The Brewmance

Have you ever met someone in a liquor store or bar and just really hit it off? You realized right then and there that you had so much in common, like a love of hops, enjoyment of vinegary sours and a true respect for some weird craft brew styles. That's right everyone, I am talking about a brewmance.

Brewmance is that special thing that happens when a person loves the beer that you also love and you are instantly connected forever. Whether you are in line for a limited release at a brewery or the toilets at a festival, it can happen anywhere and when it does, it changes your world. You discuss beer, you drink beer. Maybe you even exchange numbers and consummate the relationship with a trade from two different beer regions.

My fellow beer geeks, this is a special thing and you should not be ashamed of it. Giving your number to strange men with beards, tattoos and piercings is only weird if it is for sexual favors or to hire a hit. Everyone, embrace the BREWMANCE!

Celebrating Our Independence

 

Happy Independence Day! 

 

To me, the fourth of July is about more than fireworks and burgers on the grill with friends. Not that those things aren't fun or aren't a great way to celebrate, but it's easy to forget the source of the celebration when you're running from one pool party to the next and trying to get your potato salad done on time. So today, I challenge all of us to remember what it is that we're celebrating: Freedom.

 

It's easy to take it for granted, because we're all so used to having it. It's easy to forget all the sacrifices that were made to achieve something that we just expect to be there. It's not just about the bravery of a group of leaders and the changes that were made 237 years ago. It's about all the people today across the globe who are praying for what we have at our finger tips.

 

Clearly, I'm a patriotic person. I'm not saying that America is perfect, I think we can all agree that there's plenty of room for improvement. Even with all our flaws, I think we're all pretty lucky to be here, and to have freedom to celebrate.

So take a moment between all the games and the food, and of course the awesome craft beer that I know you'll be having and be grateful. Give yourself one moment to forget the stress at work, the family obligations, the mountain of housework, and all the little projects waiting to be tackled this weekend. Give yourself a chance to appreciate all that you have, and all that we have.

Beer Gear: Fermostat Kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1655011769/the-fermostattm?ref=live

The Fermostat™
by Caleb Wangerin

3 Days to go as of POSTING!

I don't home brew.  I'll be honest and up front about that.  However, enough of my friends do that I have picked up a thing or two.  One of my long time friends is both a home brewer and a bit of a handy man.  As opposed to spending $50 bucks on a wort chiller he spent $45 to build it himself. When I saw this on Kickstarter I immediately thought of home brewers like him.

Do-it-Yourselfers:  This beer gadget has your name written all over it.  Temperamental yeast being uncooperative because you warmed/cooled the fermentation tank to fast?  The Fermostat™ is your solution.  Automate your labor intensive temperature control with this thermostat.  Totally programable with two powered AC connections built in (1 for heating element, 1 for cooling).  Hit the link or the video for more information!

Devil Dancer

Ohhh, Founders, how I love thee! As someone who has never considered myself a hophead, I've been very happy with the well balanced and exciting IPAs that Founder's Brewing has been bringing to the market. Doom, a barrel aged DIPA, was one of my favorite beers of this year, and Devil Dancer did not disappoint. If you didn't already know, Devil Dancer is a triple IPA coming in at 12% abv. It's actually stronger than a lot of wine out there and that is pretty impressive.

Devil Dancer pours out an awesome reddish color. It has just a slight mound of white head floating on the top. The aroma is a strong hoppy smell, with a bit of maltiness behind it. I was expecting a blast of something boozy, but it was masked well by everything else.

The flavor was incredibly well balanced because all of the individual components were turned up to eleven. The hops were a huge smack in the face on the front of the brew with lots of pine and citrus fruits. It was followed by a seriously sweet malt that helped cut the bitterness nicely and mellow it all out a bit. Then there is a super bitter finish in the far back reaches of your throat that masks the expected boozy heat. I'm not saying that you can't taste the alcohol, because you can, but it is well put together in a way that isn't offensive and really that's what I'm looking for. Everything is balanced, but the hops still shine like they should in a good IPA. Even with this beer being so much more intense then any other IPA I've had, it still tastes like an IPA.

This was a great beer. I am glad I was able to grab a couple so I can save one and see how it ages... yes I know I just wrote an article telling everyone you aren't supposed to age IPAs but this one is 12% abv so I am going to give it a try. I give it a solid 4.

