A Strong Fuggly Brew

The Legendary Boonville Beerfest

2013-05-03T14:54:00.003-07:00

I look forward to meeting those of you who will be able to make it out to Boonville this year for their Legendary Beerfest. So much, that I thought it would be fun if my dear friend Ashley, from DrinkWithTheWench.com and I hosted a tweet-up! As time grows closer to tomorrow festivities I have started to see far more tweets, Instagram tags, and Facebook posts than I have for the beerfest in previous years. There is more social media buzz--not just from attendees but also from breweries that will be pouring. It warms my heart to see the use of social media now more than ever in the craft beer industry because it's free to use and can truly make or break a customer experience.

So if you are in attendance tomorrow, please come say "Hi" at 2pm at the gazebo on the west side of the fairgrounds. Even if you don't have a twitter account, come and meet fellow Instagrammers and Facebook flockers and let's cheer to one of the best beer fests in the nation!

Modern Times calls for Modern Funding

2013-03-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Are you searching for the raddest new brewery coming your way? End your search at Kickstarter.com by helping out one of the most promising groups of guys to fulfill their dreams of opening Modern Times Brewing Company. The brainchild of Jacob McKean, former social media guru at Stone Brewing, Modern Times promises to deliver with beautifully minted canned beers and a solid sour beer program. With the support of his family and friends McKean bravely left Stone to seek his fortune as the next San Diego brewery rockstar.

Let it be known, he is not going it alone. He has an amazing team that includes one of the coolest brewers I have had the opportunity to meet: Derek Freese. I found Derek wandering around a local beerfest grumbling about the music and saving me from tasting a beer I didn't really want in my mouth. My new friend was no other than the head brewer at Monkey Paw. What blew me away the most was that was his first professional brewing gig—this man has talent!

Months pass and I learn that Derek has a new project on the brain: Modern Times. His enthusiasm is contagious: “If you talk to Jacob about his vision for Modern Times, understand the passion involved with the other people coming on board, and realize that stepping into a brewery like this could be a lifelong career, you'd see why it was a no-brainer. We're going to kick ass.”

Derek isn't the only beerstar involved with Modern Times. The beer [ninja] team includes Lost Coast Brewing's Head Brewer for the last 2 years, Matt Walsh, who has done amazing things at the brewery up in Eureka. There's also Alex Tweet from Ballast Point, and fellow blogger Mike Tonsmeire of the famed Mad Fermentationist.

Knowing you’re going to kick ass is an envious place to start, however, funding is of course always needed to make dreams come true. Jacob has a strong team of brewers and industry experts backing him, and now he’s looking for some investors via Kickstarter.

I am very excited about their session beer lineup, their snazzy looking cans, and I’m especially looking forward to the sticky-icky "Hoppy Dankness." I encourage all of you to please check out their kickstarter and for as little as $10 get some very sweet rewards. This is your chance to directly support craft beer in San Diego; help Modern Times open their doors by early summer!

IRON MAIDEN BEER

2013-03-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

No, I didn't fall asleep listening to Powerslave on repeat-- my favorite band just brewed a beer.

Iron Maiden- musicians, artists, soccer players, heroes, pilots, and now brewers. The excitement and emotion I feel at this very moment, watching worlds explode in a rainbow if magic and malt, is paralyzing. So a word from Bruce Dickinson:

Why I Joined The Pink Boots Society

2013-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Women in craft beer have always been a hot topic in the industry. Everything from marketing, event promoting, industry related conferences, and even the macro beer discussion has at some point discussed the issue of “women relating to beer.” If you haven't read about my angle on the “women's” debacle before, I encourage you to visit my “Women in Beer” post from a couple years ago.

When I was last up in Portland I went to a special viewing of For The Love of Beer, a fantastic documentary that provided an honest and inspiring look into the spirit of the women involved in the craft beer community. I enjoyed that the film took the stance of portraying these women based on their individual contributions, and not needlessly playing up their gender roles. Women in general find stereotypes inflammatory whether they come from the angle of extreme frills or the angle of women trying to be men--it's a surefire way to get many of us up on our soapboxes. The way this movie presented the concept was simple and amazing: we do it for the love of beer--that is all. Viewing this movie prompted some self-reflection into my own personal experiences as a woman and my ever growing involvement in the beer industry.

