A Strong Fuggly Brew

2012 World Cup Award Winners of California

2012-05-06T22:40:00.001-07:00

Every two years the best brewers are invited to come together and compete in the worlds most prestigious beer competition known as the World Beer Cup. With 54 countries entering almost a thousand more beers than 2010, this year's competition was bigger and badder than anything that we've seen before, and truly reflected the last two years' craft beer boom. Of the 95 categories judged, California won a medal in 43, and also won an overall award for champion brewery and brewmaster. Congratulations to our medalists, and here's to another two years of cranking out some of the worlds best beers.

California seriously cleaned up at the awards. The following are our champions:

Category 8: Coffee Beer, 56 Entries
Gold: Bacon and Eggs Breakfast Coffee Imperial Porter, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Category 9: Specialty Beer, 38 Entries

Charlie Papazian

Gold: Hangar 24 Winter Warmer, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery, Redlands, CA
Bronze: Donner Party Porter, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA

Category 10: Rye Beer, 29 Entries
Gold: Ruthless Rye IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: 3 Flowers IPA, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA

Category 12: Session Beer, 33 Entries
Silver: Kellerweis, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Category 13: Other Strong Beer, 35 Entries
Gold: Star Brew, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA

Category 14: Experimental Beer, 42 Entries
Gold: Petit Obscura, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Where There’s Smoke..., Manzanita Brewing Co., Santee, CA

Category 15: Indigenous Beer, 26 Entries
Gold: Got Beer, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery - Tacoma, Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Hqt, 21st-Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Category 17: American-Belgo-Style Ale, 48 Entries
Bronze: Le Freak, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 18: American-Style Sour Ale, 14 Entries
Bronze: Supplication, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA

Category 23: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 42 Entries
Bronze: Melange #1, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Category 36: German-Style Märzen, 39 Entries
Silver: Rocktoberfest, Rock Bottom Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

Category 44: American-Style Premium Lager or Specialty Lager, 37 Entries
Silver: Evans Original, Cervecería Mexicana, Corona, CA

Category 45: American-Style Amber Lager, 40 Entries
Bronze: Cali Common, Lucky Hand Beer, Novato, CA

Category 47: Australasian-Style Pale Ale or International-Style Pale Ale, 22 Entries
Gold: 805 IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category 49: German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-Style Altbier, 29 Entries
Bronze: Real McCoy Amber, Mammoth Brewing Co., Mammoth Lakes, CA

Category 50: German-Style Sour Ale, 11 Entries
Silver: Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Category 56: French- & Belgian-Style Saison, 44 Entries
Gold: Carnevale, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category 57: Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 22 Entries
Bronze: Gift of the Magi, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category 60: Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale, 16 Entries
Gold: Oude Tart, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: Oud Jeremiah, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery - Brea, Huntington Beach, CA

Category 61: Belgian-Style Dubbel, 39 Entries
Bronze: Ovila Dubbel, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Category 64: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale, 41 Entries
Silver: Two Tortugas Belgian Quad, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 65: Other Belgian-Style Ale, 41 Entries
Bronze: Rhinoceros, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA

Category 67: Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 33 Entries
Gold: Annadel Pale Ale, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA

Category 72: English-Style Mild Ale, 27 Entries
Silver: Alyssa’s Attitude, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA
Bronze: Nerf Herder, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category 73: English-Style Brown Ale, 30 Entries
Gold: Longboard Brown Ale, Rock Bottom La Jolla, La Jolla, CA

Category 74: Brown Porter, 42 Entries
Gold: Double Nut Brown, Mammoth Brewing Co., Mammoth Lakes, CA
Bronze: Chocolate Porter, Bayhawk Ales, Irvine, CA

Category 75: Robust Porter, 68 Entries
Gold: Pier Rat Porter, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category 76: Sweet Stout, 25 Entries
Bronze: Blackjack Stout, Feather Falls Casino Brewing Co., Oroville, CA

Category 78: Scotch Ale, 51 Entries
Silver: Way Heavy, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category 80: Old Ale or Strong Ale, 51 Entries
Silver: AleSmith Decadence 2010 Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 81: Barley Wine-Style Ale, 62 Entries
Bronze: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 82: Irish-Style Red Ale, 31 Entries
Gold: Red Trolley Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 83: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 30 Entries
Gold: Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA

Category 84: Foreign-Style Stout, 37 Entries
Gold: Starry Night Stout, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA
Bronze: Voo Doo, Left Coast Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA

Category 85: Golden or Blonde Ale, 46 Entries
Gold: Foam Top, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Bronze: Steelhead Extra Pale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA

Category 86: American-Style Pale Ale, 84 Entries
Gold: Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Mission Street Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category 89: Imperial India Pale Ale, 93 Entries
Gold: Poor Man’s IPA, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Palate Wrecker, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 90: American-Style Amber/Red Ale, 68 Entries
Bronze: Mavericks Amber Ale, Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., Princeton-by-the-Sea, CA

Category 91: Imperial Red Ale, 38 Entries
Silver: Bigfoot, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Category 92: American-Style Brown Ale, 47 Entries
Bronze: Great American Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category 93: American-Style Black Ale, 49 Entries
Gold: Black Racer, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cloverdale, CA
Silver: Tarantulas 2.0, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Category 94: American-Style Stout, 34 Entries
Bronze: Achievement Beyond Life’s Experiences American Stout Brit Antrim Benefit Beer, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Mid-size Brewing Company
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA
Matthew Brynildson

Craft Brewers Conference 2012

2012-04-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Next week is the Craft Brewers Conference here in San Diego. With over 2,600 brewing professionals in attendance, CBC12 is the ultimate in professional conferences. There will be lectures, demonstrations and roundtable mentoring sessions to chose from and I have had quite the difficult time trying to figure out which ones were of greater importance to me. After great deliberation I managed to come up with a rough schedule for myself over the course of the event.

Some of the talks I will be attending are: Navigating through 50+ beer weeks and get the most out of them, entering craft's golden era, women and beer relations, an interview with canning experts Crown Holding, as well as a book signing with Tasting Beer's author Randy Mosher and the World Beer Cup gala.

Again, I am beside myself with excitement and can't wait to bring all the fantastic things that I learn to you, dear reader.

If you will be in attendance please feel free to tweet at me @Goats_Udder and we can meet during one of the many hospitality sessions!

Suburban Drum Circles or Farm-To-Table Bravado

2012-04-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

The other day I was driving through my mother-in-law's neighborhood on my way to see her and I spied a new restaurant in the chain ridden stucco jungle that is South Orange County. Seeing that it had something to do with craft beer I was naturally interested, so I looked it up online.

“..we are independent and locally owned. We do things differently and believe in using only the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Our foods are largely organic, our brews and signature cocktails are all craft...Our Eats are farm to table, local, in-season, sustainable and organic. [Chef] visits the farmer’s markets and tours local farms weekly. Our meats are of exceptional quality and are all-natural, antibiotic and hormone free. Our [beers] are strictly craft and our [wine is] largely boutique. Our menu will change frequently as we transition seasons to provide for only the freshest and best products available. Like we said, we do it differently.”

Seems normal, right? Seems like a place I'd like to eat for sure. However, if they're a locally owned, sit down, non-chain restaurant, shouldn't they naturally be using only the freshest and highest quality ingredients? Where I grew up we have many family owned restaurants. They aren't chains, they're locally owned and run. Their menus note the like of “Covelo Beef” or “Roundman's Smoked Bacon” or “Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper” reflecting that the menu is indeed local and mostly organic. I have indeed been spoiled, however my spoilage has perhaps turned to the resentment of people I feel are trying to make a quick buck.

I'm at the point that when I see a restaurant boasting their organic, fresh, slow, sustainable, morning-greeted, tucked-in-at-night, holding-hands-sing-kum-bay-ya produce I immediately associate it with snobby beertenders, stingy portions and a wallet enema. The best example was the first episode of that show “Portlandia” when they want to know the name of the chicken they're going to eat! It's gotten ridiculous. No one expects Denny's or Coco's to be farm-to-table here, no one expects healthy food at Taco Bell, but it is not too much to expect your typical family owned restaurant to do it's best in the name of sustainability and health without trying to appeal to the thick framed hipster crowd.

