Collecting Beer is a form of Subconscious Art

Warning - this post goes down multiple layers of large rabbit trails. I've attempted to make it relevant to beer drinkers, but I think most of its relevance lies in artistic expression and life in general, as it's more of a philosophical pondering. Hopefully our readers will appreciate the small departure. To be honest I'm not sure the post has any real point, it's just a written account of something that's been going on in my brain the last few days.  :)

Recently we've written a number of articles on aging beer in your personal cellar, and so this topic has been on my mind a lot. I also just started teaching again after the winter break. One of the classes asks students to look at some of the more symbolic forms of creativity that go on from a day-to-day basis. All of a sudden these two worlds (art and beer) conceptually collided, as they will occasionally, and it hit me that collecting beer, storing it away, making cellaring space in your basement is certainly a form of artistic expression. Perhaps the collector has not thought of what they do in these terms but I'd like to explain where my head is at here, and I have to go on a tangent or two to make sense of it.

In 2009 my wife and I went on a 10,000 mile road trip. We started in Portland, drove to Michigan and then up into Canada, cross country to the Yukon Territory before heading into Alaska and then back down the Canadian coastline. In the Yukon we had the opportunity to try to drive up to the Arctic Circle but after a couple hours we were afraid our little car wasn't going to be able to handle it. We decided to stop, so we got out of the car and went on a little walk in the sub-arctic tundra. I grabbed a twig off one of the plants as a memento and the little branch has sat in the windshield of our car ever since. At first the twig was purple, green, orange, and red but overtime it turned brown, and is now quite frail. I kept it in the car because every time I look at it I think about that three-month period of my life, looking back it is my favorite time. About a year ago my wife asked me if we could get rid of the branch because, frankly, it's getting old, messy, and it's not really that pretty any more. I said No Way, there's no chance in hell that I'm getting rid of that plant, it reminds me of some of the best times ever, how could we get rid of that!

Beer Photo of the Week #24

Photos of the Week by Daniel Flanders. Beer and hops at the Vail Big Beers Festival.

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Photo Recap: Vail Big Beers Fest 2013

Yesterday we suggested that the commercial tasting a is just one of many 'main events' of the Vail Big Beers Festival. We presented some of the educational seminars, which for me, are some of my favorite moments of the fest because I like to geek out on all things beer, and it's especially exciting to have many experts in the field lead the workshops. I'm not downplaying the commercial tasting at all though, it is indeed the culmination of the best beer festival I've ever been to. The beers that are available are top notch, very impressive, and many of the actual brewers are there to pour the beers for you. Today we'd like to give you a photo recap of the tasting portion of the festival and a few other special moments we had at other moments with friends. I'll let the photos do most of the talking here.

Vail Big Beers and the Various "Main Events" of the Festival

The Vail Big Beers Festival is like an extension of the holiday season. The holidays are always a beautiful time of the year, I look forward to them, I love traveling to see my family, I love the food, the smell of the Christmas tree, I love partying with friends on New Year's Eve, and I love that in my life time seems to slow down a bit. Luckily, when it's all over you still have this festival to look forward to, as it usually takes place within two weeks of the new year. I've attended the festival for three years in a row now, I've proclaimed loudly that it is my favorite festival, and each year I look back and cherish the two-three days I spent in Vail.

Many people call the "Commercial Tasting" the main event of the festival. This is much like other festivals where breweries set up their booths and pour small samples of beer. At this festival all the beer is over 8% and a lot of it is really specialty and hard to get stuff. But for me, this commercial tasting is not the sole reason I attend, nor is it the main event in my mind. Instead there is a diffusion of main events, multiple educational seminars, outstanding beer dinners, a gigantic mountain for skiing, and a good chance to catch up with friends from other places. These are all the "main events" of Vail Big Beers.

Local Beer Happenings This Week in Colorado Springs

We've got a few good looking beer events in Colorado Springs this week so I wanted to point them out to you. Also, take note, there are a few festivals coming up and you may want to buy tickets before it's too late. All available information is below:

Wed. Jan 23

Pikes Peak Brewing Special Tapping at Brewer's Republic
5pm / 112 N. Nevada Ave.
Pikes Peak is bringing some very special beers: Devils in the Wood (Red ale aged in red wine barrels), Gold Rush du Brett (sour Belgian golden ale), Wild Horses Porter (Bear Creek Porter slightly soured in whiskey barrels), Oaked Elephant (IPA aged in oak whiskey barrels), The Brits Are Back (English Mild - won Best of Show at the State Fair!), and the tasty Switchback Coffee Porter. Bring your friends - these are beers not to be missed and you can't even find all of them in PPBC tap room!

The Clash Buying Beer

Discovered this rare photo of one of my favorite bands picking up a six pack of Ska Brewing's Modus Hoperandi. The original photo was taken in 1979.

