It's hard to believe...

It's hard to believe that prior to October 1978...

50-best American beers you say?

I think I'll have one of each!

Perusing the 50-best American beers of 2011 as shared on Facebook by Kyle, I thought to myself, those sound good, I think I'll have them!

I'm Green with envy...

If there's anything that can take the edge of a far-to-early US exit from the World Cup it's a cold, delicious, California IPA, and when it comes to California IPAs, Green Flash knows whats up! Before I even cracked the bottle the label has me feeling weak in the knees: 95 IBUs, 7.2 ABV, the warning that the beer is 'extravagently hopped"... this is gonna be good!

Colorado may not exist...

I say that Colorado may not exist because for me, the state of Colorado frequently sounds too good to be true. Fresh air, beautiful mountain ranges, a healthy, friendly populace and dozens of great beer producers... I don't know about you but it all sounds a bit like a fairytale to me. And since I've never actually been there to see it with my own eyes, it's days like today, (as I sip back a few of the states wonderful beers) that I begin to consider whimsically that it may not really exist after all. Perhaps, I think as I day dream, it's really just a clever marketing strategy used to sell craft beer to the masses. As I mull this though over in my mind I lift a too-light pint glass to my lips and raise the bottom higher and higher until I'm snapped out of my day dream by the realization that my pint glass is empty (and quite possible has been for a while) and I am in need of a refill. Determined to get to the bottom of this Colorado mystery I head back to the refrigerator, fetch another cold rocky mountain brew, and return to my desk with a full glass, and a revived determination to get back to the project at hand.

The project at hand, so to speak, was a Tour d'Odell, a parallel tasting of four of Fort Collins based Odell Brewing Company's beers. The beers I tried were: 5 Barrel Pale Ale, Easy Street Wheat, 90 Shilling, and their IPA. Here are my notes, enjoy.
First stop the 5 Barrel Pale Ale. The beer pours a neon-mandarin. The flavors were light and delicious. It's an excellent example of what a pale ale should be. Light but flavorful, effervescent but not overly-carbonated, flavorful but not high in alcohol. There was a subtle but sound hops-presence, and a touch of Orange Peal on the finish.

Second stop, Easy Street Wheat Beer. This cloudy unfiltered yellow-orange beer had all the typical characteristics that a wheat beer should have. It was light, crisp and refreshing, and had a beautiful thick white foam and a long citrusy finish. In generally I try to avoid wheat beers (and pilsners) in the winter but this was one I could make an exception for (What really made this beer special was the finish... it was very long and had hints of spruce and pine-excellent).

The third beer up to the plate was Odells' 90 Shilling. This Scottish style ale was much hoppier, and richer than the pale ale. It was also more creamy, darker and higher in alcohol. My favorite part though wasn't the flavor but that it left little foam rings on the side of the glass marking each gulp as I drank.

I saved the best for last. One whiff of Odell's IPA and my knees went to rubber (actually that may have been the alcohol as this was to be my 4th beer of the hour (what, I working hard!)). The beer was hoppie and pleasantly bitter. It was robust and round, and it was very well balanced. Not a lot to say here (definitely nothing bad to say).

So there it is, my take on four beers from Odell Brewing Company, one of the many fine breweries from my 'el dorado' state. For more photos, check out the beer photos page.

-Prost!
D.Lux

Vegas Baby-VEGAS!

Sin City takes a unique approach to lots of traditional industries so it shouldn't come as any surprise that they would take an equally unique approach to the creation of a micro-brewery. That in mind, on my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I took a few minutes away from the Craps tables to check out Nevadas newest beer producer; Sin City Brewing Company.

Before departing Tempe I had read a couple of online reviews about the brewery. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive and I was excited about the prospect of a high quality brew-pub located on the strip but also I was also tentative (any schmo can write an online review right*). I didn't want to get my hopes until I had the chance to visit and see for myself whether they really were producing quality brew on Las Vegas BLVD, or if, as I feared, it was just another sexy logo in an intoxicating town...

The brewing company is located inside the Flamingo Hotel and is quite easy to find (if, upon entering the main lobby, you are able to avoid the enticing 'ding, ding, ding' of the gaming floor long enough to hang a hard right).

