Beer Stuff

Love is Blindness

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 14:34:43 -0500

Take out the label, the image, the mental association (positive or negative) and rate the beer strictly on its merits. This is the fairest way to assess the various versions of MSP’s most beloved beer style, the IPA.

Recently, I headed up a blind tasting of some of the more prolific India Pale Ales available in the Twin Cities market. The impetus was to satisfy my own curiosity about how I would judge these different beers. I recruited another manager here at Thomas whose palate I respect immensely. Joining on the panel were four other beer enthusiasts who know beer but do not happen to work in the industry.

First is the challenging task of paring down the contestants to only eight or nine. Seriously, there are dozens of IPAs available, most of them quite good. I could do this tasting several times over with a completely different lineup every time. Like every all star game, most of the contestants are recognized, but sometimes those omitted are also noteworthy. Two of those notable omissions are Stone and Lagunitas. I just had to draw the line somewhere. The precedent for this was an imperial/double IPA tasting that we did a few years ago. We had to stop at about 20 (I think) because it was getting very difficult to raise the glass to our lips for some crazy reason.

So who were the starting nine? 21sst Amendment, Bell’s Two Hearted, Great Divide Hercules Double IPA (it must be noted that this was thrown in as a wild card by a fellow employee who didn’t know that we were strictly doing regular IPAs. More on that later.), New Belgium Ranger, Odell, Red Hook, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Summit, and Surly Furious. A formidable lineup indeed, despite not being all-inclusive.

The tasters left the room while these beers were poured into glasses, so no one knew which was which. I must say it was literally brilliant. The beers shone brightly in their various hues; a veritable rainbow of beer. Now to get to work.

We all had our different methods for rating the beers. I tasted a little bit of each taking some vague notes. After I got through all nine of them I categorized each of them as high, mid and low. I went through each of them again and further narrowed their ratings from best to worst. Through whatever method, all six of us constructed our respective list of best to worst. The least favorite was awarded one point and the best received nine points. The aggregate results were tallied with each numbered beer yet to be identified.

The results? In dead last, with 17 out of a possible 56 points, was Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. A shocker to me and the others. Sadly, this beer was once the king IPA in the Twin Cities. But it has fallen drastically from its stoop. Next came Summit with 19 points. Not much of a surprise. It’s never been recognized as one of their stronger beers. In the middle of the pack were Sierra Nevada Torpedo (7th place), 21st Amendment (6th), and New Belgium Ranger (5th). Red Hook’s Longhammer took fourth place and was clearly the best value.

Odell IPA was my personal favorite of the bunch and came in third place with 36 points. Surly Furious finished second with 39 points. But considering the winner, Great Divide Hercules, is a double IPA, Furious was the true winner of standard IPAs..

I suspect that the results of our tasting reflect the preferences of the Twin Cities market in general. The hoppiest, most flavor-intensive beers won out while the more moderate flavor profiles were the losers. To be sure though, we did not taste any bad beers. This little experiment just reiterates that we’re swimming great, hops-driven beers. How spoiled are we?

Cellar Dwellers

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 18:31:19 -0600

Cellar Dwellers

Freshness dating?! C’mon, we’re beer geeks. That style of beer is so, like, 2005. What I’m talking about is those serious, bad-ass styles that mature in the cellar. The type that make all-too-common one-upsmanship in the geek circles quite easy to quantify; A 2007 Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout is obviously one unit better than a 2008 version.

Cellaring a fine beverage is no longer confined to just wine. Maturing beers in the cellar, while not anything new, is now being recognized and lauded and practiced by more beer enthusiasts than ever before. The ultimate benefits and the mystique are not dissimilar to that of aged wines.

Like wine, most styles are meant to be consumed in the near-term. Though, indeed, there are certainly styles of wine and beer that benefit tremendously from aging with proper storage. Styles of beer best suited to rest in the basement include barley-wines, imperial stouts, Belgian quadrupels and strong ales, Lambics and sours, and the occasional spiced beer. In the case of most of these, we have a common thread: high alcohol content and high sugar content. As for Lambics and sours, they have very high acid levels. These characteristics are paramount in the maturation process.