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Buy This Beer: Elevation Downpour Imperial Red Ale

I remember a couple months ago I picked up a pint of Elevation Beer Co.'s Downpour at the local pub. The beer is an Imperial Red Ale, which is basically an IPA but you can perhaps expect nuttier and earthier malt profiles. I'm attracted to the letters IRA because my favorite beer back in Oregon has long been the Double Mountain IRA. As I mentioned in a recent post though, my interest in hops has only recently resurfaced after years of a hop-fatigued palate. But at the pub, on this particular night, I remember being impressed with Downpour and I remember ordering more than one pint of the beer.

So, it's no surprise that when I saw the beer at my local bottle shop I decided to pick up a bottle. It's hard not to buy a bottle of Elevation's beer in the first place, the elegant design on the bottle always calls my name, and I've yet to have a bad experience with any of their beers.

The second I cracked the bottle I could smell massive amounts of clean, crisp pineapple and tropical fruit forward hops with some grassy character too. As you can see in the photo the beer is a really pretty red color with an off-white, thick head that sticks around. The hop aroma translates almost directly in the taste, but with an addition of some danker and earthier hops and a clean lemony bitterness. The malt character is a welcome balance and hides nicely in the background, rounding out the hops with some caramel character and a good texture. The beer weighs in at 7.5% and it feels like it too, I do wish it was a smaller bottle as I'm drinking alone this evening, but I'll still finish it off ;) This one is another enjoyable offering from Elevation. I hope to see Downpour around more often, and especially at the pub where it feels like a fantastic go-to hop-forward beer when I want to grab a pint or two.

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New Changes at Brewers Republic and Upcoming Events

If you stepped inside Brewers Republic sometime last week, you may have noticed some subtle changes. There are a couple high top tables replacing the lower ones. A new beer cooler is next to the bar with a few beer bottles. And there is a little less clutter behind the bar. These small changes are the tip of the iceberg according to Josh Adamski, Brewer's Republic's manager. The changes are the result of new ownership. The owners of the adjacent bar, The Underground, recently bought the rights to Brewers Republic from the previous three owners, Jason, Brian, and Dave. We are very grateful for everything the Original 3 have done for downtown Colorado Springs and we wish them the best in their future endeavors. The Underground owners plan to make only a few minor changes and have given Josh some control over what goes on at Brewers. And that's a good thing for the downtown craft beer scene because Josh knows his beer.  He says that Brewers will have some very exciting changes that are already taking place or will happen in the very near future.

Josh Adamski, Brewer's Republic manager.

   Here are some of the known changes:

Special New Belgium Tapping for Beers Made By Walking

We are very pleased to announce that we were able to secure a keg of New Belgium's Beers Made By Walking beer. We thought this was a good enough reason to celebrate so we have coordinated with Brewer's Republic to tap it later this month.

Last year we invited New Belgium to be a part of our BMBW program. They went on a walk around their property and identified plants in the area. They decided to use lavender and plum in a bock. Not only that, they invited us to come up to Fort Collins and help brew it with them. The beer has only been on tap in their brewery taproom and it was also available during our Anniversary Party. We have one more keg of it and would like to give you all another opportunity to have some.

The beer turned out lovely. It's a 5.5% amber with subtle and delicate malt notes. The lavender is present but not overwhelming in any way and the plum contributes some nice residual sugars for an extra layer of complexity. This may be your last opportunity to try this beer so we hope to see you there.

Beers Made By Walking Special Tapping
New Belgium Lavender Plum Bock
At Brewer's Republic / 112 N. Nevada, Colorado Springs
Friday, Jan. 25th / 6pm / Pay per pint
Facebook Event Page

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Wild Beer & Game Dinner - Co-Hosted by Peter Bouckaert

An image from last year's Wild Beer & Game dinner

Trinity Brewing has gone above and beyond with this year's Wild Beer & Game dinner! This week they are bringing sour beer expert Peter Bouckaert down from New Belgium brewing to brew a special collaborative Berliner Weiss at Trinity and that beer will be one of the beers available at the six-course dinner, each course paired with a beer that has wild yeasts. That kinda blows my mind a little. Check out the menu below to see just how amazing this year's dinner will be.

If you'll step back in time with us for a moment you might remember that we covered last year's Wild Beer & Game dinner. It was definitely a standout moment for me and some of the best pairing beer and food pairing I've had. See all our photos and recap of that here.

So you're not going to want to miss out on this event. Seats are very limited and will likely sell out very quickly. Tickets are $90 plus tip. (***Just heard they sold out immediately! Better get on the waitlist!) The event is set for Sunday Feb. 24th at 8pm. Visit Trinity or call at 719.634.0029.
Here's a look at the menu:

New Belgium & TRiNiTY Berliner Wiesse Collaboration, with Amuse Bouche.
Cantaloupe and Locally Raised Wild Goat Buffalo Cheese on an Endive Leaf.

