2012: The Year Gone By, Part Two

We're back, with the remainder of the year in beer gone by. In Part One, we looked at events in January through July. For July through December, there are two events I will skip, for I used up all the good pics in the posts that I did for them. These would be the first annual All Pints North beer festival in Duluth, and the 13th Annual Autumn Brew Review in Minneapolis, in September, the one local festival I haven't missed once, since my first visit. But, there are other events I never devoted a blog post to, like my first visit to Madison, Wisconsin in 4 years for the Great Taste of the MidWest, in August, and this year's Darkness Day, which took a different turn for me this year, but one I enjoyed immeasurably more. Plenty of other exploits along the way, so enjoy this peek at my life in beer, in the year gone by, 2012!

July 2. After a Bill Frisell show at the Dakota for  my birthday, Deb and I visited a new beer bar downtown called Devil's Advocate, with 40-some taps and a menu comprised entirely of meatballs. We didn't eat (she's a vegetarian), but had some drinks, and she found herself drawn to the La Chouffe gnome statue in the window, and the bartender kindly took it down for us to play with. I'll get my own someday, I've supported La Chouffe plenty, after all, but don't know where I can display it without it getting stolen. The gnome got Deb's phone number, but he never called.

August 28. I tried to host a gathering for our initial release of Indeed Brewing Company's beers, with all of their first 3 beers on tap at once. Perhaps because they'd already debuted at other bars, or even more, because the taproom was open and drawing a crowd night after night, the turnout wasn't great. But, I did have some friends show, including Tim Johnson, at left, Rita and Dean, and in the right corner, Tom Whisenand, one of the 3 Indeed owners.

August 8, my first visit to the Indeed Brewery. The other pictures I took weren't that great, just the same old tanks and racks and canning lines. This one clearly shows off their allegiances, which only goes to explain some of the beer names.

August 10, Dexter's Pub, Madison, Wisconsin. Here's Margarita and Nate, who were kind enough to give me a ride en route to my first visit to the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival in 4 years. Jason and Angie were the ones who got me the tickets, and secured the lodging. Dexter's was our fist stop on the night before the fest, an evening which is full of brewery events at bars all over the city. We eventually made it into downtown Madison proper and had some free-wheeling fun mixing it up at beer bar and non-beer bar alike, up and down the avenues. A fun night of misbehaving.

The beer event at Dexter's? Why, they were hosting Toppling Goliath Brewery, of Decorah, Iowa. Who was sitting right next to Jason when N, M, & I arrived? Why, my old friend Bob Slack, who is a brewer at TG. Here's Bob, gasping in awe at the Mornin' Delight Imperial Stout I'm holding in my hand.

August 11. We took a shuttle from Ale Asylum, which was wasn't far from our Motel 6, to get to the festival in downtown Madison. I couldn't help snapping a shot of this misguided man who is celebrating his imminent arrival at a major craft beer fest sporting a hat made out of a Coors Light box. Mixed signals.

At the bottom of the hill, way back of line. Some people camp out for hours to stake a good place at the front line, and get into the fest first. I don't see the point. We're all getting in eventually. What difference do those few minutes make?

One of the best things about these festivals is trying new breweries you've never heard of, might never visit, and who probably don't often go outside their home territory. I tried quite a few of those, but at the same time, needed to visit my friends, as well. I don't think I have photos of those breweries, I was too busy taking pictures of people I knew. Here are Ryan and Val helping pour at the BrewFarm booth, with Farmer Dave hanging out in back (identified by his cowboy hat.)

Here's a Schell's fan posing with the Schell's man, owner Ted Marti, outside the  Schell's van. What do you know, another example of me taking a picture of someone getting their picture taken.

At left is Jason, at right Meagan, who's working this one, representing Tallgrass Brewing, who brought some excellent derivations of their regular beers. You know, I'm going to break out that program, and tell you all about them...later...

The Surly booth was always busy, and very well-manned, with brewer Jerrod Johnson ready to serve your needs.

But he's too late, for Linda Haug has already poured me a beer. It's probably a Three. Why do I know that? Because...

Two is out! Boo hoo, no more Two!

Here's August Schell Brewmaster Jace Marti hanging out behind the Surly booth, chatting with Surly brewer Derek Allmendinger. 

Surly artist Michael Berglund (Darkness '11, Syx labels) has volunteered to pour, and told a funny, apparently to Joel and Aleah.

I don't have a caption for this one. Maybe you do?

Here's Surly head brewer Todd Haug enjoying the fruits of his labors, while Omar takes a shift.

