News: "Brewmasters" has been cancelled!

According to BeerAndWhiskeyBros.com, Discovery's new series on brewing has been cancelled after just five episodes.  The initial season centered on founder Sam Calagione and his microbrewery, Dogfish Head Brewing Co.  This comes at a time when craft breweries are exploding and finally getting the recognition they deserve.  When I first heard the news, I assumed it was because the show lacked viewers, but I was wrong. According to the Twitter Feeds of Anthony Bordain, the host of Travel Channel's, "No Reservations," there was a much bigger reason for cancelling the series.

According to Anthony Bordain, the big beer companies, such as Anheiser-Bush and Miller, threatened to pull all their advertising on Discovery if it didn't pull the plug on the show.  There is no doubt that these big beer companies spend millions of dollars a year for ads on Discovery to push their crappy beer, and that is certainly a hit that Discovery can't afford to take.  While I have no resentment towards Discovery for canceling the show, this is just another stunt pulled by big beer to completely stunt the growth of craft beer.  So, the first show in history geared toward the amazing process of craft brewing gets canceled due to the greed of big beer. Pretty pitiful of AB and others, if you ask me. On the bright side, it shows their growing fear of craft breweries.

I just hope that during the short time the show was on the air, Dogfish Head Brewing Co. gained some attention and continues to thrive. The reality of this situation shows that as long as big beer continues to dominate the beer market, we will NEVER see another show on television about craft brewing. Too bad, because I was really looking forward to another season of the show, along with other beer geeks. The good news: I now have yet another reason to hate BMC (Budweiser, Miller and Coors). They are making it way too easy to despise them.

Review: Ellie's Brown Ale

Avery Brewing Co.

Grade:  B+

Appearance: Pours a very deep, dark rustic brown with a light brown head that leaves solid lacing.

Smell: Mmmm. Nice smell! Dark chocolate and coffee are apparent, along with roasted nuts, caramel and a hint of light fruit.

Taste: It begins with dark chocolate, brown sugar and roasted malts.  Coffee flavors peak through, and then become more noticeable in the finish.  It finishes with a mild hop bitterness that barely balances out the coffee notes at the end.  It is almost a hybrid of a stout and brown ale.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with light carbonation.  It has a pretty have mouthfeel for a American Brown Ale. Very creamy and smooth, almost to the point of a stout or porter.  However, as it warms, the body begins to get thinner and the carbonation is felt more strongly.

Drinkability: This one is pretty tricky.  While the body is creamy and heavy in your mouth, it feels lighter going down the hatch.  Pretty impressive.  I could drink a couple of these with no problems, as long as its not right after dinner.

Overall: A very good brown ale.  What I really enjoyed about this brew and what sets its apart from other brown ales that I have had is the creamier mouthfeel and light overall body, before it warmed up.  Had the mouthfeel remained the same through to the last sip, it would have received a higher score.  Nonetheless,  I suggest you give this one a try if you come across it.  Good stuff. 

Review: Prima Pils

Victory Brewing Co.

Grade: B+

Appearance: Pours a pale, pilsner style golden yellow with a small head that disappears quickly. but leaves decent lacing.

Smell:  Fresh cut grass jumps out, along with citrus, lemon and flowery hops.

Taste: Grassy and herbal hops take center stage here.  Very hoppy compared to a traditional pilsner.  The base malts are a bit bready, but well hiddin by the hops.  The yeast takes a back seat, but is easy to find if I look for it.  

Moutfeel: A big European flavor that is light and crisp.  The high carbonation cleansed the pallet and left the mouth dry from all the hops.

Drinkablity: Very strong. The high hop character sets it apart from other pilsners.  The dry flavor is a bit stronger than usual and would have preferred a slightly sweeter finish for a pilsner.

Overall:  This is one of the best pilsners I have had.  It is very smooth upfront, but then suprises ypu with a dry, bitter finish from the hops.  This is an attractive looking, smelling and tasting beer.  I would say this is a must try summer beer.  You won't be disappointed.

The Best of the Cheap Beers

It's summer time and the season for light, American macro lagers.  These beers are mass produced and made with adjuncts like corn, rice and very little hops.  Budweiser, Coors and Miller are the poster brands of this style.  They are affordable and can be light and refreshing while on the beach, at the pool and during BBQs.  As I am embarrased to admit, I happen to dabble in a few of these brews when the temperature gets high enough.  So, if your at a party and the ONLY options are these American macro lagers, which one(s) should you choose?  Let this be your guide.