So, what were they trying to accomplish here? Were the new owners scared of their potential customers' past experiences being tainted by the ubiquity of the TGIF's, Chilli's and Applebees which more or less bookend their new location? In all honesty, I've never eaten here. But I intend to. I can't wait to check out their beer selection. The food might even be sensational! What I'm curious about is why did the new owners feel the need to publish their mission statement and menu in such a grossly hipster fashion? Was it the the above-mentioned fear of customer ignorance? Was it a desire to cash in on a growing trend in urban/suburban cuisine culture? If so, I have to question their strategy. The suburbanites living around them who are content with BJ's and Sizzler's are likely not their target audience anyway. And the slightly more dialed in yoga mat toting crowd ,no doubt plugged in to Twitter and Yelp and those platforms, will have obviously come to expect a family owned restaurant that isn't pretentiously self congratulatory of the fact that they aren't using Sysco distributed foods!

I intend to eat here for my husbands birthday in May and I can't wait to pick the owner's brain about their philosophy behind all this bravado. And I will report back to you, gentle reader, on my investigation. I'm not ragging (too much at least) on the slow food movement here but it reminds me of a story: An investor was getting his shoes shined early in October of 1929 when the guy shining his shoes started giving him investment tips. The investor, quite worried, thought to himself, “If everyone is investing how long could this possibly last” and pulled out of the market before Black Tuesday hit later that month.

Living in urban San Diego this would be “so ten minutes ago.” A marketing pitch like this would have been eaten up and spit out in the blink of an eye. Hell you try this in North Park and I bet it would be less than a week before you were shaken down for some sort of holistic “protection” money with the understanding that if you did not pay up you would get worked over by a fixie chain. San Diego is beyond saturated with hipster rhetoric: farm-to-table, chicken's holding hands etc. (Yeah it's a love/hate thing.)

These guys are more than likely sincere in their love of real food, and I'll find out more about what motivated their angle when I eat there. But for the record, I can't wait to live in a world when the platitudes expressed in their menu are taken for granted by most restaurant goers, and such adjectives need not be thrown in my face. Instead I would get intrigued by a bold advertisement that reads “Cheap Sit Down Stoner/Gamer Food: Fast!” “Come to Joe's, I will deep fry your pre-packaged Sysco snacks and have them to your table in under seven minutes—and there's never a charge for extra ranch.”

A Bottle Shop in Mendocino?

2012-02-29T08:42:00.003-08:00

Fondly called the “Meat Market” or “The Deli,” Mendocino Market has been an integral part of village life since 1998. Back in High School I was buying 50c pork buns and “The best sandwiches in town” on a regular basis, but now with a more refined pallet to bring I realize that they have far more to offer than just awesome sandwiches and Asian-style snacks. Mendocino Market not only has amazing daily specials in the gluten-free, vegan/vegetarian and organic department, but they are the first and only bottle shop in town to carry more than just the local favorites. From Firestone Walkers Parabola and Firestone's latest anniversary edition ale, to Deschutes: The Stoic, or collaborative efforts like “Life and Limb;” if you're looking for a big beer to cellar, (or just to celebrate with now), The Market just became the place to find whatever it is you fancy. If you are planning the great “California Brewery Roadtrip” and are going to NCBC as many of you (should) do, or even if you're a local and didn't notice the big refrigerators filled with organic sodas and craft beer, take an eye-opening moment to check out what's behind the glass next time you're waiting for your non-GMO, free-range turkey sammich with double bacon--you'll like what you find, trust me.

Newcastle Founders' Ale Spring Release from Caledonian Brewing

2012-02-21T11:19:00.000-08:00

Beer reviews are a rare thing here on Fuggly Brew, but I believe in giving kudos when a large brewery comes out with something unique and delicious. Caledonian/Heineken International has sent me a few samples in the past but it wasn't until this month that I received their Newcastle Founders' Ale ESB that I was truly impressed (although, I do recall a recent trip to Portland resulting in someone slipping me a Newcastle Werewolf that was pretty tasty as well).

