Punkin Crisis?

As we continue to make our way out of the blistering heat of summer and inch into fall, those of us that love pumpkin beer around the time that it's actually meant to be consumed have pretty much stocked up on what we needed to get us to this point.

With that said, most of us also know that once Southern Tier's Pumking and Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale hit the market, it means that it's pretty much a wrap on the pumpkin beer releases. At least here in the Pittsburgh area the only one I don't know of on the shelves yet is Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale. I've never had a problem getting either in the past. Some odd news might imply that I might not get much of one of these beers this year.

I recall cases of Pumking last year being at the same limit of two cases per-customer, but it is in the neighborhood of $8-$10 cheaper than it was. As for Punkin, I've seen a two case limit at the very worst. I'm not entirely sure if this store on Browns Hill Road is the only one that got 10 percent of what it ordered, but it usually has one of the largest beer inventories that I know of around me.

If the batch of Punkin is small this year it might be a lot tougher to find some. I planned on getting my case this weekend. Now, I'm not totally sure it will last until then. We'll see how it goes. My worst case scenario is that I end up forced dipping into the six or so bottles I still have from last year's case. Not that bad of a fallback.

No Sympathy for the Smitten

As it usually is, (except in instances when everyone on your timeline tweets about idiotic television programming that you refuse to switch on) Twitter is a valuable source of information. It doesn't matter what your area of interest is. There's something to indulge in for everyone. Yesterday it was by this here Twitter account that I came across something interesting. Those of you in a big flourish for this new Dogfish/Sierra Nevada IPA glass might want to click "back" on your browsers.

What came first? The chicken or the egg? That Red Lobster glass and the new standard for IPA glassware look quite similar. Both have that etched stem to enhance your flow of carbonation and everything.

I don't feel sorry for anyone that immediately fronted the $9 plus shipping fees for the new IPA glass. If you really think the experience of drinking a certain type of beer is going to be dramatically increased because of the vessel you pour it into you need to think about returning to Earth soon. A glass can slightly change how a beer appears, feels or might even enhance the smell. It's not going to change the experience.

If you want it as a collector's item. That's great. That's why I wanted my Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass. I'm not really sure what a perfect pint even is, but it's got some nice curves and I can pick aromatic notes better out of it. Beers still taste exactly the same out of a shaker pint, though.

BEER GEEK TIP: If you ever want to get the carbonation going in your beer just swirl it in the glass.

Very Complimentary

I obviously wasn't too thrilled with Bell's Hopslam ale when I got the opportunity to try it last year. I can't say there wasn't any lack in my effort to get myself a glass, because I was in the bar the day after it was tapped. I just didn't like it, as is the usual result when I have a beer that's very hop-centric.

I made a promise to someone that I'd try this year's version and I must give credit where it's due. This year's batch had many more flavors other than just the intense hops! I was actually able to taste some honey and a touch of fruitiness. There even was a tad of malt in there. A completely different experience compared to the one I had last year. Every flavor I picked up was complimentary of the rest of the brew. The beer's color seems to be a bit darker as well.

I still don't see myself buying a case of Hopslam yet (that's if there are even any left), but myself and this beer are on somewhat better terms. This post originally was supposed to be about the new IPA glass tossed out there by Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada, but I wasn't quite sure if it was a great idea to ruffle everyone's feathers. A lot of users on Twitter didn't seem to happy about it being named the "standard for hop-centric beers." I certainly don't need the bitterness of hops in my beer to magically become stronger.

Sorry. I don't need an IPA glass to "amplify the hops." Some are a struggle to drink as it is.
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) February 5, 2013

Monday Rant: Beer Trends

I think that even if you're a casual observer of news and happenings in the beer community you can still notice some of the fads and trends that come and go. There are quite a few that pop up now and then as well as those that seem to stick around for a good portion of time.

We had that STUPID shaker pint debate that lasted a mere two weeks. Excitement for national beer day Untappd badges appeared to be a something popular that lasted for about six months. The last two years, it kind of felt like brews aged in whiskey barrels seemed to be one of those things that people also flocked to. Sometimes it just seems as if some of us just get bored with what's "in" and consistently want to move to something else. Does beer lower the attention spans of some people?

It's getting to that time of the beer calendar in which some of the popular barrel-aged beers will start to appear in our local bars (if they're lucky enough to come across one of them). It might be just me, but since we began our trek through 2013 it seems as if there's been plenty of excitement in the department of beer and wine hybrids. A perfect example of this is an article on Victory Brewing's website pertaining to a new version of Golden Monkey called White Monkey.