1.  Pabst Blue Ribbon

This may seem like the beer your grandpa used to drink back in the day, but it is my preferred brew when it comes to light lagers.  It doesn't have the fullest of flavors, but it's smooth without that nasty adjunct and metallic aftertaste.  While the flavors aren't very present, there is nothing offensive about this beer and is about 30% cheaper than BMC (Bud, Miller, Coors).

2.  Coors Orginal

The self-titled, "Banquet Beer" is actually the best of the original BMC beers.  There is actually some malt sweetness that goes along with some hops.  This is the beer I am looking for that has some malt sweetness and is easy to drink.

3.  Miller Highlife

The Champagne of Beers.  This beer doesn't have much malt and hops, but the extremely high carbonation and light body  hides its flaws and makes this a pretty drinkable beer.

4.  Rolling Rock

While this is an American macro lager, it is still a very overpriced beer.  It is very much like Past Blue Ribbon, with a little less hops and a higher price.  But it is still one of the better light lagers available.

5.  Miller Genuine Draft

While this beer has a slight wedge of malt, it is very thin in body and taste.  There are a lot of undesirable off flavors that show up beyond the malt sweetness.

6.  Budweiser

The most over-marketed, over-sold crappy beer in history.  There is nothing more to say.   It pretty much tastes like carbonated water with some grains, rice and alcohol mixed in. 

7.  Corona

While this isn't an American made beer, it is crafted in the American light lager style.  The taste reminds me of spoiled beer with some corn.  A lime wedge is essential when drinking this beer.  Word of advice: Drink this beer in a can whenever possible.  The clear bottles the beer comes in "skunks" it and makes this a struggle to drink.

8.  Miller Lite

By far, my favorite of the American light "light" lagers.  It contains more hop character than Coors Light and Bud Light.

9..  Bud Light

See my comment for Budweiser.

10.  Coors Light

No comment necessary.  The worst of the worst.

Innovations That are Changing the World of Beer

Here is a set of great ads by Breckenridge Brewery mocking the magnitude of Bud, Coors and Miller's beer innovations and displaying some of their own revolutionary creations.  What will they think of next?!

Coors Light's cold recognition labels:

How in the world did people manage to figure out if their beer is cold without Coors' labels?! Genius!

Miller Lite's grooved bottlenecks:

Of course grooves inside a Miller Lite bottleneck magically turns swill into delicious beer. Brilliant!

Breckenridge Brewery's gravity activated pouring vessel:

The mother of all new beer innovations --  a beer vessel that activates the power of gravity. Duh! Why didn't any other breweries think of that?!

Review: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale (2011 Edition)

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Grade: A-

Appearance: Pours a dark crimson red with a brown copper tinit.  A nice 2 finger head forms and sticks around for a while, leaving good lacing.

Smell: This is definetely an American Barleywine. Sweet malt with pine and grapefruit notes. Hops and alcohol heat is present as well.

Taste: Strong pine hops lead the way, followed by dark fruits, toffee and caramel. After the dark malts show up mid-palate, aggressive hop bitterness takes over. Grapefruit and pine notes remain way into the aftertaste. Every sip brings a nice alcohol warmth that stays with you long after the bottle is finished.

Mouthfeel: Excellent. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Most of the carbonation is felt at the end.

Drinkability: For a barleywine, drinkability is strong. Despite being 9.6% ABV, the alcohol burn isn't over the top and is actually very soothing. These are best to sip during chilly nights in the middle of winter.

Overall: A really good barleywine. While its not overly complex, the textbook flavors stand strong and stay in balance. Luckily, I bought a few sixers to age and I can't wait to crack 'em open in a year or two.

Review: Titan IPA

Grade Divide Brewing Co.

Grade: B

Appearance: Pours a golden yellow color with a dark orange tint.  It leaves a nice 1 finger head that disappears quicly, but leaves nice lacing.

Smell: Piney hops is dominant, with grapefruit, some caramel and malt sweetness coming through.

Taste: Just like the smell, a sharp pine and grapefruit bitterness begins.  A big malt character of toffee and bread then follows.  It has a very earthy, almost herbal, aspect to it that stays throughout the taste.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium carbonation.  It goes down smooth without leaving my tongue covered in malt.

Drinkability: Despite the big pine punch in the beginning, it is will balanced.  I could drink a few of these a night, although it leaves the mouth dry after a few sips.

Overall: A solid IPA.  It would be a great beginner IPA for those looking to get into the style.  I am not overly impressed with it, but it's still a good brew.