The Thirsty Traveller (part 1)

A London Craft Beer Guide

 

I have visited England three times, the first and most recent trips both culminating in a three day holiday in London. On my first visit in 2010, I visited many of the traditional tourist attractions and drank a lot of Real Ale. Though I found some nice pubs and drank some nice beer, I generally found the London beer scene to be rather lackluster.

Fast forward to 2013, and I cannot imagine a more vastly transformed beer culture if I tried.

When I visited in 2010, there were scarcely more than a half-dozen breweries operating within London. CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) listed thirteen breweries in its 2011 publication Guide to London's Best Beer, Pubs, and Bars. The current edition lists 36 breweries, with several more slated to open within the next year. The city has more celebrated beer bars than one can shake a fist at and the local brewers can barely keep up with demand. As a result, several breweries are planning expansions (two before the end of the month), and the London Craft Beer Craze doesn't seem to be slowing down.

I spent three days in London in February, with the hope of drinking as much local beer as possible. I came with the ludicrous notion that I might be able to taste it all, and I left realizing that I had only sampled a sliver.

What follows here and in the next several posts is an unofficial guide to London's burgeoning craft market, with reviews of my favorite breweries, bars, and beers. There were several breweries I wanted to visit and never made it to, and yet while this list is certainly inconclusive, it hopefully gives the London beer tourist a good departure point. After that, let your tastebuds guide you!


PARTIZAN BREWING
 

It took a while to find: off the beaten path and down an alleyway, Partizan Brewing is nestled amongst a row of industrial garages. Unmarked except for a big "8" above the door, I tentatively knocked and stuck my head in. "Hello?" I asked. "Hi Keith! Come in. Would you like a beer?" Scant seconds later, I was holding a beautiful Pale Ale, brewed with Amarillo and Pacific Jade hops, nicely balanced with tropical aromas and a light grassy bitterness.  

Andy Smith is the head brewer of one of London's newest – and smallest – craft breweries. Having opened just in October, his beer (which is only sold in 33cl bottles) is available at a small number of pubs and bottle shops in the city. He usually brews once a week and can barely keep up with demand.

The brewery itself is small: a row of fermenters on the left, and piles of boxes (with full and empty bottles) on the right. Sacks of grain are tucked in the back corner behind an overcrowded desk, and two whisky barrels sit against the back wall. (One of which was aging a barleywine that promises to be quite special. Its aromas were sublime!)

I asked Andy how we was able to get started, and it was then that I learned just how collegial the London brewers are. Andy used to brew at Redemption Brewery, and when he decided to leave and start his own business, Andy Moffat – the head brewer at Redemption – was encouraging and supportive. Redemption often shares ingredients with Partizan (Andy Smith often uses their yeast strain), and in turn, Partizan shares its ingredients with other brewers as well. (In fact, while I was visiting, the brewer from Brew By Numbers was picking up some yeast for a future brew.)

But it doesn't end with ingredients: when Andy opened Partizan, Evin O'Riordain (head brewer at The Kernel) bequeathed to him an entire brew kit – free of charge. This is a community that doesn't fear competition, but eagerly welcomes new brewers to the fold. 

Partizan produces a rotating selection of IPAs, Pale Ales, Porters, Stouts, and Saisons. Andy was particularly enthusiastic about his Saisons, as they are recipes he is constantly tweaking and changing. I tasted a small sample of his newest Saison (still in the fermentor) which had a lovely mustard seed aroma and a light peppery flavor. (Though it was spiced with black pepper, the beer contains no mustard seed.) It contrasted with his Spiced Saison (6.1%) which, though similar, had more cereal grain and citrus flavors, nice notes of clove, and the black pepper flavors nestled a little more in the background. 

 


Perhaps my favorite beer I sampled was his Foreign Export Stout, an easy drinking 8.6% beer with fantastic coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt flavors. The recipe is based on Young's now-retired 1970 recipe. Despite a particularly simple grain bill (I was surprised at the lack of black patent malt), Andy manages a phenomenal array of flavors that had me savoring every sip.

