberries and locally-sourced rhubarb."

CANNERY (Booth 59)

Bonsai - Dry Hopped Rice Ale

It's somewhat ironic that craft brewers bashed macrobrews like Bud Light for using cheap adjuncts like rice only to start brewing their own IPAs with rice which provides a nice light body.

MOON UNDER WATER (Booth 60)

CASK: Year Six

Moon's anniversary cask has become my first beer of the festival, mostly because I don't want to miss out on what is always big, beautiful beer. This year it's a 11.5% ABV wheat beer aged in wine barrels for twelve months then dry hopped with Citra. C'mon, that's a great way to kick off the festival with a bang, isn't it?

DIEU DU CIEL (Booth 64)

Facteur Cosmique

Again, I love pretty much every beer this Quebec brewery has sent to BC, and they range in style from sours to Belgian-style quads and barley wines. This 10.6% ABV beast falls into the later category and to further add complexity it was fermented with one-third grape must from Vignoble Rivière du Chêne (Québec) and aged in oak barrels. Should be spectacular.

TWIN CITY (BC Ale Trail Booth 67)

Hush Money - Salted Lime & Agave Sour

I want to love this; I hope I do. It's a kettle sour (maybe a take on a Gose?) flavoured with Key lime, Brazilian sea salt, and organic blue agave. So, yeah, it's kind of like a Margarita, without the tequila. More brewers should experiment with salt in general. It's an essential ingredient in cooking for its ability to bring out the flavour in foods, and it can do the same in beer when used judiciously.

Your Guide to Extreme Beers at the 2017 Great Canadian Beer Fest

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 05:05:00 +0000

Craft beer is an ever-changing beast. What was "extreme" or innovative one year may be commonplace the next. And in a year's time, a style that was barely on the radar (hello New England-style IPAs) can proliferate. So it's always with great anticipation I approach the Great Canadian Beer Festival—celebrating its 25th anniversary no less—to see what's new and what's cutting edge. Like a lot of craft beer diehards, I want to try something I've never had before.

That's why every year I comb through the listings of what beers will be poured to find what I think will be this year's cool, interesting brews that are worth shelling out a token for. This is one beer drinker's opinion and keep in mind I wrote the Brewtal Truth to Extreme Beers, so I definitely have my biases. I don't only drink extreme beers, but when I'm at a festival where a lot of breweries still mostly pour their core brands, I'm looking for something to challenge me.

So without further ado, here's my list of the extreme beers—something that goes a little bit (or a lot!) beyond the norm—to seek out at the 25th Great Canadian Beer Fest. And if you don't already have tickets, there are still some left, which you can order here.

(Congrats should also be given to Gerry Hieter who's been making this great gathering happen faithfully every year for a quarter century. Thanks for all you do for great beer in Victoria, Gerry.)

Trading Post (Booth 1)

Captain Cooper's Tart Cranberry Ale
For the last few years I've complained about that fact that more brewers aren't using wild yeasts to brew their beer, but this year they are very much part of the mix. This "wild sour" was brewed with cranberries and should be a good one for slaking your thirst in the summer heat.

Faculty (Booth 3)

713 Balsamic Stout (Cask)

If someone offers you a "Balsamic Stout" you politely say "hell yes!" For this cask of their Oaked Stout, Faculty infused it with a balsamic reduction, which is just plain brilliant.

Steel & Oak (Booth 4)

Steinbier

Anytime any brewery brings a steinbier, I will recommend it. It's an obscure German lager style whereby hot chunks of granite are used to caramelize the wort in the brewing process. There's something primal and elementary about this that I'm personally fascinated by. Plus it tastes good, and this one is a collaboration with actual Germans at Freigeist Bierkultur.

Strathcona (Booth 5)

Cherry High

Brettanomyces yeast and cherries are a killer combination. The funk and the fruit are a perfect pairing. For that reason alone, you should try this.

Moon Under Water (Booth 8)

Year V (Cask)
Moon's anniversary brew is, no exaggeration, my first stop every year, because it never fails to utterly impress. Year five's delight is a Citra dry-hopped Imperial wheat wine blended with barrels from last year's Year IV ale. Wow. Can't wait.

Luppolo (Booth 13)

Wild Saison

Approach with caution if you're a wild ale/brett newbie. This saison is 100% Brett C fermented so the funk will be strong in it. However, the addition of fruit puree in the secondary fermentation will no doubt tame that funk a bit.

Swans (Booth14)

Pitch Black Chamomile Pilsener

Lucifudge (Friday Cask)

OK, the only thing more insane than a "Pitch Black Chamomile Pilsener" (I HAVE to know what that tastes like), is a cherry chocolate porter (sort of) named after a Danzig album. Hilarious!

Beau's (Booth 15)

Buenos Dias Gruit Ale

When Beau's gets all crazy, you can rest assured it'll taste great. These Ontario vets are crafty and clever. This low-alcohol, hop-free ale is brewed with organic lime juice, orange and lime peel, and is accented with hit of sea salt to complete the Margarita reference.

Moody (Booth 19)

Lusty Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

For those who love dark, malty brews, this oatmeal stout sounds like liquid love. It's brewed with specialty chocolate malts and cocoa and conditioned on locally roasted cocoa nibs. So much good in one beer.

Field House (Booth 32)

Field House X Brassneck - Wild Brett Wasp Ale

If you haven't had any previous versions, this is a must-try sour ale that was fermented with yeast harvested from a wasp's gut, and finished with brettanomyces. It gained additional character from airborne yeast exposure in a coolship (open-air fermenter) with elder flower and hops. Wow.

And while you're at Field House, try everything else.

Townsite (Booth 36)

Bois Savauge

Townsite's Bois Sauvage wild, funky, barrel-aged brews are incredibly complex with notes of bright fruit, light funk and earthy wood.

Unibroue (Booth 48)

Éphémère Sureau

As a longtime fan of Unibroue's Éphémère series of light and effervescent fruit-flavoured wheat ales, I've gotta know what a version with elderflower and elderberries tastes like.

Four Winds (Booth 55)

Quadrennial

They had me at "four-year barrel aged." I implicitly trust Four Winds when it comes to barrel-aged brews, so I'm sure this dark American-style sour ale, conditioned on black currants, will absolutely slay.

