Stillwater Artisanal event at dig beer baR 4/18/2014

Brian Strumke, the brewer of Stillwater Artisanal, came to Osaka's dig beer baR (yes, it is written that way) last week for the Japan launch of his beers

One of a fairly limited class of gypsy brewers, itinerant beer-makers who use other breweries facilities and equipment to create their beer, Brian has worked at many places throughout Europe and the United States. Stillwater has been selected as one of RateBeer's Top 100 brewers in the world the past four years in a row.

Brian is in Japan for a number of events, including Tokyo Beer Week, a Meet the Brewer event at Tokyo's Watering Hole, and a simple beer party at Osaka's Asahiya Liquor Shop.

Brian gave a brief talk, in which he explained how he works and why he makes the Belgian-inspired beers that form the the greater part of Stillwater's list.

                                       Brian with Nishio-san of dig beer baR

                                                Brian w/ Albert Kuwano (of AQ Bevolution) translating

I had a chance to speak with him and asked him how he decides where to make his beer.
His answer was simple and judicious: he goes to breweries he admires and with whom he wants to work.

Stillwater's distributor, AQ Bevolution, obtained a good selection of beer for the event, inlcuding Classique, Stateside Saison, Why Can't IBU, Cellar Door, Folklore, As Follows, and Existent.

Here are a few of the beers we sampled and how they shaped up:

Stateside Saison
Mild peach and tangy apples, some funk. Hazy light straw color. Light tangy fruit mix / mid has little spikes of roughness and some light hopping emerges / fades slowly into nips of bittering. Smooth. Very mild and pleasant. 

As Follows 
Fruity aroma, estery, peaches -- similar to Stateside Saison, but bigger. Pale champagne color. Sharp fruit, alc. spiked peaches / yeast and more fruit / some alc. warmth / dry finish. Medium body, warm on the tongue. A kind of blondish fruity tripel.

Why Can't IBU?
Nice floral nose, light peaches and a touch of funk. Cloudy apple juice color. Light tang and good bittering, punchy peach. Thin-medium body, with a yeasty pull. Saison-y... but the hops really come through nicely.

Existent
Dirty dark fruit nose, with esters and some funk. Dark brown with ruby highlights. Nice melange of dark fruits and sweetness / a bit of rude fermented dates / trickles of chocolate with some sourness. Medium body.The flavors are mildly defined and sneak through one by one.

Folklore
Mild fresh-squeezed darks fruit aroma, prune juice, some yeast. Medium dark brown, flat. Light melange of raisins, prunes, and dates. Light chocolate roast emerges in mid palate. Decided alcohol warmth. Medium body and just a little spritzy. Fun on the tongue. A nice take on the Belgian stout style.  

While in Japan, Brian had a chance to make a collaboration brew with Kiuchi Brewery (Hitachino Nest), a blended sake and saison. This should hit the shelves and taps sometime in the next few months. Look for it soon.

 

Japanese Breweries at the World Beer Cup 2014 / ワールドビールカップ2014に日本醸造所

The 2014 World Beer Cup winners were announced on April 11, and three Japanese breweries won awards.

The WBC is the largest (and probably the "most prestigious" -- at least, it calls itself so) international beer competition, and has been held every two years since 1996.

Fujizakura Kogen Beer (better known as "Fujizakura Heights" in Japan) took the silver medal in the South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier category (78 entries) for its Weizen. This beer was also a silver medal winner in 2008.

I’ve enjoyed this weizen on several occasions, and it gives off superb banana and bubble gum aromas. The flavors are quite fresh and fruity, with lemon and then sweet pears.  It’s a fairly big, intense and over-the-top weizen. Fujizakura Kogen is regarded as one of the top craft breweries in Japan, especially for their wheat and smoked beers.

Coedo Brewery’s Kyara won silver in the American-Style Amber group (34 entries). In 2010, Coedo also won a silver medal for its Beniaka.

Kyara is widely available throughout Japan. It has a rich aroma with good hopping. The initial sips provide a solid hit of hopping; the mid palate goes deeper with the hops and then becomes balanced; the finish is mild, malty, and the hops linger on the tongue a good while. Very tasty, and much improved on the version they originally came out with a few years ago.

The big surprise for Japan craft beer fans is the gold medal won by Asahi Breweries for its flagship brew, Asahi Super Dry, besting 88 other entries in the International-Style Lager category. This is the most popular beer in Japan, and is pretty much reviled by beer geeks.