Partizan Brewing

8 Almond Road

South Bermondsey

London SE16 3LR


BEAVERTOWN BREWING
 

I have often reflected on the sorry state of the American export-food market. While in the US and most of Europe, one can find a plethora of French, Indian, and Italian restaurants, German-style beergardens, and English and Irish pubs. The United States biggest contribution to exported cuisine, on the other hand, is probably McDonald's. Why, I have often wondered, is there not an international market for American BBQ? Be it Kansas City, Texas, Memphis, or Carolina, it represents a uniquely American collection of flavors that is really, really wonderful.

Well, I can worry no longer, for it would appear that Kansas City BBQ has landed in London.

Dukes Brew & Que is the home of Beavertown Brewery in the Hackney region of east London. Beavertown is an example of a young brewery on the expansion fast-track: brewer Logan Plant opened the joint in early 2012, and is already planning an expansion that will double their size and capacity. (The expansion is set to open in mid-March.)

Beavertown regularly brews five different beers: a Rye IPA, a Black IPA, a Smoked Porter, an American Pale, and a Bitter. They also brew an experimental beer each month in their "Alpha Series." Their Alpha Series Saison had just been released the morning I arrived.

I wasn't able to taste everything, but what I did taste was very good. Smog Rocket, their Smoked Porter, is a very drinkable beer at only 5.4%. With mild chocolate and light decaf coffee notes, there is only the slightest hint of smoke in the background. In fact, if I hadn't been told it was a smoked beer, I may not have even known.

The highlight beer was 8-Ball, a 6.2% Rye IPA. I could sit and smell this beer for hours, as it has a fabulous aroma of lemon and tangerine. Brewed with Cascade and Centennial hops, it drinks like a high-citrus IPA with a bit of a kick with the rye really cutting through. The beer proved to be the perfect accompaniment to my ribs and ranks among the best Rye IPAs I've ever tasted.

As for the food, I enjoyed a couple of meaty pork ribs, slathered in sauce with a side of fries. The food is expensive (£10.25 for two ribs, £2.90 for fries), though tasty, and the atmosphere is rustic and fun. The bar also has several guest taps and a sizable bottle list. 

(Amongst the bottles was Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA, and the bartender was clearly very excited about the beer describing it to all of the patrons as "one of the best in the world." I suppose I take the beer for granted; though I like it, I've never thought to give it such lofty praise. It's always interesting to hear a foreign perspective on American beer!)
 
If you find yourself in Hackney, Beavertown is certainly worth a visit, though I highly recommend arriving before 6pm. The bar opens at 4pm, and once food starts getting served at 6, the place fills up fast. There are maybe ten or so bar seats, so if you're coming with a group, call ahead and make a reservation.

Duke's Brew & Que
33 Bownham Road
De Beuvoir Town
Hackney
London N1 5AA


LONDON BREWER'S ALLIANCE
 
The London Brewer's Alliance isn't really a brewery, but rather – as the name suggests – an alliance of several London-area brewers. According to their website, the LBA was founded in 2010 and includes forty area breweries. 

I include them here for two reasons. The first is that it really represents the uniquely collegial attitude amongst the city's brewers. (Case-in-point: the end of their mission statement expresses the intent to "support the improvement of brewing skills among the membership.") The second is that they collectively brewed one of the best beers in the entire city.

Brewed on on the tenth of August, London Stout is a 6.8% beer brewed in the Kernel Brewery. Evin sketched the first draft of the recipe, and each of the other brewers made suggestions or changes until they arrived at the ultimate version that was finally released. Apparently, this is the first beer the Alliance has done together, though there are supposedly plans for doing more.

I was able to taste the London Stout twice: once in bottle and once on cask (the latter was – according to my bartender – the only cask made of the beer). Both are amazing, but the cask version has a richness and a velvetiness that simply can't be found in a bottle.


The beer has rich chocolate flavors with light cherry wood smoke and hints of action figure rubber. (I mean this in the best of ways!) Super smooth and delightfully balanced, there is a slight warming in the back of the throat that gives way to a bittersweet mocha finish.

I don't know how many bottles there are left of this beer, but if you can get your hands on one, do so soon. You can also stop by The Cock and see if they still have it on cask. It's a special beer, and when it's gone, it's gone.
  
 ********

Next issue: The Kernel, Brodies, and many others, as the Thirsty Traveler continues!

Prost!

-keith

Drinking With Bigfoot

A Vertical Tasting of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine

I love beer tastings. I go to beer festivals at just about every opportunity I have; I really enjoy learning about the wide varieties of different beers and being introduced to new breweries or new beers with which I was previously unfamiliar.