Notice I didn’t mention imperial/double IPAs. Sure they have a ton of alcohol (a preservative) and hops (also a preservative), but it has been my experience that this particular style doesn’t seem to get better with aging. It certainly doesn’t spoil. But the hops character seems to get “tired” on the palate. It lacks the fresh bite that we seek out in IPAs. There are some that may argue that point, but personally I’m not keen on maturing hops-forward beers.

Also, heavily spiced beers often mature well. The spice notes tend to round out and meld with the malt richness. It creates a complexity that cannot be achieved from a fresh beer. One needs to look no further than Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale. The vintage dated bottles are a staple in most retailers’ cellars.

So is it worth the wait? After all, the hardest part of aging great beer and wine is not drinking it! Admittedly, it’s a bit difficult to articulate the benefits. If you’ve tasted a beautifully matured barley-wine once, you know what I’m talking about. There’s a complexity and nuance that only cellaring can achieve. And there’s also the mystique factor. They become those occasion beers that you break out when the time circumstances and company are appropriate. Sometimes that means just showing off.

If you’re like me, someone who does not own a climate and humidity controlled room, you make do. Optimal cellaring conditions restrict light exposure and marked temperature fluctuation. Refrigeration slows the process to almost nil. 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. For most of us that just means our basement – a cool dark place. Even a dark closet will work. Unlike wine, beer should be stored upright. By far, though, the most important factor in cellaring a treasured beer is keeping it out of sight. Either you suffer the pain of seeing such a delectable morsel that yearns to be consumed and you have to muster the restraint of a Buddhist monk or you give in and drink it. Worse, someone with a far less discerning palate than yours may crack it open at roughly 2:30 am.

Your favorite part of the meal...

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:48:34 -0600

is dessert, of course. If you’re on this website, very likely you enjoy alcoholic beverages for the finale of a great dinner. Or if you don’t already, you may be looking for some good suggestions. Considering it’s my job to provide such suggestions (among other things), I will indulge.

As beer manager, I’m forever grateful that we have a clientele that gives beer the credit it is justly due. This is to say that you folks recognize that great beer can be appreciated on many varied occasions; not just in the fishing boat or in front of the new 52” flat screen displaying the latest Vikings tragedy. One such occasion is dessert. Admittedly, the concept of dessert is so indulgent/superfluous/extravagant, but it’s just, well, just so tasty. And I’m guilty of partaking in this gluttonous ritual. The beer world doesn’t want to be left out. So let’s dive in.

For whatever reason, we crave sweetness and, to a lesser extent, high alcohol after dinner. For this reason, after-dinner drinks are often consumed in minute volume. There are a myriad of beers that suit these criteria. The most obvious that comes to mind is barleywine. This is not an uncommon style in craft beer. Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot is one of the more recognized on the market (when it’s available). If this style is your thing – think a rich, dark ale with an abv around the 10% mark – you MUST try Weyerbacher’s Blithering Idiot.

Then we can further get creative with our barleywine. We can age that beer in casks that were once used for port, sherry, Scotch, Calvados, or anything else interesting. J.W. Lee’s in England is legendary in this practice. The resulting product is stunning.
Or perhaps you like a wee dram of Scotch after dinner. But you also like imperial stout. Not unlike Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you can have two great tastes that taste great together. Brew Dog from Scotland has their Paradox series in which imperial stouts are aged in casks which had been used to mature different Scotches, such as Macallan, Bowmore, Ardbeg and others. Harviestoun, another Scottish brewery, does the same with barrels used for Highland Park. Their offerings include casks used for various durations of aging from 12-year to 40-year. The seamless infusion of the Scotch character into the stout is an experience to behold.