I recently tried Super Dry for the first time in several years. My tasting notes are as follows: A little cardboard and a little grassiness in the aroma. Initial flavors have a touch of hay / the mid palate goes to a harsher grass and some hops make an appearance / the finish is mildly sweet (so it’s not really completely "dry"). Thin body. Not as bad as I remember it (or, perhaps, as I think I remember it…).

Super Dry is brewed overseas at a number of different locations -- the European version at Staropramen, in the UK at Shepherd Neame, and in North America at the Molson Vancouver brewery. I assume the medal-winning brew is the N. Am. version. It is not an all-malt premium lager, as it incorporates a certain amount of corn and rice in order to lighten the body and flavor profile.

Overall, these three medals represent something of a drop off for the nation’s brewers in this global competition.

Japanese brewers were awarded four medals in 2012

and five in 2010

nine in 2008

ten in 2006

five in 2004

two in 2002,

fourteen in 2000

nine in 1998

and one in the inaugural year of 1996

Clearly the field is getting more crowded and more sophisticated. The number of breweries entering the World Beer Cup was 1,403, compared to only 828 in 2012; and the total number of beers they entered stood at 4,754, which is a jump up from the 4,014 in 2012. 

For more information and a lot of statistics, see the World Beer Cup Fact Sheet.

In any case, you should be your own judge. Seek out these three beers (yes, even Super Dry) and give them a go.

Three (fairly new) Minneapolis Breweries

I visited Minneapolis last week. Lots of recent additions to the burgeoning craft beer scene there.

Here are three in the NE section of the city, all within a few minutes of each other.

612 Brew

612 Brew's brewery and tasting room is in a renovated industrial park building. Apparently, the space above the brewery used to be a sort of alternative theater, with puppet dramas and the like -- but gentrification/beerification have taken over. The tasting room offers seven beer on tap. Flights of four generous (7oz.) pours cost $11, and pints cost $5. Growlers also available. The tasting room and brewery share the same space. It was crowded on a Saturday afternoon, and the crowd was decidely older (40s - 60s) than at other places I’ve been to in Miineapolis -- they had The Golf Channel on one TV (if that’s any indication) and women’s college basketball on the other. The beer is okay here. Not the best that the Twin Cities have to offer but not bad at all. Here are the ones we tried:

Gateway Park (Pale Lager – 5.6%)

This little lager had a smooth grassy aroma and a deep gold color. It more or less resembled a pils, but was just a bit too sweet.

Brew Six (American Pale Ale – 5.1%)

Smooth mild fruity nose and a dark amber color. The flavors were peach and light caramel with minimal bittering. The finish seemed like the sweet milk leftover in a cereal bowl after the Cheerios are gone.

Zero Hour (Black IPA – 5.4%)

The aromas were of candyish tootsie rolls with some air freshener floating around. The light sweet malt had some berries notes in it. Fairly decent hopping in a medium body.

Rated R (IPA – 6.6%)

This IPA had a flowery nose and a slight peppery tang. The solid malty initial (caramel or toffee) gave way to peppery mid palate. It featured deep resinous hops that lingered long into the finish. This was the best one we had at 612 Brew.

612 Brew

945 Broadway St NE

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 55413

Tel: 612-217-0437

Hours: W - Th: 4 - 10 pm / F: 2:30pm – midnight / Sat: noon - midnight

Indeed Brewing Company

Indeed has a pleasant taproom in an old renovated brick building, and it's a popular place Lines of people outside waited to get in and there was a bit of a crush at the bar. Artwork by the same person who designs Indeed's labels hang on the walls. No TVs here (thank you)! The service was a bit slow and unsmiling, with only two people working the bar and lots of people buying growlers. Beer here is good to very good. Nine tap pouring, including two casks. No sampler flights were available. Prices are normal: 10oz pours for $3.75; 16oz for $5; and 20oz for $5.50. An enjoyable place with a real sense of identity.

Day Tripper Pale Ale (Simcoe – 5.4%)

This one was on cask, and it’s among a series of limited Day Tripper releases featuring a single hop or a fruit. It had a smooth deep Simcoe nose. Flavors of light peaches with steady hop bittering.

Let It Ride IPA (Mosaic – 6.8%)

A limited cask version of Let Ride IPA. It had a deep fruity hoppy nose, with rich cake. Peaches and toffee, with berries, as the Mosaic hops meld nicely into the malt. The Mosaic works so well in this one.

Indeed / Northbound Hot Box Imperial Smoked Pepper Porter (9.5%)

A collaboration brew, with smoked peppers and cold-smoked malt. A very full aroma of pepper, smoky BBQ sauce, and soy sauce. The initial flavor had sharp peppers, and moved into smooth smoky roast malt, coffee, and then even more smoke. The peppers dominated the lingering aftertaste. They weren’t overwhelming, but rather pleasant and complemented the smoky malt well.