Described as a “full-bodied, drinkable brew with dry, hoppy and roasted flavors” Newcastle Founders' Ale delivers on it promises. Although, many of us here on the west coast who have beaten our taste buds to death with alpha acids may not consider this all that hoppy it does have an IBU level of 20 which, considering what's out there, is a nice little weight for a 4.8% ABV ale.

With the Newcastle Founders' Ale you get that signature Newcastle caramel maple note accented with the kind and lightly fruity English hop varietal used. These flavors give this widely available seasonal some good character in competing with a number of traditional ESB's. This beer makes a killer combo with a big plate of fish and chips I might add. It really works with, not against, the malt vinegar in your chips as so many bitter beers do, in my opinion.

This is a spring release that you'll be able to pick up in many of your big box bottle shops sold in 6-pack, 12-pack and ½ keg sizes. Please check out your local TapHunter or BeerFinder to find this beer in your area!

As always let me know your thoughts on this beer!

Bitches Brew 2010 by Dogfish Head

2012-02-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

I did it. I drank it. I've been babying this beer since I got it. I didn't even put it in my cellar because I was scared it wouldn't age well. So, I kept in the refrigerator for nearly 2 years. Last night however, a good friend of mine looked me in the eye and announced that “it was time.” So we opened it. I'll be totally honest with you right now, I think I held on to the beer too long, even in the fridge. It was more bitter than I remember it being when it was fresh. I think the gesho root aged differently than I would expect hops to and it turned pretty bitter. The honey tones melted with and almost got lost in the oxidation process and yet it was still a winning beer in my book! The beer poured a big beautiful brown head and that wonderful aged red-fruit flavor you get from a well aged beer. If you have a 2011 release though, you might want to consider popping that baby open soon and shooting me a comment on how it tastes, I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone that has one.

What Do Beer Bloggers Do?

2012-02-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

Shit Beer Snobs Say

2012-01-19T01:37:00.001-08:00

Having a little fun with this internet meme....some day I'll figure out the art of acting and or editing :D

Beer Mixology and Cocktails Hitting The Home Front

2012-01-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

We've been very busy here on the home front at FugglyBrew.com, the latest project being BeerMixology.com! My dear friend the Beer Wench has been busting her rump to organize some of the top beer experts and mixology gurus nation wide to come together and share recipes and mixing tips with all of our awesome readers and beer fans! So please check out the site and don't for get to like us on facebook!

Drinkwel: Saucy Science

2011-11-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

My friend Arianna from Grapesmart and I were at an event a few months ago when she introduced me to Drinkwel. The concept alone tickled my funny bone and I of course wanted to know more. The wonderful people over at DrinkWel provided me with a sample of their goods to test out and I have been testing them out for about a month and a half. I am the type of person that wants to run a car into the ground during my test drive --I want to know if a product can handle my awesomely majestic existence. So I decided to start feeding these multivitamins, for people who drink, to my husband and wait to try them at the last moment to see if I could use them as an emergency contra-hangover. Halloween night was the perfect night to test the power of these beauties against my rock star lifestyle. I went at the bar with reckless abandon (I do NOT condone irresponsible consumption. This experiment was heavily regulated and done in the name of science by a professional.) The instructions were: eat 3 pills before I start drinking with a glass of water and then eat 3 pills after my last drink. I did the first group and then started my scientific research. I researched several kinds of San Diego County craft beers. I experimented with some whiskey sours that were amazing. I tested out my shot glasses with some Jäger, they held up quite well. I topped the night off with a couple glasses of sangria and then washed my last 3 down with a white Russian and a cookie. I also passed out 3 pills to each of my over night guests. I slept roughly 7 hours and while at first puzzled at the color of my urine I was pleasantly surprised to be very minimally pained by my previous nights consumption. I went out to the living room to survey the damage and everyone else mentioned the same effect-- hangovers were lower than expected if at all. My husband did not take 3 before and 3 after but he felt no hangover what so ever. In my professional opinion, I would say they work both as a long term and an emergency feed good multivitamin, and would most definitely recommend them to anyone who likes to feel good in the morning.