It took a long time for me to decide to join the Pink Boots Society (PBS) for many reasons, including the paradigms surrounding being in a “sisterhood.” I feel like many female focused societies get a reputation as “women who lunch”--fund raising, fashion shows, extravagant parties to raise money that cost more than they produce. While this characterization is perhaps overboard, allow me to banish these thoughts when it comes to PBS. The Pink Boots Society has two official meetings a year, Craft Brewers Conference and the Great American Beer Festival, making them much more accessible to participants than so many other woman's social groups that try to limit their members through financial barriers and temporal constraints. Many of us will already be at these events and an extra meeting is in no way a burden to its members. Most importantly, membership requires you to be a woman who is actively employed by the industry. That's all. This alone eliminates any image of PBS only being a social club because it's a group strictly for professionals.

Why have a group that is dedicated strictly to women? I will be the first person to get on my soap box if I feel that I am being pegged as a lesser being for something being pink, or frilly, or “dumbed down” for me since I'm a woman. I also don't want to be categorized as attempting to be masculine even if I do think craft beer is “rock n' roll.” I don't think joining a “sorority” is working against the dream of gender neutrality in the craft beer industry. I strongly believe that an organization built for the purpose of encouraging strong female leaders in the beer industry is beneficial for brewing as a whole, the future of craft beer, and will help with strides towards more meaningful gender integration.

I am very excited to start my journey with such wonderful group of inspiring women, and I hope that my future contributions will be equally meaningful. I am proud to be new member of the Pink Boots Society.

Cans vs Bottles: Myths Busted

2013-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

By now many of you have seen SierraNevada's big green tall boys on the shelves of your local bottle shop. Maybe you've been searching for some of that delicious GoldenRoad and only been able to find cans. No longer is the “Silver Bullet” for tasteless macro brews and soda pop--its popularity with the craft brewing community is growing everyday.

Much like the controversial “natural cork vs synthetic” argument in the wine industry, canning has been on the table of “flavor and tackiness” for some time now. What are the arguments against canning and do they have any validity or are they simply “old husbands tales”? I decided to do some research and find out for myself.

c.2012 M. Mioduszewski.

During the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego I had the opportunity to sit down with the fine people of Crown Holdings. Crown Holdings creates the cans for Big Sky Brewing and Wachusett Brewing Companies. I wanted to hear about the process and couldn't have been more surprised by what I learned. Crown holds itself to some of the highest standards in the industry, through innovation and improvements on what is considered the most effective of packaging since the 1800's. They start by purchasing aluminum sheets and through a series of stamps and punches create a cylinder with a bottom on it and a separate top with an opener and perforated spout (to be added later at the brewery). They coat the inside of the cans with a special FDA-regulated coating which many canning companies do not make public because they are constantly trying to update and improve these coatings but I did get a fairly comprehensive answer after scouring some engineering and recycling forums online. The coating is a food safe polymer with vinyl-based resins (comestible polymeric coating) meant to keep metal particles (or metal salts) from migrating into the beer. This polymer is also impenetrable by anything other than industrial grade solvents or tremendous heat (as it is removed by most recycling plants) making it impossible to be eaten away by natural enzymes and acids that break down metals. Back pre-1980's before cobalt salts were regulated in beer (See History of Lite Beer) many people reported a metallic taste that came from drinking canned beers. This may not just have been naturally occurring in the beer but perhaps truly occurring in early cans that weren't coated with as sophisticated polymers as today's cans are. After coating the insides of the cans, topless wraps are sent through a screen printer to print the design appearing on the outside of the can, packaged, and shipped off to their designated breweries.

When I visited Oskar Blues Brewing out in Colorado they walked me through the canning process explaining how they ensure quality in flavor from the fermenting barrel to the can. Much as with bottling, they fill the cans using a counter-flow CO₂ displacement filler that pre-charges the cans with CO₂ and then pours the beer in to push the CO₂ out the top, leaving a healthy foam head. Using a CO₂ knife they cut the head level to the top of the can and float the can top on it before crimping it down. Unlike a bottle cap that is shaped more like a dome leaving room for air, the can tops are flat leaving no room between the carefully cured top and the foamy head. By keeping the oxygen out they are keeping the beer fresher longer by effectively preventing any oxidation.