Indeed Brewing Company

711 15th Avenue

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 55413

Tel: 612-643-1226

Hours: Th - Fri: 3 - 11 pm / Sat noon - 11 pm

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

Dangerous Man has been open just over a year now, taking over the space of a former bank building Although it was very crowded, the atmosphere was pleasant and really welcoming. I asked the doorman about the origin of the name: he told me that the heavily-bearded owner's appearance once scared a friend's young child -- and the tyke was reassured that he wasn't a "dangerous man". Fun music on the sound system -- and the bar servers were bouncing to the beat. Very mixed group of customers, but mostly young to middle-aged and hipsterish. Also, the service was fast, with five or six bar servers busy as can be. Six taps, all quite varied. No sampler flights are available. Beers cost $3 for a 10oz glass and $5 for 16oz. The beers were all good to great. If I lived in the area, I’d come back to this place often, just to check out what new brews they have made.

Dangerous Man brewery has been getting a lot a press these day, including this recent article on the CNN web site. It was also voted RateBeer's Best New Minnesota Brewery in 2013. Go there and see why.

Chocolate Milk Stout (6.3%)

A light smooth cocoa nose. Wonderful sweetish dark roast maltiness with coffee, chocolate, and Ovaltine. Like a slightly boozy breakfast drink.

Vienna IPA (6.6%)

Solid roast malt, with a decidedly IPA nose. Good hopping and sweet caramel. The bittering went on and on. Much more body than a typical Vienna and less than an IPA. An interesting hybrid.

Batch 100 IIIPA (12.4%)

A real monster, with aromas of roses, tropical fruit, massive citrus hopping, and severe alcohol fumes. Thick rich caramel flavor, with peaches and some toffee – the alcohol warmth was also considerable – and it had an endless tongue-scraping hoppy finish. This one goes way beyond any normal imperial IPA. Thick and bit sticky, but very good.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

1300 2nd St NE

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 55413

Tel: 612-209-2626

Hours: T-Th: 4 - 10 pm / F: 3pm - midnight / Sat: noon - midnight

Dirty Hands Brewing Company

The day after our busy run through Portland for Zwickelmania 2014, I thought I'd seek out a quieter locale. Vancouver, WA, just across the river, is just such a place. Although it is the fourth-largest city in the state (pop.161,791), the old downtown area has a decided small-town atmosphere.

I was hoping to visit a couple of the breweries and brewpubs there, but it seemed that all but one are closed on Sunday. The only one that was open was Dirty Hands Brewing Company.



Co-owner and brewer Phillip Chou had experience in both the beer (Miller) and wine (Gallo) businesses, and he opened Dirty Hands in November 2013. The building has an old style charm, and the interior features clean and lean decoration, with several New Deal era and progressive labor-themed paintings on the walls

I was just about the only customer at the time, and he was more than happy to give me a tour of the basement brew area. It has a small, 3.5 barrel system and four fermenting tanks. The building had long been the home of a local newspaper, and Phillip found the old thick-walled archive vault perfect as a temperature-controlled storage area for brewing supplies.
 
There were six beers on tap, with all pints priced at $5, and sampler flights of four 4-oz. pours for $6. Growlers for $12. Currently, the food menu is limited to dishes brought in from the catering company next door, but Phillip said that he is planning to install a kitchen soon.

The beers are all clean and flavorful, sort of middle of the range styles, and most have names that call to mind the hard work ethos of the 1930s and 1940s (and, of course, of all brewers anywhere): for example, Lunch Pail Ale, Steel Monkey IPA (reference to bridge builders), and Liberty Ship Stout.

So, when you are not hard at work yourself, pay Phillip and his crew a visit and sample the fruits of his labor.

Dirty Hands Brewing Company

114 E Evergreen Blvd

Vancouver, Washington, USA 98660

(360) 258-0413

Hours: Sun & Mon & Thur: 3 to 9 pm / Fri & Sat: 3 to 11 pm

Web: dirtyhandsbrewing.com

Facebook: dirtyhandsbrewing

Twitter: DirtyHandsBrew 

Zwickelmania 2014

Once again, I happened to be in Portland for this great event.

Once a year, breweries across the state of Oregon host tours in an open house format with short brewery tours and samples directly from the conditioning tanks. In Portland alone, 41 breweries participated.

My friend and fellow blogger, Red, picked me up and off we went.

First stop was Ecliptic Brewing. A fairly new place, it's helmed by John Harris, who worked many years at Deschutes, where he developed many of their flagship brews.