Some brewers don't just bring beers, they also deck out their booth or tent in some manner of theme to grab the festers attention. Bell's had a super-hero them going this year, giving out these capes that everyone seemed to be wearing. If I recall, there's a contest for best booth dressing. don't ask me who won.

New Holland Brewing's theme was "Zombie Prom." All of the brewery employees and volunteers were decked out as  zombies who are going to the Prom. Which explains the black balloons. Isn't anyone else tired of zombies or am I really the only one?

The theme at Tyranena Brewing Company was Santa Claus. Not pictured: Owner Rob Larson dressed as Santa, asking the young hotties to sit in his lap and tell him if they were naughty...or nice.

I was thrilled to meet up with my old pal John "Woody" Chandler, of Lancaster, PA, who I probably haven't seen since 2008. Woody makes the scene at many events all over the country, decked out in a monk's robe, it's heavy cloth and his vast beard not deterring him the least in this summer heat. He's even added a crown of hops to his sartorial repertoire. (When not in monk attire, he wears a heavy coat loaded with brewery patches.) I first met Woody in person back in 2006, when he crashed on my couch during a tour of Upper Midwestern breweries.

A very bad photo of the bar at the Great Dane in dowtown Madison. After taking the bus back to our motel, me dined, then took a cab back downtown. Even after  a big beer fest, I wasn't going to go to sleep at 9pm, with the wonders of a foreign town at my disposal! We hit various spots, and ended at the Dane, lounging the night away in their garden, I enjoying a quadrupel with the droll name of MidWest-veletern. End of a great weekend in Madison, WI.

September 4. My fist visit to the Lift Bridge Brewery in Stillwater. Brad Glynn is showing Dean, Brandon, and me what is in all those cool barrels.

October 27. My sixth time at Surly Darkness Day, and this year I have no photos to share of freezing fans waiting in line early in the morning. I actually strolled up around 2pm, with Dan, Beth, Brian, and Erin, completely sober, and left that way (give or take). Why didn't I take basically an entire weekend off of work just to buy 6 bottles of beer? Gosh, why would I? It was fun when could leave early Friday night (when I had someone who could close the bar for me), sleep, and then wake up early enough to get a good spot in the line. But, every year there are more people and the line is longer earlier. Last year, I got no sleep, arrived around 6 am, and barely made the cut-off. This year, I paid attention to facebook, twitter, and BeerAdvocate, and listened to the people saying there were 500 in line by 6pm, 800 by 8, etcetera. It was pointless. I wanted to sleep, but I still wanted beers. Eventually I decided to go the next afternoon and hope for some left-overs. 

If you looked carefully in that last photo, there was a face looking towards me. That belonged to Nils, seen here, approaching me with a bag of goodies from a tasting table still standing hours after the Surly event officially began. There are really two things going on at Darkness Day. The camper-outers are celebrating their comraderie in craft beer by treating each other to untold rarities, all shared freely, but among variously located outposts. Some of this was documented in my post about last year's Darkness Day. The other event is the one that Surly actually hosts, which is the bottle sale, the food vendors (some of which is available to the campers), the live music and games, and the special beers for sale. Very often these two events only intersect in this way: the campers enter the gates, get their beer, and go home with their bottles. For a lot of them, Darkness Day is only about all those rare bottles passed around with friends and strangers, and little interest in what goes on inside the gates, besides their bottles. Nothing wrong with that. This year was the first time that I did not participate in both parts of the event, only the Surly-sanctioned one. And I enjoyed it. 

Ohmigod! Look who it is, Jeff and Shelly! Remember them from last year? And here comes a little bit of irony. All that chatter on the internets? It was wrong. They counted wrong, or whatever, but they were wrong. J & S arrived at 11:30 A.M., and easily got wristbands. If I knew, we would would have left hours earlier, still gotten sleep in our beds, and received 6 bottles, rather than 4. Oh, well...big deal... I guess...

Perhaps that explains why I look less than delighted in this picture with Omar that Shelly took?

Although I had no problem smiling in a picture with Jeff, however.

Since it was the weekend before Halloween, costumes were not out the ordinary. But this couple, with their can of Furious and can of Wet attire really went the extra mile. 

Top right, Todd Haug shreds with his band, Powermad. Bottom right, in fur cap, his wife Linda bangs her head.

October 31. Halloween fell on a Wednesday, and I dj'ed at Harriet's Taproom, at least until a band came on. I peppered my usual funk/soul/fusion/hard bop/be-bop/swing set with scary sound effects and Halloween-type songs. People seemed to dig it. 