O-Dawg:
My Hippy Beer Guy took one look at me this past Friday when I came strolling in and sprinted to the back of the store bellowing something about Tonka Trucks.  At first I thought he was having flashbacks to his childhood.  Maybe there was something in that beer I gave him last time that I didn't know about.  I didn't piece it together until I saw what he had in his hands upon returning.  In one hand a bomber of RuinTen and in the other two bottles of Devil Dancer.  For this reason alone I encourage everyone to get out of your proverbial shells and get to know your beer guy/girls.

My Hippy Beer Guy knows me and what I like (damn him!).  On one hand it helps him sell beer, seriously I don't think I can ever get out of his store without buying something...  On the other it helps you as a #craftbeergeek to get more information and helps you to refine your pallet based on his/her suggestions/information.

Back on point: Devil Dancer is a complex malt/hop bomb with mischievously high ABV.  When I have one it makes me think of an IPA that is one step away from a barley wine.  You have to go into it knowing and anticipating the ABV's.  Unless you are like The Professor, the balance of hop/malt and the boozy heat is so well done you will be on your ass before you realize too late that it is 12%. Hats off.  Well done!  Here's a Badge!

Did I forget to mention I am a Hop-Head?

Barons Gone Wild: Front Street Brewery

A Baron on vacation is like hanging out with the Red Hat Society on an antiquing trip.  Plans are made.  Meticulous research eats up data plans.  Every shack with the slight offer of new beer is explored, analyzed and resutls are disseminated.

So yeah, I got made fun of and my lady may have realized too late what she had gotten into, especially when I got beer snob pissy at Front Street Brewery.

On the drive from Topsail into Wilmington, there were 5-6 billboards exclaiming how much fun I would have at this brewery.  Like the sarcastic asshole I am, of course I made fun of them.  Seriously, who needs that many billboards for a brewery and then markets it like it's Indiana Beach?  The ADHD got the better of me and I then spent the rest of the trip fantasizing what it would be like if Indiana Beach was a beer theme park.  I know, being me is awesome.

A beautiful old building in historic downtown Wilmington, it was in a centrally located spot.  A giant old hardwood bar, and their "brewery" filled the bottom floor and patrons were shuffled off to the second story loft seating with a beautiful Victorian style ceiling which I admired, considering in was about two inches from my face.  With all the heavy wood and claustrophobic embellishments, it definitely had a pub feel.

My journey to this family and Bro friendly brewery started off on the wrong foot.  They committed the #1 sin of a brewery:  not having the beers on their menus.

 

I ordered what sounded like a weird, funky sour and got pumped. Waitress came back with everyone's beers except mine and told me that they were out.  Annoyed, I ordered another and tempered my mood with the appetizer we had ordered.  A MUG OF BACON.

Once again, she returned with no beer in hand.  Now I'm grumpy.  I don't need to rant on about that but I've been there.  I've been a server, but come on.  If you don't have a beer, then tell the servers so they can tell me AT THE TABLE and not make me wait 10 minutes between each trip.   It's whatever, and things happen, but expect me to be happy about it, especially when my third choice of beer was terrible.

I settled on their Wee Heavy.  I will give this beer a one sentence review, because that is all it deserves.It was flat, bland, the malts were off and it was too sweet, but in a bad way.  They should have taken this beer and dumped it in the Cape Fear river, because at least there it will actually get lost and forgotten.
 

So now I'm annoyed, grumpy, and pissed that I paid $8 for a beer I had to chug out of spite.  From out of nowhere, Front Street Brewery redeemed itself.  My friend quietly spoke up and said, "Luke, calm down and try this."  What followed will be put in my top three Scottish Ales of all time.  Damn. I just stared at it... And then the moment was broken by a BBQ Beef brisket burp.

This brewery is awkward. They either knock it out of the park, or fail.  Hard.

You can't always judge a brewery by its billboards...

 

I give Front Street Brewery a quizzical 3. Should be less, but that Scotch Ale was amazing and the food was decent.

The Wee heavy incurs my wrath with a 1.

I almost made sweet love to the Scotch Ale at the table. 5 heads.