Spinnakers (Booth 56)

Framboise (cask)

Spinnakers has been hitting quite a groove recently with some beer/wine crossovers. Their version of a sour framboise was put in red wine barrels with fresh local raspberries and given a year to mature. Should be fruity, funky and earthy.

Lastly, don't miss The Drake Cask Tent, where several breweries who won't have their own tents this year will pour their brews.

Adem Tepedelen is the Victoria-based author of the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers: An All-Excess Pass to Brewing's Outer Limits. Autographed copies are available locally at Cook St. Liquor (230 Cook St).

Metal + Beer in Philadelphia, April 22-23

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 05:59:00 +0000

Holy shit. It's actually happening. And I'll be there to witness it firsthand.

The Decibel Metal and Beer Fest is a big deal for me. After writing my Brewtal Truth craft beer column in Decibel magazine every month for eight years, this is like seeing that column made real. Many of the musicians and brewers I've interviewed over the years will be pouring beer and playing at the festival.

I can't take credit for assembling the brewery or band lineups—Decibel booked the bands and consulted with me on the breweries—but I have to think that this thing never would have happened if I hadn't planted the seed with my column years ago and continued to nurture it issue after issue.

So even though I live on the opposite coast, the weekend of April 22-23, I'll be at Fillmore Philadelphia soaking up every minute of the inaugural Decibel Metal and Beer Fest. Amongst all the breweries, some pouring beers specially brewed for the fest, Decibel will have copies of my book, the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers (perfect pairing for a weekend of extreme music), for sale.

Hell, Dave Mustaine is even gonna be there on Saturday, April 22, showing off his new Unibroue A Tout Le Monde Dry-Hopped Saison with Unibroue brewmaster Jerry Vietz.

This festival is the first of its kind and I'm excited to be part of it. If you live anywhere near Philadelphia, you should go. Tickets are available here. Let's have a beer (or several) together.

Your Guide to Extreme Beers at the Great Canadian Beer Fest

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 03:04:00 +0000

For BC craft beer drinkers, the Great Canadian Beer Festival is THEE craft beer event of the year. I've been attending for at least a decade—doing a preview post for three years—and every year I look forward to these two days in September when I can immerse myself in the ever-evolving world of Canadian craft beer. This is when brewers from across Canada can show their best stuff. Or not.

I've griped about it in the past, but it's ridiculous in 2016 that so many breweries are trotting out the same tried and true beers that are on tap everywhere, that anyone who has ever had a pint of craft beer in this province has tried. Why bother? So, in addition to my extreme beer picks listed below, I have included the first annual "Why Bother?" awards for the worst offenders who have chosen to be predictable, stay the course, and bring the same stuff they bring every year—beers that we all know too well. Yawn.

So, for my extreme beer suggestions, I want to celebrate the breweries that are at least making some semblance of an effort to bring something new/interesting/different to the GCBF. It doesn't even have to be extreme, it just needs to demonstrate that they want to engage, tantalize and maybe even create a buzz this year. The breweries I remembered from last year were the ones that offered something new, maybe even unexpected. The breweries I didn't even bother visiting were the ones that only poured beers you can find at any BC liquor store.

TO THE EXTREME!

Brasserie Dunham (Booth 5)
Propolis

These French Canadians are obsessed with saisons, and this unfiltered "specialty grain blanche/saison hybrid brewed with rye, wheat and oats and a small amount of fall honey," sounds like another winner.

Central City (Booth 18)

Sour #2 Cherry

A lot of breweries are doing kettle sours these days, but for a sour beer with depth and complexity, you need some barrel aging. This is a "red Kriek infused with cherries, aged for two years in oak barrels." Two years. That'll be good.

Deep Cove (Booth 30)
Kriek

Deep Cove's Kriek didn't spend as much time in oak as Central City's, but it should still have some good character and depth from the "house blend of wild yeasts and bacteria," as well as the oak barrel contact.

Driftwood (Booth 58)
Latus Flanders Red

If you missed out on Latus when it was bottled in the spring, or you just want more, then this is a good opportunity to taste a Belgian-style sour red ale that was aged in oak wine barrels for a year.

Field House (Booth 52)
Salted Black Porter

This new brewery is putting its best foot forward with a beer that had me at "salted." This porter is brewed with "traditional Dutch dropsies (salted black licorice)," and sounds like a big, yummy mouthful of umami goodness.

Le Trou du Diable (Booth 9)
Dulcis Succubus Saison

Here's something I'm going to say multiple time in this post: why aren't more breweries using wild yeast (brettanomyces)? This amazing saison is aged for twelve months in Californian white oak barrels and is bottle conditioned with brett for incredible complexity. Do. Not. Miss. This.

Lighthouse (Booth 34)
Kamaraj (cask)

An India Pale Ale with toasted coconut and Madras curry powder? Sold! I'm already planning to go back for seconds.

Moon Under Water (Booth 54)

Sang de Merle Sour (cask)

Moon has shown remarkable versatility in the many styles it successfully brews—from perfect traditional German beers to forward-thinking Brett IPAs. The sours have been a welcome surprise in the last couple of years. You've gotta love this blackberry port barrel-aged sour with blackcurrant addition that's cask conditioned. Mouth watering.

Parallel 49 (Booth 27)
Dumb Funk Brett IPA

Why aren't more breweries using wild yeast??? This was my favourite beer at Hopoxia. The brett plays well with the fruity hop notes, making this an easy entry-level beer for the wild yeast-curious. Another silly name from Parallel 49, but this is a beautifully balanced beer.

Phillips (Booth 46)
Longboat Porter with Sorachi Ace (cask)

I'm only begrudgingly including Phillips here due to their insistence on pouring Blue Buck (and Blue Buck with Citra, really?), but I just have to know what Longboat with Sorachi Ace (a hop variety with strong lemon notes) tastes like.

Red Truck (Booth 8)
IPA with Ataufo Mango Habanero (cask)

While I'm not generally a fan of all these newfangled IPA "radlers"—IPAs with fruit added—but I like the idea of a "mango salsa" IPA with some heat.

Salt Spring Island Ales (Booth 64)
Red Cedar Kelp Ale (cask)
Jalapeno Raspberry Wheat Ale (cask)

This is a brewery that has a very hit and miss record throughout its existence. But there's reason for optimism thanks to some recent changes. I like the fact that they are pushing the envelope with their cask offerings this year. They may be swings and misses, but I can honestly say that I have never had a beer with the words: red cedar and kelp in the name. Talk about a local brew.

