Commuting for two hours each way sucks, but at least I can enjoy a beer (or three) on the train ride home.

These new kegs are pretty cool and they are certainly very convenient for a party. We took this on a vacation to the shore and being able to fill up half-way, or all the way, was great. My kids were really attracted to it, too. They kept reminding mom & dad that whenever we wanted more to let them know and they would fill up for us. (is that wrong?)

I have to note that the tap broke on us and made mess. (no, we didn’t blame the kids)

As for the Newcastle Brown, I just don’t love this. They call it the lighter side of dark. I would call it, the weaker side of strong. This beer is insipid, despite its nice brown color. It is a great gateway beer… something that might help bring the masses closer to real craft beer.

My wife commented that the new style pub glasses are completely awesome! They take a lead from the Sam Adams glass and add a nucleation area to the inside with etchings. I admit, they are study and easy to hold; a very good beer glass.

Bison Brewing of Berkeley California brews 13 beers, all of which are organic. They take pride in being Certified Organic, but they also take great pride in brewing great beers. I decided to check out their Chocolate Stout, which they proudly proclaim is brewed with cocoa.

The nose has a definite chocolaty feel, as does the lingering aftertaste. You get strong hints of coffee and a roasted finish that leaves the mouth with a caramel thickness that is not at all unpleasant. The Organic Chocolate Stout comes in at 5.0% ALC/VOL.

Evidently Bison uses cocoa powder in the mash, and it really comes through nicely without overpowering the smooth stout taste. Combine that with 5 different malts, and you have a stout on hand that tastes good, as well as feels good, being organic and all.

Bison Brewing in Berkeley is a leader in the emerging organic market we find springing up all over the West Coast. They take pride in buying their hops organically, and decreasing the pollution in our waterways (farming contributes to 70% of that pollution).

Buying organic is not a deal breaker for me. I enjoy any beer that is brewed with pride and complex flavors, but it is nice to know you can drink organic and not suffer in the taste category. On the contrary, Bison’s Chocolate Stout is an excellent stout that, as they claim on their website, “Is like Barry White’s voice in a bottle.”

I have the whole lot of Crispin’s to write about but I’m going to start with their latest release from their Artisanal Reserve series, the Lansdowne cloudy hard cider.

This is what they are calling a Stout cider, or, Unfiltered Extra Stout Bodied Super-Premium Export Quality – a marketing phrase for sure, but yes, it is premium and stout is is quite apropo.

Crispin crosses the best of the craft of brewing apple cider (hard cider) and the craft of brewing beer by using beer yeasts in this series of ciders. They are all natural which is something I’m becoming a bigger fan of every day. This Lansdowne is brewed with Irish stout yeast and organic molasses.

Let’s talk about what is in this (lovely) beverage… 140 calories, no preservatives, no added sugar, no added spirits or grains for added alcohol (still 6.9% ABV), gluten free, naturally fermented with an irish ale yeast. (how great does that sound!?!)

Let’s talk about how it tastes… I found this much like a Irish stout as it relates to the style points - very sweet but balanced with tartness from the apple. It is also strong, aka: stout. But it is all apple, and tastes like the cider I get from the farm down the road from my house in the fall but with added piquant essence.

A full bodied, confident & imposing cider. It produces a slight hint of butterscotch, balanced by a subtle fruitiness and slightly dry crisp finish and a uniquely full & buttery mouthfeel.

Small batch, hand crafted, super-premium hard apple cider smoothed with pure organic molasses and a kiss of organic honey for a complex, bold, heady flavor.

Is this what is going to happen when SkyNet becomes self-aware?

http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=609

(via Boing Boing (via Bruce Sterling))

It’s hot. I like this.

Dan points out I have the wrong style identified and he is right! (see comments) But, it doesn’t change the fact that I still like it! Alt’s are a bit darker, a bit maltier, and a bit hoppy’er. I added the true definitions below. They both are traditional German-Style beers. Goose Island suggests serving in a Kolsch style glass. 

Alt’s  German-Style Kölsch’s are becoming a favorite of mine as just a nice, simple, beer that hits the spot anytime. I remember visiting Brewer’s Alley with Al and the gang at Octoberfest and they had the “Wedding Alt” on tap and that was the day that I remember saying to myself that I had better give these more attention when I see them. Since then, I’ve had the CTRL-ALT-DEL at Davidson Brother’s Brewery in Glens Falls, NY and now Goose Island has made a wonderful Summertine ale that is distributed to many. Try one! (Please comment on your favorite German-Style Kölsch’s OR Alt’s!)

German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch
Kölsch is warm fermented and aged at cold temperatures (German ale or alt-style beer). Kölsch is characterized by a golden to straw color and a slightly dry, subtly sweet softness on the palate, yet crisp. Good, dense head retention is desirable. A light fruitiness may be apparent, but is not necessary for this style. Caramel character should not be evident. The body is light to medium-light. This beer has low hop flavor and aroma with medium bitterness. Wheat can be used in brewing this beer. Ale yeast is used for fermentation, though lager yeast is sometimes used in the bottle or final cold conditioning process. Fruity esters should be minimally perceived, if at all. Chill haze should be absent.