Dogfish Head came out with the Noble Rot beer/wine hybrid not too long ago, but as far as I can recollect that brew wasn't aged in wine barrels like this Victory concoction will be.

One can only hope that this can be one of those things both craft beer and wine aficionados can share some ground on. That's if this does indeed end up being the next big trend in craft beer. There's quite a good chance that it might.

A Long Time Ago in a Brewery Far, Far Away

I sure hope you get the reference in the title I chose for this post. If you don't, we might have to have a sit down and watch a few of my favorite movies. It wasn't that long ago that Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Owner Sam Calagione went off on a few Beer Advocate message board geeks about overrated breweries.

Well, we have yet another edition of angry craft brewers as Lagunitas Brewing owner/founder Tony Magee had a bit of a Twitter tirade towards Miller Coors and A-B InBev earlier this week. You can read all about it over at Beer Pulse.

I love it when someone in a higher position makes their voices be heard sometimes, but I'm not totally sure Magee has anything to stand on with this one. Maybe it's just my opinion. Who knows?

I'm not totally sure the big-time American brewing corporations are completely against the smaller craft brewers anymore. I think that they are fully aware of how fast some of these breweries are growing in size and popularity and that they know they need to maintain somewhat of a good relationship with them. It could be that or you could say that maybe all of the recent purchases of breweries by the big boys might mean the exact opposite.

I'm certainly not an economic expert on the beer industry. That's for sure.

Beer Review: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale pours what looks like to be a peachy color. I picked up both reddish and brownish highlights throughout the body. The beer's head is an off-white and can almost be described as an ivory. It's well-carbonated as evident by the mass amount of bubbles rushing towards the crown of the beer. You will find plenty of lacing that completely encircles the glass as you consume this.

Smell: The fist thing I noticed in this beer's aroma is its tangy hop character. I also got a decent amount of sweet brown sugar, which seemed to be the dominant characteristic throughout. There was also some spicy nutmeg along with some vanilla. I can't forget the tiny bit of pumpkin that was in there as well.

Taste: I got whacked with a ton of sweet brown sugar and pumpkin at first. This tasted amazing. Enjoy those two flavors because the spiciness of the nutmeg takes over immediately and lingers with the hop notes for a long, and I mean a long after taste. If I had it my way, I'd prefer the spices and hops to be a little less dominant.

Overall Rating: 

I only have one complaint with this beer and that's the strength of the hops and spice. Together they're just a tad too strong. I actually think they're a bit more dominant than last year. I feel that the brown sugar and pumpkin are the two best flavors in this beer (it was sweeter last year). Still, we can't blame Dogfish for being experimental as they are known to be. This still remains as one of the top pumpkin ales on my list to buy each season.

Monday Rant: Beer and Frugality

I remember when I first began working when I was 16-years-old. It was around that same time that my father started my bank account. While I was in high school and college I remember having holes in my pockets when I had even the smallest amount of cash in my checking account. If I had any amount of money, it was sure to be spent at the nearest watering hole on beer and/or food.

Oh, how much fun those days were. Now that I'm in the real world., I've noticed that I've become more and more frugal. Not only in terms of reminding myself that I might not need to go out to eat or spend entire evenings at bars.

 Yes, I've become more protective of what's in my checking account, but just as much when it comes to what beer is in my refrigerator. I find myself overcome with guilt if I have more than one bottle of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale in a single night. I've found myself getting jealous if my father jams his head into the fridge and cracks open one of my other beloved pumpkin ales (Smuttynose, Saranac and Brooklyn Post Road).

I purchased a case of Yards Brewing Company's Ales of the Revolution in early July and I'm just now indulging in the second half of the case. Beer Snob Sr. bought me a case of Anchor Steam Beer for my college graduation this past May and I still have approximately half of the case left. It's almost as if I want to savor every drop. I get somewhat of a natural high just knowing I have certain beers in my kitchen.

Next, comes the possibility of beer reaching its shelf life. Yes, it's wise to save as much money as possible. Maybe not so much when it comes to conserving your beer. I need to develop a mindset of just drinking it, stress free, and making time to work off the calories once in a while.

Don't touch my damn beer.
 