November 3. Place: the Blue Nile bar. Event: the 5th Annual Stoutfest. Dave is taking a break from his samples, while I snap this, with Jay and Julie sitting to his left. These guys have been making it to most of these events. I think it was the 4th StoutFest in a row for J & J. got to love them for that.

My friends Dean and Rita are at the bar, choosing their stouts and porters, while one of my Somali regulars, who drinks only gin and tonics, looks at the list with utter bewilderment. This is my world, ladies and gentlemen.

November 27. Another Surly Darkness Vertical Epic Tasting, this one a bit more collaborative, as I brought some, and others brought the rest. Rollie the cat looks on and approves. 

Jay and Julie deep in thought, contemplating the Darkness. 

Matthew's awfully excited to have so many years of Darkness in his hands. We found that the 2009 & 2010 were tasting best, and while the 08 and 07 were not bad, they hadn't improved appreciably. Perhaps 2 or 3 years is as much as you should age these guys. Don't go overboard people, they won't turn amazing at 10 or 20 years old. You can try it, but we warned you!

Bryce gives his glasses some very close scrutiny. Andy was the sixth member of the group, but he really didn't want his picture taken. Another fun night of drinking Darkness, where once again strangers become friends through beer tasting!

And you know what? No much happened in December! (That I didn't already report.) Here's to more beer in 2013!

Straight to Ale/Yellowhammer/Blue Pants Liberation Barley-wine

The penultimate bottle from the big UncleJedi package.

Liberation Barley-wine Straight to Ale, Blue Pants, Yellowhammer. 9% ALC. VOL. English-style Barleywine Ale. A Series of 4 Limited Edition Beers. No. 1. Straight to Ale Brewing, Huntsville, Alabama.

Appearance: dark brown body, small, slimmed dark cocoa-tan head.

Aroma: malt-forward, but rather subdued. Some fruity notes down there. This nose is keeping it close to the vest.

Taste: Bigness, sweetness, malt and dark fruit. Just a hint of hops, and then along comes the booze. It's creeping up there, knocking on the door. Meanwhile, we're getting earthy tones, nutty notes, waves of caramel and cocoa. Not too big, not outsized in the least, and that's what's had me stroking my whiskers.

This doesn't fit the formula of barley-wines as I expect them, or desire them. But, what's wrong with that? It's it's own thing, more refined, and mellow.

Third Street Lost Trout Brown Ale

Third Street Lost Trout Brown Ale. Third Street Brewhouse, Cold Springs, MN. Alc. 4.9% by Vol.

Rich brown coloration, impenetrable haze, small head.

Aroma: big ol' sweet malt, notes of brown sugar and molasses, with plenty of cocoa.

Taste: More malt sweetness on the tongue, with a fresh blast of hops here and thee. Just enough bitterness to keep everything fairly balanced. Medium-boded. Long, malty finish.

I'm trying to figure what this beer has to do with trout, though. Let's look at the gobbledygook. "The Story: Lost Trout Brown Ale. Lost Trout. It's a real problem in these parts. Legend has it this species flowed aplenty in the brewery creek, while others say the trout left town years ago. Where have all the trout gone? Maybe to those fancy creeks in the city. Maybe to the local fish fry. Or maybe--just maybe--they're living a life of crime on the streets. The legend of the abundant trout in the creek seems a bit fishy. But you know what isn't? Lost Trout Brown Ale: Truthfully Delicious. Malts: Pale, Caramunich Barley, Hops: German and US (Magnum, Golding, Tettnanger.)

I know it's supposed to be "funny", but that pointless bit of poorly written drivel has to go down as one of the biggest wastes of ink on a beer label. Until the next time I look at a Stone label, that is.

The beer? Not bad, a bit too much with the cocoa and so forth, but I won't turn one down.

Leech Lake Blindside Pale Ale

Leech Lake Brewing Company Blindside Pale Ale, Leech Lake Brewing Company, Walker, MN. "Because Paradise Requires A Brewery." Such an odd slogan. Oh, well…6.5% ABV. 22 oz. bomber. Here's another slogan: "A Lake of Beer…handcrafted one small batch at a time."

Clear and amber-colored, solid white head, slips down to a tight ring.

Aroma: hops aplenty in the nose, citrus fruit bitterness, floral, piney, slightly sweet to match the bitter. Getting the sense that this is an English-style pale, less of an American version.

Taste: On the tongue, it's mild, still hoppy, but buoyed by ample malt. Soft, yet vivacious. Even-keeled, balanced, moderate, drinkable.

Not a thing wrong with this session-able pale ale. Does the job.

So, what else you got, Leech Lake?

