Foot in Mouth Syndrome - Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

In my last post I talked about the Dogfish Head 60-Minute, 90-Minute, and 120-Minute IPA's.  The 60 Minute IPA is readily available and extremely delicious.  Unfortunately the 90 Minute and 120 Minute IPA's are not as accessible.  Their 120 Minute IPA is an occasional release, probably only making appearances in pubs and beer stores in close proximity to the brewery.

Despite being one of their regular year round brews, the 90 minute has been a tough one to find around these parts.  I've asked some local beer geeks and beer store employees about the availability of this product, and everyone seems to carry the same opinion "Probably not going to see it any time soon."  Bummer.  Well what do you know, barely 24 hours after I blog about the near zero chance of ever seeing this product in our fridges, I walk into the staff room at work, kick off my shoes, look down and see this:

Well, needless to say I had a good laugh.  And let me tell you, it's a good way to start the day knowing that you will be enjoying this legendary beer at the end of your shift.

The restaurant was crazy busy, and the kitchen was hot as hell.  My mouth started watering before I even hit the bar, and after watching probably an entire case of these bad boys leave the bar into eager patron hands, it was now my turn to drink. It poured a clear golden amber with a think frothy head.  The nose was incredible, rich with floral hops and citrusy notes.  It has a very strong, but pleasant hoppy bitterness to it, balanced with a ton of sweet malty goodness.  Texturally I found it surprisingly dramatic, rich and buttery.  Creamy like an oatmeal stout, smooth with lively bubbles.  A fantastic package all around.  At 9% ABV I was feeling warm around the edges after just one (those of you who have worked in kitchens know that cooks rarely eat while working, so more often than not you end up drinking with an empty stomach).  It's a potent brew, if not approached responsibly.  The drinkability makes it a dangerous, but delicious combination.  Lets hope it stays around for a while.

With that I think it's safe to remove my foot from my mouth.  Come down to The Sugarbowl and get it whiles it's hot.

Also, if you can make it, tonight is the Alley Kat Cask Ale night at The Sugarbowl.  The keg will be tapped at 5pm, so be there early.  Hope to see you there!

Meat Beer Rock & Roll

The first day of summer brought us sweltering 30 degrees and thick humidity.  Summer brings joyful days spent in the backyard with family and friends enjoying the best things of the season (in my opinion) : BBQ, Beer, and Rock & Roll.  Slaving in front of a blazing grill doesn't seem all that bad when the stereo is cranked and the beer is cold.  Good company, of course, is always a welcomed plus.  So it's no surprise when that when times are enjoyable, the beer flows extra liberally.

Our almost daily trips to the beer store has brought to my attention some extremely enjoyable summer beers.  After a week or two of consistent drinking, they all tend to blend together in the ol'memory box, but their are a few that still stand out.  Talking about them all in detail would be lengthy, and frankly I don't have the memory to recall all of the details.

BrewDog Zeitgeist : This black lager hails all the way from Scotland.  BrewDog is Scotland's largest independent brewery started by two young friends looking for flavorful beer.  These guys produce some pretty hefty beer with massive flavor profiles and elevated alcohol content.  Their latest release called "Sink the Bismark IPA" packs a devastating 41% ABV content.  The Zeitgeist has a modest 4.9% ABV, but it's full of rich toffee like flavor. It's on the sweet side of things but it's still crisp, refreshing and delicious.  Think of liquid carbonated Tootsie Rolls.  Not selling it for you?  Try it out for yourself.

Red Racer IPA : I couldn't not talk about this wonderful creation.  I've been consuming many cans of this myself, and raving about it to anyone who will listen, so much so I feel I should receive some sort of compensation for my hard work and dedication.  Will work for beer, just putting it out there.  Central City Brewing from Surrey BC has brewed up a huge IPA packed to the ears with citrusy floral hops.  Its hazy rust orange body coats the mouth, rich flavorful malts and immense in you face bitter bite.  I've come to terms with the fact that it might not be for everyone, but I for one cannot get enough. Hook it to my veins!

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA : Dogfish Brewing has a thirst for extreme beer.  Nothing they produce is "normal" by current popular standards.  The 60 Minute IPA is their flagship beer from what I can tell.  Despite being constantly hopped on a 60 minute boil, this beer is well balanced.  The hops aren't to extreme, and the flavor is well rounded.  A crisp and medium body, it's a perfect fit between you and your BBQ.  I pray to the beer gods we see some of the 90 Minute IPA, and even more so the 120 Minute IPA.  Unfortunelty for us in Alberta, at this time the chances are slim to none.

