Month: October 2015

Posted on

Beer Profile: Cortland Pumpkin

Profiled by Maria Devan

It’s dark but handsome and pours to style. Copper. Darker than the rest of the pumpkin ales you have seen I bet. Thin tan head that falls fast. Smells good. Modest malt nose heady with some cinnamon and nutmeg in the background. Taste is disappointing. Wet finish, loose body, and watery. No finish no flavor. what happened? As it warms you see a big wet citric flavor on that spice and what happened to the malt which does actually linger mysteriously. This is missing a malt stance. The malt fell apart and what I am drinking is the hops character which is tantalizing. Citric, juicy but not any bitterness is coming through. When I see the spice on the palate I think that is perfect but the malt is missing. Woody hop. There is pumpkin in it and you can taste it there is acidity.

4

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

_____________________________________Beer HERE

___________________________________________________________________

mdMaria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is a great beer writer. That’s Maria in the middle. The other two are not, but they are lucky to have her as a friend. She also recently judged for the first time as a beer judge with Certified beer judge Brent Blanchard, and stewarded for PGA editor Ken Carman, also Certified. Oh, and shared a scary ride home to Ithaca with the latter where Ken got REALLY sleepy. Sorry, Maria.

Posted on

Beer Profile: Ommegang Grains of Truth

Profiled by Maria Devan

Vibrant appearance although quite hazy. Orange and with a tan head that fell spectacularly.

Fragrant. This beer uses barley, wheat oats and rye. The wheat is first to the nose it’s golden sweet scent. The rye is crisp and spicy. It’s very peppery but also has a delectable softer scent. A fruitiness in sweet bread.

This beer is sassy and bitter. Crisp malts are tempered by dryness. It’s very hearty. Brown sugar. A succulent fruitiness as it becomes lighter on the palate because of it’s flavor. It evokes fall in all it’s colorful nature . The oats are a smooth slick feeling. There is a dynamic hop floral. At the very end is a bit of cheek from bitterness that shows off the hops in a brief moment.

When I tasted it I said to myself now this feels like an Ommegang beer. Well made. It’s like it has a purpose. It’s complete it has only one small flaw and that’s that the oats do gather in the finish oily I guess would be the word. Simply excellent and so robust. Heartier than I have seen a beer from Ommegang. These malts have a fullness both in flavor and in finesse.

4

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

_____________________________________Beer HERE

___________________________________________________________________

mdMaria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is a great beer writer. That’s Maria in the middle. The other two are not, but they are lucky to have her as a friend. She also recently judged for the first time as a beer judge with Certified beer judge Brent Blanchard, and stewarded for PGA editor Ken Carman, also Certified. Oh, and shared a scary ride home to Ithaca with the latter where Ken got REALLY sleepy. Sorry, Maria.

Posted on

Exclusive: U.S. probes allegations AB InBev seeking to curb craft beer distribution

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department is probing allegations that Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR) is seeking to curb competition in the beer market by buying distributors, making it harder for fast-growing craft brewers to get their products on store shelves, according to three people familiar with the matter.

In the past few months, the world’s largest brewer has rattled the craft beer world by striking deals for five distributors in three states. Many states require brewers to use distributors to sell their product, and once AB InBev buys a distributor, craft companies say they find that they can’t distribute their beer as easily and sales growth stalls.

Antitrust regulators are also reviewing craft brewers’ claims that AB InBev pushes some independent distributors to only carry the company’s products and end their ties with the craft industry, two of the sources said, noting that the investigation was in its early stages. AB InBev’s purchase of several craft beer makers in recent years means that it is in a position to offer a greater variety of products itself.View of the Anheuser-Busch InBev logo outside the brewer's headquarters in Leuven February 26, 2014. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Want to read more? Please click…

Here

 

Posted on

Say Amen for the Cannabis-Infused Moonshine of Ghana

Ghana, a small nation nestled between the Ivory Coast and Togo, offers a thriving nightlife and delicious, delirious drinks, but you have to know where to go. Luckily, I was visiting my American friend and her Ghanaian husband, who is a prominent member of the Ga tribe, in the capital city of Accra. He knew the town like a priest knows the Bible, and I was promised a fun night out.

Little did I know how it would end.

amenghana2

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Talking Light Lagers with Actual’s Fred Lee and Zach Harper

Today (Tuesday, September 1st) cans of Actual Brewing’s Photon Light Lager will start hitting the shelves of beer stores and supermarkets across Central Ohio.  Intrigued by a craft brewery that chooses not only to brew a light lager but put it in the spotlight, I headed out to Actual this past Friday to get the story behind the beer. At the end of what must have been a busy week Fred Lee and Zach Harper were kind enough to answer my questions and send me home with a six pack for further research.

A photon is a massless quantum of light. Actual Brewing's Light Lager is not quite massless but it aspires to that ideal.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

A Beer Judge’s Diary: Old Forge BIG Beer and Odd Ale Competition

 I stole the pictures for this edition from my own articles because I was too busy judging, organizing and freaking out from time to time, to take pictures… as you shall soon read, hopefully laugh about, and wonder, “How did he get himself into THIS mess?” Story of my life. It’s a good story… mostly.

bjd-265x300

Justin: master brewer from Fulton Chain
Justin: master brewer from Fulton Chain
 No way, not even on the planet Gorforbia: the only place in the known universe where things as weird as what’s happened in my own life, can this year’s competition have gotten more “Odd.” Match name of the competition I created, much? Well, I admit, last year’s was weird too. I mean, almost eaten by a bear? Come on! Thank Modort, the jelly based deity worshiped on Gorforbia, I hadn’t had any Gorfrorbian mustard in my tent. I hear Adirondack bears can’t resist that spicy condiment. Makes it smell like Taylor Swift-look alike, a well known Adirondack bear delicacy.
Richard Mathy's on the left
Richard Mathy’s on the left
 Anywhosie, the great thing about the 2015 OFBB, compared to the 2014 Old Forge Old Ale (last year’s name), is I have a lot of organizing advice and notes to pass on to those interested in running very small competitions. “Why?” Because, I swear, everything went wrong. And, being a big believer in small, specialized, competitions, as well as big ones, I’m sure someone out there might be able to use my experience to help run theirs.
 Last year our entries were about 25: depends on how you count the extra bottle someone sent us that was packed, and entered, as if it were as different entry. Yet it had the same name, same brewer and, when sampled, we determined had to be the same entry… a judgement call the brewer never disputed after post competition contact. I haven’t counted this years yet: all the information I need is about 10 miles away and my place has no roads going to it. I believe we had about 40. We almost doubled the entry level. Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: Old Forge BIG Beer and Odd Ale Competition”

Posted on

Another beloved craft beer has found a deep-pocketed backer

90billboard

A popular Delaware beer with a cult following is taking on a private equity investor, the latest sign of craft beer’s growing clout in the industry.

New York private equity firm LNK Partners is taking a minority position in Dogfish Head Brewery, according to the BeerNet blog. The company and the private equity firm did not return calls for comment.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE