Eater: All Posts by Christian DeBenedettihttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2011-02-04T07:30:02-05:00https://www.eater.com/authors/christian-debenedetti/rss2011-02-04T07:30:02-05:002011-02-04T07:30:02-05:00The New Rules of Beer: Craft Beer For the Big Game
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="football-beers.jpg" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1272742/football-beers.0.jpg" width="528" height="275"></p> <p>With the Super Bowl this Sunday, the time has come to stock the fridge and cooler with beers, lots and lots of them. This year, no matter how clever and good the megabrewers' ads turn out to be, you have no excuse not to go with craft brews, because of lesson number two in <strong>The New Rules of Beer</strong>.</p> <p><em><strong>Old Rule:</strong> Craft beer is way too heavy and strong for the game. </em></p> <p><em><strong>New Rule:</strong> There are excellent light craft beers, too. Time to get yourself some cans of the latest low alcohol, full-flavored craft brews.</em></p> <p>First of all, the can. The advent of modern American craft beer in the beloved aluminum vessel dates to 2002, when <strong>Dale's Pale Ale</strong> from Oskar Blues Brewery of Colorado started what they call "the canned beer apocalypse." Today scores of craft breweries are canning, because the brews are easier to take outdoors and are quicker to cool down. More importantly, canning is better for the beer itself (less oxygen in contact with the beer and no light, which spoils beer). While delicious, Dale's rings in at a not-inconsequential 6.5% abv (alcohol by volume), making it no less of a beer but not necessarily one for a long afternoon of watching football.</p> <p>Enter the session beer. Recently an increasing number of American craft brewers have embraced lower alcohol ales and lagers in response to the arms-race like escalation of strength and hoppiness going on in the States over the past few years. These are sometimes referred to as "session" beers, after the British tradition of mild workers' ale. Generally speaking, a session brew falls <strong>between 3 and 5%</strong> alcohol (note that Bud Light is 4.2%, as is Guinness Stout), and the point is to enjoy a flavorful, all-malt beer that doesn't wreck your chances of impressing the future in-laws, cooking burgers to perfection, catching the remote when it is flung at your face, or completing any tasks whatsoever at work the next day.</p> <p><strong>Bitter American</strong>, a new seasonal from 21st Amendment in San Francisco, is the finest session beer to come along in a very long time. Founder Shaun O' Sullivan says he and his crew first came up with the beer four years ago and have been tinkering with the recipe ever since. "We love our extreme beers, but the idea was, 'let's be contrary; let's break up your stronger beer session with this. It's more of a power cleanser, a refreshing taste.'"</p> <p>The result is an extraordinarily crisp, light palate-smacker of <strong>just 4.4% abv</strong>. It's ideal with pizza and not at all bad on its own, with a surprising roundness of body (thanks to select British barley malt called Golden Promise) and a menagerie of four different hops. The brewers start with Warrior and Cascade, then dry-hop with Simcoe and Centennial, bringing the love, aroma- and aftertaste-wise; this beer will only inflict bitter beer face on crybabies. Are you a crybaby?</p> <p>Bitter American, available until March and named in honor of "unwitting heroes" everywhere like Ham the astronaut chimp (pictured on the can), is sold across the U.S. (see the company Web site for a beer finder).</p> <p>If you can't find Bitter American, here are four other excellent, sessionable beers to seek out:</p> <p><strong>Stone Levitation</strong>, 4.4% - American Amber Ale from San Diego with piny, citrusy notes.</p> <p><strong>New Glarus Totally Naked</strong>, 4.25% - Pale, American-style lager from Wisconsin-only brewers. Rare outside of the state <a href="http://ny.eater.com/archives/2009/11/wisconsin_beer_is_for_wisconsin_reisdents_1.php" target="_blank">unless it's pirated</a>. New Glarus, you're torturing us.</p> <p><strong>Victory Lager,</strong> 4.8% - It's from Downingtown, not Pittsburgh, but hey, Pennsylvania! Also, it's very good, and the name is obviously a good omen for the Steelers.</p> <p><strong>Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba, </strong>4.5% - a funky, hard-to-find, aromatic Belgian pale ale with musty and floral notes. Definitely an option-play, this is the beer for the die hard craft fan who also happens to be a football junky.</p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Courses on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2011/2/4/6698621/the-new-rules-of-beer-craft-beer-for-the-big-gameChristian DeBenedetti2011-01-28T06:15:35-05:002011-01-28T06:15:35-05:00The New Rules of Beer: Dark Lagers
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="black-lager.jpg" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1274090/black-lager.0.jpg" width="528" height="299"></p> <p>Everything you thought you knew about beer is wrong! In the past several years the craft beer world has continued to evolve and innovate with blinding speed. Old cultural assumptions about beer have outlived their welcome. It’s time to learn <strong>The New Rules of Beer</strong>. Here's lesson #1:</p> <p><strong><em>OLD:</em></strong> Dark beer is always heavy.<br><strong> <em> NEW:</em></strong> A beer's color doesn't necessarily reflect its heft. You haven’t tried American-made, Bavarian-style black lagers.</p> <p>A beer's 'weight' is primarily a reflection of its dryness. How many fermentable sugars went in (in the form of barley malt and sometimes other additions like maize, wheat, Belgian brewing sugars, and other starches) and how much of those remain post-fermentation. Just as in winemaking, it's primarily an acid/sugar balance thing and has nothing to do with color, which is simply a reflection of how pale or how roasted the brewer's grains are to begin with. (Bitterness is another misunderstood facet often confused with weight; I'll get to that later.) </p> <p><strong>Color in beer is misleading in both ales and lagers in fact.</strong> Guinness Stout—to name just one dark brew consistently dismissed as engine oil by novices—is a actually a light-bodied, low-alcohol <strong>ale</strong> of around 4.2 to 5.0%ABV, depending on the version you're drinking. Blame decades of American corporate mass marketing for the preponderance of bland, fizzy yellow lagers here and a resulting mistrust of dark brews, an ancient art to be embraced, not feared.</p> <p>A disclaimer: it's worth acknowledging that, in their eagerness to swing for the parking lot, a few early American craft brews were syrupy, under-attenuated, lacking fizz. "Heavy." A lack of carbonation can make a beer seem weightier than it really is, and vice versa (Belgium's <strong>Duvel </strong>is a perfect illustration of a heavier golden brew being devilishly light on the tongue). But today's more sophisticated American craft brewers have raised their game, taking on dark beer styles with a light touch. Known as <em>tmave</em> in Bohemia (the modern Czech Republic and environs) and <em>schwarzbier</em> in southern Germany, black lagers range from mahogany brown to a full-bore coal and gain their color and a lot of flavor from roasted malts, all the while keeping a light "body": low alcohol (around 5%) and a lean mouthfeel. Well made, they're dry, refreshing brews.</p> <p>Some of the best examples in the U.S. include <strong>Sam Adams Black Lager</strong>, at 4.9%, and Full Sail of Oregon's <strong>Session Black Lager </strong>(5.4%), which has the added benefit of being sold in a grenade-shaped bottle. Then there's Wisconsin's <strong>Sprecher Black Bavarian </strong>(6%), which has been deservedly racking up awards for years. It's light, refreshing, and yes, jet-black. Now the black malt craze is spreading to other traditionally pale styles, too. Don't be surprised when you see a Black IPA (a.k.a. India Black Ale, or Cascadia Dark Ale) at the supermarket; even Black Saisons and Pilsners are turning up, with some impressive results. The famous Guinness ad said it best: 'Don't be afraid of the dark.'</p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Posts on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2011/1/28/6699755/the-new-rules-of-beer-dark-lagersChristian DeBenedetti2011-01-14T08:00:55-05:002011-01-14T08:00:55-05:00Drink Like a Viking: Norwegian Craft Beers
