Deschutes is coming!

To our knowledge, Deschutes (the super-fantastic brewery out of Bend, Oregon) will be gracing the good people of Kansas City with its presence in February, 2012 or thereabouts. Here's your opportunity to get ahead of the curve; check out our reviews of Deschutes Hop Henge and Hop in the Dark, just to get your mouth watering. Things are looking up in Kansas City.

Niche Brewing from Fort Collins

My aunt Kathy in Fort Collins thought I would be interested in this story about a solo brewer who is making a name for himself nanobrewing sour beers, using brettanomyces. Sound familiar? If so, it's because our friends at the Blue River Brewers Guild brewed a scottish ale with brett a few years ago. An acquired taste, to be sure, but I acquired it pretty quickly. Interestingly, too, the story appears to suggest this is a brew on premises sort of operation—makes me wish I were in Fort Collins right now…

Now that's what I call a stiff drink!

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, after reading this story about a British brewery that has created a 7.5% ABV IPA laced with Viagra, of all things—because after 3 IPAs, you'll probably need a little help in that department, if you catch my drift. Read on to learn about Pfizer's new chewable Viagra, to appeal to people who are unable to swallow. (Yes, I'm sure there's a joke in there as well, but we're taking the high road).

Work out, then drink up

My wife is always after me to drink more water, and I generally don't have a problem with that; after all, the Reinheitsegebot (German Beer Purity Law) informed us 500 years ago that water is one of the few allowed components of beer, which is where I get most of my water anyway. However, I was pleased to run across this study suggesting beer is preferable to water for recovering after a hard workout—one more arrow in my beer-drinking quiver. Next step: engaging in a hard workout. We'll get to that tomorrow.

Beer: It's not just for breakfast anymo—wait, it is

I'm sick of critics telling us what to watch, what to wear, and now, what kind of beer to have for breakfast (their unhelpful answer is, apparently, none at all). Tell that to the crew of Baltic Sea treasure-hunters responsible for salvaging 5 bottles of what may be the world's oldest drinkable ale from a Finnish vessel that sunk en route to St. Petersburg nearly 200 years ago—those guys deserve a beer (for breakfast or otherwise). The brew, which reportedly is "golden and cloudy, with hints of seawater and a sour odor that expert tasters likened to French cheese," will serve as a template for modern brewers to replicate cheesy, golden seawater beer from the 1800s; I, for one, can't wait. Meanwhile, it's breakfast time—barkeep!

Glassware: Snifter (#7 in a Series)

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

SNIFTER
Snifters are most closely identified with brandy or cognac, but these wide-bowled, stemmed glasses with tapered mouths are ideal for capturing aromas of strong ales—think barleywines, tripels, imperial IPAs. You will look awesome swirling your beer in a cool snifter; for added effect, inquire abour recent fluctuations in the yen, or ask loudly where you can find a gross of canvas bags with dollar signs printed on them. Everyone in the room will assume you're Scrooge McDuck's more successful, human cousin. In short: snifters capture and enhance volatiles and make you look like the guy from the Monopoly game board, so you should buy one.

Which beer styles are suited to this type of glassware?

• American Barleywine
• American Double / Imperial IPA
• American Double / Imperial Stout
• American Strong Ale
• Belgian Dark Ale
• Belgian Pale Ale
• Belgian Strong Dark Ale
• Belgian Strong Pale Ale
• Braggot
• Eisbock
• English Barleywine
• Flanders Oud Bruin
• Flanders Red Ale
• Foreign / Export Stout
• Gueuze
• Lambic - Fruit
• Old Ale
• Quadrupel (Quad)
• Russian Imperial Stout
• Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
• Tripel
• Wheatwine

Where can I find one?

Pier 1 comes through again, by far the best price on these (which they call brandy snifters, but they should hold beer satisfactorily as well). The very idea of enjoying a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot in the appropriate glass should send you running for the nearest Pier 1 like Drew Carey at Cracker Barrel's Sunday brunch when they roll out the build-your-own Belgian waffle cart.

Next time: the stange. Never heard of it? Don't worry, that's what this blog is all about.

Quench your thirst for INFOGRAPHICS

For whatever reason, the office buzzword these days is "infographics"—you know, those neat graphics popularized by USA Today to give us new and interesting ways to display data in a pie chart (like, for instance, make the slices actual pie, etc.). Imagine my pleasure to receive this one, relating solely to strange and wonderful beers. Honestly, if you'd seen this as a bar graph, would you have given it a second look? I didn't think so. (Hat-tip: Dan Barker).

Pizza=Not Death

In these troubling days of obesity and persistent death and Michelle Obama mumbling through mouthfuls of chicken wings and fried ravioli that we're all too fat, here comes a story that restores my faith in human nature and God's good providence: this woman would have died had she not ordered a pizza every day of her life. I can only hope if a Friday evening arrives and the guy behind the liquor store hasn't seen my smiling face, he calls the EMTs to swing by my house.