Then you also have beers that are custom-made for dessert. I know of no better example than the beer I’m enjoying right now, Nogne Sweet Horizon. In txt speak: OMG. In real words: Holy S***! This is the perfect dessert. It is a coffee stout at 14% abv. It is about $15 on the shelf for a 250 ml bottle. But it’s worth every penny. I would liken it to a great port. It is about the same price range as a nice port and should be consumed in much the same way. Four of us here at the shop have had a nice serving and the bottle is still half-full!

And that’s the thing: most of the aforementioned beers might seem unreasonably expensive. But really they’re not. They offer so much flavor intensity, sweetness and alcohol that only a small serving is incredibly satisfying. I would suggest serving all dessert-style beers in a cordial glass with a slight chill. The beauty of these beers is that they are meant for sharing. So bring the friends over. Share the dinner, the dessert, the indulgence. For these are some of the things that make life wonderful!

Of course you can...

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:40:19 -0500

Of course you can...

It's time we dispense with the negative stigma that beer in a can means cheap beer. The wine world has come to accept the screw-cap and even the box formats. It's just downright practical. Well, same goes for beer in its more practical package. Most likely, you've noticed more and more craft brews available in the tin capsule. If I'm not mistaken, I think one of the breweries in town here espouses the can.

And why not? Indeed they are practical. They are more environmentally sound as they weigh significantly less than their glass counterpart. (Thus, less fuel-intensive to ship.) They are easier for the consumer to transport to wherever he/she wants to consume its delectable contents (laws permitting). In fact, often glass is banned from the places where beer seems to taste the best such as the BWCA and pools. It's difficult to cut oneself on aluminum shards.

But you might say, "Fitty, cans affect the taste of the beer. It has a tinny flavor." Um, well yeah. Because a good chunk of your mouth is in fact touching tin. Ideally, we want to drink our beer from a glass - whether it is coming from a keg, bottle or a can. Heed Surly's message: "Beer for a glass, from a can." While brown bottles block out almost all light, which is a detriment to beer, cans are completely opaque. It is better for the beer in that regard.

Surly Brewing Company, the hottest craft brewer in Minnesota (if not the country), was not the first craft brewer to can their beer, but they have popularized it. Tallgrass from Kansas has followed suit. They, too, make a quality beer and package it only in four pack 16 oz. cans. We certainly carry everything from those two breweries here at Thomas as well as Fat Tire 12 pack cans and two styles from Capital. All hail practicality!

Time To Take Advantage of Upcoming Tastings

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:43:52 -0500

Know thine beer. Taste it!

Want to get to know beer better? Drink it. We've all got a great opportunity this July 17 at the Beer Dabbler at HighlandFest. There will be over 40 breweries and brew pubs represented with multiple offerings from each. Advance tickets are only $25. This is a relatively small price to pay for an afternoon of sampling great beer. Sure, all the big name crafties will be there like Summit and Goose Island. No doubt they will have great beers to try. But very likely if you're reading this, you've had them. Take advantage of the lesser-known ones on offer such as newcomer Weyerbacher (DO NOT MISS THEIR STUFF), Moylan's, and Mad River.

Assuming you're there to learn about beer and not there to just get intoxicated, this year's edition is hosting several formal tutorials from local experts on various facets of beer. These 20-minute sessions are only $3 and feature such topics as beer chemistry, sustainable brewing, starting a brewery, and others.

Further, geeks can revel in the home-brewing competition. Home brews will be judged in six different categories. Amature brewers will be competing for such prestigious prizes as a $100 Thomas Liquor gift card. A bit of pride might be on the line too.

Get your Beer Dabbler tickets at Thomas in advance.

Cheers,
Fitty

Deluge of Great Beers Hits MN

Fri, 4 Jun 2010 12:47:01 -0500

Pretty much everyone in Western culture is hip to the craft beer revolution by now. Indeed, the revolution was spinning in the Twin Cities beer market the past two months. A handful of craft breweries were introduced in a blitzkrieg of malted goodness. This presented me a colossal challenge, as I am the designated person to find room for dozens of new beer SKUs in a building that apparently does not have flexible walls.