But something I have only rarely gotten to experience is the Beer Vertical tasting. As opposed to a horizontal tasting – in which one tastes several different several different beers in the same style – in a vertical tasting, one tastes the same beer (or wine, or scotch, or whatever) from different years or vintages. This demonstrates how the beer ages over time, and provides valuable information: how long is ideal to age this particular beer? Does this beer really get that much better with age?

The first time I was introduced to the wonders of an aged beer was while I was in Amsterdam a few years back. I was at what became my favorite bar in the city, Arendsnest. It's a bar that features at least one (but most often several) beer from every brewery in Holland. I was sitting at a table in the back flipping through their bottle list when I came across a nine year old La Trappe Quadruple. The price was surprisingly affordable, so I purchased it on a whim.

Though a perfectly nice beer, La Trappe has never been among my favorite of the Trappist beers. Yet this aged Quad was sublime. The richness and complexity of the flavors – dark caramelized sugars, rich fruitcake, prunes, cherries, plums, raisins – without a hint of booziness absolutely blew me away. Though I had heard that Quads in particular aged well, it wasn't until that beer that I witnessed the wonders of it firsthand. 

That day changed my life as a beer collector, and it was the day I began my beer cellar.

Even still, my cellar is a tad erratic. I buy what looks interesting, but I tend to buy only one or two bottles at a time, and if I already have a particular beer in my cellar, I'm likely not going to buy another. As a consequence, though I've got a great collection of aged beers, a vertical is pretty much out of the question.

So when my friend Mike called me up and expressed interest in reaching into his cellar to do a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot vertical, I jumped at the opportunity.

Bigfoot is an American-style Barleywine. High in alcohol (9+%), rich and sweet, but with loads of hops, Sierra Nevada's been brewing it every year since 1983. Mike has been buying and cellaring them since 2009 and had just picked up the 2013, so we had a great five bottle lineup on our hands.

 American Barleywines age very differently (though not better or worse) than their English cousins, mainly due to the fact that there is such a higher hop content in the American versions. Consequently, because hop flavor diminishes over time, the beer – as we were about to find out – really changes personality as the years go by.

We started with the oldest and went to the newest. The 2009 vintage drank more like a fortified wine than a beer.  A big nose with brandy-soaked dried fruit (predominantly prunes and raisins), there was a distinct nuttiness to the flavor, reminding us both of Sherry and walnut shells, with a faint bit of coffee grounds mixed in the background. The beer was super smooth with a crazy-long finish, becoming a little bitter in the end; some of those hops were still hanging on!

The 2010 was a bit different, with much more maple coming through in the nose, though the brandy-soaked fruit was still, albiet less, present. Unlike the 2009 vintage, 2010 had a little more upfront bitterness with flavors of grapefruit zest and hop cones. For as smooth as 2009 was in the mouth, 2010 was even smoother, coating the tongue in a velvety sweetness. 

2011 struck us both with its effervescence; highly carbonated, it was the only beer with an actively visible carbonation. It had a much brighter nose than the previous two, and much more of a piney hop flavor. Significantly less sweet than the earlier two versions, there were hints of brown sugar, though the hop flavor was still pretty predominant. 

But when we tasted 2012, we realized that as predominant as the hops were in 2011, they had significantly faded. The 2012 vintage socked you right away with an immediate hop bitterness, though this balanced really nicely with a white-sugary sweetness. Neither of us really detected any of the fruitiness or dark sugar qualities present in the older vintages. 

Last we tasted the 2013 which really took us by surprise: it really couldn't have been any more different. Lots of dry hopped perfume aromas were flying out of the glass, and the mouth had a distinct floral, perfumey lavender flavor with a pine resin background. It is shocking to think how this beer will mature over time.

My favorite? I was partial to the 2009 with the 2010 being a close second, though I would happily drink any one of them again! I'd love to hear your favorite vintages or tasting notes on any of them; feel free to contribute in the comments below.

Mike still has several bottles of each vintage left. We'll try the next Bigfoot Vertical in another ten years. 'Till then...

Cheers!

-keith

 

The 12 Beers of Christmas (part 2)

A Christmas Beer Buying Guide

With this being the second post titled "The Twelve Beers of Christmas," I suppose this is more accurately "The Twenty-Four Beers of Christmas." But after twelve Christmas beers, who's counting anyway?