Wait, forgot something. Here's the label copy: "Just ask a wakeboarder---tasty trick, smooth landing. This well-balanced beer acquires it's stamina from 2-row pale and light and medium Crystal malts. It attains it's fearlessness from generous amounts of Fuggle hops that are added to both the kettle and the fermenter. (56 IBUs) Bottle-conditioning provides ballast for the perfect wake of carbonation and mouth feel. Now…"Hit it!"

Um, I have a question…what's "wake-boarding"? What did all those words mean that didn't have anything to do with beer? Is that something they do in Walker, MN, I mean, "paradise".

Kona Longboard Island Lager

Kona Longboard Island Lager.
kona Brewing Company, Kona, HI, Portland, OR, Woodinville, WA, Portsmouth, NH. Fresh. Responsible. Always Aloha.

Clear, golden, slim white head.

Clean, cereal malt nose. Lightly hoppy, and dry.

Taste: Clean comes to mind, once more. Light bodied, lean, classic malt profile. Crisp, dry, with a short finish, that leaves the palate, and urges another drink. A well-put-together lager if there ever was one.

Let's read the label: "Waikiki Beach in Honolulu is the birth place of longboard surfing. Kona brewing pays tribute to this iconic place with our longboard island lager, a spirited, crisp and refreshing brew. Longboard is a smooth ride all the way in. Thirst's up!"

If you're looking for a lager, don't pass this one by.

2012: The Year Gone By, Part One

I did this last year, and, frankly, I got a kick out of it. Don't know about you. But, I'm in charge here, so sit back and enjoy the ride...

January 4. Here are the first two barrel-aged beers from Harriet Brewing Company. These beers were kegged for the 1st Anniversary party that was held at the Blue Nile. (There was a full report on that one, after it happened.)
I wish more was made available, but fret not, for barrel-aging has a big future with this brewery!

January 27. Delivered the day before the 1st Anniversary event, here is one of the first neon signs for the Harriet Brewing company, which still shines one at the Blue Nile. Another one exists at the Harriet Taproom, but it's not always the focus of attention.

May 8. Here is my hand holding an El Nino IPA at Fitger's Brewing, on the occasion of my first visit. It was a momentous occasion. I'd had the beer before, but never where they brew it and serve it. I'd actually never been to Duluth before, either. So many firsts on this journey in May, which was spearheaded by my friend Ed Jackson, to whom I am very grateful. After all, I've had many friends who've said: "What? You've never been to Duluth?" But only one who said: "Let's go to Duluth!"

Anyway...where was I? Oh, yeah. If I may not have taken a ton of pictures of beer-related events of the past year that I participated in, well, here are the ones that I did. Part One. January through July. I did a pretty full review of some events, and may not have any leftover pictures from those, but bear with me, here it goes, here it comes...now...

April 10, a weekday beer tasting at my place, with pals Dan, Beth, Brian, and Erin. I forgot what bottles we broke out, but the company we kept was key.

Here's me, posing before that most Superior Lake, not very far from the Fitger's Brewhouse. Of all the Great Lakes, surely they named this one aptly. This was both a sightseeing trip, and a beer journey, we tried to find as many of the bright spots in beer that the town had to offer.

A look up above. Once this was a thriving regional brewing concern. Now it's a hotel, a brewpub, retail center, and, you know what, who know's what's up for the future of the Fitger's Complex, don't go and let me pigeonhole it.

In our wanderings in May of 2012,  we snapped these shots. What, do you know, but it's up and running as we speak. Did anyone say Road Trip?

It was in the basement, AKA ratskeller, of Tycoons, a Fitger's subsidiary, that we first learned of a Duluth-area brewery specializing in Belgian-style, called the Borealis Fermentery. Tycoons' Ratskeller had bottles of their Mon Cherries, which set off a quest to find more of their product.

Here's a nice shot of Zack Lozier, trumpeter, blowing at the inaugural day. March 17,  of the Harriet Taproom. I have already shared many pictures from that day, which has to rank as one of the most fun days for me of the past year. I took the day off, and played vinyl jazz in between the live music. There is a full report, of course, if you want to look at past entries. And why wouldn't you?

We didn't plan every minute of our Duluth-area excursion exceptionally well. We did drink some of their beer at a neighboring stop, but that left us more time for lighthouse looking at other tourist-y stuff. In July, Jason, Angie and I finally made it up there during business hours, for growlers and tastes, and damn, is it tiny. Tiny, and surrounded by a beautiful campground right next to Lake Superior.

Here's a peek at a small section of one of the walls at Thirsty Pagan Brewing, formerly known as Twin Ports Brewing, home of an impressive collection of breweriana. This doesn't even scratch the surface. It was all over the place.

