A Shift in the Story, New Belgium Style

Fun night at Sprenger's last night, a special kickoff event for New Belgium's Shift Pale Lager, which as most people know comes only in cans... 

Most people are familiar with this version of Shift - but kegs are now an option.

...well, no more. As of last night, it will be available in kegs and Sprengers was one of the first to get one. Naturally, I had to try it. My first impression came from it's color... very dark for a lager. But the taste and mouth feel was all lager... crisp and clean. Aromas well blended from the Nelson Sauvin, Cascade and Liberty hops with the toasted bread quality from the malts, which also account for the color. A true session beer at 5% abv and only 29 IBUs, this could easily be a popular thirst quencher while engaged in sunny, outdoor work activities. Or poolside.

Darker than most lagers, and if I hadn't drunk so much of it, the photo would show that a little better.

And speaking of work, I had the good fortune of talking with Ryan Stokes, New Belgium Beer Ranger (official title!), who was shepherding the kickoff event at Sprenger's, who gave the back story on the beer's name.

Ryan Stokes, (right), Beer Ranger, explained the name, Shift, while I busily emptied my glass.

Seems that since New Belgium is the nation's third largest craft brewer, producing all that beer requires nearly a 24/7 operation which is conducted in shifts. So the practice is that each shift ends with everyone enjoying a beer...my idea of a great way to end the work day! New Belgium seems to want everyone, everywhere to celebrate the workday's end with a beer and this easy to drink pale lager, Shift would be a good choice.

Full Sail Brewing: Beer and Water Video

Long been a fan of Full Sail beers... some of the very first craft brews I ever drank came from them. In bottles at first, but more recently on tap, especially when traveling in Oregon; in California, not so much.
We all know beer is mostly water but most of our conversations are around hops, yeast, hops, barley and, oh yeah, hops. The good folks at Full Sail have a very respectful relationship with the water they use and made this video to explain it. Beautiful to watch and it inspired me to rush out and have a fresh draft! See if you have the same reaction.

Here's the link:

http://vimeo.com/55882571

Photo: Full Sail website.

Spring Brings Flowers... and Beer!

Signs of Spring lurking around the edges of the hedges... took a couple photos yesterday of some early-arrivers in the garden:

Daffodils on the march thru the flower beds.

A magnolia tree, sometimes called a tulip magnolia.

And another sign of Spring: Beer releases!

The good folks at New Belgium Brewing just announced their latest seasonal release, Dig Pale Ale.

From their news release:

"For New Belgium Brewing, the unearthing of Dig Pale Ale signifies that warmer weather is just around the corner. New Belgium’s spring seasonal, Dig, offers a hearty list of hops, measured crispness and unpretentious appeal.
Dig begins with Sorachi Ace hops, which provides a zingy lemon aroma, followed by Nelson Sauvin hops with bursts of passion fruit, mango and peach. Also present in this pale ale are Cascade and Centennial hops. Dig is available in most New Belgium markets through April and ABV is 5.6 percent."

Looking forward to sampling some while getting the mulch ready for spreading... hard work requires lots of beer, you know.

Kathie Lee Meets Lagunitas IPA

Found this fun little video clip demonstrating how great culinary accomplishments in the kitchen frequently are the result of choosing the right beer ( in this case, a Lagunitas IPA, but look closely, it happens fast)- - - to cook with and to sip. Kathie Lee shows us how it's done!

Smoked Beers: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes by Daniels, Ray/ La (Google Affiliate Ad)

Brown Ale: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes by Daniels, Ray/ Parke (Google Affiliate Ad)


The Homebrewers' Recipe Guide: More Than 175 Original Beer Recipes Inc (Google Affiliate Ad)

Stout For Breakfast - Kentucky Style

Looks like Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI have come up with a tantalizing new  Imperial stout, which at 11.2% abv, seems a tad odd to relate it to breakfast, but whatever... Their description includes,
     "A bit of backwoods pleasure without the banjo. This strong stout is brewed with a hint of coffee and vanilla then aged in oak bourbon barrels." 

Another describes it thusly:
      "Aroma of dark roasted coffee, milk chocolate, oak, vanilla and a slight hint of alcohol."

So, coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla and a hint of alcohol... breakfast of champions?

Photo: Founders Brewing website.

Hangin' With Hangar 24 - At the Tap Room

The Tap Room at the Whole Foods in Santa Rosa is not only a great place to try new beers (thanks to Tyler Smith) but it also turns out to be the meeting crossroads for some very talented Brewmasters who stop by to introduce their products. Case in point: last night the Frau and I visited the Tap Room to try Tyler's new line-up of Belgians, which I did. But an even greater opportunity arose, meeting Kevin Wright, Head Brewer at Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands, CA.

Kevin Wright, Hangar 24 Head Brewer at the Tap Room.

Hangar 24 Double IPA was on tap so, being the hophead I am, I of course tried it. Instant new favorite!! Good color and persistent head, nose full of hops, some sweetness across the palate that seemed different from malty results, creamy mouth feel and even with the 9% ABV, a balanced and very satisfying finish. After being introduced to Kevin, I asked about the sweetness. He graciously explained that he uses local orange blossom honey adjunct (Redlands is SoCal, you know) to get that result and the use of Simcoe and Citra hops balances it all out.  A masterful brew, two pints of which Kay, the wife and I enjoyed before the keg emptied. Alas!
Hopefully, Tyler will be able to get another keg soon and other outlets (TAPS and Sprenger's come to mind) will offer it as well. Now that the excitement about RR's Pliney has cooled, it's very reassuring to know that there's another brew I can be equally excited about. And not have to wait a year to enjoy it again!

Happy Valentine's Day Beer Choice

Today's the day, the final day of our beer-chocolate countdown, and here is my personal recommendation.

Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter, with a lot of vanilla thrown in. Yummy by itself, but add some smooth, dark chocolate and.... calories be damned! It's a special event.