Chatoe Rogue First Growth OREgasmic Ale : These Chatoe Rogue beers are spectacular.  I picked up the Single Malt Ale a while back and it blew my mind.  The OREgasmic ale doesn't disappoint either.  A very ambitious line of beers these guys have produced, using ingredients grown on Rogue's very own micro hop and barely farms.  This beer is a deep amber color, rich in flavor with an exciting hop hit to be expected from any Rogue Brewing product.  I recommend any of the Chatoe Rogue beers, and also suggest buying them up before they are all gone.

Pike Pale Ale : Pike Brewing Company from Seattle Washington has produced a line of extremely enjoyable beers.  I've tried their IPA (quite nice), but the last couple of days have seen a few of the Pale Ale's go down with ease.  It seems to be modeled after the traditional English style Pale Ale with deep colored crystal and munich malts and big American and European Hop blends. Overall a bit on the watery side of medium body, but still flavorful with a pleasant hoppy touch.  Easy drinking, for you and your guests.

Victoria Bitter : While not the best beer in the world by far and in no way craft brew, it's an easy drinking crowd pleaser.  A play it safe lager not big in any of the real beer flavors that might not agree with everyone at the party (We are in Molson country remember), but not terrible enough to deter a thirsty beer geek from drinking away.  I was pleased with the sweet/bitter balance, but flavor wise it was watery and week.  Not something I would personally go out and buy for myself, but if someone offered me one I wouldn't say no.

Stay tuned for more summer rambles and suggestions. Have a good summer!

Also in the news, Alley Kat Cask Ale Night at The Sugarbowl this Thursday June 24th.  One cask conditioned version of an American Style Steam Beer.  Cask is tapped at 5pm, be there early to get your taste or you will miss out.

Yellowhead Brewing Company German Style Lager

The new kids on the Edmonton Craft Brewing scene, Yellowhead Brewing Company, have been up and running for a good three weeks now.  After reading that their lager was available in 500ml bottle directly from the brewery I decided it would be a good time to stop in and try the brew.

Yellowhead is situated downtown Edmonton in a gorgeous heritage building, with the brewhouse encased in a modern looking glass box built onto one side.  Short lived Maverick Brewing Company was the first to make a go at it with this location, but unfortunately were not able to stay afloat.  I've tried to find information about the demise of Maverick, but I haven't really settled on a definite conclusion as to why they were not able to make it.  I'm assuming because of the central location of the brewery, lease cost must be insane.  The brewery takes up most of the four story heritage warehouse style building, as well as a large space next door.  This area is prime real estate in Edmonton, and with the plans of building the new downtown Oilers Arena Mega-structure only a block or two away, it's only going to get more expensive.  Another theory that I've heard from a number of people is that they spent way to much money on marketing while the company was still establishing its roots, and basically drowning themselves in debt right from the get go.  Smooth move.  Maverick also produced only one beer, a lager. Very similar beginnings these two breweries seem to share, let us hope this one sticks around.

The Yellowhead Lager comes in a 500ml bottle, with an attractive retro prairie pride type label.  It pours a pale amber, the perky effervescence bringing to life a decent white foamy head to the top of the glass. It's sweet and grassy on the nose, with a mild hint of hops.  The flavor is quite enjoyable. Clean and fresh tasting, nice malty base, a round creamy texture with a well balanced subdued bitter.  The carbonation on the tongue is mild, but present.  A very easy beer to drink and a very good representation of the traditional German style lagers.  This beer has been sitting in the bottle for mabey a couple of weeks and it tastes great, I'm always amazed at how the flavor of the beer pops when you have the chance to get it so fresh.  I'm looking forward to trying it on tap, and hoping we can bring it in at The Sugarbowl even just for the summer months as this would be a great summer/patio drink.

I had the chance to meet one of the co-owners of the brewery,  who has been working like a dog trying to tie up loose ends with construction, cleaning, marketing (no website yet), production, bottling, as well as being available to host parties in the beautiful event room.  Despite being spread a little thin, tired, and probably feeling somewhat rough around the edges, Leon was a gracious host, and happy to talk about his new toy.  I asked if they had any plans to produce any other types of beer other than the lager, and at this point in the breweries young life, no plans have been made to expand their product line.  It sounds like they are going to focus on getting their first product out the door and into people's fridges, and become more established before going balls out.