Apparently Absinthe was also involved in the scientific method

Adventures in Distilling

2011-11-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

I was just up at my parents ranch in Northern California and on my way back down my father and I spent the night at a little house they just bought about three blocks away from Russian River Brewing Company. Since we were there and there's honestly nothing there but a table and a bunch of construction equipment we decided to bring the little Al-Alembic pot still my dad got me for Christmas and test the little bugger out!

Possessed Nun Cocktail

2011-11-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

This cocktail is done with a traditional louche but without the sugar.
Take your glass and muddle mint, ice and honey (in this instance I used Lemon Honey made by trappist nuns from Northern California... roll your eyes all you want but it was awesome!).
Pour 1oz absinthe (or as desired) and louche under ice cold water. Stir and serve.

Possessed Monk Cocktail

2011-11-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

1/2 oz Absinthe
1 oz Frangelico
1 oz simple syrup
Shake with ice and serve in rocks glass.
Top with cream soda and an anise star for garnish.

The Dead Frenchman Cocktail

2011-11-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

1oz absinthe
Squeeze of whole key lime
1/2oz rumplemintz
Several sprigs of mint.

Muddle the mint in your shaker add lime juice, absinthe and rumplemintz

Shake well then strain over crushed ice in a martini glass.
Get a bit of the muddled mint in the mix for presentation
Top with soda or lime soda.
Garnish with lime

Basics of Absinthe

2011-10-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's October! The month that I can finally turn off the AC and live my life normally again! It's also the month that we can start to break out our festive and holiday drinks! So many people are doing pumpkin beer, and honestly there's more to October than just pumpkins and drying corncobs. I love entertaining, and my favorite holiday by far is Halloween. Every year I bury myself in crafts, cooking and glaring at Martha Stewart's webpag—full of glittery skulls and genius inventions. Of all the things that I look forward to in the month of October, bringing out my absinthe fountain and setting it up for guests to have a “properly poured” taste is at the top of the my list. There is so much mystique behind the history of absinthe, from it's psychedelic properties, to people going insane under the grasp of the green fairy. But the fact is much of it is untrue. Like with most things that have gone under prohibition, we can always find the origin of the fear lying with someone either ignorant of the substance or with a hidden agenda, and Absinthe was no different. Between tales of men murdering their families under the influence of the drink, to the french wine industry of the time being threatened by the affordability and popularity of absinthe, the spirit was banished into infamy and prohibited by law until a few years ago. The addition of Wormwood has always been the heat of the argument against absinthe. The psychedelic element of the absinthe comes from a chemical byproduct of the wormwood called Thujone. However, Thujone is found in many every day products like tarragon, coriander ,and even “Vick's Vaporub”—but before we all run to the cabinet to mix up our Vick's Tarragon cocktails in hopes to see God, let's keep in mind that these products contain it in such a small amount that we'd choke on the fumes way before we see any fairies. In these small quantities though it does do something—it promotes brain activity which is what it has been used for in the holistic sciences for many years. Thujone promotes what is known as "CNS cholinergic receptor binding activity," which is essentially improved memory and comprehension which combined with the alcohol leaves you with a sense of alertness and clarity. This may explain why characters like Poe and Hemingway were under her spell and in many ways digging their brains deeper and deeper into thought to the potential detriment of the imbiber.

Now I made a bold statement about “properly poured” absinthe above. This statement is a lie. Absinthe can be enjoyed many different ways, much like scotch whiskey. Neat, on the rocks or with water are all fine ways to enjoy absinthe. Absinthe was originally consumed as an aperitif during the height of it's popularity in Paris' fin de siecle cafe's they would drink the liquor “louched with water.” Louching or La Louche is considered the most traditional of serving methods, the ice cold water slowly dilutes the liquor lubricating the essential oils needed for many of the desired cognitive effects, unlike drinking it neat, in which many people do just for the effects of the alcohol.

Personally, I like to add a little drama to my absinthe cocktail. I pour 2 ounces of absinthe over a sugar cube on a slotted spoon into my glass. Light the sugar on fire until it starts to caramelize and slowly drip ice cold water to put out the fire and louche. You don't want to light your booze on fire as this is both pointless and even damaging to your experience burning off oils, flavor and alcohol. I louche till it's just barely milky and add a rock or two to keep cold.