This is on the side of the Fitger's complex building, a billboard from days of  yore.

An April 1, 2012 visit to Dave's BrewFarm, Farmer Dave himself is enjoying beef tips cooked in Matacabras sauce. In all of 2012, I visited the BrewFarm about 8 times. Not enough. What can I do to make it more? Quit my job? Move to Wilson, Wisconsin? Something has to happen!

April 11. I finally got around to decorating my kitchen. This is just a glimpse.

June, 2012. Jason eyes my BrewFarm beer enviously, while Brandon laughs away. 

An IPA and a pizza at Thirsty Pagan in Superior, Wisconsin, part of that epic My First Visit to Duluth in My Entire  Life, Yes, I've Lived In Minnesota My Entire Life, No, I Don't Know What took Me So Long.

July 25. Here's my friend Kat showing her Surly pride at the Surly Syx release event at Aster Cafe , with Dean behind her, and probably Linda Haug at her left.

Another shot from the Aster Cafe Syx release, Omar Ansari with some Surly fans/friends. I should know their names, but I'm blanking. It'll come to me. Syx was an amazing beer. Still is, Haven't tapped our keg yet. Someday, soon.

Dean's giving me the what for, with Kat, Scott, Paul, and Lori in the distance, at the patio of Aster Cafe, for the occasion of the Surly Syx release. I didn't make it to many beer release parties at other bars, especially, like this one, they fell on work days for me, but this was different. I was dying to try this one! Bottles went on sale later.

Here I am, on the patio of the Harriet Taproom, in the middle of my Dj session, drinking a Harriet Pils, while a double rainbow blows all of our minds in the background. Even Chef Shack doesn't know what it means.

Omar, with Jim at his side, has a lot of questions for Kat, specifically about her hop tattoo.

My friend Rick Susman hosted a tasting party at his home in Maple Grove in July, featuring a bottle of Surly Darkness 2008, which Omar Ansari gave to him on hearing that he spent his 50th birthday at the brewery during The Power of the Pint Celebration in June. Forget what everyone tells you, that Omar is a heck of a guy.

My contribution to this party was a bottle of Surly Five and an aged vintage of Abbaye du Bon Chien, which Jeremy particularly enjoyed.

Here's me at that same event, at Rick's place.

Another excerpt from March 17, why not indulge in showing off the first appearance of DJ Al "Jazz " McCarty? When the Harriet Taproom opened regularly on Wednesdays, one of my regular days off, that became one of my times to Dj fresh and vintage jazz vinyl for the funky fresh people. Yeah.

That will do it for part One of 2012, the year in Re-Brew. More fun to come, stay tuned.

Boulevard Double-Wide India Pale Ale (Smokestack Series)

Well, what do you know, I was right, there was another Boulevard Smokestack 750 in that package from Brad in Des Moines, way back, 5 years ago. And now I'm having a 12 ounce bottle of their first double IPA, Double Wide. Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO. Smokestack Series. 8.5% ABV. Notes, circa January, 2008, away!



Reddish hue, clear...-y, with a lush, creamy, off-white head.

Aroma speaks of spice, malt, and nice, fuzzy hops. Yum. Me...well, ..me likey, that's what me do....

I'm drinkin' now...and how's it drinkin'? Plenty hoppy, mucho yeasty, abundant body...yum. This is a full on pale ale...zizz, zazz, zetz, zzz-mmm, yeah!!!

Did I say delicious, yet? I meant to...

----------------------------

Hmmm, maybe I should've taken more notes? I meant to, ....

Boulevard The Sixth Glass Quadrupel

Boulevard Sixth Glass Quadrupel. Here are notes from the first time I had this, the Belgian-style Quadrupel in the Smokestack Series, from when it was first released, 750 ml bottles only, and not in Minnesota. (We were getting the regular Boulevard Beers, but Smokestacks didn't get to us initially.) According to my notes, I got it from my friend Brad in Iowa, probably in exchange for the bottle of Surly Darkness 2007 I sent him. Knowing Brad, it was surely only one of many bottles.
Here are notes from January, 2008:


Impenetrable appearance, a hazy burgundy hue, with a slight, yet attractive creamy head.

Enticing aroma....bewitching, sweetness and spice. Dark fruits and funky yeast. Lovely stuff!

Taste: sharp, phenolic, alcoholic, but still beautiful. Cherries, and sherry, a bit of port, but moreover musty yeast at play. Wish it were smoother, and not so brash on the tongue, little quibbel, there, but it is tasty, and reminds of my favorite Belgian quads, for sure.