Biere de Mars alongside appetizer.
Colorado Micro Celery wrapped in a Thick Cut Wild Boar Prosciutto Cigar.

Red Swingline, IPA Primitif and salad.
Fried Kale topped with Roasted Red Peppers, Red Onions, Supremed Tangerines finished with a Marinated and Lightly Seared Ahi Tuna in a Miso Drizzle.

Heavenly Feijoa Tripel paired with our Entree.
Wild Gulf Shrimp Sauteed in a White Wine Lemon Butter then topped with a Garlic Beurre Monte Sauce over a Local Rice Pilaf.

Damn, it Feels Good to be a Gangsta, Obscur Noir and the Main Course.
Pan Seared Crusted Pheasant served with Caramelized Buttered Carrots in a Grains of Paradise Seasoning.

Transatlantique Kriek accompanying Dessert.
Local Glacier Vanilla Ice Cream with a Wild Grain Cinnamon Brugge Waffle and a Dark Chocolate Pappy Legba Drizzle topped with a Sprig of candied Mint.


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California Beer Part 2 - ØL Beercafe

If you've followed along you know that I was in Northern California over the holidays. I visited The Rare Barrel, an upcoming all sour brewery in Berkeley. My brother and some of our friends live in the Concord and Walnut Creek area so we visited ØL Beercafe a couple times in a short span of three or four days. The place is new(ish), I think it's about a year old, I hadn't heard of it till my friends brought it up although I think it's well-established itself as a fantastic beer spot. I'd like to share a bit about my experiences.

California Beer Part 01 - A Visit to The Rare Barrel

The last time I was in Oregon I stopped into a new brewery called The Commons. They had blown my socks off at GABF so I went in to talk with them about some potential projects. When I visited there was a group of people hanging out at the bar and we got to talking and it turned out they were behind a new brewery start-up in Berkeley, California called The Rare Barrel.

Since I spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, that's where my family is, and I used to be well-versed in Berkeley hangouts this was a really great surprise. I invited these folks to the Beers Made By Walking event which took place across town the next day and they showed up and we've continued to be in touch since then. Well, over the holidays I had a chance to catch up with The Rare Barrel and I was able to visit their space. I'd like to share with you a couple photos and some information about this must-watch brewery.

Beer Photo of the Week #23

Photos of the Week by Daniel Flanders. Skis and Colorado beer.

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Anniversary Weekend Photo Recap: Party at Trinity and Breakfast at FRBBQ

Our Anniversary Weekend was a weekend that really goes down in the history books. We presented a rare beer tapping at Trinity and the following day a six course beer and bacon breakfast at Front Range BBQ. These will be some very memorable moments to be certain. Luckily we've got them permanently captured here in case our memories of the Bacon-drop biscuits with pork belly and bacon hollandaise sauce begin to fade. We didn't have the photos ready in time for our 2012 Photo Recap but they deserve their own post anyway.

A big Thank You to all who came out and celebrated with us and a Thank You to all our readers who couldn't make it. Also, a huge thank you to the brewers who participated in the festivities. Cheers!

Cellarmanship Part 2: How To Store Your Hoarded Beer Properly

Welcome to the third installment of Cellarmsanship, a series where we talk about the how-to, the joys, and details of cellaring your beer at home. In our first article we introduced you to the topic and explained why we find joy in doing it. Next we interviewed Eric and Lauren Salazar of New Belgium for their opinions and guidance on storing beer at home. With this post we would like to dive into some of the how-to of the matter.

Intro:
Perhaps by now you're convinced to stash a bottle of beer or two away. Where will you keep it? What do you do with this beer? Do you make a time capsule and bury it under the sidewalk of your kid's elementary school? Storing beer properly is probably the most crucial step of cellaring beer bottles once you've decided what you want to age. It can mean the difference between opening a 5 year old beer and having your taste buds cry with joy or giving it a nice pour down the drain. Nothing like buying a beer, setting it aside, resisting the temptations to drink it over and over again, rocking it to sleep every night, and then when the occasion comes you crack it open and it's gross. There are some things you have to do to age beer properly. Then, there are things you can do that are more of a choice and open for debate.

2 Great Looking Beer Dinners From Coaltrain

We would like to direct your attention to a couple great looking beer dinners that Coaltrain is organizing. The first is on January 8th and is a five course dinner at Tapateria paired with Bristol beers. The second is on January 30th at The Blue Star and features a rare sampling of some of Avery's Barrel Aged beers. Details from Coaltrain are below:

Buy This Beer: Ska Brewing Hibernal Vinifera Stout

We thought we'd welcome 2013 with a post about a new excellent beer from Ska Brewing. The Hibernal Vinifera Stout is part of Ska's Seasonal Stout series where the brewery releases one new Stout per season. I must admit I was hesitant (only a little) regarding this series of beers...I mean, why not do a new IPA every season or something that (in my opinion) has a higher annual drinkability? Well, I'm completely sold now.