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of history and serving suggestion, come back next week and I will be showing you how to make an Louchjito cocktail a.k.a. An Absinthe Mojito.

EDIT:
Absinthe Cocktails

The Possessed Nun

The Dead Frenchman

The Possessed Monk

Lite Beer (Part One)

2011-10-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

We all know these two: Mr.Dontgiveafuck and Sir Chugalot

Odes to fizzy yellow beers coupled with accusations of beer snobbery are generally countered by snark retorts disparaging the apparent “defense of mediocrity.” Exchanges like this can be seen in almost every craft beer forum and in beerfest lines across our country. Is it one's need to be pigheaded or is it blindness that leads to this continuing banal debate? I think it's safe to say that flavor should be the call to arms and the be-all/end-all evidence in the court of personal beer preference opinion. Whether you're a hop head or a malt lover, it's fairly safe to say that we love flavor and complexity in both light and dark beers. One of my favorite “light” beers is North Coast's Scrimshaw, a staple of local living in Mendocino county. For a Pilsner it has a firm bitterness that holds fast in the crisp brightness of the beer. During a conversation with North Coast Brew Co's Mark Ruedrich, he said “Our beers are not going for the extreme--they are balanced. Balance is key for a sessionable beer...” As we know “sessionable” is many times synonymous with “successful” in regards to sales and North Coast is famous for having unique and complex award winning brews that don't forfeit in the battle of flavor in exchange for that, dare I say it “drinkability.” There I said it! Drinkability! My skin crawls at the sound of that word, but lets reverse engineer our feelings about drinkability. Pilsners have always been quite popular since they entered the scene. They were crisp, bright and see-through. This translucence made quite the impact during a time when glass was just starting to become available (early 1800s) to the masses as a drinking vessel. It shone like a golden jewel and was awe-inspiring. Aside from it's looks though, it made for very decent drinking at all hours of the day and thus came it's popularity.

Science!

Let's skip several decades into the future to the years of post prohibition: Only the larger brewing companies that went into other business during the years of prohibition managed to stay afloat long enough to start back up again when the laws were lifted. These companies were in it to win it and by win it they meant to take back the time lost during the dry years any way imaginable. In 1964 an enzyme entered the market that would change the world of beer forever, Amyloglucosidase. In an attempt to put this simply, this enzyme breaks apart the sugar bonds in starches and creates glucose and fructose. This is the same enzyme used to make high fructose corn syrup (another doom word!) Assuming you're familiar with the basic brewing process, after you sparge your grains you're left with your basic wort, but this wort is full of malt dextrins which add flavor and body to your beer but they're not necessarily fermentable starches. This enzyme breaks down those malt dextrins and makes them fermentable. Thus you have a lighter bodied beer minus the calories from the starches but creating a higher gravity beer due to the “high fructose” wort.

It wasn't until the mid1970's that Philip Morris made this popular with their acquisition of a German pilsner company through Miller Brewing. You know, Philip Morris, the tobacco guys.. yeah you know who I'm talking about. Through tactful marketing to a demographic readied by the soda companies they brought out Miller Lite. During this time the sway of power over the U.S. Food and Drug administration was “If you can prove it's not bad for you we'll allow it” and with responses like “nobody's died yet.” By the 1980's chemicals like Cobalt salts (naturally occurring) were increased to over 1 part per million in beer, dimethylnitrosamine (carcinogen) which is linked to cancer was at five times the normal amount, potassium matabisulfite (a salt that doesn't add sodium to your diet, but it makes you thirsty), Benzaldehyde an ingredient used in formaldehyde and the list goes on. The Food and Drug Administration has been cracking down on many of these things. The dimethylnitrosamine is only 2% of what it used to be and the added cobalt salts have been further regulated as well. If you want to find a full guide to what's in those beers you can make an attempt to find the ever elusive Brewers Association Report on “Adjuncts Employed in Brewing.” By 1992 “Lite Beer” was the best selling beer in the US. With sports figure driven ads challenging your machismo to this very day lite beers still control most of the market, even with over 76 chemicals in various combinations that are left to be unreported to the FDA. So we fight back. (Part 1)

#BBC11

2011-08-23T12:22:00.003-07:00

Too much beer and too much song! What am I saying? You can never have too much beer!!!