Big Pour Pre-Tasting at Blue Dust

Just as I said, I did make it down to Blue Dust on Friday evening to partake in the second night of the bar's Big Pour Pre-Tasting event. Craft breweries that were featured on Friday included Troegs, Victory and Dogfish Head.

The night was lead-off by the tapping of a Flying Mouflan firkin while it was on the bar. That was an exciting way to begin the event, even though I'm not the world's biggest fan of barley wines. It wouldn't have mattered to me what was in that firkin.

I decided to go with the Victory Flight since I have been wanting to try its Golden Monkey for a while now. The flight also included its new Festbier and I'm always up for trying a new Oktoberfest. The third brew that was aside the other two was Hop Wallop.

I was slightly disappointed with what I tried. The Golden Monkey I had seemed watered-down, the Festbier didn't taste anywhere close to an Oktoberfest and if any beer has "hop" in its name the odds are I won't like it.

I was also confused as to the true identities of both the Festbier and Hop Wallop. They both were hoppy as all hell. In my opinion, one thing that can screw up the tasting potential of a decent Oktoberfest is way too much hops. To be frank, I couldn't tell which I was drinking because of the intense hop presence. Look for more details on these brews when I actually get a chance do review them individually.

Monday Rant: Craft Tidal Wave at PNC Park

I've ranted and raved about the post-game happy hour special at PNC Park's Hall of Fame Club over the past few summers. It was this past Saturday night after the Pirates 5-1 victory over the Miami (will always be Florida to me) Marlins that I noticed the plethora of craft beers available to happy hour participants.

I remember when I first started joining in on the $2.50 per-brew fun in the Hall of Fame Club a few summers back. That was when there was just Yuengling and Miller Lite on tap and a small variety of bottle such as Magic Hat No. 9 and Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA making up the selection.

I felt like I was in a town's only local pub, but it wasn't the best selection in the world. Besides, when it's $2.50 for each beer in the house and you can snag yourself a few good crafts, you do so.

From then up until this past weekend I've noticed a tidal wave of craft brews being sold, not only throughout the park, but in the Hall of Fame Club as well.

Earlier this year, the Hall of Fame Club boasted the addition of a few local crafts which included Penn Brewery's Pilsner, Kaiser Pils and Penn Dark. As of Saturday night, you can find many of Penn Brewery's beers and more.

East End Fat Gary was on tap as well as Church Brew Works Pious Monk Dunkel, which is one of my favorite beers. The Hall of Fame Club has even ventured as far as Colorado to bring in Boulder's Sweaty Betty Blonde. Not far from that was Lagunitas IPA.

I've also noticed numerous advertisements for local brewing establishments and restaurants such as Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh and Rivertowne throughout the stadium's concourse. It looks like PNC Park is starting to embrace the craft movement around Pittsburgh and it can only be a positive thing.

Some of you might have come across this piece via Examiner.com about other craft offerings around the park, including the new Budweiser Bowtie Bar.

Why Dogfish Head is Great For Craft Beer

While writing yesterday's beer review of Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale, which is a cross between an American Brown Ale, India Pale Ale and a Scottish Ale, I couldn't help but think of Dogfish owner Sam Calagione going off on a set of beer geeks on a Beer Advocate thread a few months ago.

Dogfish Head takes some heat in the court of public opinion due to the fact that it gets fairly liberal in terms of combing different styles of beer into one finalized product. In my opinion, the brewery's finest hour was the release of Noble Rot, a combination of wine and beer, as a full-bottle production this past January.

I think the thing that was closest to that type was Dogfish Head's Midas Touch, which was brewed with ingredients found in ancient bowls in the tomb of what's supposed to be King Midas. What about Raison D'Etre? It's brewed with beet sugar for God sake.

How can you criticize any craft brewer, even if you don't approve of a particular beer? Craft brewers put more heart into their final product than any of the American majors do. This post is also inspired by the comment I received on my review of Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat by founder, Keith Villa.

When I've written something about your everyday craft brewer's beer on here and they've found the post concerning them, I've received an email asking if they can send me some of their beers to try for free. It doesn't end like that when it comes to the American majors. God only knows if that was really Villa or some Public Relations intern just getting the company's two cents out there on everything that mentions Blue Moon's name.

If you're going to say something bad about any brewer, it should be the big-time American companies that continue to ram down your throats a product that has been watered-down by more and more by the year and only worries about profits and its public image. A craft brewer only worries about the product it puts on taps across his or her distribution area.