Strange Fellows (Booth 45)
Coup de Foudre Sour

I left GCBF 2015 last year thinking that Strange Fellows was one of BC's best new breweries. I think I tasted everything they brought and loved it all. Brewer/co-owner Iain Hill knows sours and this fouder (big oak barrel) fermented should be funky and sour.

Swan’s (Booth 61)
Bourbon Kelp Scotch Ale (cask)

Thanks to some recent management changes at Swans, brewer Andrew Tessier has been given the green light to let his freak flag fly, which has resulted in some impressive new releases. I don't know what this beer is all about, but I want to taste it.

Three Ranges (Booth 3)
Canadian Peso (cask)

This is good in so many ways. A pilsner spiced with cumin and locally grown jalapeños and cilantro. Yes. And the name? Perfect.

Wheelhouse (Booth 2)

Scurvy Dog Spruce Ale

Smokehouse Kolsch

Divide Ride Red Ale

Northern Forest Berry Saison (cask)

Talk about swinging for the fences (both proverbial and literal, since GCBF is in the HarbourCats ballpark), this upstart brewery is unleashing four beers that totally qualify as extreme! Spruce ale? Smoked kölsch? Cedar aged red ale? Saison with four kinds of West Coast berries? Yes, yes, yes and yes!

Yellow Dog (Booth 44)

Ginger Lime Gose

Gose is a light, tart German style traditionally brewed with salt and coriander. But ginger and lime sound good, too. Especially if the weather is warm.

WHY BOTHER? AWARDS - Nothing to see here...

Bomber

Fernie

Hoyne

R&B

Steel & Oak

Adem Tepedelen is the Victoria-based author of The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers: An All-Excess Pass to Brewing's Outer Limits. Autographed copies are available locally at Cook St Liquor (230 Cook St).

Bringing the Brewtal Truth to the Great American Beer Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 03:53:00 +0000

It's pretty likely that there will an uncomfortable moment between me and Brooklyn Brewing's brewmaster, Garrett Oliver at the upcoming Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Sept. 24-26. Personally, I like the guy a lot. He's been nothing but extraordinarily helpful on the multiple occasions I've interviewed him for stories I've written. In person, he's equally magnanimous and friendly. He's as passionate about craft beer as I am and seems to work tirelessly spreading the good word.

But on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 26, from 1:30 to 2 pm, we'll both be signing copies of our books in the Beer Geek Bookstore at GABF. That would be fine—damn cool, in fact—if my book wasn't about extreme beer. Unfortunately, Garrett is not a fan. In fact, he was quoted in a 2008 New Yorker feature by Burkhard Bilger stating this opinion in no uncertain terms: "I find the term 'extreme beer' irredeemably pejorative," he was quoted as saying. Later in that same article he concludes, "The whole idea of extreme beer is bad for craft brewing."

Which should make for a nice exchange and that uncomfortable moment I mentioned above when I shake his hand to say hello and reintroduce myself. And then sit down in front of a stack of books with "EXTREME BEERS" in all caps on the cover. Awkward.

I make no apologies for the book I wrote and I think differing opinions on what's best for the craft beer industry are healthy. Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head— an unabashed proponent of well-made extreme beer—and Garrett Oliver both brew really good beer that I enjoy drinking. I think that continually pushing boundaries, being creative and exploring possibilities are noble pursuits in craft brewing.

So, if you don't find the "idea of extreme beer bad for craft brewing," stop by the Beer Geek Bookstore at GABF, pick up a copy of my book, The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers: An All-Excess Pass to Brewing's Outer Limits, and have me sign it during one of the two sessions listed below.

Friday, Sept. 25, 8-9pm
Saturday, Sept. 26, 1:30-2pm (members only session)

Your Handy Guide to Extreme Beers at the Great Canadian Beer Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 05:11:00 +0000

While other beer festivals follow a more structured and predictable format, the Great Canadian Beer Festival, in Victoria, BC, seems to morph ever so slightly every year under chairman Gerry Hieter's guidance. This year, for instance, the festival is 100% Canadian (as it should be). However, with the recent rapid growth of the local BC craft beer industry, this year's fest is very BC heavy. There's a small Quebec contingent (Unibroue, Le Trou du Diable, Les Trois Mousquetaires and Dieu du Ciel!), but beyond that, very few other provinces are represented.

What's made this BC-dominated festival possible in 2015 is the simple fact that a crazy number of new breweries opened in the last year. This has been a trend of late, but it has accelerated exponentially in the last two years to the point that it's hard to keep track of all the newcomers. And the lineup announced for this year's GCBF doesn't even represent the entirety of the BC industry. There are many breweries who, for whatever reason, have opted not to participate (looking at you, Brassneck).

On the positive side, the ones who will be there have some really interesting brews on tap. We sorted through the entire list to pick a bunch that we think are a little "out there." These are the unique brews that you shouldn't miss at GCBF in 2015. As a disclaimer, I'll note that these are not the only extreme beers being served at the festival, just the ones I think are worth trying.

33 Acres (Booth 33)

33 Acres of Nirvana Double IPA

I love Nirvana and double IPAs, so this is kind of a no-brainer. Probably not "extreme," but we'll give it a pass for the name alone.

Category 12 (Booth 23)
Distruption Black IPA (cask)

For this cask conditioned version of their tasty CDA, C-12 went all batshit crazy and added fennel, extra Simcoe dry hop additions and Saccaromyces trois yeast.

Central City (Booth 30)

Patrick O' Pumpkin (cask)

I'm not the biggest pumpkin ale fan, but I will line up for an imperial version that was matured in bourbon barrels. Especially if it's from Central City.

Dageraad (Booth 58)
De Witte Sour Witbier (cask)

If sour is the new bitter, this beer has all the bases covered. It's a sour Belgian-style witbier brewed with passionfruit and dry hopped with citra hops.

Dieu du Ciel! (Booth 62)
Disco Soliel IPA

Even though there's nothing extreme about "disco," we admire DDC's brilliance of brewing an IPA with kumquat, which is both fruity/citrusy and bitter.

Doan's (Booth 29)

American Rye Stout

These fellas love their rye and they aren't afraid to brew anything with it. Including this rye stout. Not sure what the "American" part means, but maybe it's about the dose of Cascade hops this brew gets.