The cool kids doing shots instead of pints!

Fred Eckhardt at the BBC 2011

2011-08-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was overcome with excitement when I found out Fred Eckhardt was a keynote speaker at this years Beer Bloggers Conference yesterday. Mr. Eckhardt is a true founder of a movement and the leader in the battle for flavor. I grew up with his books on my fathers shelf, my favorite being The Essentials of Beer Styles, so as you can imagine I was quite the fan girl. Less of a formal presentation and more of a sit down story time (with beer in hand of course) Fred told us colorful stories of the American craft beer revolution. From adding hops to beer and his thoughts on session versus new high ABV beers Fred spoke of the similarities of his writing roots to us bloggers as well as touching slightly upon print journalism compared to digital journalism. Self proclaimed as “lazy” he is a great inspiration to us all and I feel very lucky to have met such a fantastic living legend.

“The beer in my hand is my favorite beer!”

-Fred Eckhardt

Sponsored by:

The Goat's Daily Udderings

2011-07-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of PatrickMcBride

What happened to the Del Mar Beer Fest and a little bit of back ground on San Diego fests in the past. Via FermentNation
Mississippi Legislations are changing to raise alcohol content cap on beer, could mean more money for the state! Via WillOatis
Visit 5 must see hotel piano bars for an evening of fun in San Diego! Via FreebiePrincess
Excited about #IPAday? Let's hear a little bit from one of it's founders! Via TheBeerWench
Keeping an eye on the craft beer pulse, what's the next trend, Session or Sour? Via BottleChasers

The Goat's Daily Udderings

2011-07-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of www.BikeHacks.com

Importance of Food and Beer pairing according to Tommy Harder of Blind Tiger Ale House via BreweryOmmegang
Wine matches Beer in U.S. Drinkers Preference via GageMitchell
Germans are brewing more than ever since 2007 via LAaleworks
Is publicly traded craft beer loosing ground? via AngusFielding

#IPAday North Park Pub Crawl

2011-07-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

Craft Beer Enthusiasts and Social Media Addicts, August 4th is IPA day (#IPAday) and San Diego's very own North Park has a celebration of it's own, raising pints along 30th street! You are invited to join FugglyBrew.com's Tatiana Peavey for an IPA day Pub Crawl. Starting at 7pm we are meeting at The Linkery and moving north along 30th and ending at the Ritual Tavern to try the debut beer from Butcher's Brewery Double Shaka Double IPA. You wont want to miss this worldwide toast to craft beer!

Stay tuned for as more specials will be posted!

The Itinerary is as follows:
7PM-The Linkery (Jay has specials in the making)
7:45PM-True North ($4 IPA's)
8:30PM- URBN
9:00PM El Take It Easy
9:30PM Toronado
10:30PM- Ritual Tavern (Butcher's DIPA Debut)

RSVP HERE!

In preparation for #IPAday make sure you're following our #IPAday pub crawl sponsors on Twitter!
Http://www.twitter.com/Goats_Udder
http://www.twitter.com/thelinkery
http://www.twitter.com/URBNnorthpark
http://www.twitter.com/toronadosd
http://www.twitter.com/truenorthtavern
http://www.twitter.com/ritualtavern

Please Drink Responsibly!

Fuggly Brew Beer Dinner 08/11

2011-07-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers!
You are cordially invited to join me for my very first beer dinner! Please read and distribute the press release at the bottom at your leisure and Thank You All for being so supportive the last couple years I appreciate all the love and encouragement and I hope to see you there!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Dan Smith
Out Of The Park Pizza
E-mail: ylfamilypizza@yahoo.com
Phone: (619)569-7084
Tatiana Peavey

FugglyBrew.com

Phone: (707)813-1233

E-mail: tatiana@fugglybrew.com

Out Of The Park Pizza and FugglyBrew.com Host Local Beer Dinner Featuring Orange County Breweries

Anaheim, California, July 18, 2011 – Out of the Park Pizza and FugglyBrew.com are set to host their first O.C. Brewery Beer Dinner on Thursday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. at its 5638 E. La Palma Ave. location featuring selections from local Orange County Breweries.

