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| August 24, 2005 | |
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While savoring a light-bodied but full-flavored ale on a warm summer evening, I found my thoughts turning to Green Flash Brewing Co., Reaper Ale and the Fifth Element. Most beer geeks know all about the first four elements. The medieval German law governing beer production, the Reinheitsgebot, limited brewers to three ingredients: water, barley and hops. It would be 300 years before a great figure in brewing, Louis Pasteur, noted that the microorganisms we now call yeast consume the sugars in the malted barley and produce alcohol. But as long as French chemists, German lawmakers and anyone else has been quaffing the stuff, beer has always contained a Fifth Element. This is something brewers rarely discuss, perhaps because it is the one ingredient beyond their control: Our expectations. This element is not governed by the Reinheitsgebot, but by an unwritten law. Yet it is at least as crucial to a beer's success. Every time we pop a tab or lift a bottle cap off an unfamiliar beer, we enter into a compact with a brewer. We entrust our taste buds to this unknown fluid on the understanding that it will amaze or delight our finicky palates. That's a tough trick to pull off, as I was reminded during a recent beer dinner. "Have you tried Green Flash Pale?" a fellow diner asked. "Yes," I said. But before I could sing its praises, my companion launched into his own aria, one dominated by sour notes. The beer, he complained, was the liquid equivalent of a day at the beach that ended with a third-degree sunburn. An experience that should have brought pleasure instead delivered pain. Turned out that beer had been purchased at a warehouse store, where six-packs sat on pallets, subjected to heat and fluorescent light. So perhaps the beer had gone skunky. Or perhaps my friend had been a fan of the original pale from Green Flash. Earlier this year, the brewery acquired a new brewer – Chuck Silva, formerly with Karl Strauss. Consequently, the beers have acquired new flavors. In other words, perhaps the beer was fine, but someone's expectations had been confounded. This happens, especially when beers refuse to travel well-marked routes and set out on their own paths. Tasting notes (Beers are rated from 0 to 5, with 5 being best.) Green Flash Extra Pale Ale If some newcomers to this extra pale feel sucker-punched, that's understandable. Green Flash's flagship ale is straw yellow in the glass, the color of a mild-mannered midsummer beer. Take a sip, and that impression disappears in a Flash. The difference here is the generous use of Pacific Northwest hops. There's a firm malt base, but this is a zesty, hot-weather beer, lifted above bland offerings by a grapefruity hoppiness. Adjust your expectations. This is a simple and refreshing ale, even though it's much snappier than the lawn-mower beer it appears to be at first glance. Reaper Ale Redemption Red Years ago, I sampled an offering from Orange County's Reaper Ale, a brewery whose labels all featured a hooded, skeletal specter carrying a scythe. That first beer was issued around Halloween, and to my taste, seemed more gimmicky than great. But Green Flash has snapped up this label and is using it on some interesting beers. Redemption is well-rounded without being bland, crisp without losing the sweetness you expect from a red, and it boasts more character than you would expect from something that looks like a prop from a grade school's haunted house. Blue Star Wheat North Coast Brewing Co., Fort Bragg This may sound like faint praise, but it's not intended as such. Blue Star is very drinkable. Wheats sell well in the summer. Why? My guess: They are light-to-medium thirst quenchers that fall in the different-but-not-threatening category. The malted wheat is more grainy than traditional barley malt, but the flavor is clearly related these are brothers, not strangers. Moreover, virtually all wheat ales also contain barley malt; these are brothers who share a room. Blue Star combines the virtues of this breed with a zingy, lemon-scented aroma and a gentle finish. But what caught my tongue's attention was the fact that the malts are well-balanced. You can taste both wheat and barley. This is unusual and delicious. Bruna Monterrey, Mexico Here's a beer that flies against all expectations – a hand-crafted ale from Mexico, land of the mass-produced lagers. Bruna is Cerveceria Casta's English-style pale ale. Unfortunately, mine tasted flat and stale – which made me wonder if this beer had been sitting around for eons, ignored by fans of Corona and Bass alike. A beer-drinking buddy who lives in Monterrey insists that Casta's ales are the real deal. I look forward to giving them another chance, and I suspect that fresher Castas can be found in Tijuana. Mark your calendar August and September are great times for getting acquainted, or re-acquainted, with great local beers: Aug. 27: AleSmith's 10th Anniversary Party, 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the brewery, 9368 Cabot Drive, Mira Mesa. Admission is free, but bring your wallet if you wish to be among the first to buy a bottle of AleSmith Decadence Anniversary Ale. Sept. 10: Stone's ninth anniversary party and invitational beer festival. It's official: This annual bash is now too big. To keep attendance at a manageable level, the folks at Stone have split the event into two sessions. Session A runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Session B from 2:45 to 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are limited to 3,000 per session. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos, the Palomar Family YMCA, the Surfrider Foundation, and Fight ALD. Tickets are available at www.stonebrew.com/Merchant2 The event will be held at the construction site of Stone's new brewery, 1999 Citracado Parkway, Escondido. Sept. 23: The 11th annual San Diego Festival of Beer, Columbia and B streets. Another good excuse to sample suds – the festival is the major fundraiser of San Diego Professionals Against Cancer – and a West Coast-oriented showcase of the latest brews. Last year's event broke the 50-brewery barrier – I counted 54 on the grounds – and this year's turnout should be bigger. For information: www.sdbeerfest.org/ Sept. 29-Oct 1: The Great American Beer Festival, Colorado Convention Center, Denver. OK, so the Mile High City is not exactly in San Diego County. But local brewers annually take home scads of medals from the GABF. They, at least, feel at home in Denver. Beer biz  Before praising Chuck Silva's work at Green Flash/Reaper Ale, I knocked on a wooden beer cask for luck. Two local brewers who were featured in Brewery Rowe during the last year have moved on. As reported last month, Kirk McHale has left Pizza Port Carlsbad. Joe Cuozzo, meanwhile, has vanished from Coronado Brewing Co.  Reporting on ratebeer.com's semiannual online survey of the world's greatest breweries, USA Today noted, "American breweries took the top three positions, and seven made the Top 10." Fair enough, but we're excited that the Top 10 included three local operations. The winners: 1. AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego 2. Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, Ind. 3. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido 4. Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus, Belgium 5. Hair of the Dog Brewing Co., Portland, Ore. 6. De Dolle Brouwers, Diksmuide, Belgium 7. Kalamazoom Brewing Co., Galesburg, Mich 8. Pizza Port, Solana Beach 9. Dogfish Head, Milton, Del. 10. Fuller, Smith & Turner, London Silly Season In San Diego : Many Changes On Tap  By Rich Link Coronado Brewing Co. 170 Orange Ave. Coronado, CA 92118 619-437-4452 coronadobrewingcompany.com Green Flash Brewing Co. 1430 Vantage Ct., #104-A Vista, CA 92803 760-597-9012 Left Coast Brewing Co. 245 Puerto del Sol San Clemente, CA 92673 949-361-9972 leftcoastbrewing.com Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co. 10155 Rancho Carmel Dr. San Diego, CA 92128 858-592-7883 oggis.com When you walk into a baseball stadium, you are greeted by vendors yelling the famous line "You can't tell the players without a program." Well, it's gotten to be like that around San Diego's brewing community. Brewers have been moving around, breweries have changed names, and others have closed. In this issue we'll try to get you up to date on what's going on around here. Starting off with personnel changes, Joe Cuozzo, who has worked at more San Diego breweries than any other person, has moved on to a new job: brewer at Coronado Brewing Company. I wrote about Joe's success at CJ's Grill (formerly Sports City) in the October 2004 issue of the Celebrator. Joe then went on to win a silver medal in the Coffee-Flavored Beer category at the Great American Beer Festival. He is bringing his lengthy résumé to Coronado with the intention of "taking the beers to the next level." While Coronado's beers have always been good, they were never really assertive. I visited Joe at the brewpub recently and can attest that he has taken the first steps to make Coronado's beers noteworthy. In addition to six or seven brewpub standards, Joe has added a double IPA and a barley wine. By the time you read this, all of the beers will have been revamped. This includes the bottled beers brewed at the atrociously ill-equipped Mission Brewery, where the bulk of Coronado's bottled and kegged beers are brewed. I'll report back in a few months to let you know how the changes are progressing. Another big move has Chuck Silva brewing at Green Flash Brewing Company in Vista. Chuck formerly brewed at Karl Strauss, On Tap, Hops! and Hang Ten. Chuck takes over for John Stewart, who had been Green Flash's brewer since the brewery opened in 2002. The brewery makes the Green Flash line of beers as well as the