Lighthouse (Booth 27)
Pear Pale Ale (cask)

OK, I'll bite. I've never had a beer infused with locally grown pears, and given Lighthouse's expertise with, uh, challenging ingredients, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here.

Loghouse (Booth 14)
Kettle Sour Spruce Tip Ale

New brewery on the block goes big at its first GCBF with a spruce tip kettle sour. Impressive.

Longwood (Booth 20)

Free Spirit Cascade Berry Sour (cask)

This is how you get on the Brewtal Truth's GCBF recommended brews list. You bring a spontaneously fermented sour beer that was aged for 18 months.

Moody Ales (Booth 35)

Intrepid Matcha Saison

The name brings to mind dirty hippies, but we have it on good authority that it's delicious. Very West Coast.

Moon Under Water (Booth 59)

Hip as Funk

This kind of thinking—using brett and saison yeasts for an IPA—is what makes craft beer great. Taste the future.

Persephone (Booth 36)
Imperial Pilsner

If it has "imperial" in the name, it's already in extreme beer territory, but we're a sucker for an imperial pilsner. And knowing Persephone's M.O., it's liberally hopped.

Phillips (Booth 46)

Super Cooper Anniversary Ale (cask)

They actually brewed this STRONG 14th anniversary beer a year ago (way to think ahead!) and aged it in bourbon barrels. Oh yeah, and then dry hopped it. That about covers the bases.

Tofino (Booth 10)

Hunt & Gather

Everything's coming up berries this year. Tons of breweries have discovered that the local fare tastes pretty good in a beer. This kettle sour features locally sourced salal berries and blackberries.

Adem Tepedelen is the Victoria-based author of The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers: An All-Excess Pass to Brewing's Outer Limits. Autographed copies are available locally at Cook St Liquor (230 Cook St).

Seattle Book Signing With Brann Dailor of Mastodon, April 26 at Schooner Exact Brewing

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 04:14:00 +0000

For me, one of the coolest things about writing The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers was getting to bring together two of my biggest passions: craft beer and extreme music. My "Brewtal Truth" column in Decibel magazine, which was the precursor to my book, offered me the opportunity to connect with some well-known musicians within the scene who shared my passions. So, when it came time to put the book together, it seemed like a good idea to include some of those guys in the mix.

As luck would have it, two musicians I interviewed for the book, Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor and Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster are doing a North American tour together and making a stop in Seattle on April, 26. So, I'm excited to announce that Brann will be joining me at a brief book-signing at Schooner Exact Brewing Co. (3901 1st Ave, S), not far from the club, Showbox Sodo, he'll be playing at that night. J-P has other obligations and can't join us, but from 5-6 pm, you can stop by Schooner Exact, grab a beer, buy a book ($20 cash or charge) and get it signed by Brann and me.

The Mastodon/Clutch show is already sold out, but this event will be free and open to the public. No ticket needed. The show doesn't start until 7pm, so you'll have plenty of time to swing by Schooner Exact beforehand.

A Quick Guide to Extreme Beers at the Great Canadian Beer Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 18:43:00 +0000

Chairman Gerry Hieter has been doing an amazing job of putting on a well-run beer festival for more than 20 years, but the breweries attending Great Canadian Beer Festival haven't always put their best foot forward in what's arguably THEE craft beer event of the year. Without naming names, year after year, a number of breweries bring the same brews (and brews that are available on pretty much any liquor store shelf in town and most bars). Every brewery should be bringing at least one or two beers that will get people talking and cause a little buzz.

This isn't the same craft beer crowd from a decade ago. They have more sophisticated palates, they've been exposed to amazing beers from around the world and they are always looking for something new and exciting. The Great Canadian Beer Fest is the perfect place for breweries to show off a bit.

If the 2014 lineup of beers posted at the GCBF site is any indication, things are slowly changing. There does seem to be a lot more creativity in the offerings this year. Not only are there a bunch of new breweries—many of which clearly have an ambitious streak—many of the established breweries are putting forth some really interesting efforts this year. I don't think I could have done much of a "Guide to Extreme Beers at the GCBF" a couple years ago, but this year, I was able to put together what I think is a solid collection of "out-there" beers to seek out. As a disclaimer, I'll note that these are not the only extreme beers being served at the festival, just the ones I think are worth trying.

Brassneck

Magic Beans Strong Brown Ale

The "beans" are coffee beans and they are used in quite an interesting fashion here. Brassneck cold brewed the coffee in the beer, so instead of the usual roasty/burnt notes, you get fruit notes and acidity.

Canoe

Belgian Apricot IPA

Belgian IPAs typically have an abundance of fruit notes from both the hops and the Belgian yeast, and this brew, made with experimental hops and 90 kgs of apricots, is an interesting take on the style.

Central City

Both Barrels Imperial IPA

This is a collab with Ninkasi, P49 and Gigantic that was aged in Cognac and bourbon barrels. Nuff said.

Coal Harbour

Smoke & Mirrors Imperial Smoke Ale

Smoke can be an overwhelming flavour in beer, but Coal Harbour have gone all in on this one, utilizing both German smoked malts and Scottish peated malts.

Driftwood

Singularity Russian Imperial Stout (Friday)

This massive brew is known for its incredible strength, which is aided by time spent in Makers Mark bourbon barrels.

Green Leaf

Serendipity Apple Saison

Beers brewed with wine grape must (juice) have been gaining in popularity (try Dogfish Head's Sixty-One in the U.S. Pavilion), but this saison features the addition of Granny Smith apple juice.

Lighthouse

Currant Event

Lighthouse is going "all in" with this brew. It's a wheat, rye and spelt saison that was refermented on oak with black currants.

Moon Under Water

2nd Anniversary Ale

Last year's first anniversary brew was amazing, a huge beer befitting a momentous celebration. This year's—a red wheat wine refermented on grape juice and oak—should be just as impressive and big.

Tofino
Spruce Tree Ale

Others have tried this style—which is conditioned on Sitka spruce tree tips—but it's challenging to find the balance where the spruce doesn't dominate. Tofino gets it right. This offers a glimpse of the kind of ingredients beer was brewed thousands of years ago.

U.S. Pavilion

I focused on Canadian (well, as it turns out, BC) beers above, but there will be some must-try extreme beers in the U.S. Pavilion as well. Many of these have either never been poured in this market before, or are back after a long absence.