The players (in the order in which they arrived to Minnesota): Deschutes, ODell, Great Lakes, Central Waters, and Weyerbacher. Some arrived with more fanfare and anticipation than others.

My take:
I must admit, when the top brass from Deschutes came into the shop as part of their market scouting, I was aghast. They were very close to the top of my brewery wish-list. Their flagships, Mirror Pond Pale and Black Butte Porter, are solid. While some of the geeks were a bit disappointed that The Abyss didn't make it here for the initial offering, Mirror Mirror, Black Butte XXI, and Jubel 2010 were a surprise treat. We were lucky enough to get a good quantity of MM and XXI and still have some in stock.

ODell has not let me down, either. Expectations were high and they delivered, for the most part. The 90 Shilling is a sessionable scotch ale. But the IPA is what really won my heart. They use six different hop varieties, including a hop back in the process. The hop complexity sets it apart in a craft world rife with IPAs.

It seemed like Weyerbacher arrived in the Twin Cities with out a ton of hype. But Wow! This is the Grande Champion of Minnesota's new beers. Serious beers that all of the geeks should seek out. The Simcoe double IPA is easily among the best available. The Merry Monks Belgian Golden has a fierce intensity. The Blithering Idiot barley-wine is the quintessential barley-wine. It boasts a richness and alcohol nuance that begs to be nursed out of a snifter, as the brewery suggests. And I'd put their Quad up against anything the Trappists have. You want flavor? This Pennsylvania brewery produces an avalanche of it.

Central Waters and Great Lakes have offered us some respectable beers. Sadly, the Great Lakes has seen some supply issues since its introduction to the market.

Lastly, I have to mention my elation that we actually got Flying Dog's Raging Bitch in bottles. We weren't sure if we would even see this in 2010. But here it is. A spectacular Belgian IPA - with loads of fruit esters and all - in six packs for a reasonable price.

See you in the craft section!

Fitty

Organic Beers

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Duchy Originals English Ale - 500ml
Lakefront Brewing ESB - 6 pack bottles
Samuel Smith’s Organic Ale - 550ml
Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider - 550ml
Pinkus Munster Alt - 500ml
Pinkus Ur Pils - 500ml
St. Peter’s English Ale - 500ml
Foret Organic Saison - 375ml
Eel River Organic Amber - 6 pack bottles
Eel River Organic Blonde - 6 pack bottles

Cellar Selections

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:58:13 -0600

Avery Mephistopheles 2007 - 12oz - $7.99
Bell’s Expedition Stout 2007 - 12oz - $5.99
Bell’s Expedition Stout 2008 - 12oz - $4.99
Bell’s Expedition Stout 2009 - 12oz - $3.99
Bell’s Expedition Stout 2010 - 12oz - $2.99
Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 2009 - 12oz - $3.99
Bell’s Batch 9000 - 12oz - $4.99
New Holland Night Tripper Imperial Stout 2008 - 22oz - $8.99
Orkney Dark Island Reserve 2007 - 750ml - 32.99
Samichlaus 2007 - 3L - $250.00
Samichlaus 2006 - 330ml - $7.99
Samichlaus 2008 - 330ml - $6.99
Sam Adams Utopias - 750ml - $170.00
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 2008 - 12oz - $3.99
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 2009 - 12oz - $2.99
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 2010 - 12oz - $2.49
Surly Smoke 2009 - 750ml - $16.99
Thomas Hardy’s Ale 2005 - 275ml - $5.99

Gluten Free Beers

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 14:36:06 -0600

Bard’s Tale Dragon’s Gold - 6 pack bottles
Green’s Discovery Amber Ale - 500ml
Green’s Endeavour Dubbel Dark - 500ml
Lakefront Brewing New Grist - 6 pack bottles
Redbridge - 6 pack bottles
St. Peter’s Sorgham Beer - 500ml

Find us on Twitter!

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:46:52 -0600

You can now find us on Twitter at twitter.com/thomasliquors
Our Twitter account is going to be beer-centric but you never know what we might post!