Without much preamble, I'm going to launch right into the next twelve. Just as in part one, I've included a price guide (based upon a 12oz. beer):

$ = No more than $5

$$ = $6 - $10

$$$ = $10 and up

And while it probably goes without saying, these prices are based upon New England market price.


Mikkeller: Santa's Little Helper 2012 ($$$)

In an effort for symmetry, I decided to start this edition with another of Mikkeller's Christmas offerings. Santa's Little Helper is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. Some sources list it as 9.1%, while others I've seen list it a 10%. Either way, it's a strong beer. (As I had this on tap, I wasn't privy to the bottle. If anyone has had it and can confirm the ABV, I'd be grateful!). The beer was boozy and warming, with robust flavors of chocolate, molasses, buttered rum, and fruitcake. A lovely beer that requires gentle sips.






Brauwerij St. Bernardus: Christmas Ale 2011 ($$)

This has long been one of my favorite Christmas beers. It was also one of the first I had ever had, several years ago. With flavors of rich fruitcake, cherries, almond, molasses, and minerals, it really is the perfect Christmas beer.

To drift into the land of pure subjectivity, in my opinion, I recommend reaching for the bottled version as opposed to the one on tap. While on tap, the beer can be a bit syrupy and sweet with a strong candied cherry flavor. In contrast, when in the bottle, the flavors balance, the sweetness subsides, and the rich darker flavors come to the fore. And if you have a place to cellar the beer, I strongly encourage aging a bottle for a year or two. It really does make a world's worth of difference (just be careful when you pour; this is a highly carbonated beer... as my picture shows!)






Brasserie Dubuisson: Bush de Noël (Scaldis Noël) ($$)

Depending where you are in the world, this beer has two different names. In the United States, it's labeled as "Scaldis Noël," whereas in most of Europe it is "Bush de Noël." There is also a "Premium" version, though I think the only difference is that it is packaged in a larger bottle with a much higher price tag. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, though, please let me know!

Scaldis Noël is a full bodied Belgian Dark Strong Ale (and it's strong, clocking in at 12%), with flavors of browned butter, fruits, dark sugars, and a warm booziness that reminds me of a hot buttered rum. This is a lovely beer to come back to after a night of caroling or tromping through the snow. It should mature very nicely with a few years of age.








Anchorage Brewing Company: Whiteout Wit Beer ($$$)

This beer is amazing, and one of my favorite beers this season. Completely unlike every other Christmas beer I've ever had, it is a wheat beer with brett, lending a bit of funkiness. Super high levels of carbonation, it is an effervescent drink that feels like champagne in the mouth. Lemon curd and tapioca flavors are present. If you can find this gem, splurge and buy one.

Southern Tier Brewing Company: 2XMAS ($)

Brewed in the spirit of a Swedish Glögg, this beer does suggest a mulled wine. Pouring a warm red, there are strong aromas of candied apple and cinnamon, with flavors of cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and mace. If you're looking for an unusual beer that borrows heavily from "Christmas flavors," this could be the beer for you.












Smuttynose Brewing Company: Winter Ale ($)


When I first began getting into craft beer, this was one of my favorite winter ales. For starters, it's very affordable and available at Trader Joes. A Belgian-style Dubbel, it has a richness that hides a relatively low ABV for the style (5.8%). Lots of banana up front with cloves, chocolate nibs, and a slight tartness in the mouth.








Penn Brewery: St. Nikolaus Doppelbock ($$)

Despite the fact that most of the Christmas-beer market is dominated by Belgian-style ales, I have a true soft spot for German-style Christmas beers. This particular doppelbock is surprisingly drinkable with a very light mouthfeel and mild, subdued flavors of chocolate and plums. It really hides the 9% ABV well.









Sierra Nevada: Celebration Ale 2012 ($)

This beer is truly an American classic. Unlike most other Christmas/Winter Ales, Celebration is a full bodied IPA. Notes of pine with a long, dry finish, this is a fresh-hopped ale that is thoroughly delightful. I have found myself reaching for this beer often as a hoppy alternative to the more common rich and malty Christmas beers.