Brewmaster Scott Harris has spent many years brewing in Germany, so I'm sure he's got his lager down, but he must have some tasty recipes gestating in that brain of his.  All I'm saying, Scott, is please don't keep them to yourself.
Show us what you've got.

Redheaded Mistress

She's here folks!

Central City Brewing Red Racer IPA has made the journey across the Rocky Mountains and finally made an appearance in Edmonton.  I have been extremely eager to get my hands on some of Central City's product, especially their IPA.  It seems to be a hit with all the hop heads, and it's managed to get a solid "A" on Beeradvocate.com.

Considering the amount of craft brewers British Columbia has produced, Alberta only has a small handful of the product.  I have spoken to one of the employees at Sherbrooke Liquor about the possibility of bringing in some more BC beers, mainly the Red Racer IPA.  He didn't seem to think they would be sitting on the shelves any time soon, stating that many smaller breweries are hesitant to expand outside of their provincial territories.  Growing means a huge financial investment and tons of paper work, with little guarantee that the product will move from the shelves. Unfortunately losing that kind of money could seriously hurt a small producer.

Well what do you know, barely three weeks after my inquiry about Red Racer, I find it sitting on the shelves.  At almost $17 for a six pack of cans, it's practically an investment in itself.  But don't let the price deter you, as I guarantee you will not be disappointed.  I still have this habit of associating beer in cans as shitty beer.  Growing up in rural Alberta you see plenty of cans, but nothing notably good.  This is a pleasant change of mind.

The Red Racer IPA pours an amber color with a robust head, a really nice looking product.  The excellent use of hops in this brew has given it a hefty scent of pine, citrus tang and rose water of all things.  An interesting mix, but it seems to work amazingly.  Despite a fairly heavy bitter hops bite, the overall flavor is balanced well, medium bodied, and has a pleasant taste that lasts.  My wife and I found it to be a great food beer, she actually found it too strong for her tastes without any food accompaniments.  But I fell in love.

An absolutely fantastic beer, lets do them a favor and make sure their product doesn't sit on the shelf and go to waste.  Mabey we can convince them to send the rest of their brews our way.  Fingers crossed.

Edmonton Welcomes New Craft Brewery - Yellowhead Brewing Company

May 19, 2010 marks the official opening of Edmonton's newest craft microbrewery, Yellowhead Brewing Company.  Expanding our short list of local craft breweries to three!

Named after a beer brewed by one of Edmonton's very first breweries, Edmonton Brewing and Malting, Yellowhead Brewing set up shop downtown in the now defunct Maverick Brewing space releasing their first brew to the public, a German style Lager.

Brewmaster, Scott Harris, originally from Edmonton but trained at Germany's prestigious Doemens Technicum has spent years working in German breweries before being accepted as Yellowheads main man.  I suspect having spent so many years brewing German beer, he`ll not disappoint with his lager.  Unfortunately I have yet to sample the product, but from what I hear the brew is available in 500ml bottles directly from the brewery and soon to be available on tap around the city.

To celebrate the momentous occasion, the brewery was blessed by Reverend Neil Gordon, of All Saints Cathedral.  For his service, the Reverend was paid in beer.  Four pints to be exact.  Stay tuned for more information and tasting notes on Yellowhead Brewing Company.

Photograph by: Ryan Jackson, edmontonjournal.com

Alley Kat Cask Ale Night = Huge Success

Wow, what a night!

Last night was the first Cask Conditioned Ale Night held at The Sugarbowl brought to us by the talented folks at Alley Kat Brewing.  We sampled a cask conditioned version of their staple brew, Full Moon Pale Ale, only instead the beer was dry hopped using Centennial Hops and the second fermentation took place inside the keg.

The keg was tapped at 5 o'clock and served to an army of eager patrons including Alley Kat staff, Edmonton Homebrew Guild members, local beer geeks, and a handful of lucky regulars that happened to be at the right place at the right time.  It was a terrific experience for everyone, who waited patently for the ale to come their way.  Alley Kat brought over their English pump tap for the occasion, which really seemed to slow things down as each foamy pint hand to be carefully pumped from the keg by hand.  But despite the slow pour, the cask was dry in little over an hour.  Unfortunately because of the overwhelming turnout, not everyone got the chance to sample this delightful treat, and the ones who did were only allowed one.