As I approached the 'brewery' I had to summon all of my anti-snobbery not to laugh... At first sight Sin City Brewing Company doesn't look like a micro-brewery, it's looks like a beer-kiosk.

It's located in a part of the hotel sectioned off for shops and restaurants. Over the center of the bar are five brass taps advertising the breweries official logo and the names of their signature ales. I requested the porter, which was tapped-out, and settled for the IPA (my 'litmus test-beer') instead. I also tried their Amber. Both beers were 'okay', and aside from the fact that they were served in a plastic cup** I didn't have any serious complaints about either one of them. The beers weren't overly complex, but they were clean, true to style, and well made.

As I slipped a five-er into the built-into-the bar video poker machine I casually asked Dion our bartender if there was another Sin City Brewing Company (thinking maybe this was the satellite for the larger main building). "There's three actually" he said, and then added with a prideful grin "but this one's the biggest!"

Before long I was out of beer (as well as credits on my video poker game) and the visions of a tiny white ball rolling chaotically around a black and red wheel got too strong to ignore. The night was young, my partner in crime Alan and I paid our tab, and we stepped into the rabbit hole that is Las Vegas.

-Prost!

D.Lux
*hey, no wise cracks about the Dork okay?

**I suppose if they'll let you walk out of the bar, into the street, pretty much anywhere, with an open container I can't complain too much about the fact that they prefer your drunk-ass has a cup that won't break when you drop it.

BREW REVIEW - Left Coast Brewing Company Torrey Pines IPA

As a golfer, the first thing I think of when I hear 'Torrey Pines' is Tiger Woods winning the 2008 US Open at the beautiful Torrey Pines Golf Course in Southern Californian...
Off topic yes, but geographically speaking, not far off at all. The Left Coast Brewing Company is based in San Diego, CA and their beers are mostly distributed throughout SoCal and Central Arizona (sorry East coast readers). They are a fairly small brewery and only produce six year-round styles. I have never tried any of their brews so I decided to start with their India Pale Ale. I decided this for two simple reasons; first, IPA's are one of my favorite styles of beer, and second, I believe that IPA's are a good litmus test for the overall quality of a small breweries product. If I try an IPA from a small producer and it's sub-par, I can probably skip the rest of their beer without missing anything Earth-rattling.

So, what did I learn about Left Coast Brewing Company when I cracked open their IPA? Let's get right to it with another installment of the BREW REVIEW!


A Bitter Sevilla Orange aroma was evident the moment I opened the bottle and as I poured the beer into my glass, the aroma magnified ten-fold. The beer had a bright yellow-orange color, great clarity, and an excellent effervescent quality. At first pour it looked like I was in for quite a treat! Unfortunately, once I got beyond the aroma and took my first sip, the only part of the Sevilla Orange that came through was the bitter orange peel. I was a little disappointed.

Not one to give up easily, I took a few more sips and was pleased to find that after the beer had some time to breathe, many secondary flavors, much more subtle than the bitter orange, slowly started to come through. There were pine nuts, hints of white pepper, and even a strange mix of melons and sour fruits that rounded out the intense bitter taste of orange peel. I continued my investigated and was further pleased to discover that as the intense carbonation gradually dissipated, as that happened, the intense bitter characteristics seemed to mellow substantially.

Alan St Louis, always willing to lend a hand in emptying a bottle of craft beer, allows me to fill his glass and after a few thoughtful sips suggests that: "with an aftertaste the length of California, and the width of India, this is one California IPA I won't soon forget."

Well put Alan, well put.

By the numbers, I give it a 5/10 [Flavor 5/10, Balance 4/10, Complexity 6/10].