• Alameda Yellow Wolf Imperial IPA (100+ IBU hop bomb)

• Dogfish Head 61 (brewed with wine grape must)

• Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (one of the original mega IPAs)

• New Holland Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout (pretty much says it all...)

• Saugatuck Serrano Pepper Ale (spicy!)

If you're a fan of extreme beers, you can find autographed copies of my Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers: An All-Excess Pass to Brewing's Outer Limits at Cook St. Liquor.

The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers in Chicago & at Dark Lord Day in April!

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:28:00 +0000

My first visit to the Windy City will be a momentous one. Not only will I be doing a book-signing event at one of the coolest craft beer bars in the Midwest, Northdown Cafe & Taproom, I'll finally get to attend and do a book signing at Three Floyds' Dark Lord Day.

The Northdown event will be in the late afternoon, so you can still make it over to the Metal Alliance tour with Behemoth, Goathwhore, 1349, Inquisition and Black Crown Initiate later that same evening at the House of Blues. So if you couldn't get a ticket to Dark Lord Day, here's your chance to get an autographed copy of my book from me. As usual, I'll have copies for sale for $20 ea. and I can now take cash, check or credit card.

And, yes, Dark Lord Day is totally sold out already. But if you're one of the 6,000-plus attending, look for me amidst the chaos of amazing beer and amazing music from Witchbanger, Iron Reagan, Brain Tentacles, Correction House, Vulgaari, Eyehategod and High On Fire.

• Friday, 4/25: Northdown Cafe & Taproom, 3244 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, from 4–7 pm. I will be joined by some very special guests who will be there signing books with me. Map

• Saturday, 4/26: Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds Brewery, 9750 Indiana Pkwy, Munster, IN, from 10 am to 10 pm. You have to have a ticket for this event, which are long sold out. But if you DO have a ticket, come buy a book! Map

Bringing the Brewtal Truth to Tucson, Arizona!

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 02:31:00 +0000

I'll be hitting the road in mid-March to do two book-signing events in a much warmer climate. It's purely coincidental that, as a huge baseball fan, I'll be heading to Arizona. These events, however, are a couple hours southeast of MLB's Cactus League Spring Training facilities in the Phoenix area. Yep, I'm heading to Tucson.

• Sunday, March 16, I'll be selling and signing copies of The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers at the Tucson Festival of Books. This free literary fest is held on the University of Arizona campus every year and attracts more than 100,000 ~~book nerds~~ attendees. I'll be set up in the Author Pavilion West from 9:30–11:30 am. This will be my first "dry" event. Sorry. If you're like me and you're into books, the event itself is worth coming out for. Plus, it's free.

• [VENUE CHANGE!] Wednesday, March 19, I'll be selling and signing books at 1702/The Address Brewing (1702 E. Speedway Blvd), starting at 8 pm. There will be beer sold here, and lots of it. Might even be a few beers featured in my book on tap at the event. I'll also have some Uinta swag to give away for anyone who buys a copy of my book.

Come on out and celebrate extreme beer with me, Arizona!

Tasting Extreme Beers on Shaw TV!

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 19:41:00 +0000

Shaw TV Vancouver Island reporter Sucheta Singh interviewed me about my book recently at Cook St Liquor. Watch as I show off some British Columbia examples of extreme beers from Howe Sound, Lighthouse and Russell.

Four Brewtal Truth Book Signing Dates in the Pacific Northwest!

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 05:02:00 +0000

In two weeks, I'll be hitting the road for some book signing events in the Northwest (see below). This is where my craft beer odyssey started, so I'm excited to visit Seattle (twice), Portland and Eugene over the course of a week. Hope to see you there!

I'll have books will be for sale at every event, but feel free to bring your own to have me sign it if you've purchased it elsewhere.

• Saturday, 12/7: Brouwer's Cafe, 400 N 35th st, Seattle, starting at 4pm. This amazing event will feature special guest Todd Haug, head brewer of Surly Brewing, who will be bringing seven Surly beers that will be on tap (including the three I included in my book). Map

• Thursday, 12/12: The Beer Junction, 4511 California Ave SW, West Seattle, from 5-8 pm. There will also be a Ninkasi tasting. You can sample 5 different Ninkasi beers for $4. Map

• Friday, 12/13: Ninkasi tasting room, 272 Van Buren St, Eugene, OR, from 6-7:30 pm. Map

• Saturday, 12/14: Green Dragon, 928 SE 9th Ave, Portland, OR, starting at 5pm. Map

The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers is Finally Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:01:00 +0000

The official release date for the book is actually November 12, but you can now go online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's and other online retailers and order it. Finally! In fact, there's a shortcut to the book on Amazon to the right of the this post. If you're ready to place your order, please do use that link. Order now and you'll have it in your hands long before the actual release date!

In the coming weeks, I'll be using this blog and other social media to promote book signing events and other happenings, so stay tuned. I'd also encourage you to, if you do purchase the book, please leave a review on Amazon or B&N or wherever—whether it's positive or negative.

And if anyone from a book store, bottleshop, brewpub, pub or brewery is reading this and is interested in having me do a book signing event. Please get in touch at brewtaltruth at shaw.ca.

Beer Fest + Birthday = Best Weekend of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 03:15:00 +0000

The last two years, one of the two days of the Great Canadian Beer Festival (this year, Sept 6-7) has fallen on my birthday. Needless to say, last year much celebrating was done with a beer in my hand. It'll no doubt be the same this year.

The GCBF is an interesting event and, as far as festivals go, a good place to celebrate a birthday. It is tiny compared to Great American Beer Festival standards (8,000 attendees vs. 49,000; 55+ breweries vs. 600+), but there's no shortage of good craft beer to be had. And the setting—outside, with lots of room to move around—is way preferable to Denver's packed, weirdly lit convention center.

The Victoria, BC-based fest—now in its 21st year—has been improving annually since I've been a regular attendee (from about 2007, I think). Not only is BC beer getting better and better (and there's way more of it now), the quality of breweries attending from other provinces and the U.S. Northwest has gotten dramatically better. Many of the breweries bring a special cask beer for each day and there's a good mix of styles to be tasted.

This year, there are even after-fest parties at a couple of the bars in Victoria! Irish Times is hosting a New Belgium event (which is brand new to the province) on Friday and Saturday, while The Guild is featuring a tap takeover by Upright and Gigantic from Portland on Friday.