Reaper Ales. The two brands are one and the same brewery — just different marketing strategies and recipes. Chuck's initiation at Green Flash consisted of brewing about 30 batches of beer in the first two months. The brewery has expanded by adding additional cold storage and fermenting capacity. In addition, the Green Flash beers have gone through some changes. The beers now have more body, more hoppiness and a more assertive character. Look for the Green Flash and Reaper brands to make some big steps this year. San Diego brewers have been moving around, breweries have changed names and others have closed. Left Coast Brewing Company, the microbrewery that supplies much of the beer for the Oggi's pizza locations, has a new head brewer. John Wilson, who has brewed at Oggi's locations in Mission Viejo and San Diego's Mission Valley, has replaced Tom Nickel. Wilson's beers have won numerous awards in the past, and I would expect more will come in the future. Nickel, proprietor of O'Brien's Pub, one of the top pubs in Southern California, has not ruled out a return to brewing, but not right away. Anyone who has been to O'Brien's knows that Tom puts in a pretty hard day. If I were in his shoes, I think I'd sit back and have a few beers before jumping back into the brewing game. He's worked very hard over the past few years. Speaking of Oggi's, Jeff Bagby, the brewer at the Vista location, has now taken on the brewing duties at the Carmel Mountain Ranch location. Jeff is currently pulling double duty at both locations. He brings his world-class ability and passion for brewing to a location that has had some ups and downs over the past couple of years. CJ's Grill, which replaced Sports City last year with great hopes from a big cash infusion, new equipment and new management, has bit the dust. I have no official word on the closing, but it appears that there was not enough cash to cover the needs of the business. Just when it looked like the biggest disappointment on San Diego's brew scene was turning around, it has crashed and burned. On Tap! Bistro & Brewery has closed. New owners will be taking over, and by the time you read this, a brewpub with a new name should be opened. Let's hope the new ownership can deal with what must be staggeringly high rent without pricing themselves out of the market. BEST LOCAL BREW Calico Amber Ale Ballast Point Brewing Company 5401 Linda Vista Road, Linda Vista 619-298-2337 First Calico Amber Ale won a gold medal in the Great American Beer festival in Denver in 2001, then it won gold again in the World Beer Cup in Aspen this past June. Several restaurants carry the local line, including the Fish Market downtown, the Chart House in Cardiff, and Pizzeria Uno. Or visit the brewery itself. San Diego Magazine Best of SAN DIEGO 2005 Microbrew What began in 1992 as a modest backyard brew mart, Ballast Point Brewing Company, has become one of San Diego's prominent breweries—named after one of San Diego's most prominent landmarks. Today, five premium, handcrafted BP ales are served at local restaurants and delivered nationwide. Grab a pint . . . or a keg. Cheers! 5401 Linda Vista Road, Suite 406, 619-298-2337; ballastpoint.com. |
| September 21, 2005 | |
| ESCONDIDO Is there a better way to pursue an education in malt and hops than by attending a beer festival, notebook in one hand and a mug in the other? If there is, do me a favor. Don't reveal it.  But you can test my theory Friday from 6 to 11 p.m., when the 11th annual San Diego Festival of Beer occupies its usual warren of barricaded downtown streets. The entrance is at Columbia and B streets, and the $25 admission covers 10 4-ounce samples. (The fee also funds cancer research, making this a guilt-free bacchanal.) To prepare for the festival – dedicated beer professional, that's me – I attended Stone Brewing's ninth anniversary party, where many of the same breweries were represented, on Sept. 10. My notes are little smudged – someone should invent beer-proof ink – but they contained some slivers of news and the odd beer review: (Beers are rated from 0 to 5, with 5 being best.) Stone, one of the nation's fastest-growing breweries, will be installed in its new digs in a week or two. The 50,000-square-foot offices house a brewhouse that is four times as large as its predecessor. Other features include a gift shop, tasting area and, eventually, a restaurant. The address: 1999 Citracado Parkway, Escondido. Stone's Ninth Anniversary Ale (on cask) Delightful floral/herbal aroma. Slippery smooth and buttery – this is a sensual drinking experience. Great with cheese. Once more, Victory is ours. The little Pennsylvania brewery's on-again, off-again relationship with San Diego County retailers is on again. A fan of their Prima Pils, I raced to their booth at Stone's party to reacquaint myself with Victory's work. Victory HopDevil Ale Beer fusion German malts and American hops, Eastern polish and a Western-inspired embrace