As far as taste goes, canning seems to be the best option for keeping all the good flavors in, and all the bad flavors out of beer. Also, since oxygen is more limited in canning than in bottling, the chances of your beer becoming oxidized is decreased considerably. The other most obvious point to note is that aluminum is impenetrable by sunlight--keeping those pesky UV rays out of the beer. I think it's safe to say that canning is good for the beer, and metal being an infinitely recyclable product it's good for the earth too.

But wait there's more! I've heard many a beer snob say “...but it looks tacky to drink out of a can!” Don't worry I addressed this issue as well.

I consulted the co-founder of one of the original can-only breweries in San Francisco: 21stAmendment's Shaun O'Sullivan, who complains “So many times I end up talking more about the packaging than about the beer itself.” When they first started production it seemed to them that canning being environmentally sound and beer-safe was a no-brainer, but also that it was perfect for people with an active lifestyle as well. “I want to go sailing or hiking, not hauling a bunch of bottles with me everywhere I go” says O'Sullivan, who points out the portability of cans before and after the beer has been consumed. He also stresses that unless you're out and about on an adventure, please kindly pour your Monk's Blood into the appropriate glassware because “a can is just a small keg, not always a drinking vessel” and we all love beer from kegs!

Fir Needle Beer Soap

2013-01-12T21:03:00.001-08:00

Oh my Guinness! A new bathing/beer product recently hit the market and the ladies over at Outblush seem to love it! Fir essential oils, Guinness and organic coconut oil make up this luxurious little bar. Let me know if any of you guys out there get a chance to try the Fir Needle Beer Soap from Brookfarm General Store.

This all natural moisturizing soap is handmade in small batches just for us. Scented with pure essential oils.

2012 GABF Award Winners of California

2012-10-13T14:55:00.002-07:00

I did not make it to the Great American Beer Festival this year but that's definitely not an excuse to ignore the amazing brewers and breweries that brought home a medal this year.

The following is a list of all the California based medalists! Or for a complete list of winners click here!

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Beer Institute
Pabst Brewing Company, Los Angeles, CA
Gregory Deuhs

Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast, 29 Entries
Bronze: Wrangler Wheat, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 8 Coffee Beer, 63 Entries
Gold: Smog City Groundwork Coffee, Tustin Brewing Co., Tustin, CA

Category: 12 Session Beer, 67 Entries
Gold: Twerp, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Bitter American, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Category: 14 Experimental Beer, 62 Entries
Silver: Petit Obscura, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Track #8, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category: 15 Fresh Hop Ale, 34 Entries
Gold: Estate Homegrown Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: HopTime Harvest Ale, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA

Category: 16 Indigenous Beer, 27 Entries
Bronze: Hot Rocks Lager, Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA

Category: 18 American-Belgo-Style Ale, 71 Entries
Gold: Le Freak, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 19 American-Style Sour Ale, 34 Entries
Silver: Red Poppy, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category: 21 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, , 51 Entries
Silver: Bourbon Barrel Aged Night Sail, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA

Category: 22 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 103 Entries
Gold: The Manhattan Project, The Beer Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 23 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout, 65 Entries
Silver: Silva Stout, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 25 Aged Beer, 24 Entries
Silver: 2004 Triple Exultation, Eel River Brewing Co., Fortuna, CA

Category: 28 American-Style or International-Style Pilsener, 26 Entries
Gold: Gold Country Pilsner, Auburn Alehouse, Auburn, CA

Category: 33 American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager, 51 Entries
Gold: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA

Category: 34 American-Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager, 34 Entries
Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA

Category: 35 Vienna-Style Lager, 36 Entries
Bronze: Danish Red Lager, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 44 Golden or Blonde Ale, 67 Entries
Gold: Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA

Category: 49 International-Style Pale Ale, 29 Entries
Silver: Southern Chaos, Hollister Brewing Co., Goleta, CA

Category: 52 American-Style India Pale Ale, 203 Entries
Gold: IPA, Tap It Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo, CA
Bronze: Duet, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA

Category: 53 Imperial India Pale Ale, 128 Entries
Silver: Café Racer 15, Bear Republic Brewing Co. - Healdsburg, Healdsburg, CA
Bronze: Double Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 55 Imperial Red Ale, 60 Entries
Bronze: 547 Haight - The Toronado San Francisco’s 20th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category: 57 Ordinary or Special Bitter, 37 Entries
Gold: DBA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 60 Irish-Style Red Ale, 48 Entries
Silver: TAPS Irish Red, TAPS Fish House, Brewery, Brea, CA

