Iceland Beer Saga: Borg Brugghús interview part 2

Part 1

Part 2

How has the reception been for Borg?

Valli: Being part of a big company there is a tension between sales people and brewers. So basically we haven't really been able to keep up with demand. It's a good thing, but it does hold back our creative abilities. 

Stulli: This is to make the owners happy. When I was starting I had to make a compromise. I got to brew an IPA if I made something they would like. So what I was going for was a lager with a twist. What I was thinking at the time was a sort of blend of a Munich Helles beer and something Belgian. It is a full time production beer. 

They get bolder as you move from left to right. 

Stulli: Our first beer was Brio, it was a 4.5 ABV German style pilsner, our second beer was a 4.5% brown ale [ed. note Austur] that I made for a bar downtown, the third was Úlfur which was the odd man out because I got to make it but it was a compromise because I would have wanted to make a 9% IPA. Then Bjartur a 5% lager like beer, a 4.5% amber lager, then when things changed you see Stekkjarstaur a 6% brown ale, Surtur, our imperial stout which is 12%, Benedikt, a belgian which is 7%, and so forth. 

Stulli: On Surtur, our imperial stout we ended up changing our final pretty drastically. 

Valli: It became a totally different beer. 

Stulli:  I had this goal, this dream for many years to produce the first IPA in Iceland. 

Valli: I was head brewer at Ölvisholt when it started, but because I live here in Reykjavik I basically couldn't afford to work there anymore. [ed. note Olvisholt is about an hour drive from Reykjavik and gas is very expensive on the island] So that is why I came over here. When we started at Ölvisholt I had promised to myself that I would never make a lager because that was all there was available in Iceland so I wanted to bring some change in. The only demand the owners had was to make a pale lager, but I made a steam beer so technically a lager. That was Skalftji. I didn't know I was making a steam beer, I had a lager but I wanted to brew it at a higher temperature to get more flavors to it and stuff. It wasn't when we started to export to Sweden that someone pointed out that this is steam beer then. It wasn't intentional, after that I tried to create beers that hadn't been produced in Iceland before which wasn't really hard though. All the things I made in Ölvisholt had never been produced here before. 

That is a cool opportunity to break new ground.

Valli: Well the brewers have actually been ahead of of the public. We are pushing out the new stuff, it is not because of the demand but because we want to do it. 

Stulli: Of course there is a small group of beer fanatic nerds, Haukur being one of them. The majority of people here just sort of tag along, they either love what we are doing, not necessarily every beer we make, but the creative things and new things at a small scale, or they hate it and just keep on drinking their regular beer. 

Valli: Well both groups keep on drinking their regular beer and that actually has been a problem. When Ölvisholt actually started we had a lot of good feedback to just bring something new and something different and we will pay whatever for it. We had huge amounts of people telling us that and we had great hopes and we were planning to expand the brewery before we even began brewing but when it came down to it people who had promised to buy nothing else didn't buy a single bottle of it. There is a lot of conservatism, people pick their brand, 'this is what I drink, this is my favorite.' People are starting to try different flavors and try different beers. 

Does that work in your favor when Icelanders go abroad? 

Valli: The thing is when Icelanders go abroad they go to a bar and ask for a cold beer. They get a Tuborg or a Heineken, and that is great for them because they are abroad, drinking, and that is enough. Although beer culture is better in most countries you still have to look for the quality and craft beers. 

Are you planning on exporting?

Stulli: Quality-wise, being Russian River alum, I'm not going to export anything I am worried about like my IPA. Don Feinberg has put in an order for our imperial stout which we are hoping to ship out to him, but we have to try and find time to produce it. 

What is the status of home brewing in Iceland?

Stulli: It is illegal in here, technically…

Valli: …you can't produce anything about 2.5%, that's the limit. 

How much of anything you brew is import? 

Valli: The raw materials? 

Stulli: Everything is imported.

Valli: Actually we are bringing out another beer, Snorri,  which we will bottle next week, [ed. note: this is now available at the duty free in Keflavik International Airport] made with Icelandic barley which is unmalted but with added enzyme. 

Stulli: It is no secret that the only way to make the raw barley usable is with added enzymes. It is just to get through the same process that is done in malting but in the kettle or mash tun. It is something we inherited from upstairs. 

Will there come a day when you can actually get malt? 

Stulli: In Iceland? 

Valli: I doubt it, just putting up a malting facility would be so expensive. 

Stulli: To make it profitable you would have to make so much malt and I doubt that enough malt is grown in Iceland. 

Valli: To make this beer a little more interesting we decided because it is so light to get some kick out of it we used english al and it's spiced with an Icelandic herb called arctic thyme. You can make it sound great, but then of course I think it is commercially acceptable. We run what we call beer school here and we had a trial version of it on tap and apparently the reception of the beer was very good. 

Stulli: We are going to bottle it unfiltered and try to make a new type of style, Icelandic barley beer. (laughs)

Valli: We boosted the spices in the next batch. 

Stulli: It is an exclusive beer for the duty free. 

It feels like you are doing research and development for Egils. Will something come out with their brand name on it that was your creation?