German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-Style Altbier
Copper to brown in color, this German ale may be highly hopped and intensely bitter (although the 25 to 35 IBU range is more normal for the majority of Altbiers from Düsseldorf) and has a medium body and malty flavor. A variety of malts, including wheat, may be used. Hop character may be medium to high in the flavor and aroma. The overall impression is clean, crisp, and flavorful often with a dry finish. Fruity esters can be low to medium-low. No diacetyl or chill haze should be perceived.

The other day, we received a message in our inbox:

Dear Hop Talk,

Do you know how I can order Mackeson Stout?  Apparently it is sold only on the East Coast, but is there a way I can get a few cases shipped to me?

Graham D

Well, Graham. That’s really going to depend on where you live. I live in Maryland and I’m out of luck.

Have you asked your friendly local retailer? In my experience, they’re generally happy to help you find a beer from one of their distributors and even do special orders.

How about it Hop Talk readers? Do you have any suggestions for Graham?

It doesn’t get much fresher than this… I grabbed some of the first Saranac Octoberfest beer from the brewery today. She even had to fetch them from the back. I think I need to get one in an ice water bath so I can have it tonight.

Also note the cool ADK pint glass. My sister-in-law picked this one up for her friend; they had many other frosted glasses with things like: DAD, OMG, WTF, BEER, and many others. (ADK is for Adirondacks)

The best beer names according to the Aleheads, anyway.

Beer people have some wonderful senses humor, and I’ve bought plenty of beer because the label made me laugh.

A sample of some of the beer from their list that I’ve actually had:

• Old Horizontal
• Old Leghumper
• Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Dad’s Little Helper Malt Liquor
• Blithering Idiot

While I’ve never had a Polygamy Porter, I do have a t-shirt. (“Bring some home to the wives.”)

Some of these are a riot and I can’t wait to try them (if I can find them).

What’s your favorite beer name? (Did it make the list?)

(via Definitive Ale)

Just when Google Wave was getting the features it needed to be really cool they pulled the plug on it. I think it was because they limited access to it out of the gate and when the hype died down, that’s when they opened it up to everyone. It was also not in-your-face like Buzz was attached to GMail.

But you can help Save the Wave! (I don’t have high hopes, but we can try)

Google described Wave as “what email should have been”, but really it is a great place to organize and store topics and then allow multiple people to edit. It is OneNote on the Web. The Wave folks should take (steal) the interface from OneNote to make it a little more accessible to everyone. (which by the way I am loving OneNote 2010, which is also getting more and more Web friendly)

Check out Wave in the Google Labs.

Well, I suppose it can’t all be good news.

According to a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, women who drink beer are more than two times as likely to develop psoriasis than non-drinkers. Other types of alcohol, including light beer (snicker), wine and spirits don’t seem to have the same effect. The culprit appears to be gluten from the barley, as the psoriasis sufferers were more sensitive. No word if bread or pasta had a similar effect.

(via U.S. News and World Report)

Who knew? Beer fuels horses at Saratoga

I just happen to run across this and how timely… I was just enjoying my own beer today at the track. (and throwing money away on horses) I think in this case, I’d rather be the horse!

Guinness beer’s long-time slogan is “Guinness is Good For You” and some trainers says it’s the only beer good for their horses.

“It’s the yeast in Guinness that puts them on to eat it, I think,” says Ryan.
 

A dear friend brought this back from her trip to the U.K. I certainly haven’t seen it in any of my local retailers. Heck, I don’t know that I’ve seen anything from Isle of Skye.

They say:

The strongest of the regular Skye ales, Bla Bheinn, the blue mountain, is a deep golden ale, malty and full-bodied, with a fruity, hoppy character and a delightful Fuggles hop aroma. Originally a winter ale, now available all year round due to demand.

It pours a nice clear golden color with an off-white head a couple fingers’ thick.
Slightly fruity aroma which reminds me of a not-quite-ripe peach. It has a big body but only about 5% ABV which is a little surprising. As it warms I’m getting a hint of vanilla.

This is pretty good; I’m glad it made it over the Atlantic.

A six-pack of items that recently caught our eye.

Prophet vs profit: dilemma for brewing monks
[B]rewing monks are facing a new and unexpected challenge: commercial success. Frankly, even though it will make it difficult for me to ever try a Westmalle Dubbel, I hope they never give in.

Europe’s beer gardens of Eden
The author’s “pilgrimage” from Prague to Munich. Too bad he trots out that old—and incorrect—chestnut that Franklin supposedly said about beer and God.

Sierra Nevada, actual monks to brew new beers
Speaking of Trappist monks, a group of monks from the Abbey of New Clairvaux are partnering with Sierra Nevada to create three limited-edition beers. The proceeds from these beers will help restore a 12th century, early-gothic Cistercian chapter house that William Randolph Hearst purchased and moved to California in the 1930s.

No More Gluek Beer
Jay Brooks said it best: “Regardless of Gluek’s ultimate place in American brewing history, it’s always sad to see another old brand consigned to the scrap heap of discontinued brands, but then I’m sentimental that way.”

How Jimmy Carter Saved American Beer
It’s got nothing to do with his brother Billy or Billy Beer, but rather how the deregulation of the beer industry removed the stranglehold held by Anheuser-Busch and their ilk and allowed the explosion of craft breweries.

AB InBev loses Budweiser trademark case
AB InBev still has agreements in several countries to use the Budweiser brand, but this would have allowed them to claim the trademark in all members of the European Union. Budejovicky Budvar just gets to keep the registrations it currently has. (And let’s hope that this is the last we see of this issue.)

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