Dig the Municipal Waste hat. A trve craft beer fan.

My only complaint about the GCBF is that many of the BC breweries are a little conservative in the lineup of beers that they bring. Some I can list off the top of my head—they trot out the same three or four every year like clockwork. There's just nothing "festive" about beers that can be purchased at any store or pub in BC year-round.

The attitude at the GABF seems to be dramatically different. There, the brewers, who are keenly aware that their beer is being scrutinized and tasted not only by the public, but by the 600 other brewers, bring beers that create buzz and attention. They bring interesting, special brews designed to impress. The brewers participating in GCBF could take a cue from that.

Don't get me wrong, many of them do bring some unique and interesting beers, but there are too many that seem like they are participating because they have to, not because they want to actively promote their beers and craft beer in general. Craft beer drinkers in BC are more knowledgeable today than they were five years ago. They're thirsty for new, interesting brews when they go to festivals like this. It would be nice if all the breweries rose to the challenge and tried to impress them.

I can't complain, though. There aren't too many weekends of the year, where I get to try new beers all day. And celebrate my birthday, to boot.

New Weekly Brewtal Truth Posts On The Deciblog

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 22:04:00 +0000

Though this blog has, uh, evolved over the years (a kind way of saying it's gone to weed a few times as I figured out what I wanted to do with it), I have basically stayed away from writing, for lack of a better word, beer reviews. I'm still not actually doing that here, but I thought I could at least mention a new weekly piece I'm writing for Decibel magazine's Deciblog. Every Friday at noon Eastern time I'll be posting something about a currently available beer that I give the Brewtal Truth stamp of approval to. There won't be any ratings or critical assessments, just some tasting notes and the usual tangential nonsense. Just another way to continue to bring craft beer to the extreme music crowd. I've already done two posts, which can be found here and here. A third one will arrive this Friday, and it'll have a late-'80s Seattle theme. You won't want to miss it. I swear.

Bringing the Beast to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 02:43:00 +0000

When I wrote my first Brewtal Truth column for Decibel magazine in early 2009, the only connection I personally drew between craft beer and heavy metal was that some people who were metal fans probably enjoyed drinking good craft beer. This was a safe assumption since roughly 10 percent of beer drinkers are craft beer diehards. Mostly, though, the column was a creative way to write about two of my favorite things. I can't say I really sought to try to draw a connection between the two in every column, but as I wrote, I found it easy to do so. A column on pumpkin ales, for instance, would inevitably lead to mention of German band Helloween, who have one of the cheesiest/most awesome mascots in metal history: a jack-o-lantern.

Decibel does a column called Call & Response where they send a famous metal artist eight or nine unlabeled mp3s for them to listen to and comment on. For my own version, I sent a six-pack of different unlabeled beers to Dave Witte of Municipal Waste to taste and comment on. Decibel editor Albert Mudrian never once suggested a column topic for me and he never balked at anything I turned in. Some columns, admittedly, had nothing to do with metal (anyone remember "Beer Drunk Baseball"?), but they were always about craft beer.

As I continued to write the column in Decibel, however, I began to hear from different people about certain metal musicians who were really into craft beer. Equally cool was meeting and talking to brewers who were serious metal fans. It all began coming together. Just as there is a tight underground in metal circles, the craft brewing fraternity is solid. Like-minded folks find each other. And the more I wrote the column, the more crossover I saw between the two camps. It would be a stretch to suggest that metal is the preferred music of craft brewers worldwide, or that all metal fans and musicians only drink craft beer, but both sides see and appreciate the commonalities.

In the last couple of years or so I've seen a handful of blogs like Black Metal and Brews pop up. NPR did a piece called "Heavy Metal Kegger," about beer-themed metal songs. The first blatantly metal brewery, Denver's TRVE, appeared. Even a totally mainstream mag like Men's Health had the members of Graveyard pair craft beers with metal songs. Suddenly the beer and metal connection was an actual "thing."

I'm not here to take credit for anything, but I can't help but feel that sometimes saying something is "a thing" actually makes it so. A fellow writer doing a story on the connection between beer and metal elicited this quote from a musician he interviewed: "I was never aware of [a connection] until they started running that beer column in Decibel." The fact that Decibel put Clutch vocalist Neil Fallon on its cover holding a (stemmed!) glass of Flying Dog beer is actually a watershed moment. Show me another metal mag (or any mag, for that matter!) that did something as audacious as putting a metal musician on the cover drinking a craft beer.

As groundbreaking as that was, the reality is that there are far more craft brewers out there who would rather listen to the Grateful Dead or Dave Matthews. And the average craft beer drinker probably couldn't tell the difference between Brutal Truth and Napalm Death. But on the margins of two already marginalized things, there are people finding common ground. I'm just here to help recruit a few more.

Craft Beer Cannot Be Sent Through the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:38:00 +0000

The internet offers us many things that have improved our lives infinitely: online shopping, adult entertainment, blogging, a place to anonymously express outrageous and inflammatory opinions with little fear of reprisal. There's practically nothing we can't do with our computer/iPad/smart phone. Though you can send and/or download everything from the latest High on Fire live albums to video of Geoff Tate being an asshole on stage (again) to photos of that killer bowl of pho you ate at that restaurant that everyone was raving about on Yelp, you cannot digitize a beer and transfer it from Point A to Point B.

Honestly, it would have made writing The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers a lot easier if I could have done that. But what I found out when approaching dozens of brewers about including their beers in the book, that there is a supportive grassroots vibe not unlike the early days of metal (the early '80s), when indie labels supported their artists by sending their product to the many fanzines that sprung up around the world.

It's expensive to send beer via the various conventional methods (UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc.), especially from Europe to the U.S., but the brewers I dealt with saw the inherent value of having their beer in a book that will (hopefully) sell a lot of copies to the people who will be most receptive to buying their product. There was a whole hell of a lot of good faith put in what I was doing on their part, and I can't thank them enough for that.

Very few brewers flat out said no (though one high-profile brewery did so in the kindest way possible). Some didn't respond to my email requests, a couple said they'd send beer but didn't. Mostly though, I was impressed by how they were not only willing to participate in my book, but were genuinely excited about it.