Category: 63 American-Style Black Ale, 61 Entries
Gold: Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 67 German-Style Wheat Ale, 23 Entries
Bronze: Weizeneisbock, Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., San Jose, CA

Category: 69 French- and Belgian-Style Saison, 68 Entries
Bronze: El Verano, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Category: 70 Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 68 Entries
Gold: Saint’s Devotion, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category: 71 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale, 42 Entries
Bronze: Sans Pagaie, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Category: 72 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale, 86 Entries
Gold: Green Flash Trippel, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 73 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale, 51 Entries
Silver: Rhinoceros, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: AleSmith Grand Cru, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 74 Brown Porter, 44 Entries
Bronze: Peter Brown Tribute Ale, Bear Republic Brewing Co. Factory Five, Cloverdale, CA

Category: 76 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 16 Entries
Gold: Seaside Stout, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA

Category: 77 Foreign-Style Stout, 25 Entries
Gold: Starry Night Stout, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA

Category: 78 American-Style Stout, 43 Entries
Gold: Order in the Port, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category: 79 Sweet Stout, 32 Entries
Gold: Udder Love, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Category: 80 Oatmeal Stout, 45 Entries
Gold: Oats, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Bronze: Stagecoach Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 81 Imperial Stout, 58 Entries
Silver: Imperial Stout, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Category: 82 Scotch Ale, 44 Entries
Gold: Way Heavy, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category: 83 Old Ale or Strong Ale, 31 Entries
Silver: Papier, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: AleSmith Decadence ‘10 Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

How to Make a Pumpkin Keg

2012-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Now I think we saw Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione do this at the last Punkin Ale release party but I just don't remember. This is however a very cool trick that I'm hoping to do at my Halloween party. This might also be a good way to prepare a pumpkin for a future Pumpkin Beer Pie recipe forth coming.

Pouring "nice" beer in here might not be the best of ideas, however if you're not interested in pouring your beer into this pumpkin due to the possibility of it going flat here's another idea: make it into a "jockybox." Pack it full of ice and run your hoses from your keg through your pumpkin- if you have a big enough pumpkin you can add a keg handle or two!

Thanks to Melissa Klein for sharing this fun craft! Please check out Celebrations for full instructions!
Happy Halloween!

Growler On Board

2012-09-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

No more growlers rolling around in your back seat after hitting up those fun-to-drive-to breweries in Nor Cal! These guys came up with a solution to the potential frothy mess you discover after a long drive from your favorite brewery. Very cute idea!

#IPAday Cigar Pairing in Santa Rosa

2012-07-26T14:29:00.001-07:00

Join us for an evening of top ranking California IPA's and expertly paired cigars in the newest craft beer pub in Santa Rosa, Heritage Public House! Never had a cigar with your beer? You're missing out! There will be two IPA flights to choose from; a citrusy, bright flight of 4 standard IPA's, and a bold, spicy flight of 4 Imperial and Black. Each flight has the option to add a perfectly paired cigar to that style of IPA. Please come on down and celebrate #IPAday with FugglyBrew.com!

Click Here To RSVP!

Win a trip to The Belgian Beer Festival

2012-06-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

Attention Belgian beer lovers! Draft Magazine, Affligem, and Visit Flanders have teamed up for a Belgian vacation giveaway for two lucky people to go and attend The Belgian Beer Festival and discover what's been brewing for the past 938 years. Also, 200 lucky people will receive a tasting ritual kit with possibly the cutest “yeast chalice” ever. The kit contains a chalice perfect for 90% of your beer, a spot for your bottle, and a small glass for that final 10% of the pour so you can contrast that last bit of yeast with the body of your beer. Genius, is it not?

To enter, ask yourself this important question: What do you do with the last 10% of your Belgian Abbey beer?Then click here to enter.

Contest ends on July 16^th 2012

Summer in Sonoma

2012-06-01T14:22:00.001-07:00

May was an exciting month for beer from the world beer cup to the craft brewers conference. It was also an exciting month for myself as well. As some of you may know, I just moved to Santa Rosa, home of Russian River Brewing Company and Third Street Aleworks (as well as countless Russian River Valley wines!) With summer on the horizon and several events on the schedule, I am very excited to share my experiences in the next few weeks. Right now I'm working on setting up my vacation cabin and making myself handy around the yard, but I will be back up and online very soon. Until then please check me out on Pinterest and follow all the country fun on twitter!

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.