Glassware: Flute Glass (#6 in a Series)

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

FLUTE GLASS

Of course, Miller High Life is "The Champagne of Beers."* The good news is, there really IS beer worthy of drinking like a fine champagne; at those times, it's good to have a flute around. The narrow body preserves carbonation, enhances aroma and color and basically makes your beer look its best. It should be apparent when it's appropriate to drink your beer from a flute:

• When you're at the White House
• When you're holding a giant publisher's clearing house check with your name on it
• At the midpoint of "Minstrel in the Gallery" at a Jethro Tull concert
• When you have a beer ready to drink and hey, there's a flute
  

There are many beers with champagne-like attributes; they may be dry, or effervescent, or aromatic, whatever. Use your best judgment. If you have a New Glarus Raspberry Tart and you choose not to swig it directly from the bottle, a flute would be appropriate.

Which beer styles are suited to this type of glassware?

• American Wild Ale
• Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
• Bock
• Czech Pilsener
• Dortmunder / Export Lager
• Eisbock
• Euro Strong Lager
• Faro
• Flanders Oud Bruin
• Flanders Red Ale
• German Pilsener
• Gueuze
• Lambic - Fruit
• Lambic - Unblended
• Maibock / Helles Bock
• Munich Dunkel Lager
• Munich Helles Lager
• Schwarzbier
• Vienna Lager
• Weizenbock

Where can I find one?

Amazon.com has these, which look like they'll do the job.

Next time: snifters! Grab a cigar and we'll do this thing.

*Ben will give me no end of grief for insulting his beloved High Life. He's from Nebraska, hence his love of beer that's chock full of corn (and yes, I'm from Iowa, but that's neither here nor there).

Glassware: Pint Glass (#5 in a Series)*

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

PINT GLASS

There are two kinds of pint glass: the 20-oz. Imperial, or Nonic, which has a slight ridge toward the top; and the more common (in the U.S., anyway) 16-oz. Tumbler. As you'll see below, there is a long list of beers that it's appropriate to drink from a pint glass. They're easy to find, easy to store, and cheap. It's not difficult to find a wide selection of your favorite brewers' pint glasses reasonably priced online (Grandstands, for example, has a nice selection here, sorted geographically).

Pint glasses are ubiquitous; you probably have at least one at home right now. The point is, if you are drinking beer, use at least a pint glass—don't swill it out of the bottle like a troglodyte (unless, that is, it actually IS swill, in which case it doesn't matter).

Which beer styles are suited to this type of glassware?

• American Adjunct Lager
• American Amber / Red Ale
• American Amber / Red Lager
• American Barleywine
• American Black Ale
• American Blonde Ale
• American Brown Ale
• American Dark Wheat Ale
• American Double / Imperial Stout
• American IPA
• American Malt Liquor
• American Pale Ale (APA)
• American Pale Wheat Ale
• American Porter
• American Stout
• American Strong Ale
• Baltic Porter
• Berliner Weissbier
• Black & Tan
• California Common / Steam Beer
• Chile Beer
• Cream Ale
• English Barleywine
• English Bitter
• English Brown Ale
• English Dark Mild Ale
• English India Pale Ale (IPA)
• English Pale Ale
• English Pale Mild Ale
• English Porter
• English Stout
• English Strong Ale
• Euro Dark Lager
• Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
• Foreign / Export Stout
• Fruit / Vegetable Beer
• Happoshu
• Herbed / Spiced Beer
• Irish Dry Stout
• Irish Red Ale
• Low Alcohol Beer
• Milk / Sweet Stout
• Märzen / Oktoberfest
• Oatmeal Stout
• Old Ale
• Pumpkin Ale
• Russian Imperial Stout
• Rye Beer
• Sahti
• Saison / Farmhouse Ale
• Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
• Scottish Ale
• Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale
• Smoked Beer
• Winter Warmer
• Witbier

Where can I find one?

Geez, anywhere. If you have the time and are willing to risk potential disappointment, check out a TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Gordman's or other such store–they often carry drinkware sets at bargain prices. If you'd rather order online, you can get a nonic with the Stone logo here for $7.95 (plus shipping). So not only do you get a nice glass, you can send the message that you know good beer (regardless of whether it's available where you are). 16 oz. Tumblers can be found pretty much anywhere–your favorite brewery would be a good start. Otherwise, do a google search. Whatever you're into, there's likely a pint glass for it. Harry Potter fan? Check. Beanie Baby collector? Check. And so on.

Next time: flutes! Not just for champagne–there are beers that are ideal when drunk from a flute (while listening to Jethro Tull's Warchild, if possible).

This Day In Beer

The Gottfried Krueger Brewery sold the first canned beer in Richmond, Virginia on January 24, 1935. Seventy-five years later, we can enjoy Ska Modus Hoperandi in cans whenever we want. God bless you, Gottfried Krueger, wherever you are! (Hat-tip: my dad, Mike Loehrer. Thanks, Dad!)

Glassware: Weizen Glass (#4 in a Series)*

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

WEIZEN GLASS

With their thin walls and length, Weizen glasses emphasize a beer's color and allow for sufficient headspace to contain the foamy heads associated with wheat beers. Most Weizen glasses contain a bit more than a pint. Many people take their wheat beers with a circle of lemon or orange; don't do this! Citrus will ruin the head, and you want a nice foamy head, the trademark of a good wheat beer. Plus, in our humble opinion, a lemon in your wheat beer makes you look like a piker.

