Posted by Mitch Schroeder on January 25, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Recently, my friend Nick and I were discussing the ridiculousness of the Beer Advocate’s Top 100 List. As you go through the list, you’ll notice that the majority of all the beers listed are Double/Imperial Stouts and Double/Imperial IPA’s. At the time, Russian River’s Supplication (ranked #13) caught our eye because of the words “American Wild Ale”. Curiosity got the best of us and we decided to try a bottle. If you haven’t tried an American Wild Ale, or a Sour as it’s so diminutively called, you’ll probably be caught off guard like we did. Imagine popping a Warhead into your mouth without realizing what it was. The face I made was probably similar to that of a child biting into a lemon.
After the initial surprise had subsided, and don’t get me wrong, it was a lengthy inquiry of “what the $#!@ did I just put into my mouth?” I started analyzing what I was experiencing. The smell was that of lemons, tart cherry, earthy aroma of yeast, and a little apple cider. Flavors of tart, sour cherries, bready/malty yeast, sour lemon, and that distinct smell of brettanomyces (Brett for short) pretty much dominate the palate. A light bit of hops were apparent in the middle and a tad bit of woodiness sum up the finish. Did I mention it was sour? So. Very. Sour.
The puckering mouthfeel is like no other beer type I had ever tried in my life. The beer attacks the salivary glands in a way that is both alarming and pleasurable, and lingers for quite some time. It has a minimum carbonation and should be enjoyed on it’s own, no food necessary.
I was extremely pleased with this beer and have since purchased 3 more bottles to enjoy at a later date. Maybe next time though, I’ll read the label before drinking.
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Posted by Mitch Schroeder on July 14, 2010 at 7:40 pm
For many people, it’s those bottles and cans with the funny names in the “expensive” section at the grocery stores.
For others, its those beers that are talked about as much as they are drunk.
For everyone else, here are the basics descriptions which most people would agree on.
Craft beer generally is:
- Brewed in limited quantities
- Brewed using traditional methods and ingredients such as malted grains, such as barley or wheat, that are combined with hop flowers, yeast, and water
- Brewed with original recipes that use blends of various hops, grains, and yeasts to produce fuller, more complex flavors
NOTE: The mass produced beers, you know who I’m talking about, use corn and rice in the brewing process whereas the craft brewers stick with the malted grains. Brewed by independent breweries Craft beer can go way beyond the boundaries of additional ingredients, using such things as:
- Coffee grounds (this can border on weird, i.e. Mikkeller uses coffee beans that have been eaten by civet cats, digested and then expelled where workers then clean the beans for use in their beer. I’m not making this up! Click here to see for yourself!)
- Oatmeal Chocolate Wheat grains
- Cherries
- Orange peels
- An assortment of spices can also be used
- Basically, the sky is the limit. If something can flavor a beer, someone, somewhere has probably tried it!
If you’re in the mood to find out what a great bottle of beer can taste like, you owe it to yourself to dive in and try some of these. Beyond the funny names are some serious beers. Call us, we’ll be happy to get you started with some great selections.
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Posted by Mitch Schroeder on March 26, 2010 at 7:21 pm
We’ve been tinkering with the idea of expanding our beer selection ever since a local deli went out of business nearly a year ago. We purchased their two 10′ coolers with the idea of using them in our store for beer and a larger chilled wine and champagne selection. It also helped our decision to do this when some well publicized research recently reported the impending explosion of micro-brew and craft beers.
Well, the coolers are in now and we’re loaded for bear, I mean beer!
I think the first thing we should do is tell you what we are in the beer business and what we are not. That starts with definitions of “microbrew” and “craft beer.”
A microbrewery is a small brewery with a limited production capacity which produces labor intensive, hand-crafted beers.
“Craft beer” is a term that generally refers to beer that is brewed using traditional methods, without adjuncts such as rice or corn, and with an eye to what’s distinctive and flavorful rather than mass appeal. Whereas the term microbrewery is a term for a small scale brewery that produces a small volume of beer, craft brewery describes an approach to brewing, which in principle may be carried out on any scale. Most microbreweries are also craft breweries; however, “craft” beer can certainly also be a product of a large brewery, and there are many such products coming to market as a result of increased consumer interest in traditional beer.
As for what AG will be with beer – we’re leaning more to the microbrew side of the keg. We won’t be carrying the brands you see on TV, if that helps.
Here are links to Wikipedia for each style of microbrew we will be carrying for you to further your knowledge:
Pale Ales
Lager
Stouts and Porters
Hefeweizen (Wheat Beer)
Pilsner
From Ales to Stouts, you’ll discover and enjoy the many types of microbrew beers hand crafted in the U.S, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, even Italy and Canada at Amazing Grapes!
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Recently, my friend Nick and I were discussing the ridiculousness of the Beer Advocate’s Top 100 List. As you go through the list, you’ll notice that the majority of all the beers listed are Double/Imperial Stouts and Double/Imperial IPA’s. At the time, Russian River’s Supplication (ranked #13) caught our eye because of the words “American Wild Ale”. Curiosity got the best of us and we decided to try a bottle. If you haven’t tried an American Wild Ale, or a Sour as it’s so diminutively called, you’ll probably be caught off guard like we did. Imagine popping a Warhead into your mouth without realizing what it was. The face I made was probably similar to that of a child biting into a lemon.