So they graciously sent me their beer and in return I'll send them a copy of the book when it's published in November. I like the fact that even though my initial solicitations were all conducted via email, the beer—this amazing, live product the brewers proudly created—had to arrive the old-fashioned way. I should have kept a photo log of how some of these things were packed. A few were truly comical and I was astounded that the beer arrived intact at all. It occurred to me over and over that—based on the packing jobs—a lot of these breweries must never send out samples. Which made me appreciate what they sent all the more.

Does This Beer Make Me Look Fat?

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:51:00 +0000

I should have taken "before" and "after" pictures of myself before embarking on this book project, because there were some dramatic changes in the four months during which I drank copious amounts of high-alcohol beer.

Yeah, I put on a few pounds.

Which, as anyone who knows me can attest to, isn't a bad thing. After being slim/scrawny/skinny most of my life, at age 45 I have finally achieved "average" for my height. All thanks to the nearly 150 extreme beers consumed between December and April. I was likely drinking the equivalent calories-wise of an additional meal or two per night.

I could see (and feel) the pounds adding on as I went, but when I weighed myself after I turned in my manuscript, I was shocked at the number I read. I'm far from obese, but in four months I increased my weight by 10 percent. And it wasn't muscle, I can tell you that.

They say that the "beer belly" is more like a "lifestyle belly," because it's just as related to the amount of exercise you do, as the amount of beer you drink. Since I couldn't spare the time to go to the gym while I was writing my book and my caloric intake was, uh, plentiful and beery, I mostly put on weight on my gut.

Luckily my wife sees the positive benefits of me carrying a few extra pounds, most of which have to do with me becoming unexpectedly gravely ill and needing the fat reserves to keep me from wasting away. Way to look on the bright side, honey.

I'm back at the gym four or five days a week and also drinking about two-thirds less high-octane beer. I'm not actively trying to lose weight at this point, but it's bound to happen with my return to more normal beer consumption.

I love big, extreme beers, but there's a time and a place for them. And it's not every day.

The Extreme Beer Fridge

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 29 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

(not shown: bottom drawer stuffed with 12 oz bottles)

My friends were surprisingly unsympathetic when I complained that I had more beer than I knew what to do with during the writing of the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers. It wasn't like I was saying, "gee, I don't know what I'll do with this beer," because the obvious answer is that it will be poured down my throat. It was more like, "Where the fuck do I physically put all of this beer until I'm able to pour it down my throat?"

You see, I profiled more than 100 extreme beers in the guide and in order to do this, I acquired multiple bottles or cans of each one. Sometimes "multiple" meant two bottles, sometimes it meant three or six! You can do the math on that. Suffice it to say that there were times when my fridge held 98% beer and 2% condiments and overflow from the fridge temporarily went into a cool, dark closet. It's amazing how poorly cheap old fridges accommodate bombers of beer. First world problems, I know, I know.

But assuming, by the fact that you've read this far, that you're as passionate about craft beer as I am, you'll at least understand my desire to make sure that all the beer I ~~poured down my throat~~ tasted for my book was well looked after while waiting its turn. This shuffling of beers in and out of the fridge turned into an actual strategy, and a beer's position in the fridge was an indication of, well, some system that would only make sense to me. Needless to say, when the beer I profiled for the book was in my hands, it was treated well and fussed over like a mother with her newborn.

And all those "friends" whose lack of concern for my predicament caused them to mock and belittle me, they will not be enjoying the leftover spoils of my endeavor.

The Semi-Official Blog for The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:54:00 +0000

You might have heard via social media or Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian's "Just Words" column in a recent issue or that little ad to the right of this post, that I've written a Brewtal Truth book called the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers. Albert erroneously announced it was going to be a collection of my Brewtal Truth columns from Decibel, but the, uh, truth is it's all new material—more than 200 pages worth.

The book went from idea to deal to completed manuscript in a very short period of time. And even though I turned in the manuscript more than a month ago, the book won't be published until November 15, 2013. Fun fact: you could have pre-ordered it on Amazon before I had finished writing it. That's how much faith my publisher, Lyons Press, had in me that it was going to be a kick-ass beer book. Or maybe that's just the way things work in the book industry. I prefer to believe the former. Anyway, here's a look at the cover which was also finalized early on in the process (i.e. while I was writing).

This blog, which has languished mightily for four-plus years, will finally be put to some good use. It's now the de facto site for all things relating to the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers. In the time leading up to its publication, I figured I'd do some posts about the book. Not just "buy it, buy it, buy it!" kind of stuff, either. More like those youtube videos that bands post where it shows them in the studio making a new album, but it doesn't really let you hear the new songs. Yes, I will tease you relentlessly.

How Do You Define Extreme Beer?

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 02:33:00 +0000

After our recent trip to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, we got to thinking about just where craft beer is headed. Though we tasted a small enough sample size that we don't feel comfortable definitively stating what the "trends" are in brewing, we did notice that the beers that got a lot of attention tended to be bigger, less "traditional" (for lack of a better word) and included a lot of wacky ingredients. I don't know if craft beer has entered the extreme era, but there seems to be something going on.

What's your definition of an extreme beer, and can you give me some examples? Take a minute to post a comment. You can do it anonymously. It would be nice to get some feedback on the topic.

An Open Letter to BC Craft Brewers

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Please stop being timid and apologetic. Please stop brewing “crossover” beers. Please stop trying to engage a portion of the beer-drinking population that will never drink your beers. Please take more chances. Please make the beers that you want to brew. Please focus on quality and creativity.

BC craft brewers, you have been needlessly kowtowing to the masses for far too long. There have been brewpubs and craft breweries in the province for nearly 30 years now, and it’s just recently that full-flavoured styles such as India Pale Ale have become relatively common. In your efforts to please everyone and “convert” Lucky drinkers to craft beer with featureless, unobtrusive ales and equally unremarkable lagers, you have missed the opportunity to convince the roughly 10 percent of the population who are truly receptive to craft beer that you have something remarkable to offer.

When Sierra Nevada founders Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi brewed and released their now legendary Pale Ale in 1980, nobody in the U.S. was clamouring for a well-hopped pale ale. Bitterness in beer was considered a bad thing by most Americans. But by having faith in the quality of their product, they started converting people one drinker at a time. They didn’t start out making a "cream ale" or a "lightly hopped amber" so as not to discourage Bud drinkers. They put out a well-made flavourful beer and let the people who were receptive to it hop aboard. And if Miller Lite drinkers didn’t like it, well, Grossman and Camusi weren’t going to change their minds anyway.