John gave a brief history the brewery and explained some of the steps in the brewing process, while we enjoyed samples of Coalsack Cascadian Dark Ale.

He mentioned that their brew kettle came from a defunct brewery in Japan. When I asked him about it, he said that it came from Fukui but that he wasn't sure of the exact brewery. We had a look at the control panel and indeed the labels are in Japanese.

Next up was Stormbreaker Brewing, which opened two weeks ago. Actually, it is more or less a reopened Amnesia Brewing: same location, same equipment, and same brewer. Had a nice glass of their Mississippi Red.

We wanted to go to Widmer Brothers. Red said that the tour there has beer and food stations along the way. But the line was much too long, and so we skipped it. One of our group is a big fan of hefeweizen, and I imagine that he was a bit disappointed.

Next we went to Lompoc/5th Quadrant, where we sampled their Batch 69 Baltic Porter.

We took a lunch break at the Burnside Brewing restaurant, first visiting the brewery for samples of a new brew, Hasselhofbrau Lager, and then their Spring Rye.

Lucky to get a table there. It got very crowded just a few minutes after we sat down.

Base Camp Brewing is a popular place. We waited in line for about 20 minutes before we got in. Whereas most breweries offered samples of only one or two beers, Base Camp gave us four: Ctrl+Alt+Del (a new altbier); Ripstop Rye Pils (a regular); Celestial Meridian CDL  (dark and spicy); and In-Tents IPL (an IPA style brewed with lager yeast and conditioned on oak chips).

Last was The Commons Brewery. This place has become known for its Belgian farmhouse styles, and we had Urban Farmhouse and a light pils from the zwickel. Then, as a final brew, I had a glass of Brotherly Love... and I loved it.

What a day! Six breweries, three friends, and lots of samples. I'm looking forward to doing it all again next year.

 

New Year's Sampling

We met in Kyoto last week, for the first sampling of the year, As usual, each of us brought 2-4 bottles we’d been hoarding for some time. It’s pretty cold here at this time of the year, and many of the beers we had were extra high in alcohol, ranging all the way up to 16%.

 Here are some of the highlights:

Ølfabrikken Porter  (Baltic Porter, 7.5%)

This was 2-3 year-old bomber. It had a big chocolatey nose, with some smoke and fumes, and nicely sweet dark fruits. The winey, light chocolate initial flavors went deeper into dark some sweet plums and then a bit of umami in the finish. It might have been better to have had this bottle a little younger. Overall, we felt that the body was a touch light for the style.

Two from The Bruery, which appeared in Japan a few months ago:

The Bruery Mischief  (Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5%)

This ale gave off fresh light citrus aromas, with some yeastiness, and light stinky hops. A solid but light malty initial, with touches of grapefruit and orange peel noticeable in the mid palate and some grape skins. The finish was light and so smooth. There were great tangy citrus notes from top to bottom.

The Bruery Autumn Maple  (Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 10%)

Yeasty and big earthy aromas with spice, light chocolate and moderate fumes. The individual flavor components were somewhat difficult to suss out, but we found a strong mix of dark fruit, mild citrus, as well as cinnamon and yams notes balance it out. It was very rich flavor-forward but also elegant and not overly sweet. A great take on a traditional style.

De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666  (Imperial Stout, 10%)

Large doses of deep dark fruits, bitter chocolate, along with some phenolic notes, fumes, light smoke, and berries. The initial flavors were of harsh bitter chocolate with dark berries. It became somewhat lighter and even buttery in mid palate. The finish was smooth but a bit thin. Overall, the palate was wonderful: the flavors floated gently around the tongue. Heavy stuff at first, then it lightened up, and finally landed like a butterfly.

Finally, two outstanding beers from Kuhnhenn, which is a small overachiever from a Detroit suburb:

Kuhnhenn Fourth Dementia Old Ale  (Old Ale, 11%)

This was a 2010 vintage bottle. It had a massively sweet caramel nose, with some moderately aged cheese, raisins, and light berries. The initial flavor was also super sweet: the caramel was intense but controlled, with medium-strength fruitiness. It really had one of the most complex, gentlest aromas -- I spent about 15 minutes just savoring the nose before tasting it. Amazingly good.

Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock  (Fruit Beer, 10.6%)

2012 vintage. The aromas were of jammy berries and light chocolate. A big range of explosive berry flavors right away. The mid palate mellowed into smooth sweet fruitiness, and the final was very lightly bitter. Medium body with just a touch of astringency. Such a great variety of subtle fruit flavors, which never overwhelmed the tongue. It also hid the high alcohol very well. Great!