of the hop flower's tart, astringent, citrusy qualities. HopDevil's 6.7 percent alcohol level makes it too strong for a session beer, but its depth and zest make it a delightful accompaniment to a meal. Speaking of the Keystone State, Joe Cuozzo, formerly of Coronado Brewing Co. and the late Sports City, has a new gig with Rock Bottom in King of Prussia, Pa. Pizza Port's San Clemente outlet has a new brewer: Josh Miner, a Southern Californian who is coming home after a stint studying brewing in Scotland. Pizza Port, San Clemente, Rivermouth Raspberry Twizzler-red with an aroma that smacks so powerfully of raspberries, a big whiff might stain your nostrils. Berrilicious flavor, too, with the malts making a late entrance. Fruitiness fades at the finish, but the fizziness and initial berry-berry sweetness take this brew perilously close to Beer Soda territory. La Jolla Brewery has moved into the old Hops! restaurant at University Towne Centre. Nice to see the space being used again. La Jolla Brewery, Sundown Brown Ale Deceptively easy drinking – keep an eye on the 7.1 percent alcohol level this imperial brown ale is chewy and bright. A gold-medal winner at the Los Angeles County Fair. Craftsman Brewing Co., Pasadena, Biere de Mars Sour cherry aroma. Barrel-fermented with Brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain, this Biere has plenty of fruit flavors, banana foremost among them. Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, Colo., Milk Stout Creamy, but not milquetoasty. I drank this while devouring a Louisiana hot link that had been recklessly slathered with deli mustard and relish. The stout had enough flavor – Milk Dud-y hints of cocoa and caramel – to extinguish the fire. If you haven't heard of Cerveza Tijuana, you're not paying attention. The Baja microbrew's booth drew good crowds at the Stone party; it will be prominently featured at Friday's bash; and it is the hometown sponsor of Tijuana's First International Beer Festival, Oct. 21-23. Events will be held at the Caliente racetrack and on Avenida Revolucion. For details, visit the Web site, www.tjbeerfest.com/index.htm. |
| Oggi's Vista Pizza & Brewing Company | |
| By Rich Link San Diego County boasts more than 20 breweries and brewpubs. Many of those breweries make award-winning beers, and their brewers have become well-known throughout the industry. One of San Diego County's top new brewers is Jeff Bagby, brewer at Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company in Vista. Jeff's beers have won many awards in recent years, and I've erroneously given credit to other brewers for some of those awards. A graduate of U.C. Santa Barbara, Jeff was working at a local YMCA when he took a part-time job as a truck driver with Stone Brewing Company. He eventually began assisting Tomme Arthur at Pizza Port Solana Beach, where he had a hand in helping Arthur win Small Brewpub of the Year honors at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in 2003. Even though my reporting errors had taken some of the shine off of Jeff's accomplishments, he recently was gracious enough to spend some time with me at the brewery and talk about his beers. Oggi's Vista is located in one of hundreds of small strip malls along the bustling Highway 78 corridor between Vista and San Marcos. I visited on a Thursday, and there was a lively lunch crowd. The brewery is located behind the bar and is visible through glass. As is standard at all Oggi's, sports is the décor, and televisions showing sports are visible in every direction. Although all Oggi's locations serve the standard Oggi's list of beers, those locations with breweries also offer beers unique to those locations. First I'll discuss the standard beers and then the beers that Jeff has developed. Jeff brought to me samples of all of the beers he currently had on tap. One of the more popular Oggi's beers is California Gold, a crisp, clean cream ale that is a great thirst-quencher on a hot summer day. Sweet Spot Hefe is brewed to Bavarian hefeweizen specifics and has a nice banana aroma and a surprisingly full body. Jeff won a bronze medal for this beer at the 2003 GABF. McGarvey's Scottish Ale has tastes and aromas of dark crystal and molasses with a rich mouthful but is not too filling, weighing in at about 5.5% abv. Jeff's version of Sunset Amber won a gold medal at the 2004 World Beer Cup. This American red ale showcases hops nicely in the aroma and also has a citrus bite in the finish. Jeff uses Liberty, Amarillo and Centennial hops in this beer. Paradise Pale Ale is very nicely bittered with lots of Cascade hop pellets and is also dry-hopped with Cascade flowers. The Torrey Pines IPA is a classic West Coast IPA. Intense hoppiness comes from heavy doses of Chinook, Columbus and Centennial. Black Magic Stout is served on nitrogen only at Oggi's Vista. On nitro this beer is big and smooth with lots of chocolate and roasty flavors and a lingering hop bitterness. Now