-Prost!
D.Lux

BREW REVIEW - Deschutes Brewery Hop Trip

Deschutes Brewery, based in Bend, Oregon, has been producing craft beers for over two decades. It's a fun brewery with a 'try-anything' attitude that produces a wide variety of unique and interesting beers. They make seven year-round varieties, four seasonal ales, four age-worthy beers in a 'Reserve' series, and three more beers in what they call the 'Bond Street Series' (after the street on which the brewery resides).
Today I'm reviewing their Hop Trip which is part of the Bond-Street-trio. Before I jump into my BREW REVIEW though, I want to take a minute to explain why I selected this beer.
First, it should be know that Deschutes Brewery has a reputation for making hop-heavy beer. This tidbit alone is enough reason for me to pick one of their beers as I'm a bit of a closet hop-a-phile, but it's actually the unique production method that specifically drew me to Hop Trail. Allow me to explain.
A few years back the guys at Deschutes Brewery, a somewhat flamboyant hop-a-phile group, decided they wanted to make a beer that captured the natural flavors of hops 'fresh off the vine'. Most breweries make a beer hoppie by adding more dried hops, or hop-pellets. Deschutes wanted to brew a beer that would capture the fresh, green qualities of the hops. You see, the Deschutes crew were well aware that the essential oils in hops are most prominent when the hops are freshest meaning that as soon as they're cut from the field, the oils begin a gradual decline. This in mind, they set out to make a beer with Hops that spent the least amount of time possible from harvest to production. The least amount of time possible as it turns out is about three and a half hours, and that's exactly how long the Crystal Hops used for the production of Hop Trail spend between harvest and the kettle. The result they hoped would be a light, fresh, clean ale, with huge hop-flavor.
So, with all of that said, here is my BREW REVIEW
Wow, Fabulous. That's all I have to say...
Simple review? Good! It's a simple beer. It's like a good cut of steak, slow cooked over an open flame. No marinades, no seasonings, no steak sauce, just good, simple, basic ingredients, prepared with care, and easy to enjoy.
I wish the Hop Trail was the 'American Standard' instead of B*dw**z*r or M*ll*r. I think if that were the case, the rest of the world would have much greater respect for America as a beer producing nation.
If I were to compare The Hop Trip to a wine I'd say it's like a quality Beaujolais: fresh, fruity, honest, and uncomplicated. It's a celebration of hard work, and of the fall harvest, It can be enjoyed with just about any type of meal, or just by itself. By the numbers, I give it a 7/10 [Flavor 8/10, Balance 8/10, Complexity 6/10].

Oh, and did I mention it's only available through December? GO GET SOME!

-Prost!
D.Lux

P.S. Back in '06 FFEfilms followed the Deschutes crew around and captured the experience, the result was this pretty cool short film-Check it out!

BREW REVIEW - Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra IPA

I first discovered Lagunitas back in 2006. At the time I was tending bar at Frasca in Chicago. Although predominantely a wine bar, Frasca has a decent beer list and maintained three taps with rotating beers. Our chef, Robert Kabakoff, was a California transplant and a huge fan of the Lagunitas Brewery. As a result, Lagunitas’ India Pale Ale had a semi-permanent home on the ‘far left tap’. I found it to be a wonderful little beer and was pleasantly surprised by how much a mere 16 ounces could increase the enjoyment of my end of night clean up duties. When I saw that the Lagunitas Brewery released a limited edition IPA called ‘Little Sumpin’ Extra IPA’ I couldn't resist giving it a try!

So, how does it taste?

Well, my roommate and fellow beer aficionado Alan (he mostly drinks Budweiser but please don’t hold it against him; he’s from St Louis) opines that: “it has an intelligent, almost smoky taste; I like it!”

Me? Well I think it’s a pretty good beer too. It has a wonderful golden honey color and a high acidity that makes the mouth salivate almost instantly. It’s extremely effervescent, and its strong citric flavors are caped off by a pleasantly bitter, hop-heavy, finish. The alcohol level is a little high (8.4% ABV) and becomes apparent on the finish. While the Little Sumpin' extra has far too much flavor and pizzazz to be categorized as a ‘lawnmower beer’ it’s definitely a brew that would be best enjoyed while playing Cornhole (or just sitting in a lawn chair) on a hot summer day--think, hanging out on a rooftop with good friends mid-July, drinking this beer and chowin’ down on mahi mahi tacos, with a creamy chipolte-mayo … (ahh…[more salivating]).

So, all in all it’s a good beer, with a great backbone, and a nice crisp flavor. The only thing I don’t like it is that it has a tad too much heat. By the numbers I give it a 6 out of 10. [Flavor: 7/10, Balance: 5/10, Complexity: 6/10].

Prost!
-D.Lux