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="norwegian-beer-3.jpg" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1277812/norwegian-beer-3.0.jpg" width="528" height="307"><br><span class="credit"><em>[Photos: <a href="http://www.lemarkbbc.com/beerlist_ch_z.html">LeMark</a>, <a href="http://www.wallywine.com/p-69077-haand-odins-tipple-500ml.aspx?affiliateid=10098">Wally's</a>, <a href="http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/03/n%C3%B8gne-%C3%B8-a-top-class-brewery/">Elusive Moose</a>]</em></span></p> <p>Cold weather is beer weather. Take it from Norway: the icy Scandinavian land is white hot for beer, thanks to age-old <strong><a href="http://www.aass.no/">Aass</a></strong> and newcomers<strong> <a href="http://www.nogne-o.com/" target="_blank">Nøgne Ø</a> </strong>and <strong><a href="http://haandbryggeriet.net/" target="_blank">Haandbryggeriet</a>. </strong>It all goes back to the <strong>Vikings</strong>, who wrote about brewing '<em>aul</em>' (a cognate of the word 'ale') in their 12th century epics and how it tended make them go a little <strong><em>bersërkr</em></strong>. An ancient rural home brewing industry still thrives, thanks to the country's strict, high-tax, alcohol-averse government. Farmers were long required to brew, and if they failed in their obligations, the king and church first seized and then divided their land. Even now it's said to be a Norwegian country custom to brew the beer for your own funeral, to really go out in style. Here, three reasons why Norway is buzzing in the craft beer world.</p> <p>- Norway's oldest surviving brewery, <strong>Aass</strong> (pronounced something between 'Orse' and 'Ohs'), dates to the 1830s and produces a strong, smooth <em>bøkkol</em>, or bock, that is creamy and delicious, as well as<strong> Juleøl Premium</strong>, a ruddy-red winter beer weighing in at a hefty but drinkable 9%ABV. Classic bottle art, too.</p> <p>- <strong>Nøgne Ø</strong>, which dubs itself <em>Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri</em>, or 'The Uncompromising Brewery', is a new-school micro specializing in new-school British, Belgian, and American styles, and takes its name<strong> </strong>("Naked Island") from 19th century Norwegian literary icon Henrik Ibsen's description of the desolate coastline near Grimstad. There the brewery produces a range of aggressively malty and hoppy beers including the roasty <strong>God Jul</strong>, a fulsom, 8.5% winter ale, and the <strong>Dark Horizon </strong>series, a kooky-strong stout made with English malt, Pacific Rim hops, Canadian yeast, and coffee from Colombia. At around 16%ABV, it's big, boozy, and exceedingly rare. Openly influenced by the unhinged formulations of America's craft brewers, Nøgne Ø brews confidently across styles, from saison to tripels and even West Coast IPAs.</p> <p>- Housed in a former horse stable and hosiery factory, <strong>HaandBryggeriet</strong> (as in 'brewed by hand') is a four-man operation impressively dedicated to resurrecting ancient indigenous styles. For example, <strong>Norwegian Wood</strong>, a reddish, 6.5% ale, is made according to a local tradition pre-dating the use of hops for spicing beer: the brewers utilize juniper branches (with berries intact, and picked by hand "in all weathers"), imparting a pleasing piney zing. Traditionally barley malt was home-kilned over open fires, giving the brews a smokey taste; Haand's base malts, from Germany, are seasoned over beechwood fires. Recently the four Norsemen have concocted <strong>Akevitt Porter</strong>, a brew aged in Akevitt (Aquavit) barrels and <strong>Valhalla,</strong> a strong ale brewed with Turkish figs and wild yeasts. Another Haand rarity worth seeking out is <strong>Odin's Tipple</strong>, a complex, viscous strong ale (9%abv) made with roasted and chocolate malt and wild yeasts. The color? None more black.</p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Posts on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2011/1/14/6702107/drink-like-a-viking-norwegian-craft-beersChristian DeBenedetti2011-01-04T08:30:48-05:002011-01-04T08:30:48-05:00Top Ten Beers From 2010 You Should Drink in 2011
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="best-beers-2010.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1279472/best-beers-2010.0.jpg" width="528" height="353"></p> <p>It was a great year for craft beer, with scores of innovative new breweries popping up, wild styles going mainstream, a cavalcade of top restaurants like <strong>Eleven Madison Park</strong> embracing the art, <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2010/11/12/interview-dogfish-heads-sam-calagione-on-his-new-show-brew-masters.php" target="_blank"><strong>Sam Calagione’s</strong> star turn on <em>Brew Masters</em> (Discovery Channel)</a>, and too many other toast-worthy developments to list. More than anything, it was a great year for new American craft beers released from coast to coast. Here, in no particular order, is the Eater Top Ten American craft beers of 2010. (And note, of course, there were hundreds of other on-draught-only experiments, one-offs, and single-cask variations that were as quaffable as they were hard-to-find, so all presented are bottled releases, else the picks be obnoxiously esoteric.)</p> <p><strong>1. Pretty Things Jack D’Or (saison/farmhouse ale; 6.4% alcohol by volume)</strong></p> <p>Massachusetts’ Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project is dubbed a <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/10/the-innovative-gypsy-brewers-shaking-up-the-beer-world/64828/" target="_blank">gypsy brewery</a>, because the proprietors guest brew in friends’ facilities, lacking their own (a matter of time, one suspects). Inspired by classic Belgian bucket list beers like <strong>Saison Dupont</strong> and <strong>XX Bitter</strong>, it’s a bold, rustico table ale with enough edge and spicy zing (though no spices are added) to hold the palate, plus a fresh, grassy stable of hops. Superb. (<a href="http://www.prettythingsbeertoday.com/">www.prettythingsbeertoday.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>2. Deschutes Hop in the Dark (India black ale; 6.5%abv)</strong></p> <p>2010 shall hitherto be known as Year of the “Black IPA” or the Year of Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA) or the Year of India Black Ale (in the wording of the Brewers’ Association), and Lord-knows-what-other-moniker will seize beer geekdom next. What it means to the layperson is a medium-bodied ale of very dark complexion with a sturdy lashing of hop aroma and bitterness, best enjoyed fireside. It’s a matter of practically Talmudic debate who truly brewed the first example, but few would debate that Oregon’s Deschutes’ piney, onyx-black version isn’t worth seeking out. (<a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/">www.deschutesbrewery.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>3. Firestone Velvet Merlin (oatmeal stout; 5.5%abv)</strong></p> <p>Once known as Merkin, this Paso Robles-brewed stout is an exceptional example of a style that once seemed doomed to the craft beer dustbin of history: the 1980s, when mostly unassuming British styles predominated. Despite its umbrous color it’s incredibly light and even juicy; perhaps no other beer gives lie to the notion that dark beers are inherently “heavier” than light brews (at 5.5%, it’s only marginally more alcoholic, i.e. caloric, than a Bud heavy). Insanely drinkable. (<a href="http://www.firestonewalker.com/">www.firestonewalker.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>4. Victory Yakima Glory (India Black Ale; 8.7%abv)</strong></p> <p>The Downingtown, PA makers of <strong>Prima Pils </strong>(a game changer for American pilsners) stepped into the dark and bitter fray with this elixir also known as <strong>Twilight</strong>, which, pushing 9%abv, is quite a lot bigger than similarly categorized brews. But like almost all of Victory’s offerings, Yakima Glory does it with uncommon finesse. It’s a beautiful tango of floral Yakima Valley (WA) hops and brawny, roasted malts. (<a href="http://www.victorybeer.com/">www.victorybeer.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>5. Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace (saison/farmouse ale; 7.6%abv)</strong></p> <p>Japanese megabrewer Sapporo first developed the Sorachi Ace hop, a hybrid of German and Czech varieties, back in 1998, and it’s the only hop in Brooklyn's Sorachi Ace beer. Unlike many farmhouse and saison beers, which traditionally downplay super hoppy aromas in favor of a wheaty, yeasty bite, brewmaster Garrett Oliver’s version catapults the senses to an unexpected destination: Thailand, because of the hops' uncanny olfactory resemblance to lemongrass. Terrific stuff. (<a href="http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/">www.brooklynbrewery.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>6. The Alchemist Ourobouros (American Double a.k.a. Imperial IPA; 8.8%abv)</strong></p> <p>The ‘orouboros’ symbol in mythology—a snake or dragon eating its own tail—signifies renewal; let’s hope this Waterbury, Vermont operation continues to remake this incredibly floral, grapefruity IPA until every beer lover in America can try it. It’s citrusy and abundant, a marvel of restraint and refreshment (<a href="http://www.alchemistbeer.com/">www.alchemistbeer.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>7. Avery Quinquepartite (barrel-aged sour ale a.k.a. American wild ale; 9.91% ABV)</strong></p> <p>Sour beers, made acidic through the use of barrel aging with wild airborne yeasts and (harmless) bacteria, grew in popularity throughout the year, even meriting <a href="http://blog.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/2010/03/cascade_barrel_house_portlands.html" target="_blank">a new bar dedicated entirely to the style</a>, in Portland, Oregon (where else?). The fifth in a series of one-off, barrel-aged brews, <strong>Quinquepartite</strong> (Latin for "five parts") is blended from ales aged in Port, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and a pair of Cabernet barrels. Like many of the latest barrel-aged beers, this was a tiny allotment that sold out quickly, disappearing practically overnight into the gullets and beer cellars of hard-core collectors. (<a href="http://www.averybrewing.com/">www.averybrewing.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>8. Bitches Brew (Russian Imperial Stout; 9%abv)</strong></p> <p>In honor of the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis’ landmark fusion jazz recording, the Milton, Delaware-based Dogfish Head crew, headed by newly-minted Discovery Channel host <strong>Sam Calagione</strong>, threw together a shibboleth of a stout with African gesho root and jars of honey so raw there were still dead bees mired in the honeycomb. It made for entertaining television and even better beer, and it featured the year’s best beer label, too. (<a href="http://www.dogfish.com/">www.dogfish.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>9. New Belgium Ranger IPA (American-style IPA, 6.5%)</strong></p> <p>Another widely emerging beer variety in 2010—along with India Black Ales and sour and barrel aged beers—was the American-style IPA, a big, malty, juicy hop bomb of a style that originated commercially with Russian River brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo while he worked for Blind Pig brewing in Temecula, CA. Along with another excellent commercial version, <strong>Sierras Torpedo IPA</strong>, the homegrown style finally found its place across the entire country after years of insider-only appreciation. There may be no better accompaniment to pepperoni pizza, ever. (<a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/">www.newbelgium.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>10. Boulevard Collaboration Number 1 (American Double/Imperial Pilsner; 8%abv)</strong></p> <p>Merely naming the Belgian Trappist ale <strong>Orval</strong> is enough, in some corners of the world, to forever vouchsafe a craft beer lover’s bona fides. While its quality has shifted minutely over time (a matter of continuous debate) the orangey-hued pale ale is so iconic, so beloved, and so widely imitated that one Philadelphia beer bar, <strong>Local 44</strong>, refuses to carry any other beer in the bottle. So when Orval’s brew master Jean-Marie Rock agreed to collaborate with Kansas City’s Boulevard on a new American craft beer, the beer world waited with baited breath. The result? A grainy, straw-blonde lager with ample citrusy hops and a peppery finish, it was a bold, delicious experiment. (<a href="http://www.boulevard.com">www.boulevard.com</a>)</p> <p><br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Posts on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2011/1/4/6703541/top-ten-beers-from-2010-you-should-drink-in-2011Christian DeBenedetti2010-12-23T09:40:28-05:002010-12-23T09:40:28-05:00Ten Christmas Craft Beers For Boozy Christmas Cheer
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="christmas-craft-beers.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1281108/christmas-craft-beers.0.jpg" width="528" height="300"></p> <p>A catch-all category that refers to winter and holiday seasonals of varying styles, <strong>Christmas beers</strong>, generally speaking, hark back to medieval England, where 'wassail' and 'wassailing' with mulled ciders and ales was popular, even earning a shout out in <em>Beowulf</em>. They're typified by their <strong>big malty backbones, higher than usual alcohol contents, and varying degrees of bitterness and spiciness</strong> (from the addition of herbs, spices, and extra hops). </p> <p>The typical Santa-sized oomph they pack can be nimbler than one might expect from beers pushing 8, 9, even 10% alcohol by volume, some redolent of <strong>ginger, cinnamon, honey, clove, orange peel, allspice, nutmeg, even frankincense and myrrh</strong>. There's even a beer served hot: <strong>Brasserie Beck</strong>, in Washington, D.C., serves <strong>La Dragonne </strong>(from the Swiss brewery <a href="http://www.brasseriebfm.ch">Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes</a> a.k.a. "BFM" at 120 degrees F in a steaming bucket of water with a large snifter for $45 "so that the aromas can be appreciated fully," says General Manager and Beer Sommelier <strong>Thor Cheston</strong>.</p> <p>But not every Christmas beer is such a potpourri: "Spices are nice, but they aren't necessary," says Philadelphia beer writer <strong>Don Russell</strong>, who wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0789317966?ie=UTF8&tag=curbnetw-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0789317966" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a book</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=curbnetw-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0789317966" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;"> on Christmas beers and works under the moniker <strong>Joe Sixpack</strong>. Some beers achieve the desired spiciness through tweaks of yeasts and hops alone. Here, ten Christmas beers (in no particular order) that strike a merry balance:</p> <p><strong>1. Anchor Christmas Ale (5.5% ABV)</strong><br>Craft Beer godfather Fritz Maytag started brewing this cold weather favorite back in 1975 while most craft beer lovers were still in short pants. The recipe varies by year and is always secret; 2010's has a pleasing, distinctly piney kick. (<a href="http://anchorbrewing.com">anchorbrewing.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>2. The Bruery Three French Hens (10% ABV)</strong><br>Brewer Patric Rue and his band of elves keeps coming up with well-made beers carefully attuned to the seasons. A Belgian style 'dubbel' aged partially in French Oak barrels, it can even age longer in the bottle to further smooth out its raisiny, slightly sweet profile. (<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thebruery.com&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F12%2F23%2F6704795%2Ften-christmas-craft-beers-for-boozy-christmas-cheer" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">thebruery.com)</a></p> <p><strong>3. Nøgne-Ø Winter Ale (8.5% ABV)</strong><br>Akin to a strong English Porter, this hearty, dark brew out of Norway is redolent of cocoa, spruce, and smoke, with a fine carbonation and pleasing but not overpowering heft. (<a href="http://www.nogne-o.com">nogne-o.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>4. Fantôme Spéciale De Noel (10% ABV)</strong><br>Nestled in the Ardennes, Dany Prignon's tiny Fantôme brewery has a cult following for his idiosyncratic (and sometimes uneven) approach to craft beer. His Christmas offering is ruddy red, with flavors recalling dried dark cherries and dates; rumored ingredients include honey, caramel, black pepper, and coriander. Devilishly easy to sip. (<a href="http://www.sheltonbrothers.com">sheltonbrothers.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>5. Trader Joe's 2010 Vintage Ale (9.2% ABV)</strong><br>TJ's has stepped up its attention to beer lately, even going so far as to commission house brews, some better than others. Among the very best to date is their annual holiday offering, which, at $4.99 per 750ml bottle, would be a steal even if it were only vaguely drinkable. But in fact this dark Belgian-style ale (made by Canadian craft brewer Unibroue, which is owned by Sapporo) earns high marks for its deep chocolate flavors, rocky head of beige foam, and citrusy tang. (<a href="http://www.traderjoes.com">traderjoes.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>6. Sierra Nevada Celebration (6.8% ABV)</strong><br>Thanks to its aggressive but pleasant hop profile and moderate (comparatively) alcohol level, the copper-hued, biscuity-tasting "Celly" is an American IPA by definition but by name and label a holiday offering. Truth be told, it's a year-round beer among craft beer cognoscenti. (<a href="http://www.sierranevada.com">sierranevada.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>7. Deschutes Jubelale (6.7% ABV)</strong><br>Oregon institution Deschutes Brewing Co. has released this malty, ruby-hued brew with notes of caramel, pine, and citrus featuring a different artist's work on the label for the last 16 years. (<a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com">deschutesbrewery.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>8. Three Floyds Alpha Clause (6% ABV)</strong><br>Nearly opaque black and bursting with flavors of grassy hops, coffee, chocolate and brown sugar, this brew comes from Munster, Indiana, a hop skip and a jump from Chicago. Its name is at least partly a reference to alpha acids, the component of hop flowers' lupulin glands which impart bitterness and aroma to beer. (<a href="http://www.3floyds.com">3floyds.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>9. Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi (10% ABV)</strong><br>Like the Three Kings, this massively flavorful golden brew comes packing frankincense and a small amount of myrrh. It's got some tartness and funk as well, making it one of the most unusual Christmas beers available. (<a href="http://www.lostabbey.com">lostabbey.com</a>)</p> <p><strong>10. Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza (9% ABV)</strong><br>Dexter, Michigan-based Brewer Ron Jeffries has earned a reputation as one of the United States' foremost makers of barrel-aged beers, which exhibit an incredible array of complex flavors from smoke to oak, sour, and everything in between. He describes his Christmas brew has having notes of sugar plums and "cashews betwixt rum-laden truffles," a fitting description. (<a href="http://www.jollypumpkin.com">jollypumpkin.com</a>)</p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Posts on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2010/12/23/6704795/ten-christmas-craft-beers-for-boozy-christmas-cheerChristian DeBenedetti2010-12-17T09:00:44-05:002010-12-17T09:00:44-05:00Ten Stocking Stuffers for Craft Beer Lovers
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="beer-poster.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1282098/beer-poster.0.jpg" width="528" height="421"><br><span class="credit"><em>Pop Chart Labs' The Very Many Varieties of Beer Poster [Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpopchartlab.com%2Findex.php%2Fposter_detail%2Fthe_very_many_varieties_of_beer%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F12%2F17%2F6705575%2Ften-stocking-stuffers-for-craft-beer-lovers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">popchartlab.com</a>]</em></span></p> <p>Now that I've covered <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2010/12/10/this-year-give-the-gift-of-really-really-expensive-beer.php">absurdly expensive or rare craft beers</a> to hoard as if they were the Crown Jewels, and now that so many of us have surely neglected to do any Christmas shopping whatsoever, it's time for a more practical list of gift ideas for the craft beer lover in your life.</p> <p>Brooklyn's <strong>Pop Chart Labs</strong> (above) makes ingenious infographics for T-shirts and posters, none more engrossing than than this, on <strong><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpopchartlab.com%2Findex.php%2Fposter_detail%2Fthe_very_many_varieties_of_beer%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F12%2F17%2F6705575%2Ften-stocking-stuffers-for-craft-beer-lovers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Very Many Varieties of Beer</a> </strong>($25).</p> <p><strong>Whole Foods</strong> has embraced craft beer wholeheartedly: there are 225 beer-selling stores in 38 states, many of them "flagship" stores with over 800—you read correctly, that's <em>eight hundred</em>—varieties of craft beer from the U.S. and abroad. Rather than try to pick something out, get your beer loving friend <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/giftcards/index.php">a gift card </a>and let them go to town.</p> <p>For the truly devoted, there's always <strong>The Kegerator</strong>, a device which allows its owner to serve beer on draught like a pro. Here's <a href="http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/beer/hbf050eabss.shtml">one for under $500 </a>which will look right at home next to the Sub-Zero.</p> <p>Drinking beer from a red plastic cup is fine...when you're drinking schwaggy keg beer on campus at 2am. But once you've stepped up in the beer appreciation department, <strong>a bit of comportment goes a long way</strong>. The <strong><a href="http://glassware.riedel.com/index.php/spiegelau/beer-classics.html">Reidel Stemmed Pilsner glass</a></strong> is the best vessel I've found for appreciating bigger, more alcoholic beers like Double IPAs, Belgian Tripels, and Imperial Stouts ($29 for two).</p> <p><img alt="beer-books-gift-guide.jpg" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1282100/beer-books-gift-guide.0.jpg" width="528" height="253"></p> <p><strong>Michael Jackson </strong>was <strong>a Yorkshire-bred writer </strong>and a gentleman who died too young, in late 2007, at the age of 65. A friend and mentor to me and to many others, he's credited with giving meaning to the very phrase 'beer writer', having penned 16 books in all covering beer and whisky with the care and scholarship of a monk—and the thirst of a lion. Among his very best works is the 520-page paean to Europe's most interesting beer culture, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937381934?ie=UTF8&tag=curbnetw-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0937381934" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Great Beers of Belgium</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=curbnetw-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0937381934" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;"></em>, long out of print but recently been reissued (about $25, via Amazon).</p> <p>When he's not brewing <strong>Brooklyn Brewery's brewmaster Garrett Oliver </strong>is hard at work editing <em>The Oxford Companion to Beer</em>, which won't be out until sometime next year. He's also the author of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060005718?ie=UTF8&tag=curbnetw-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060005718" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Brewmaster's Table</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=curbnetw-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060005718" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;"></em> (Ecco, 2003) a masterly written, 384-page treatise on pairing beer and food that is a must-have for any self-respecting lover of the two (from $10 in paperback; $60 hardcover). Ideally, the recipient will read it while sipping his latest masterpiece, <strong>Sorachi Ace</strong> beer, a delicious saison made with Japanese hops.</p> <p>If your beloved is into <a href="http://eater.com/tags/brew-masters"><em>Brew Masters</em> </a> on Discovery Channel but hasn't seen the documentary <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Q7T79K?ie=UTF8&tag=curbnetw-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002Q7T79K" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Beer Wars</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=curbnetw-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002Q7T79K" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;"></em> ($19.95), the time is now. The 89' film, released last year, depicts Dogfish Head's <strong>Sam Calagione </strong>and a host of other American craft beer upstarts as they take on the big American brewers and distributors, all for the love of beer.</p> <p><img alt="beer-gifts.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1282102/beer-gifts.0.jpg" width="528" height="194"></p> <p><strong>Patagonia</strong> has not only created some of the best catalogs to stoke a person's wanderlust as long as I can remember, they have also come up with something truly ingenious: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patagonia.com%2Fus%2Fproduct%2Fpatagonia-tech-web-belt%3Fp%3D59190-0-671%26src%3Dpfmxdf%26netid%3D2%26src%3Dgps%26mr%3AtrackingCode%3D31BCB188-5985-DF11-BC8B-0019B9C043EB%26mr%3AreferralID%3DNA&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F12%2F17%2F6705575%2Ften-stocking-stuffers-for-craft-beer-lovers" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the belt buckle bottle opener</a>. Click, just like that!</p> <p>For the artistically inclined beer lover, this <a href="http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Marli%20Bottle%20Opener_10451_10001_24419">stainless-steel bottle opener</a> sold by the MoMA store is sure to warm the cockles of their heart.</p> <p>The best way to learn about craft beer is to <strong>make it yourself</strong>. Brooklyn's own homebrew supply store has put together <a href="http://www.brooklyn-homebrew.com/Brooklyn_Homebrew/Equipment_Kits.html">the ultimate starter kit</a>, for $395. It takes extra room, lots of time, deep reserves of patience, and a bit more money (for the ingredients), but all in all brewing is a great way to while away the cold winter weekend days and nights. Even better, giving this gift entitles you to a lot of free beer.</p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Posts on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2010/12/17/6705575/ten-stocking-stuffers-for-craft-beer-loversChristian DeBenedetti2010-12-10T09:55:22-05:002010-12-10T09:55:22-05:00This Year, Give the Gift of Really, Really Expensive Beer
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="squirrel-beer.jpg" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1283390/squirrel-beer.0.jpg" width="528" height="451"><br><span class="credit"><em>Brew Dog's End of History.</em></span></p> <p>Think the craft beer lover in your life has <em>everything</em>? Well, unless they own a bottle of each of the following beers, they couldn't possibly: presenting the most expensive beers ever sold. Collecting rare and vintage beers is for the most hard-core beer fans, who run the gamut from casual hoarders to nattily-attired collectors to a handful of real wingnuts. Below, their Holy Grails.</p> <p><strong>Antarctic Nail Ale, $800</strong><br>A single bottle of Antarctic Nail Ale, made by Nail Brewing Co. of Fremantle, Australia, was sold for $800 at a charity auction last month. Why so spendy? A portion of the water used was melted Antarctic Sea ice harvested by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (of <em>Whale Wars</em> fame). Call it the Moby Dick of publicity stunts.</p> <p><strong>Samuel Adams Utopias, $165 - 700</strong><br>Every other year <strong>Boston Beer Co.</strong> (now America's largest domestic brewery, since Anheuser Busch was <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fmoney%2Findustries%2Ffood%2F2008-07-13-anheuser-busch-beer_N.htm&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F12%2F10%2F6706589%2Fthis-year-give-the-gift-of-really-really-expensive-beer" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">sold</a> to InBev) releases a wood-barrel aged brew in individually numbered 24 oz. ceramic cisterns shaped like brewing kettles. It's meant to be consumed two ounces at a time, from a snifter. The 2009 version (21.5% alcohol) contains a nutty, caramelly elixir-like blend of ales aged up to 16 years, with accents from Portuguese muscatel finishing casks, as well as sherry, brandy and Cognac casks which color and flavor the beer. Former vintages can fetch upwards of $700 online.</p> <p><strong>Carlsberg Vintage 3, around $400</strong><br><strong><a href="http://www.carlsberggroup.com/media/News/Pages/PR_04_04032010_Vintages.aspx" target="_blank"></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">A 15% ABV (alcohol by volume) pale barley wine beer aged in French Côte d’Or barrels, some 1,000 bottles were brewed, labeled with local artists' work, and aggressively marketed as "the most exclusive beer in the world", which, to be honest, does little to add to its appeal from a committed American craft beer lover's perspective.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>La Vieille Bon Secourts, $1,000</strong><br>12 liters of brew: London restaurant <strong>Belgo</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ffoodanddrink%2F6543950%2FWorlds-most-expensive-beer-costs-700-a-bottle.html&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F12%2F10%2F6706589%2Fthis-year-give-the-gift-of-really-really-expensive-beer" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">has sold about three</a> of these behemoths, which take multiple adults to move and pour and contain an 8% Belgian brew described as having characteristics of apricot, caramel, and aniseed. There's one left. Who's got the next round?</p> <p><strong>Brewdog's The End of History, $770</strong><br>A Scottish microbrewery's blatant (<a href="http://eater.com/archives/2010/07/22/beer-in-a-squirrel-brewdog-unveils-strongest-most-expensive-beer-ever.php">if incredibly effective</a>) PR stunt, this 55% Belgian-style blonde ale was sold encased in the body of a taxidermied squirrel (roadkill, not killed for the beer, the brewery assures). Only 11 bottles were released, and all were sold.</p> <p><strong>Tutankhamun Ale, $7,686</strong><br>A Cambridge archaeobotanist named <strong>Delwen Samuel</strong> and brewers from <strong>Scottish & Newcastle</strong> collaborated after Samuel discovered well-preserved ancient brewing equipment and spent grains in the Sun Temple of Queen Nefertiti in the mid-1990s. They used emmer wheat to recreate a replica recipe, and 1000 bottles were sold; the first fetched $7,686 and others fetched up to $500 at auction, with an initial asking price of around $50 - $75.</p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br></p>
https://www.eater.com/2010/12/10/6706589/this-year-give-the-gift-of-really-really-expensive-beerChristian DeBenedetti2010-12-03T06:45:53-05:002010-12-03T06:45:53-05:00Naturally-Caffeinated Craft Beer in the Post-Four Loko Era
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="Mikkeller-Black-Hole-Stout.jpg" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1284808/Mikkeller-Black-Hole-Stout.0.jpg" width="528" height="353"><br><span class="credit"><em>Mikkeller Black Hole Stout, a coffee-enhanced craft beer [Photo: <a href="http://www.ramskov.org/2007/11/beer-mikkeller-black-hole-2007.php">ramskov.org</a>]</em></span></p> <p>Now that <strong>Four Loko</strong> — the 12% ABV malt beverage mixed with the chemically-added caffeine equivalent of three to <em>six</em> cups of strong coffees — has been <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2010/11/17/fda-ending-the-caffeinated-malt-liquor-party.php">effectively banned</a> along with some similar drinks, people in the craft beer community are wringing their hands. What's the worry? What could "The Blackout in a Can" have to do with artisanal ales made by hand and enjoyed with care? True, the FDA has ordered only four companies to remove the added caffeine or be pulled from shelves by mid-December. But thanks to the fist-pounding, nanny-state politicians like <strong>Charles Schumer</strong>, the worry is that the FDA or TTB (Federal Tax & Trade Bureau, formerly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) might try to ban <em>all</em> alcoholic drinks containing caffeine, which would have potentially wide-reaching effects. See, in the craft beer world, experimentation rules and adding crazy — but entirely legal — ingredients to the mix is the norm.</p> <p>Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster <strong>Garrett Oliver</strong> was particularly sanguine about the whole affair. "The thing that concerns me is that we might not be able to do the kind of stuff that we've done in the past," said Oliver. "For example, with <strong>Stumptown Coffee</strong> roasters, we did a beer with them called <strong>Intensified Coffee Stout</strong> which used <strong>Finca el Injerto coffee</strong>. And of course many brewers make coffee stouts. We've had beers infused with cacao nibs as well, and all of these would be considered to be caffeinated. So, if we then became collateral damage for something like Four Loko, that would be more than spectacularly annoying."</p> <p><strong>Craft Beers, Naturally-Caffeinated</strong></p> <p>There's a small but growing family of caffeinated craft beers, specifically <strong>coffee stout </strong>and <strong>espresso stout</strong>. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, available from the country's craft breweries. It's a creation mainly of the modern American era, in which a far lower dose of caffeine, derived from the addition of coffee beans or some extraction thereof, strums an upbeat note in an otherwise soporifically rich, malty dark brew. They typically have a higher than usual alcohol content. And it's often — though not always — delicious.</p> <p>Redhook and Starbucks collaborated way back in 1995 on <strong>Double Black Stout</strong>, a good if slightly astringent 7% ABV brew that was resurrected at least once. The java itself can be added at various stages, but typically it's late in the game.</p> <p>So: Caffeine, check. Alcohol, check. But comparing craft beers made with small amounts of espresso or coffee beans to artificially-caffeinated, high strength malt beverages like Four Loko would be like comparing <em>Kitchen Nightmares</em> to Julia Child' <em>The French Chef</em>. It's all in the technique. Was the caffeine added in chemical form, such as in <strong>Moonshot</strong>, the star-crossed brew chronicled by the film <em>Beer Wars </em> and recently <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/us/29beer.html">profiled</a> in the <em>Times</em>? Or did the caffeine appear through a natural osmosis in the brewing kettle, fermenters, or conditioning tanks?</p> <p><strong>Defining Caffeinated Evil: Natural, or Artificial</strong></p> <p>Marketing plays a role in all this, too. When products <em>look</em> funky or artisanal (e.t. Moonshot) but really aren't (again, because the caffeine was added in chemical form), the consumer may understandably be confused. Luckily, Four Loko made itself an easy target. The problem was that it was expressly formulated for partying <em>really, really hard</em>, and labeled not unlike <strong>Sparks</strong>. (Sparks, it's worth noting, was another controversial caffeinated brand; invented by a noted craft brewer from Oregon, it sold after four years on the market for $220 million and has been caffeine-free since 2008.)</p> <p>In tackling this new canned menace to society, lawmakers and industry wrestled with how to define Four Loko's particular brand of evil. But really, it's not too tricky. To paraphrase the case of <em>Jacobellis V. Ohio</em> (a landmark case regarding the definition of pornography), you know it when you see it. Are the ingredients real, or artificial? Here's an impressively <a href="http://www.bevlaw.com/news-caffeine.php">large list</a> of various beers and alcohols containing coffee and other stimulants.</p> <p><strong>Craft Brewers on the Defensive</strong></p> <p>Fearing the demise of the much loved coffee stout genre in this South Park-worthy affair, perhaps, <strong>The Brewers Association</strong>, a trade group representing about 1,000 of America's small and independent breweries, announced on Nov. 16th that it would formally petition the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to establish rule-making on alcoholic energy drinks.</p> <p>"The <a href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/media/press-releases/show?title=brewers-association-calls-for-rulemaking-on-caffeine-added-alcohol-beverages">petition</a> seeks to disallow synthetic and pure caffeine additions to alcohol beverages, but allow incidental caffeine from ingredients that have a long tradition in brewing, such as coffee, chocolate and tea," it reads. "The petition seeks to clarify that coffee, chocolate, herbs, spices, seeds, and fruit are ingredients that should remain available to brewers to make beers for responsible enjoyment by beer drinkers." Brewers Association President Charlie Papazian pointed out that "responsible brewers have successfully used coffee, chocolate and tea to add interesting flavor and complexity to their beers for decades. In fact, the Aztecs brewed a corn, honey and chili-based beer that contained cocoa."</p> <p><strong>Craft Brewers Speak Out</strong></p> <p>Mikkel Bjergsø, the "<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/10/the-innovative-gypsy-brewers-shaking-up-the-beer-world/64828/">gypsy brewer</a>" behind the beer geek favorite <strong>Mikkeller</strong> said it would take four half-litres of his two coffee-enhanced beers (<strong>Black Hole Stout</strong>, and <strong>Oatmeal Stout</strong> with Coffee) to hit one shot worth of the buzzy stuff.</p> <p>Craft beer importer <strong>Dan Shelton, of Shelton Bros. </strong>(which imports mostly European craft beers to the States, including the <strong>Mikkeller </strong>line, and several including the sublime <strong><a href="http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=163">Péché Mortel </a>Imperial Coffee Stout </strong>from <strong>Dieu Du Ciel! </strong>in Montreal, Canada, agrees with banning caffeine additives in chemical form.</p> <p>When it comes down to it, regulating or banning caffeine in craft beer is going to be matter of common sense. "If the maker adds the flavorless chemical compound caffeine to a drink, the drinker might not know it's there at all, much less how much is there," Shelton points out. "Of course the maker can label the quantity, but few consumers are equipped to interpret that information. Quick, how many people out there know their caffeine tolerance, in milligrams? That's what I thought."</p> <p><strong>Preserving the Right to Experiment</strong></p> <p>Ultimately it's formulation, intent, technique—factors that are not so easy to define legally, but ones you can bet the Brewers Association will fight tooth-and-nail to protect, to preserve American craft brewers' right to experiment with coffee and other flavorings that also add a kick.</p> <p>Beyond flavor, I asked Shelton (playing a bit of Devil's advocate), what else is there to differentiate coffee-infused craft beers — which are still exempt from the FDA ban — from the likes of <strong>Four Loko</strong>? What if it were simply relabeled and marketed as a craft beer, with a cork top and behooded monks adorning the label? "The [good] beer is made with natural ingredients, with <em>foods</em>. That other stuff is made with drugs," he says. "But why go 'beyond' flavor? Flavor is what good beer is all about. If you can't taste it, what's the point?"</p> <p> <br><em>Oregon native <a href="http://christiandebenedetti.wordpress.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/debenedetti">@debenedetti</a>) is currently hard at work writing a book about American craft beer for National Geographic, due out in the Fall of 2011, and writes about beer and travel for magazines including <em>Food & Wine</em>, <em>Men's Journal</em>, <em>Departures</em>, <em>Outside</em>, and others. He lives and drinks in his hometown, Portland.</em></p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2010/12/3/6707839/naturally-caffeinated-craft-beer-in-the-post-four-loko-eraChristian DeBenedetti2010-11-19T06:15:11-05:002010-11-19T06:15:11-05:00Brewing Towards a Greener Planet
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<p><em>Welcome to <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="red-lodge-craft-course.jpg" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1286612/red-lodge-craft-course.0.jpg" width="528" height="528"><br><span class="credit"><em>Red Lodge, green beer. [Photo: <a href="http://www.christiandebenedetti.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a>]</em></span></p> <p>Brewing, as much as it is ever-so-deeply loved, is also a resource-heavy affair. Vast reserves of energy and fresh water are required for growing the grain and hops, for use in the brewing itself, for cleaning up before and after, and for distributing the goods around. By some estimates it takes 6-8 gallons of water to make a single gallon of beer, and who knows how much in terms of carbon-based fuels on top of that. But the good news is that scores of breweries around the country are taking craft beer green with sustainable energy, organic ingredients, and old-fashioned activism. </p> <p><strong>Colorado's New Belgium Brewing Company</strong>, for example, is one of the most eco-conscious brewers in the world. The makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale boast a wind- and solar-powered showpiece of a brewery; the major buildings were built with beetle kill pine. Even their <strong>Tour de Fat</strong>, an annual bike festival, is convened in celebration of zero-emissions commuting, with a concert on a solar-powered stage and beer served in compostable cups. Employees even get a free new cruiser bike after a year on the job, one of the reasons <em>Outside Magazine</em> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Foutsideonline.com%2Foutside%2Fculture%2F201005%2Fbest-places-to-work-intro.html&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F11%2F19%2F6709379%2Fbrewing-towards-a-greener-planet" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">called it</a> one of the Best Places to Work in the U.S.</p> <p>Today scores of breweries are taking up the cause, far too many to list (though feel free to add more in the comments section below). They're recapturing C02 and methane gas from operations for reuse in the brewing process, building taprooms out of reclaimed wildfire and windfall wood, using easy-to-recycle and quicker-to-cool aluminum cans, feeding local livestock with spent grain, using recyclable paper and cardboard, installing solar and wind generators, and encouraging bike commuting for customers and employees alike. Here, just five of the many alesmiths doing their part.</p> <p><strong>Uinta Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, UT</strong> <br>From catchphrase alone (“save water—drink beer”), this Salt Lake City microbrewery and brewpub makes good beer without wrecking the neighborhood. Named for the soaring Uinta mountains, UBC is 100% wind powered and repays customers that reuse six pack carriers with swag from the gift shop. Then there's the fact that spent grain goes to ranchers rather than landfills. And did I mention the beer, like the pale, bitter, and toasty <strong>Cutthroat Pale Ale</strong>? It's good, too.</p> <p><strong>Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO</strong> <br>Don't let the periodic Husquavarna chainsaw giveaways this brewery sometimes stages dissuade: these guys are all about <em>saving</em> the trees. The makers of medal-winning beers like the rich <strong>Ten Pin Porter</strong> and the crisp, honey-kissed <strong>True Blonde</strong> partnered with local power co-op La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) to rely on renewable energy. They also are in the process of tweaking their shiny new brewhouse to utilize solar heating panels, and recycle heat and water, putting them in contention for a lofty LEED certification.</p> <p><strong>Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., CA</strong> <br>Using super-efficient fuel cells and a system of recycling huge amounts of CO2, and with close to 98% of packing materials recycled, the makers of juicy, toasty-sweet <strong>Sierra Nevada Pale Ale</strong> have long been considered leaders in “green” brewing. But with the completion in 2008 of a huge solar array (to really geek out, see its live output <a href="http://www.mypowerlight.com/Commercial/kiosk.aspx?id=1dafec08-f37e-4ecd-b981-8765035bb8b1" target="_blank">here</a>) that allows the company to derive almost all of its energy from clean, onsite sources, this 30-year old Left Coast institution made its beer even more satisfying to drink.</p> <p><strong>Deschutes Brewing Co., Bend, OR</strong> <br>Oregon’s once-tiny Deschutes Brewery now plies its foamy wares around sixteen or so states in the West and Rocky Mountain region. Which is a great thing for beer lovers, and for salmon. Here’s why: after a six-month review in 2007, authorities certified one of the Bend company’s brewhouses organic. <strong>Green Lakes Organic Amber </strong>was the proof, a rich and refreshing copper hued ale made with five kinds of certified-organic barley and “salmon-safe”—that is, irrigated with extreme care with respect to river runoff—hops.</p> <p><strong>Red Lodge Ales, Red Lodge, MT</strong><br>“We have Montana’s largest solar array right now,” says brewer Justin Moore, explaining that the panels help heat up the lodge’s brewing water and taproom floors. Among other innovations from the makers of juicy, delicious <strong>Bent Nail IPA</strong>: a “free air” system which utilizes sensors and the outside air to keep beer fresh inside up to nine months a year, and an in-house bio-diesel operation to run company vehicles and delivery trucks.</p> <p><em>Oregon native <a href="http://christiandebenedetti.wordpress.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/debenedetti">@debenedetti</a>) is currently hard at work writing a book about American craft beer for National Geographic, due out in the Fall of 2011, and writes about beer and travel for magazines including <em>Food & Wine</em>, <em>Men's Journal</em>, <em>Departures</em>, <em>Outside</em>, and others. He lives and drinks in his hometown, Portland.</em></p> <p>· <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Foutsideonline.com%2Foutside%2Fculture%2F201005%2Fbest-places-to-work-intro.html&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2010%2F11%2F19%2F6709379%2Fbrewing-towards-a-greener-planet" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The 50 Best Places to Work</a> [Outside]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2010/11/19/6709379/brewing-towards-a-greener-planetChristian DeBenedetti2010-11-12T06:15:42-05:002010-11-12T06:15:42-05:00Interview: Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione on His New Show Brew Masters Plus Exclusive Video Sneak Peeks
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<p><em>Welcome to <strong><a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">Craft Course</a></strong>, our column on the art of craft beer. Every week <a href="http://christiandebenedetti.wordpress.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> will take a look at interesting beer styles, brewmasters and their breweries, and more from high to low, East to West, and around the world.</em></p> <p><img alt="Sam-Calagione-brew-masters.jpg" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1287834/Sam-Calagione-brew-masters.0.jpg" width="528" height="351"><br><span class="credit"><em>Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head [Photo: Discovery]</em></span></p> <p><em><strong>Sam Calagione</strong> is already a rock star to fans of <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/">Dogfish Head</a>, the craft brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that brought the world <strong>60',90', and 120' IPA </strong>(just to name a few). With <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/11/24/081124fa_fact_bilger">a profile in the <em>New Yorker</em></a> and <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/press-releases/steampunk-treehouse-finds-home-at-dogfish.htm">a treehouse for a boardroom</a>, he's so well known in the beer scene that at events like the annual <strong>Great American Beer Festival</strong> in Denver there are lines with hundreds of faithful fans lined up for a high five. But soon he'll have a whole new audience, as he takes to the tube on the Discovery Channel's new series <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/brew-masters/"><strong><em>Brew Masters</em></strong></a> (premiering Sunday 11/21 at 10pm). Produced by <strong>Zero Point Zero</strong>, the Emmy-award winning company behind Anthony Bourdain's <em>No Reservations</em>, the new show follows Calagione as he delves into the art and science of brewing both at home and abroad, all while maintaining his marriage and running a growing business. I caught up with Calagione this week to see how it's all going.</em></p> <p><strong>What have you been up to this week?</strong><br>I'm on my way to catch a train to New York to shoot with <strong>Mario Batali</strong> and <strong>Joe Bastianich</strong> for an episode about [their joint brewery project] <a href="http://eater.com/tags/eataly">Eataly</a>, and then flying to Arizona to shoot some promos with <strong>Mike Rowe</strong> [of <em>Dirty Jobs</em>] to cross-promote our shows. That should be fun.</p> <p><strong>How's the show itself going right now?</strong><br>We've probably done nine-tenths of the shooting but we still have to finish one episode. So the show's gonna start airing as we're still in post-production on two episodes, so it's been chaotic. But, it's also really fun because of the people at both Discovery Channel and the production company, they really believe in the show. They really get our company, what we're all about at Dogfish Head. They've been really fun to work with and they're two very creative entities in their own right, so it's been a lot of fun.</p> <p><strong>How does the brewing industry compare to working in television?</strong><br>It's equally chaotic and equally creative. My schedule is already a mess with travel and projects in a good kind of way. You know, I'm always focused when I'm completely unfocused. I'm getting to do a lot of fun projects that kind of inform each other, and are backed by each other.</p> <p><strong>Is there anything you can compare it to in your career?</strong><br>I think that the similarities with what we do is that it's a different group of creative people than we usually work into a meeting. Usually it's internally, or collaborating with other breweries, or Sony in the case of bottling <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/bitches-brew.htm">Bitches Brew</a> <strong>[note, the making of this beer is the subject of episode one].</strong> But any time you have a bunch of creative people at the table together there's obviously a lot of a give and a take, that all the great minds around the project certainly inform and expand upon the project.</p> <p><strong>What about the subject matter, where has it been coming from?</strong><br>When we moved forward to do this project I basically said, "Yeah, we all have to do this, but here's our challenge: we're growing faster than we want to grow, and we're very lucky to have that opportunity." But we're intentionally slowing down our growth, and as for me, I can't really change my job schedule because I got so many projects here at work. [So I said] here's what our projects are, and if you'd love to follow us or help us complete these projects or get into them, we'd love to have you on. These were things we'd already planned to do at Dogfish whether or not there was a TV show happening. The process has been really organic, because we didn't have to manufacture a bunch of content. It was all stuff that Dogfish was already passionate about and on board with.</p> <p><strong>Why does craft beer work on TV, you know, for the layperson?</strong><br>I can already tell that there's going to be entertaining and exciting components to this, whether you're a full-on beer geek like you and I are, or a total neophyte. I mean, the Discovery Channel does a lot of technical content in their shows — engineering, scientific stuff. It has all of that in here, but it's not at a level of sophistication that's off-putting. They've done a great job of describing the brewing process: why, when, and where we add different ingredients. I think it comes a long way for demystifying the whole brewing process, which I think is going to give a lot more viewers a new level of comfort in cheating on their go-to beer, going out there and experimenting with all the amazing beers out there, but certainly not Dogfish, because we know that certain viewers won't even have access to our beer A), because we're not in every main market and B) because we tend to run out occasionally. So we're really hopeful that it just going to be a great thing for the whole craft brewing community, that people will take a lot of interest in going out to try what's interesting out there, you know, in their local market.</p> <p><strong>Can you give me an example of settings of early episodes that will be surprising?</strong><br>Yeah, in one of the earlier episodes we're brewing with <strong><a href="http://www.epicbeer.com">Epic Brewing Co.</a></strong>, a great little craft brewery in Aukland, New Zealand. In one early episode you get to see what the craft brewing scene is on the other side of the world, literally. And it gives you the context that the craft brewing renaissance is truly global, not just happening in the US.</p> <p><strong>What's the plot?</strong><br>The main story is about our collaborative brew with Epic, and going down to premier at New Zealand's biggest beer festival called Beervana. Within that episode as well is the story about the whole history of our own <strong><a href="http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm">'Punkin' Ale</a>'</strong>, the earliest beer we ever brewed, based on a recipe I won a homebrewing competition with before the brewery opened. We were there to do [the collaboration] beer with tamarillos, which are these sweet New Zealand tomatoes, obviously another vegetable beer. But at the festival competition the Punkin' Ale wins and the tamarillo one does not. There's tension around that, but in a good way.</p> <p><strong>Sound like there's some dramatic arc, but it's not some sort of <em>Top Chef</em>-style smackdown.</strong><br>No, we've been really sensitive to that. I think a lot of people reflexively feared the worst going into this. The fear that the production company or network would need to stir the turd and create intra-personnel tension, and that proved to not be the case at all. They want to celebrate how passionate all craft brewers are, and all Dogfish Head coworkers are. We've learned that in order for viewers to want to come on this journey with us and watch our show, they need to root for us, and they're not going to root for a fictitious group of people. Maybe we were all on the same page to turn the show on our weaknesses and our mistakes; at the same time we were showing our successes so that viewers would want to root for us.</p> <p>Because, you know, things are not always perfect and you gotta show that, the humility. If you want people to be interested or give a shit, you show the strive to improve. So you have tough stories like Punkin Ale and the tamarillo beer in New Zealand. But we show that in the tamarillo beer, the first batch came out probably a little too bitter, and we were honest about that. In other episodes, the first one, we show how we lose a stainless steel tube into in a bottle of beer, and, needle-in-the-haystack, go through hundreds of cases by hand to find this stainless tube so it didn't end up in someone's esophagus, you know?</p> <p><strong>Why do you think the US is ready for a show about craft beer? Has there been anything like this before?</strong><br>I think this is the first show that's going to be celebrating our community through the eyes of just one in 1,600 interesting, exciting, indie breweries across the country. I'll always be a great champion of [beer writer] <strong>Michael Jackson</strong> as the sort of <strong>the Original Gangster of beer evangelists</strong>. And he had a wonderful show on, <em>The Beer Hunter</em>, a couple of years ago <em>[Ed. note: it was on Britain's Channel 4 and The Discovery Channel, debuting in 1996].</em> Whereas that gave people an overview from beer lover's perspective, we'll give the overview of our community from a beer maker's perspective. And I think the time is ripe for this. Because here we are in the recession, and craft beer is growing. That's counter-intuitive, in that the highest segment industry would be growing in a challenging economy, but it's indicative of the average consumer choosing whether or not to go and buy local, to buy indie, to support the companies in their community, as a conscious rejection of big business and of all the troubles that we've gotten into as a country from Wall Street to Detroit. And then to say, you know what, I want to keep my money on the community, I want to support this little company that's on the same human level I am as a consumer. So I think that phenomenon is really something timely because, you know, craft in general is growing and it's really truly getting outside of the beer geek community and onto the general consumer's radar. I think that gave Discovery the confidence that the time was right for a show celebrating this community.</p> <p><strong>Any highlights adventure-wise?</strong><br>Oh yeah, I mean, from looking at a brewery called <strong>Faust</strong> in Germany and watching them work in their open top fermentation room and just how beautiful, and cozy, and wheaty it smelled in there to being in this museum in Egypt, and seeing the first artistic representation of the brewing process and history of civilization and bringing all that information back to Delaware and showing how it informed our creative process and further gave us greater respect for this industry that we've chosen to work in. The experience has just been tremendous on all fronts.</p> <p><strong>What about mishaps?</strong><br>Well, one challenge was we have a really sophisticated Quality Control department and we had a giant batch of 120' IPA coming through that just frankly, didn't ferment all the way down, and was maybe five or ten percent sweeter than it should have been, and our sensory panel just felt strongly that it wasn't up to type, and we just said, hey, we charge a lot for this beer because it costs a lot to make and, but if we sell it and it's not perfect, it will reflect badly on our company. So we decided to dump it down the drain, and they asked if they could cover that story. And you know, it was definitely a heart-wrenching story because it was about half a million dollars worth of beer that one day we just dumped down our drain. But, again, it will show people how diligent we are about making world class beer and that sometimes giant financial hiccups are inevitable if you've got that as a goal.</p> <p><strong>Ouch. That must have been tough.</strong><br>Yeah, well, we have a line-up in our budget called "damaged and destroyed goods" so we budget for that, but we didn't think it would become half a million dollars worth of 120' IPA, so it was a growing pain for sure.</p> <p><strong>Have you gotten to know [<em>Dirty Jobs</em> host] <strong>Mike Rowe </strong>well?</strong><br>Not yet. I'm a huge fan of that show and I think as a host he just does an incredible job to be grounded and naturally curious and excited about exploring the goodness of people in a million different, challenging vocations. And I think we share that excitement, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with him over some beers. It's kind of funny, this summer he was doing a <em>Dirty Job</em> shows in Harrington, Pennsylvania at a scrapple plant where they make, you know, scrapple. And his production crew came to my pub and drank Dogfish beers all night. Unfortunately, I was shooting the show up in Maine while he was at our pub, so I didn't get the chance to meet him that time.</p> <p><strong>Brewing can be a dirty job, but it's got a nice payoff.</strong><br>Exactly. As brewers we always say, brewing, you can make it very romantic and sophisticated, but in the end of the day it's really making a giant mess and then cleaning up after yourself, that's what a brew day is. So I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about on that with Mike.</p> <p><strong>What about <strong>Mario Batali</strong>... Is he a big beer drinker?</strong><br>Yeah, he was already into beer. And you know <strong>Joe Bastianich</strong>, our partner [in the Eataly brewpub], owns some wineries, so he definitely came more from the wine side. I think Mario was into beer and wine. But mostly he has been incredibly kind and open-minded about taking this brewpub to a new level of considering all the nuances that come with pairing world class beer with world class food. And it's certainly been cool for me to watch him get into it. He'll be like, "Wow, that wheat beer has all these spicy notes and it would go great with this kind of sausage." That's what we were hoping to do through this collaboration with them, which is sort of get our beer-geek peanut butter in their foodie chocolate. And hopefully be able to turn both communities on.</p> <p>Tomorrow we're going to be tasting here New York City some of the Eataly recipes that Dogfish, <strong>Casa Baladin</strong> and <strong>Birra del Borgo</strong> collaborated on. One of them is a wheat beer made with peppercorns that Joe and Mario chose from a bunch of sample peppercorns we presented them with, and the other is a an English Mild we did with Italian chestnuts, and Mario says he could be making some sausage at home to bring from his parents' tomorrow. So my mouth's already watered.</p> <p><strong>Last thing: what beer will you be drinking on the 21st as you watch the show?</strong><br>You know, we're actually going to do a little party for our coworkers at our brew pub in Rehoboth, so that Saturday I'm going to watch it from my pub with all my coworkers so I can high-five them when they come up on the screen, but I'll probably be drinking a lot of the <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/bitches-brew.htm">Bitches Brew</a>. That beer is celebrating African and American roots. It uses <strong>gesho</strong>, a tree root from Africa. We used this beautiful brown sugar from the island of Mauritius, we used Ethiopian honey that was really raw, unfiltered—still had chunks of honey bees in it—and we use an ass-load of dark, roasty grains to balance the sweetness of the honey. And that first episode is all about that collaboration we did with Sony and Miles' family, so I imagine there will be a numerous Bitches Brews going down my gullet that night.</p> <p><br><strong>Video: Mission Statement and Ingredients</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/7098d2ba1f1ee1c0f8/6df285168ac561a2?type=sd" width="528" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><strong>Video: Working With Sony; Old-School Hip Hop</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/d498d2ba1f1ee1c55c/ed52c07fb52c2294?type=sd" width="528" height="473" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><strong>Video: Inside the Brewery</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/e898d2ba1f1ee2cd60/fa2a89250660c5d0?type=sd" width="528" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><strong>Video: Working on Bitches Brew Beer</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/7c98d2ba1f1ee1c7f4/8700cc23e56c55d6?type=sd" width="528" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><strong>Video: Testing Bitches Brew</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/4898d2ba1f1ee1c6c0/65bccc92bb30faf6?type=sd" width="528" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><strong>Video: The Brewing Process</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/4c98d2ba1f1ee2c0c4/415d372c68a02442?type=sd" width="528" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><strong>Video: Finding the Stainless Steel Tube</strong></p> <p><iframe class="sproutvideo-player" type="text/html" src="http://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/a098d2ba1f1ee2c728/16b6cdb7f618b77d?type=sd" width="528" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p><br><em>Oregon native <a href="http://christiandebenedetti.wordpress.com/">Christian DeBenedetti</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/debenedetti">@debenedetti</a>) is currently hard at work writing a book about American craft beer for National Geographic, due out in the Fall of 2011, and writes about beer and travel for magazines including <em>Food & Wine</em>, <em>Men's Journal</em>, <em>Departures</em>, <em>Outside</em>, and others. He lives and drinks in his hometown, Portland.</em></p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/brew-masters">All Brew Masters Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/sam-calagione">All Sam Calagione Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/craft-course">All Craft Course Posts on Eater</a> [-E-]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/beer">All Beer Coverage on Eater</a> [-E-]<br></p>
https://www.eater.com/2010/11/12/6710419/interview-dogfish-heads-sam-calagione-on-his-new-show-brew-mastersChristian DeBenedetti