for the special beers that are brewed only at Oggi's Vista. Caber Tossed Wee Heavy is a big 8.5% abv Scotch ale. It is very malty, with caramel flavors and aroma. This beer won a silver medal at the 2004 World Beer Cup. Tan Line is an English-style summer ale with a nutty malt aroma and balanced bittering. At 4.5% abv, this would be a great session ale. Harry Porter, an American brown porter, was served on nitrogen. This beer was malty and a bit too hoppy for the style. However, that has never bothered me too much. Jeff is also a big fan of Belgian beers. Cinnabar, named after hisgirlfriend's horse, is a light (4.5% abv) amber beer that is flavored with rose hips, honey, coriander and cinnamon. It had a sweet, sodalike aroma and a slightly phenolic taste that would fit in fine at any pub in Belgium. Then came two big beers that were not yet on tap. Witch Doctor Imperial Stout is very full-bodied, full of chocolate and roast flavors. The original gravity on this beer was 1.092, and it finished at 1.020. The beer was being conditioned and was probably going to be released to the public that evening. Jeff had also bottled some of this beer, and it should be on sale at the pub when this issue is released. The second big beer was Ding Ding IPA, a sample of which Jeff brought me from the fermenter. Although fermentation was pretty much complete, the beer was still quite murky and loaded with yeast. It had intense hop bitterness that was well-matched by a big, malty body. This should be a great one once it has clarified. Hop Whompus, which won the gold medal in the Imperial or Double Red Ale category at the 2004 GABF, was not available for tasting. But I had had it a few weeks earlier at the Strong Ale Festival in Carlsbad. It was, as the category demands, a big, malty amber beer with a truckload of hop flavor and aroma. Look for this one to come back again soon. Jeff's also thinking of brewing a strong golden Belgian-style ale, as well as other new beers that I'm sure will be worthy. There are seven Oggi's locations in San Diego County. In addition to the Vista store, there are breweries on premises at the Mission Valley and Carmel Mountain Ranch locations. Nonbrewing sites are stocked with beers brewed at Left Coast Brewing, the corporate microbrewery located in San Clemente. BREWERY ROWE   PETER ROWE  Hop to it: Beer fest is coming |
| Suds Surfin' In San Diego : 8th Annual Strong Ale Festival | |
| By Rich Link After a year of beer events, traveling around the country, even going overseas, it's always nice to attend something local. Fortunately, San Diego is host to several of the year's best beer fests. The Strong Ale Festival, held at Pizza Port's Carlsbad location the first weekend of December, exhibited more than 70 beers with an alcohol content of at least 8% by volume. Although my allotted time at this eighth annual version of the SAF was limited, I was able to taste my way through about a third of the offerings. What a way to end the year! I was unable to attend the Friday night opening of the fest, and I was worried that many beers may have been consumed come Saturday morning. Nonetheless, I grabbed my camera, water jug and notepad and made the 40-minute drive to Carlsbad. The weather was cool with scattered showers, so I grabbed my umbrella and stood in line at the gate. As the gate opened, I made my way, along with 50 of my new best friends, to the tasting bar, where I set up shop and set about my "work." One of the most exciting aspects of the SAF is the new beers that local brewers send to the event. San Diego is home to arguably the most passionate and inventive brewers in the country, and it's always a treat to taste their latest creations. The beer menu listed the local beers separately from the out-of-town brews. There were 28 beers from 19 of the local-area breweries. Another 45 or so beers came from such places as Hawaii, Oregon, Belgium and Canada. My first choice was the strongest beer on the local list. Alpine Beer Company's Good weighed in at approximately 17% alcohol by volume. It had a huge hop nose and a big full body, with warming alcohol tones and lots of lingering bitterness. Owner/Brewer Pat McIlhenney brewed this huge barley wine with the intent of aging it in used Jack Daniel's barrels. He ran out of barrel space and sent some of the leftover beer to the fest. This beer was the result of a double-batch brew that was boiled for three hours with Chinook and Sterling hops. After a week of fermentation, he started adding sugars such as fructose, dextrose, honey and some other odd sugars he had lying around. After another 10 days, he added champagne yeast. A couple of weeks later, the beer had finished out with a specific gravity of about 1.011. Pat estimated the alcohol content based upon the starting mash yield and the added sugars. Look for the barrel-aged beer to go on sale in 16-ounce bottles late this spring. My second sample was Caber Tossed Wee Heavy, a