Breckenridge Brewery: Christmas Ale ($)

I was surprised with the strong coffee aroma I got from Breckenridge's Christmas Ale. But those coffee scents were nicely blended with fragrances of orange peel. This 7.4% Winter Warmer has a silken mouth feel with lots of fruitcake flavors, leaving behind a lingering grassy hop finish. Not overly rich, it is pleasantly warming on the way down. A nice Christmas offering, especially considering the price point.







Watch City Brewing: Winter Ale ($$)

Tired of all the rich flavors, but you're still looking for the general flavors of a Christmas beer? Reach for Watch City's Winter Ale. It's smooth and drinkable with no in-your-face profile. Light flavors of clove, cinnamon, and candied fruits make up the body of the beer.







Baxter Brewing Company: Phantom Punch Winter Stout ($)

I'm not sure if Baxter really considers this a "Christmas beer," (the beer is named after a famous – and highly controversial – boxing match. Though ironically the character on the can also resembles the old "Phantom" cartoon strip), but the flavor and style certainly fits. And it's a winter seasonal that I tasted while compiling this list. And I loved it. Strong flavors of coffee grounds, cocoa nibs, and bourbon, with a complimenting vanilla flavor in the background, this 6.8% Foreign Extra Stout comes highly recommended!









Shipyard Brewing Company: Prelude Special Ale ($)
OK, in an effort for full disclosure, I have to admit that I wasn't super crazy about this beer, but it's not really the fault of the brewer. Shipyard brews with Ringwood yeast, which is a particular English yeast strain I am not terribly partial to (although I did brew Churchyard's Thanksgiving Ale with this yeast strain). It is a very polarizing yeast strain; some love it, others don't. Love it or hate it, this beer really displays the Ringwood well with strong flavors of overripe fruit and musky dirt. If you are a fan of Shipyard's beer, or you know that you like the flavor profile of the Ringwood strain, I can assure you that you will like this beer.


Prost!

-keith

The 12 Beers of Christmas (part 1)

A Christmas Beer Buying Guide

I love Christmas. I love the trees, the cookies, the music, the caroling. I love seeing family and friends and exchanging gifts. And I particularly love the beer.

I have to admit, I am sort of a sucker for Christmas beers. Smack a Santa Claus or a snowflake on your bottle, and I will be tempted to buy it. I probably spend way too much money, but I can't help it! Each year I am tempted to try every new Christmas beer I can find, not to mention revisit my old favorites. And they are so good!!

I often get asked just what exactly constitutes a Christmas beer, and it's the fact that there is no real answer to that question that makes them so exciting. There's no official characteristics that a Christmas beer must have; it's really just what the brewer deems most fitting to accompany the season.

Generally a Christmas beer is higher in alcohol, full flavored, and spiced with warming spices. Often they are darker colored. Popular base styles include Belgian Dark Ales, Belgian Quadruples, and Winter Warmers. Yet a brewer could reasonably decide to make a light colored, lower ABV wheat beer and call it "Christmas" (which is exactly what Sam Adams decided to do).

What follows are some of the Christmas beers I have enjoyed this holiday season. I currently live in Boston, so my list is generally limited to those beers I can find here in the city. I have also included a general price point for each 12 oz. beer:

$ = No more than $5

$$ = $6 - $10

$$$ = $10 and up 

And please! Leave your comments! Do you have a favorite Christmas beer? Let us know!

Mikkeller: Ris a la M'ale ($$$)

I decided to start the list with what might be my new favorite beer for the season. At 8% ABV, the beer is strong but drinkable, and without a hint of the alcohol, it goes down much too easily! Brewed with cherries and almonds, the cherry flavor takes center stage, but the almond flavor is there and compliments the cherry nicely. It's a little sour and tart, but not overly so. If you can get your hands on one, I would say that this beer is well worth the price.








Corsendonk: Christmas Ale ($$)

One of my favorite Christmas Ales, Corsendonk's offering is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale (8.5%) with flavors of mild chocolates, dried fruits, rum, and cherry cola. It is perfectly balanced and can be enjoyed all night.










De Dolle: Stille Nacht ($$)

This year was my first experience tasting this Belgian Golden Ale, and boy it packs a punch! The 12% ABV is felt right away, and it warms your insides the whole way down. With aromas of tropical fruit and cloves, there are flavors of rich brown sugar, toffee, allspice, banana, and cinnamon. This is a powerful and very full flavored beer; enjoyable, but sip it slowly. I could see this one responding nicely to some time in the cellar.