And they came up with a very unique way to reference the Devil, from, of all places, a Hans Christian Andersen story, that goes on about indulging in alcohol. What's in the "Sixth Glass"? Why, let me tell you...
"In the sixth glass sits the devil himself, he is a little, well-dressed man, most charming and pleasant. He understands everything you say, he even brings a lamp to light the way, not to your home, but his." It goes on and becomes more moralistic, gory, and damning. Sorry, Hans, I've got more living to do, before I get melted, and that includes drinking six glasses sometimes!

Yummy. Alcohol is too prevalent, ...10.5%!...I'd rather feel more flavor, but this is a nice acheivement as it is.

Boulevard Tank 7 Saison (Smokestack Series)

Much as Summit received greater respect from the beer geek world with the Unchained Series, so, too, did Boulevard rise about their former respectable-but-so-so status when they released the Smokestack Series. I've covered a few of those in the past, but the pursuit of all the new beers has stayed my hand from visiting the Smokestack brews I've already reviewed for inclusion in this blog. There's always some new temptation, keeping me from buying a big, expensive bottle of something I've already had. (Do I sound like a ticker? It's a curse, to be sure.)

So, I was pretty happy to see the Boulevard Smokestack sampler pack, with 4 Smokestack brews, in 12 ounce bottles, plus a glass. (Wish I'd gotten some the last time I tapped one of them at my bar. Oh, well, next time...) You know what's better than a great beer in a big bottle? A great beer in a small bottle! A nice, manageable 12 ounces at a time, a tidy little night-cap, rather than a big, ol' mountain to conquer. (Although I enjoy those immensely, as well...just not every time.)

So, here's the first one, with notes from the first time I tapped a keg, in August of 2009:


Hazy, straw yellow appearance, big, lush bone white cap of foam. Looks great.

Soft, airy aromatics, coriander spice perhaps, ginger, clove, with some citrus zest, as well.

In the mouth, more of the same, brisk, spicy, pulpy fruit, orange, lemon, pomegranate, pineapple. Meatier than most saisons, and big in alcohol, as well, at 8.3%. It catches up with you, but not for a while, meanwhile, as you drink, it's stays zippy and zesty.

A bit of a stretch for a saison, this one, but very flavorful and refreshing. I recommend it, and look forward to enjoying more and more of this one.

Indeed Stir Crazy Winter Ale

Indeed Stir Crazy Winter Ale, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This is a pint from the second keg I've had on tap. Haven't had a chance to sit down and think about one during the span of the first keg. So, here we go…

Dark brown body, small reddish highlights at bottom and sides, small off-white, turning tan.

Aroma: earth and malt, hints of ginger, juniper and other spices, but they are only hints. Some roast in this, but not much, plenty of deep, dark malt. I like it.

Taste: Mmm. Floods the mouth with warm, happy maltiness. Not in anyway overboard in the alcohol department (6.5% ABV). Richness, but not sweetness, A little spice from the malt, and just enough hops to keep the tongue tingled. Hearty stuff. Tasty, toast, and just a little roasty. I can sit with this one, one after another. Good, good, good stuff, Indeed. I'll keep this going as long as I can!

Here's the official word on it:
Stir Crazy Winter Ale, a 6.5% abv winter warmer clocking in at 22 IBUs. Layers of malty goodness, a dark ruby colored winter warmer ale deliver satisfying notes of chocolate and rich caramel; while pulverized rasins and brown sugar provide a fruity complexity that warms you from within.

Raisins? Brown sugar? I forgot about that! Well, it didn't stick out, it just added to the wonderful stew of this complex wintry brew.

I'll say it again: Nice work! Love to see it canned, though. Maybe next year?

Straight to Ale Vern's Wheat Wine

Straight to Ale Vern's Wheat Wine, right to Brew Series, 11% ABV. Huntsville, Alabama.

Deep crimson shade, slim white head.

Aroma: very loud, big, booming, malt-alicious. Enormous fruit, berries, and cherries and apples galore, with alcohol spilling out just a bit.

Taste: Mmmm. Rich, thick, smooth and massive. Pleasing and potent. Full-bodied, fully flavored, but surprisingly easy on the palate. Long presence on the tongue. Bountiful mouthfeel. Immense, but utterly manageable.

I like this a ton. Yummity yum, yum, yum.

North Coast Old Stock Ale Otsuchi 2012

North Coast Old Stock Ale Otsuchi 2012. 11.7 % ABV.

There's a whole, long story about this beer, that I can't remember. Maybe it's online somewhere?

Murky maroon-ish, deep magenta hue, with a smallish off-white head.

Aroma: vast and malty ,rich, vinous, dark fruits aplenty.