Which beer styles are suited to this type of glassware?

• American Dark Wheat Ale
  
• American Pale Wheat Ale
• Dunkelweizen
• Gose
• Hefeweizen
• Kristalweizen
• Weizenbock

Where can I find one?

These are a little tougher to find, but the Mikasa website has a set of 4 for around $40, which isn't terrible (or you might consider this cool assortment of glasses, including a pils glass, footed tulip glass and weizen glass, for the same price).

Next time: the ubiquitous pint glass. See you soon.

Glassware: Pilsner Glass (#3 in a Series)*

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

PILSNER GLASS

A pilsner glass is a tall, slender, tapered (sometimes trumped-shaped, or flared) glass that "captures the sparkling effervesces and colors of a Pils while maintaining its head." So there you go.

Which beer styles are suited to this type of glassware?

• American Adjunct Lager
• American Amber/Red Lager
• American Double/Imperial Pilsner
• American Malt Liquor
• American Pale Lager
• Bock
• California Common/Steam Beer
• Czech Pilsener
• Doppelbock
• Dortmunder/Export Lager
• Euro Dark Lager
• Euro Pale Lager
• Euro Strong Lager
• German Pilsener
• Happoshu
• Japanese Rice Lager
• Light Lager
• Low Alcohol Beer
• Maibock/Helles Bock
• Munich Dunkel Lager
• Munich Helles Lager
• Schwarzbier
• Vienna Lager
• Witbier

Where can I find one?

Pier One comes through with this simple yet elegant $4 pilsner glass. $4!

Check back for the next installment—don't drink a dunkel or guzzle a gose before you've read up on Weizen glasses!

Glassware: Tulip Glass (#2 in a Series)*

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

TULIP GLASS

A tulip glass is a stemmed glass shaped like a tulip (duh). The body of the glass is bulbous, and the top pushes out to form a lip that captures the head. This shape serves to trap and enhance volatiles. What's a volatile? Glad you asked! Volatiles are compounds that evaporate from beer and create aroma–"hop oils, or yeast fermentation byproducts like alcohol, fusels and fruity esters, spices or other additions." Meaning things that contribute to the aroma that is a crucial component to enjoying a beer. A glass that retains a healthy foam head can enhance aroma and result in optimal beer enjoyment, which is the whole point. Anyway, some of my most memorable beer drinking experiences (Double IPAs, for example) have occurred within a tulip glass.

Which beer styles are suited to this type of glassware?

• American Double / Imperial IPA
• American Wild Ale
• Belgian Dark Ale
• Belgian IPA
• Belgian Pale Ale
• Belgian Strong Dark Ale
• Belgian Strong Pale Ale
• Bière de Garde
• Flanders Oud Bruin
• Flanders Red Ale
• Gueuze
• Lambic - Fruit
• Quadrupel (Quad)
• Saison / Farmhouse Ale
• Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy

Where can I find one?

Again, Crate and Barrel comes through with this sweet 16 oz. Bruges beer glass. For a measly $5.95, you can sip a saison, imbibe a Belgian Ale or quaff a quadruple content in the knowledge you're maximizing your drinking enjoyment.

Next time, we explore pilsner glasses, as I was rummaging through our cupboards and realized we have a set of 4 we received as a wedding gift ten years ago and never used. Cheers!

Glassware: Goblets (#1 in a series)*

*Special thanks to the wise men at Beer Advocate for the source material.

If you're anything like me, you've often wondered "How can I maximize my beer drinking experience?" Part of it, obviously, is consuming quality beer–like, say, M&B beers. Another element that is often overlooked is your choice of drinking vessel; certain beer styles are best experienced in certain glasses. We will identify the various styles of glassware available (there are more than you'd think!), discuss why they're particularly suited to a particular beer style, list the relevant styles and (where possible) provide a link to an affordable example of the glass in question. Ready? Here we go, starting with…

GOBLETS/CHALICES

Goblets are longer and more delicate, while chalices are sturdier, thicker. Either way, you look cool drinking out of one. By scoring the inside bottom of the glass, a CO2 nucleation point (i.e. a point where bubbles begin to form) is created, resulting in a stream of bubbles and perfect head retention.

Which beer styles are suited to this style of glassware?

• Belgian IPA
• Belgian Strong Dark Ale
• Berliner Weissbier
• Dubbel 
• Tripel
• Quadrupel (Quad)

Where can I find one?

Consider the Miguel All-Purpose Goblet from Crate and Barrel (pictured here). At $6.95, it's sturdy and masculine without being obnoxious. Made in Mexico from recycled glass, each one is unique–like beer itself.

Enjoy! Next time we'll talk about Tulip Glasses, so try and contain yourselves.

Payton Kelly

Here's a neat story in the KC Star about Payton Kelly, the in-house creative director who has designed all 30 of Boulevard's beer labels. The "don't LABEL him" pun notwithstanding, a neat little piece for people who (like me) appreciate beer AND design.