Avery: Old Jubilation ($)

Speaking of time in the cellar, I tasted a three year old "Old Jubilation" from my cellar this year. What a lovely beer it is, and time was really on its side. An 8.3% Winter Warmer, there are rich flavors of coffee and ripe fruit, with a faint tartness to it. The age helped to blend the flavors, but it didn't eliminate the booziness: unlike "Ris a la M'ale," this beer shows you every inch of it's 8.3%!







Southern Oregon Brewing (SOB): Old Humbug ($$)

I picked up this bottle in the fall of 2011 and pulled it out this year. Though described as an 8.2% Winter Warmer, it seemed to more closely resemble a mild barleywine. A fantastic nose of chocolate, wet dirt, raisins, and cherries gave way to a surprisingly thin mouth without a hint of a finish. A tad disappointing  especially after such an incredible nose.






Anchor: 2012 Our Special Christmas Ale ($)

Surprisingly low ABV for a Christmas beer, Anchor's 2012 Christmas offering is a 5.5% Winter Warmer. What it lacks in alcohol, though, it more than makes up in flavor and body. A huge up front candied cherry aroma mixes with scents of wintergreen and bubblegum. Almost tart in the mouth with an ashen finish, there are hints of pine resin and a dry-hopped earthiness. Their recipe for this beer changes every year, and I really found this year's version quite special.






Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams): White Christmas ($)

Probably one of the more unusual Christmas offerings I've had, "White Christmas" is a 5.8% witbier. A little imbalanced and heavily spiced, there are lots of up front spicy cinnamon and clove flavors that blend with a distinct wheat and banana yeast character. By no means a bad beer, though probably not among my favorite recipes for the season.







Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams): Merry Mischief ($$)

Another Sam's Christmas beer, this could hardly be more different from "White Christmas." Labeled as a "Gingerbread Stout," this 9% beer is intense with a ginger and molasses nose, and flavors of pecans, ginger, and blackstrap molasses. Nutty and sweet, the beer is over the top, but really fantastic. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I was very, very pleasantly surprised. I don't know how long they are going to brew this beer, so if you can get your hands on it, give it a try.







21st Amendment: Fireside Chat ($)

A 7.9% Winter Warmer, "Fireside Chat" features rich malts, brown sugar, molasses, and a long hop finish that blends with a slight earthiness. A pleasant beer and very warming.








Anderson Valley: Winter Solstice ($)

My friends with whom I was drinking this 6.9% Winter Warmer really loved this beer, but I found it a tad too artificial for my own tastes. I honestly felt as though I was sipping a Yankee Candle. Candy cinnamon (like an Atomic Fire Bomb without the fire), strawberry, and kool aid fruit punch were the dominant flavors. Not my cup of tea.







Affligem Brauwerij: Affligem Noël (Christmas Ale) ($$$)

This 9% Belgian Strong Dark Ale was lovely from start to finish. Aromas of black pepper mixed with tons of bubblegum. The beer pours crazy clear with a mouth as smooth as silk. Flavors of cloves, fresh bread, and cinnamon round out this perfectly balanced beer.





Churchyard Brewery: Nativity Ale ($)

My first attempt at brewing a Christmas Ale, "Nativity Ale" is a 6.5% Belgian Pale Ale spiced with orange zest, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. The yeast took center stage with this beer, and I tasted dry biscuit and mild fruits. Very little orange aromas, unfortunately, though that might be my only real complaint. Quite drinkable, and one I shall continue to enjoy throughout this holiday season!

*******
Next week: we continue the holiday guide with another set of twelve beers. Until then...

Prost!

-keith

The Great Russian River

Wow. Where has the time gone? Not that I need further reminders just how busy life gets come Autumn, but the fact that I haven't contributed to the blog since September does just that! Many apologies to my regular readers!

Since the last posting I have been doing a lot of traveling. I've given concerts in California, Virginia, and North Dakota, and I had the opportunity to visit several nice local bars and taste some wonderful local brews. The highlights? Sipping beers at JL Beers in Grand Forks, North Dakota after a performance at the Digital Arts Festival, joining the Capital Ale House in Richmond, Virginia for their 10th anniversary party, and being introduced to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery (also in Richmond), from whom I got to enjoy their Singel: a lovely Belgian style pale beer with mild spice, pronounced biscuit flavors, and subtle hops.