Taste: cherry, grape, a little brandy-like. Medium to full-bodied. Maltastic. Delicerous. (I'm making up words now. That happens.)

Growing heat. Building flavors, increasing immensity.

Oddly, I don't love this, though I like it just enough. Maybe it needs some time, but I think all beers ought to be judged once they're released. Lovely enough, but didn't "wow" me.

Maybe it was the mood I was in, exhausted from bartending another New Year's Eve. I'll look at giving this one another shot.

Thirsty Pagan Sawmill Sipper Barley-wine

Thirsty Pagan Barley-wine, Superior, Wisconsin. This had a different name than merely "barleywine", but I can't for the life of me remember it. ABV unknown. (Edit: I found the name and the ABV: Sawmill Sipper, 10.5 %.)

This was purchased in May, when I visited the brewpub, and the Duluth/Superior area, for the first time, with my friend Ed.

Sat on this for over seven months, hope it's worth the wait. Paid $20 for it. Chose one of these instead of a growler. But the owner of the joint pointed it out to me, so I felt obliged. Kinda.

Very clouded, deep magenta hue, under next to no head to speak of. Oh, well.

Aroma: sweet malt, some caramel and toffee, some dark fruit, molasses, tobacco, plenty of richness here. Nice, fairly typical aromatic notes for a barley-wine.

Taste: Floods the mouth with deep rich maltosity. (A new word I made up.)Caramel malt up the yin/yang, plenty of dark fruits, tickles of treacle, molasses, licorice, just a little hint here and there. Sweetness abound, hops are ne'er to be seen or tasted. I'm putting the alcohol at at least 10%, and I'm starting to feel it. I mean, really feel it. Boom, boom, here it comes. …

Tast-eee stuff, my friends. There isn't much carbonation, but the flourishing flavor makes up for that. Dense and delicious malt. Yum-E. I have to wonder how it was earlier, but imagine it won't be much better later. Could be more refined, more ooh, more mellow.
All in all, a good attempt at a barley-wine, but several shades short of greatness.

For the moment, I forget flaws and enjoy what it is.

Good People Snake Handler Double IPA

Good People Snake Handler Double IPA, Birmingham, Alabama. 12 oz. can. Can't find the ABV on it.

Clouded, deep crimson hue, huge, full, flowering head, leaving copious lace. Looking very nice.

Aroma: A bitch slap of pine and grapefruit up in the nose. Bam! Pungent and powerful. Lots of lovely bitterness.

Taste: Full in the mouth, and flooded with hop flavor. A torrent of citrus fruit bitterness and piney pithy-ness  assaults the senses. But, man, is that ever nice! Just right. Alabama hop heads have every right to celebrate, this is a DIPA that should stack up against the best of them. Medium bodied, good drinking, knock out flavor. Well done.

The Story of Surly Two: Part Two, the Art

Picture Paul Benedict in a smock: "Hmmm,
think I'll paint a two..." 

So. I can't remember how I managed it, but some time in early 2008, or so, after I heard that Surly Brewing Company would be bottling their 2nd Anniversary brew, called Two, I talked owner Omar Ansari into allowing me to produce the label art. He'd seen my stuff, and trusted my skills, and I was excited to see what I could do for them. Here's the story of my various attempts, dosed with plenty of artistic doubt and indecision.

The first try was both literal and abstract, and was created the day that we hosted the release party for the brew. I used a stencil in the shape of the number two, colored the outlines, with black ink, and embellished the edges with dry red watercolor paint. Simple and to the point. But Omar felt that, although he and I both understand that the red would represent the cranberries in the beer, and the black marks stood for the color of the beer, others would not understand this. I was glad he rejected it, because I preferred to work in a figurative style. So, one down the drain, on to the next.

She wore a cran-berry beret, the kind you find in a
second-hand store. By the way,
if you look like this drawing, send me your number,
you might be my dream girl.

I've always liked beer labels with images of attractive women, and designed this simple picture of young cutie holding a glass of Two up to her lips with a smile on her face. Her headgear is a cranberry beret. Is it a nod to the Prince song about a hat of a different fruit? Or maybe just my way to represent a cranberry on the young girl's headpiece in a sly, understated way. Her hairstyle is modeled after the one my friend Debbie sported at the time, although her face is entirely invented. Okay, it looks a little like her.

I emailed a scan of this pencil sketch, (which as you can see was only slightly embellished with ink) to Omar and he seemed enthusiastic when we spoke on the phone. Another call came afterward, with some trepidation, as Omar tried to break through his difficulty in telling an artist what to do, as he said. The problem with the picture, he realized, is that she is too pretty, not Surly enough. Well, goldarn it, I just wasn't thinking about that, was I? He's right, of course, although I have to say that there are examples of Surly art that seem to show off pulchritude and little else in the female figures. Not to name any names, of course.