malty, chewy ale with lots of caramel flavor along with a slight peat aroma and finish. This beer was brewed by Jeff Bagby of Oggi's Vista, and it had won the silver medal at the 2004 World Beer Cup. The last of Bagby's Hop Whompus, a gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival, was also on tap. Festivus, brewed by Kirk McHale at Pizza Port Carlsbad, was an 11.5% abv barley wine brewed with 1,600 pounds of two-row malt to make 11 barrels. It was liberally hopped with Amarillo and Tomahawk hops, and dry-hopped with Simcoe and more Tomahawk. Tomme Arthur from Solana Beach Pizza Port brewed an imperial IPA that took the honor for the best-named beer of the event. Lou P. Lin, named for the lupulin gland that makes hops so wonderfully bitter and aromatic, was served on a handpump and had a nice fresh aroma and lasting bittering from the Phoenix, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial hops. Other local beers included Come About Stout, an imperial stout from Ballast Point Brewing; Stone Brewing's Whiskey Barrel Double Bastard; and Green Flash Brewing's Second Anniversary Ale. Some of the notable out-of-town beers were Eye of the Goat Double Bock from Craftsman Brewing in Pasadena; Da Kind Grind Buzz Kona Coffee Stout from Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii; Black Ice Imperial Stout from Santa Barbara Brewing Company; and The Beast, the 18% abv Belgian-style ale from Colorado's Avery Brewing Company. According to Tomme Arthur, more than 1,200 people attended the festival. Although the weather that weekend was cold and rainy, people were still pouring into the event late Saturday night, just a couple of hours before it shut down. Tomme Arthur, Tom Nickel and Jeff Bagby deserve a big toast for organizing such a great event. If you have never attended this festival, make sure you put it on your calendar for 2005. |
| CNNMONEY.com | |
| Extensive Web site poll puts American beers among the world's best. True? Grab a brew and debate. June 30, 2005: 1:50 PM EDT By Gordon T. Anderson, CNN/Money staff writer CNN/Money.com Today, there's a new hot spot to drink a cold one: San Diego. A city generally noted for boats and beaches has become a center for suds. In fact, it is now home to three of the 10 top brewers in the world, at least according to a recent survey conducted by the Web site, RateBeer.com. A trio of upstart beermakers -- who range from a beachfront pizzeria that makes its own beer to a fast-growing regional brewery -- have put Southern California on the map. For a region that was considered a beer wasteland as recently as the 1980s, that's no small achievement The poll claims to be the world's largest. Some 30,000 different beers from over 4,000 brewers were eligible. Voters from more than 65 countries participated, according to the site. But the results were decidedly pro-American. In the end, the survey showed that, like politics, all beer is local: two-thirds of the brewers judged the best were made in the U.S.A. American voters vastly outnumbered other nationalities, too. So perhaps it's no surprise that hometown heroes were on proud display. Even if the results are a bit parochial, it shouldn't detract from the fact that American beer lovers have a lot to be thankful for these days. As the survey reveals, it's never been easier to find quality beer across the land. There's good stuff from here to Kalamazoo (Michigan, that is), where the fine local brewers serve up a range of stouts and ales made from organic local ingredients. Hoosiers can partake of the magnificent Dark Lords Russian Imperial Stout from Indiana's 3 Floyds Brewing Co. For Mainers, there's Allagash Brewing's various interpretations of Belgian styles. In fact, about the only region thirsting for good brewers seems to be the Deep South. No company there makes it onto RateBeer's Top 50 list. And in many states in Old Dixie, it's a challenge to find any beer besides the mass-marketed varieties. Unlike some beer competitions that take place at festivals with professional tasters judging the merits and demerits of various beers, this one was strictly Web-based. The tasting "panel" consisted of everyday drinkers -- amateurs, in other words, not pros. Those judges were thousands of beer lovers, mostly aged 25 to 35. They sampled respective brews at home then went to the Web site to log their votes and opinions. "The world's most avid amateur beer enthusiasts participated," RateBeer's Joe Tucker said in a press release. "Because of their amateur status there were no minced words in the reviews -- beers were rated frankly and freely." Even if the survey wasn't exactly "scientific," RateBeer's total archive is a big one, with over a half million beer ratings collected on its servers. And it shows that American brewers can more than hold their own against a world of choices. On Independence Day weekend, that's something to celebrate. |
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