But the absolute highlight of the trip? Visiting Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, California.

For those who don't know, Russian River is one of the most famous breweries amongst beer lovers. Their Double IPA Pliny the Younger is widely considered one of the best beers in the world (current BeerAdvocate ratings have it listed at #1), and Pliny the Elder, another DIPA, is always in the top ten. Famous not only for their American IPAs, but also their Belgian style beers, their three sours – Supplication, Consecration, and Temptation – are regarded as the best American Wild Ales that can also stand toe-to-toe with the greatest of the international sours.

Due to the fact that Russian River does not ship to Massachusetts, prior to my visit, I had a very limited history with Russian River. Several years ago, while living in Los Angeles, Lucky Baldwins Pub in Pasadena had a Russian River Tap Takeover. Though I had been familiar with their beer, this was my first personal introduction to their work. (As an aside: Pliny the Younger made an appearance at that event; according to the waiters that day, there was a line stretching around the block five hours before the bar opened! I got there right at opening, and when I asked for a pint of PtY, I only received raucous laughter...) I remember being blown away by everything I tasted, but I still had to wonder just how well they would live up to this tremendously high reputation.

I arrived at the brewery around 4pm. The brewpub is right in the middle of the downtown of Santa Rosa and from the outside is pretty unassuming. In fact, if I hadn't heard of the brewery previously, I very well may have driven right past.

The restaurant is fairly large with a long bar and lots of seating. There were plenty of open seats when I arrived, though the bar filled up quite a bit not long after I arrived. I took a table with a friend (positioned right in front of a large HDTV broadcasting the baseball playoffs), and we ordered the tasting flight.

For the most part, a brewery's tasting flight is usually a selection of four or five beers, 4oz each. In contrast, the flight at Russian River was a 4oz pour of each of their beers. Each of their 19 beers.

When the flight is delivered, the bartender explains how best to proceed: start with the lighter American beers, work through to the Porters and Stouts, move on to the big American hoppy beers, continue onto the Belgian style beers (going light to dark), and finishing with the sours.

Pliny the Younger was absent that evening as it is only released in February. However, I did get to try Aud Blonde, O.V.L. Stout, Russian River Porter, Happy Hops, Row2/Hill56, Bling Pig IPA, Pliny the Elder, It Takes A Lot of Great Beer to Make A Great Wine, Redemption, Little White Lie, Perdition, Damnation, Benediction, Sanctification, Temptation, Supplication, Consecration, Brux, and Framboise For A Cure.

If I were to write on each of the beers, I'd have to write a book. But a few of the beers really stood out and deserve an extra-honorable mention:

Great Beer/Great Wine was a phenomenal American Pale Ale. At 4.7%, it had a bit of a pine aroma and tons of citrus flavors. Russian River describes the beer as "a toast to our winemaking friends who work around the clock during harvest to make world-class wine right here in our own back yard." I know I would eagerly reach for this beer while harvesting grapes!

Framboise For A Cure (7.5%) is an A+ sour ale, aged in Chardonnay barrels with brettanomyces, lactobacillus and pediococcus with 100 pounds (per barrel) of raspberries added. And how those raspberries shine! Wonderful fruity aromas with a mouth like tart raspberry purée. And 100% of the proceeds are used to aid in the fight against breast cancer!

Salvation (9.0%) is a phenomenal Belgian style Strong Dark Ale. Full flavored, fruity, with lots of chocolate (dare I say tootsie roll?) flavor. A warm boozy finish, it stands out as among the best American interpretations of this style.

After tasting all 19 beers, I had to conclude my evening with a pint of my two favorites. To accompany my meal, I first ordered Pliny the Elder. At 8%, it is one of the most balanced beers I've ever tasted. No hint of alcohol, just a rounded fruitiness: nothing pokes you in this beer. It absolutely lives up to its reputation.

And following that (good thing I wasn't the one driving home!), I chose to finish my night with Consecration (10%): a massive Sour Dark Ale aged with black currants in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels for 8 months. Caramel and rich fruits, hints of Cab mingling with flavors of sherry and port, everything is beautifully balanced. It is heaven in the mouth!

Five hours later we were ready to head home. Very happy and a tad tipsy, I revelled in the magnificent experience I just had. And I could safely say: Russian River is, in fact, one of the greatest breweries in the world.

Prost!

-keith