Here's a photo of the painting for t
he Surly Two label in it's
current state, inside a frame whose
glass has broken. There are no pencil
sketches to show you because
 I painted directly over
 the original pencil.

So! Back to the old drawing board. This time I had to figure out how to "Surly her up" (I still wanted to use a female), and still keep a clever reference to the ingredients. I came upon the idea of a punkier version of the same girl, gave her piercings, a neck tattoo of a hop plant (many people have pointed out that they like the green in her eyes relating to the green in her tatoo), and some red highlights in her hair, which is hanging in her face. She's sticking her tongue out at you (how Surly is that, huh?), and the cranberry is resting on it, which also gives the impression that she's showing off her latest tongue stud. I based the posed on a photo I found on a Google image search with keywords "Girl + tongue", ignoring all the porn pictures. A full clothed young lady with an enormous tongue, doing nothing dirty at all with it was my muse. I'm not sure where I came up with the idea of attempting this in acrylic on paper, which is something I'd never done before. This is the result:

Just about zero people had seen this drawing before I
 posted it here. It's a debut!

And here's where our story stalls for a while. I just wasn't sure if it was good enough. The entire process of painting only took a matter of hours, the drawing a handful of hours, as well. But my indecision and doubt lasting for weeks, even months, while all of Surlydom wondered when those bottles will finally get released. I show this to very few people and tried another attempt at pleasing myself:
Same idea, slightly different pose, with the idea that she's at a bar, the logo behind serving as a neon sign in the background. Again, I wasn't sure that I'd hit it with this one, and ...hold on to your hats, here...started an oil painting on canvas, with the same basic concept, only with a full front pose, with her looking right at you, and an angrier appearance. This one I decided not to share with you, because it is so unfinished that I feel people will only see what's wrong with it, and what's missing. Maybe I'll finish it one day. Why not?
So, what happened? The clamor for Two bottles continued to grow, and I was the reason Surly fans couldn't get their mitts on the beer, (it had long ago sold out at bars). I still couldn't make up my mind, until a friend came to visit, saw my canvas on an easel in my work room, with the completed acrylic picture hanging nearby. "Why work on that when the other one is finished and is perfectly fine?" he asked, and I agreed. Not long after that, I consulted with my nephew Trevor, a graphic designer, and he helped me assemble all the pieces, put down the logos and information.

Once this was finished, I went online and sent a scan to Omar via email. He was ...overjoyed? Ecstatic? Well, at least satisfied that it was finished, with only one question. "IS it a stout? Can we call it that? Let me get back to you." If you recall from part one, Todd Haug, the brew master of beer and brewing, was calling this beer a "black ale" but told me "you can call it a stout if you want." Apparently, he didn't tell anyone else that.

Not long after, I got a visit from Omar on a Friday night at the Blue Nile, and he presented me with a bottle of Two, with my image as a sticker. One thing was missing. No wax-dip? An employee told me later that Omar returned to the brewery and wearily said, "Al says we've got to wax-dip them." And so it was. Wish I knew what happened to that original bottle, probably given to a friend or family member, or maybe the one I let Debbie take with her after we drank one together. My last remaining empty is wax-dipped with the number 356 on the back. That one in the picture is un-waxed and un-numbered.

The bottles were at last ready to be sold, and in ...was it June of 2008, really? (That's what the earliest bottle review on BeerAdvocate says.) (correction: I found evidence they were sold in late May, Check this out...a few other things are revealed, as well.)On three consecutive Saturdays during growler sales hours, Surly fans at last got to get their bottles, out of approximately 400 or so produced. Although I wasn't paid in cash money, just about a dozen bottles, Omar said I could consider myself part of Surly history and eventually find my artwork on a listing on eBay, which is what all true artists strive for, after all.

Another form of immortality occurred that next Darkness Day when I met my friends Dean Hinshaw and Rita Lawless for the first time. They created the giant placards that designate the parking lots and I was so thrilled to see a large photo of my bottle used for what they deemed "cranberry bog" that I asked if I could have it, and they happily consented. I forgot it in my friend Mag's car,(he brought me home from D-Day and I was in the forgetful phase of drunkenness) and he returned it the next week at the occasion of our first Stout Fest, then called Ale Saint's Day. One of the owners of the Blue Nile liked it so much, she insisted that I hang it up in the bar, which I did. To this day, customers still ask what kind of beer Cranberry Bog is, and if we sell it.