The task of the first pour was given to local beer aficionado Jason Foster of onbeer.org.  That's me with the big shit eating grin just over his shoulder.  I was excited, to say the least.

How'd it taste you ask....well, delicious.  My boss slyly snuck a pint into the kitchen for me and another chef to share in the basement, so we savored our splash of beer happily knowing we were lucky to even be tasting it.  Firstly the dry hopping added a huge fresh citrusy floral nose, with nice fruity notes.  The flavor was full and sweet, with a rich malty base and mild bitterness.  Because it was conditioned in the cask and not artificially carbonated the bubbles were extremely muted and barely present.  You could see them rising in the glass but they quickly disappeared once it hit your tongue.  It was a heavy beer, without the carbonation.  I saw it as a glimpse into the past of what beer was, before highly carbonated lighter beers took over the earth.

With this night being such a huge success, it's been decided that Alley Kat Cask Ale night will be a monthly event to take place at The Sugarbowl (joy!).  The next event planed for the evening of June 24th.  Stay tuned.

Photo borrowed from onbeer.org

Alley Kat 15th Anniversary Belgian Style Tripel

So what if out of eight posts, three of them are Alley Kat beers.

Alley Kat has just released its second in the 15th anniversary series, a Belgian Style Tripel.  A Belgian Tripel is basically a a strong brewed pale ale (this one being 8.2%), associated mostly with the Trappist Brewery, Westmalle. Despite being around since the early 30's the Westmalle brewery perfected the recipe in 1956, and more or less established the Tripel style and name which has basically remained the same since.  Alley Kat has decided to show us their version of this marvelous pale ale in a limited addition, bottle conditioned, 650mL bomber.  This also being the first bottle conditioned beer Alley Kat has ever released.

It pours a hazy light amber, with a gorgeous head of thick foamy white bubbles.  The nose packs a wallop! Rich fruity wheat & malt notes, spicy banana, coriander, with a hint of yeast.  Is this beer or are we baking dessert bread? Very impressive.

The sweet fruity malt flavor is fantastic, lots of apricots and Christmasy spice. Well balanced hops with a pleasant peppery finish. A well rounded medium body with a perky effervescence. The 8.2% alcohol content is masked well behind a yeasty base.

Overall I'd have to say thumbs up to the talented folks at Alley Kat for providing us with yet another tasty treat. I should buy and age these limited addition releases and try them again in six months to see how they stand up.

 To be honest in a world of craft brewers who building some extreme brews, I had always thought of Alley Kat as a "play it safe" kind of brewery. But in light of recent releases, I am learning that they are capable of brewing some extremely magnificent beer.  Unfortunately in a market such as Alberta you must have to hold yourself back and produce more easily approachable beer to appeal to the masses, and of course make enough money to stay alive.  But having a large and loyal group of fans will enable them to really experiment and create some fantastic extreme beer.

Tomorrow evening Alley Kat will be doing a cask conditioned ale night at our restaurant, The Sugarbowl, providing two cask conditioned versions of their popular Full Moon Pale Ale.  This I am excited for.  As for food specials we will be doing delicious scotch eggs, and beer battered fish and chips using Alley Kat's Amber Ale.  I hope to pick the brains of any brew savvy people that might be attending including Jason Foster who writes an amazing beer 101 blog through Sherbrooke Liquor and also manages his own website called onbeer.org.  Incredible what this man knows about beer.

And in other news, I am now the proud owner of a brand new home brew kit!!

I recently celebrated a birthday and my wonderful wife and daughter bought dad exactly what he wanted.  I also recieved a Barons Premium Dutch Lager Beer Kit along with the brewing equipment.  This particular beer kit is a good start for beginners like myself because no boiling is required.  It's fairly idiot proof as long as you are capable of following directions.  It's not the direction I plan to take with brewing my own beer, but it will allow me to get to know how to use all the equipment needed for brewing before buying the raw ingredients and attempting to make beer from scratch.  For a mere $30 you will be be blessed with a good 20L of fresh beer! A pretty good deal I'd say.  But the goal here is hand crafted beer.  So let the home brewing begin!