The local Beer Dinner will feature beers from Orange County's renowned Bruery, Bootleggers Brewing Co, Left Coast Brewing Co and a special six-course beer pairing menu courtesy of FugglyBrew.com author, Tatiana Peavey. The night’s courses will be served as follows: chopped Jicama salad with The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse; creamy Camembert mac and cheese with The Bruery Saison Rue; pineapple pork ribs with Left Coast Asylum; deconstructed Out of the Park Signature Chuck Norris pizza with Bootleggers Golden Chaos; Gorgonzola and nectarines with Bootleggers Knuckle Sandwich; and fresh baked chocolate cookie a la raspberry mode with Left Coast VooDoo Stout.

Owner, Dan Smith is excited to be a part of Orange County's growing craft beer scene and hopes that this is the first of many special beer events for Out of The Park Pizza .This is a must-attend event for any beer enthusiast from the budding crafty to the seasoned cellarist, this event is not to be missed.

Tickets for the event are $30 in advance and for Out of the Park Pizza Homebrew Club members and $40 at the door. Early purchases are suggested as tickets are limited and the event will reach capacity.

Join in and celebrate IPA day!

2011-07-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

This morning was the unveiling of the first global celebration of the IPA set for August 4^th! Creating awareness about your local brewery and their IPAs. In an effort for IPA lovers around the world to ring cheers through the air I encourage one and all to flock to their local establishments and raise a pint, as the saying goes “think global, act local.” Or as I like to say it, shut up and drink! Stay tuned for updates on twitter as on August 4^th I will be doing an IPA give away to one lucky winner! I want to give a very special thanks to my friends @TheBeerWench and @RyanARoss for doing such a marvelous job of organizing this celebration.

Please check out some fine #IPAday supporters below:

Host Breweries

@bisonbrew @Karl_Strauss @stbcbeer

@sweetwaterbrew @epicbeer @greatdividebrew

@NOLA_Brewing @SWBrewery @newhollandbrew

@foundersbrewing

Social Media Sponsors

@ratebeer @untappd

@newbrewthursday

Beer Tattoo Series

2011-07-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

I love beer and I love tattoos, and for some their love for both unites! Here I have Derek Bougie, Brewmaster of Newport Beach Brewing Co. and his beautiful beer sleeve! His tattoo features waves of blue water, hops, grains, and his latest addition beautiful little yeast! Don't forget to stop by the brewery at:

2920 Newport Blvd
Newport Beach, CA

Kilt Lifting Pecan Logs

2011-06-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

While reading up on Scotch Ales I got a little craving for Moylan's Kilt Lifter, an nice wee heavy ale that warms the soul and make studying much more enjoyable! I was almost down to my last little bit when I thought to myself how fantastic this would be with pecans and it struck me! I wonder if I can make some sort of pecan candy with the beer! So I toyed with the idea of making turtles and I remembered how much my mother loves pecan logs but always complains about how sweet they usually are, so I tried my hand at making some. The sugars in the basic caramel really bring out the rich maltiness of this beer and the way the hops play upon the meatiness of the hops is an herbal mouth-dance not to be missed. A word of caution: Sugar get's hot (Don't give me that look) I gave myself a nice welt while trying to taste it so please be careful!

1/4 cup butter
large buttered platter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup Scotch Ale
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 can Condensed Milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pecans

1. In a small pot place butter, sugar, beer, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla extract.
2. Place pot over medium heat and stir consistently until thick and forms a firm ball when dripped in cold water (may take an hour this is not a simple process).
3. Pour Caramel onto a large chilled pre-buttered platter and place in the refrigerator until just still warm (about 5 minutes).
4. Separate into three balls.
5. Place Pecans into a dish
6. Roll caramel balls into logs and press into the pecans until coated to your liking for each ball/roll.
7. Let Pecan Rolls fully cool to room temperature, and Enjoy!
(A variation to this is to pour rows of caramel over the pecans and roll into logs but do not do this unless you have silicon gloves to prevent burning...trust me this stuff is sticky and HOT!!