The craft beer movement in the U.S. was founded on the idea of creativity—taking traditional European styles and reinterpreting them. U.S. brewers (and craft brewers around the world) continue to try new things and blur the lines between traditional styles. The possibilities are endless! New categories of beer are literally created annually for judging at the Great American Beer Festival.

BC craft brewers, you need to lead, not follow. Introduce people to new styles and bold flavours. Stand behind them and be proud of them. It’s even more vital that you do this now as U.S. craft beer continues to cross the border in greater and greater quantities. U.S. craft beer exports were up 28 percent in 2010 and Canada was one of the top three markets (along with Sweden and the UK) for that beer.

As a result, BC’s craft-beer drinkers are more sophisticated than ever, so don’t be afraid to challenge them. Ignore the segment of the population that wants its mass-produced pale lagers. They are not your market and most never will be. Focus on, and please, the eager consumers who want to expand their palates and constantly try new stuff. Those are your people. They are bloggers, writers, CAMRA members, festival organizers and outspoken advocates for something they love. Take care of them and you’ll ultimately be rewarded.

The Good Guys

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:55:00 +0000

We're going to somewhat veer off the usual theme here to simply acknowledge a couple of companies that really went out of their way to make sure that a customer—that would be yours truly—was satisfied.

To make a long story short, we bought on two different occasions a Brouwerij Van Steenberge Belgian Sampler 6-pack from a local liquor store. In both cases the Gulden Draak included in the sampler was completely flat. They were from the same batch. Since we had consumed all the other beers in the sampler, we didn't think it was reasonable to return it to the store where we purchased it. Instead we tried contacting the local sales rep for the brand's importer, Bravo Beer Co. We got no response, so we thought we should at least let Brouwerij Van Steenberge know about the quality control issue.

We heard back from the brewery almost immediately. They apologized and graciously offered to send us replacement bottles and glasses. We said, "sure!" not knowing the bureaucracy we would face clearing it through Canadian customs. Suffice it to say that the beer remains in customs' hands and will ultimately be destroyed by them, because the price for clearing it would have been close to $90. What a waste.

We then tried contacting Bravo (who, BTW, import a great selection of Belgian and UK beers) again, but this time we sent our email to the main office and heard back immediately. And, like Brouwerij Van Steenberge, they were very apologetic about the whole situation and very much wanted to make good. They offered to reimburse us for the cost of the two 6-packs and also send us some Brouwerij Van Steenberge glasses. Sure enough, a week later it all showed up.

So, we just want to acknowledge both Bravo and Brouwerij Van Steenberge. We encourage you to support both. The craft beer industry is mostly a tight-knit one full of good folk, but it's still heartening to have both of these companies really make an effort to please their customers. Thanks again!

More Beer Lit For Beer Nerds (And Aspriring Beer Nerds)

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:05:00 +0000

So as to avoid any 2-year-old-smoking-boy type controversy, I will refrain from showing a picture of my son with his snoot in a beer glass. But, truth be told, he does like to take a whiff —that means smell, NOT taste—of what his dad is drinking. And, as detailed in my Brewtal Truth column in the June issue of Decibel, he likes to look at my various beer books, pointing out all the brews Daddy likes (Avery!) and doesn't like (Budweiser!).

Though he hasn't given it a thorough flip-through yet, I know he's going to enjoy The Beer Trials by Seamus Campbell and Robin Goldstein as much as I did. Aside from the usual basic information about beer styles and beer terminology, this 300+ page book features reviews/ratings of 250 beers from around the world—everything from Bud Light to Czechvar. The ratings are from 1-10 (though strangely there is nothing lower than a 3 or higher than a 9) and were done by a panel of Portlandites who tasted the beers blind and against other beers in their similar style. So, for instance, MGD wasn't rated against North Coast's Old Rasputin. It was rated as to its, ahem, quality as a pale American lager.

I liked the fact that the information about the beer accompanying the rating was generally good and presented in an irreverent, somewhat snarky way, but the comments on the label/bottle design were, for the most part, just pointless. Another slightly annoying thing was the constant complaints about the beers in the green and clear bottles being lightstruck. Because they rated so many beers sold in green or clear bottles (which allow light to enter and basically negatively affect the beer) the reader is constantly reminded these bottles are bad for storing beer for more than like 30 seconds. We get it! Perhaps the authors should have simply said at the beginning, "basically all beers we rate that are in green or clear bottles will be lightstruck to some degree, so let the buyer/consumer beware." Then they could have simply noted in the rating when the tasters detected it, rather than continually grousing about it. It really gets old.

Other than that, this is a good resource, and I like the way they established their ratings. I'll definitely use this as a reference for many years to come. Hopefully there will be updates and future editions.

Oly Delivers The Allagash!

noreply@blogger.com (Brewtal Truth) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:48:00 +0000

I love the irony of a dude named "Oly" sending me a big effin' box of Allagash beer. Yep, it's one of the perks of this job. I not only got to interview one of my favorite bands about one of my favorite albums for Decibel Magazine (Trouble's Psalm 9, in issue #62, Dec. 2009), I got a full selection of Allagash's finest for my efforts.

So, what's the connection between Allagash and Trouble? A dude named Oly, of course. Jeff "Oly" Olson was Trouble's longtime on-again/off-again drummer. He's the guy who played on Psalm 9, so while I was interviewing him for that Hall of Fame article it came up that he worked at Allagash. When I finally was able to follow up on that hot tip, I interviewed him a second time—this time for my Brewtal Truth column in Decibel—mostly about beer and what he does at Allagash. Shortly thereafter a box of Allagashy goodness arrived that contained a bottle each of their Tripel, Dubbel, Black, Curieux and 4 bottles of the White. None of which I had tasted before. All of which (so far) are amazing. I've only tasted the White and the Tripel because I'm cellaring the other three for a bit to see how they age. That said, they may not last the year if the right occasion comes along to pop one or two open. I'll admit it, I'm weak that way.

As for tasting notes, well the Tripel is a thing to behold—a really well-built take on the mammoth Belgian style. There's tons of tempting fruit ester aromas and the taste is pleasantly (slightly) sweet and spicy, thanks to a decent dose of hops to balance everything out. The White would be the perfect beer to introduce a neophyte to the witbier style. It's just amazingly complex, refreshing and well-balanced.