Valli: That is one of the many parts of Borg, we are the research brewery for the big brewery.  In the long run the goal is to produce beers that can move over to the big brewery for mass production. What we produce is on such small scale that in sales for the company it really doesn't matter on the books. The value for them is more marketing than anything else. Of course we produce beers that I know will move over to the big brewery. 

What was your inspiration to come back to Iceland and brew beer?

Stulli:  Having an Icelandic wife, kids on the way. It is great to live here other than beer, but I came to try and change that. 

***

Come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion where Stulli and Valli discuss what's next for Borg, maintaining their creativity in the shadow of a giant, and what's been their best success to date. 

SAVOR DC 2012: Beer puts on formalwear and steps out on the town.

These glasses await their destiny.

Brewers and beer lovers descended on the National Buidling Museum in Washington DC for a celebration of beer and food over the evenings of June 8-9. Welcome to SAVOR 2012. Under the Roman arches and Corinthian pillars in the Great Hall, craft brewers from across the United States served up top notch beer paired with a cornucopia of foods. Styles of beer ranged across the spectrum from Black IPA to Imperial Stout, Rye Saison to Berliner Weisse. Food pairings were just as diverse with small plates ranging from lobster pot stickers and braised goat to S'mores and cornbread cobbler. The name of the game for SAVOR DC is quality beer paired up with an assortment of small plates. All the beers were tied to a particular style of food meant to amplify each other and bring out the best of both. An example of this is would be an espresso stout paired with red velvet cake, or a porter paired with salt cod fritters.  It  is pretty safe to say there was something for everyone.

Beer and food, two
great things meant
for each other.

Much like the variety in the food and beer, the brewers also reflected the diversity of the craft beer community in the United States. Young and old, big and small, the breweries included such large stalwarts such as Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams ranging down to small brewpubs like Vintage 50 and Magnolia Gastropub. Representation came from across the country too such as Surly Brewing hailing from Minnesota or Uinta Brewing from Utah, to locals brewers from the DC metro region, like newcomers DC Brau and Port City. 

For all the brewers SAVOR DC is a chance to share their passion for making good beer with an appreciative audience. Tim Surprise, founder of Arcadia Ales, said, "I'd like people to be titillated enough that our beers began the journey for them to not only become a fan of our beer but to discover something that resonates their interest in beer and food for the long term. 

For other breweries SAVOR DC offered a chance to educate and inform the attendees that great beer can be found across the country. Paul Kavulak, founder of Nebraska Brewing Company, said, "We already have great beer in the Midwest, but Nebraska hasn't really been known as a great craft beer state, I'm hoping people leave understanding that good beer can come out of there too."

Kavulak brought his gold medal winning (and delicious) Melange A Trois chardonnay barrel aged Belgian strong ale to back up his statement. 

Building a better world,
one glass at a time.

While there was no official dress code, people dressed in what made them comfortable, ranging from suits and evening gowns to a few t-shirts and bluejeans. Overall though that really didn't matter. What was more important was to be part of veritable smorgasbord of delicious food and drink with like minded people. There was a very cordial atmosphere over the whole event with folks mingling with each other, writing up their own tasting notes, sharing recommendations and moving from station to station looking for their favorites brews or that next something special. 

Brewers took the time to talk with guests, explaining their beer and brewing techniques between keeping tasting glasses refreshed. Lines moved quickly at the various beer stations and food stations stayed pretty well stocked. Only once did I spy a station that ran empty, but that was remedied about a minute later. If there was a real wait is was for freshly shucked oysters but even there the folks many that both worked their knives with deft assurance. Overall the event was well run with excellent support from the wait staff, security, and the volunteers. 

As guests departed the event they were handed a bottle of Terra Incognita, a beer brewed specifically for SAVOR events, a collaboration between Sierra Nevada of California and Boulevard Brewing of Kansas City, MO. (Which for you fans of Boulevard it will be out here in the DC market starting next week! Huzzah!)

It almost seems peaceful
from up here.

So what to make of SAVOR? First off it really is a celebration of how far we have come with craft beer. An event like this, with it's diversity in styles and brewers, doesn't exist a decade ago. Now, not only does it exist but it sells out almost immediately. There is a clamor and demand from the beer drinking public to push the limits and explore the boundaries. The versatility of beer with food is an eye-opening experience, with pairings running the gamut from hors d'ovres  to dessert (in the case of Stone's Collaboration Highway 78, a nice cigar would have been excellent.)

There really is a beer for every time and place on the food spectrum. SAVOR stacks up the evidence and goes about the business of making believers out of anyone who would argue otherwise. While SAVOR could prove a bit challenging to a brand new explorer in the craft beer world it will be a revelation to folks who enjoy a good food and beer adventure. (On a side note while I believe beer with it's varieties will always have an edge in pairing versus wine I would like to know if there is a particular food where wine actually pairs better than beer…food for thought, if you have any ideas let us know in the comments.)

Events like SAVOR don't
happen without awesome
volunteers! Cheers to them!

Here is where I would interject a word of caution though, while SAVOR is a a worthy celebration of craft beer, we still need to continue to make beer approachable and enjoyable. In other words we don't walk down the path to beer snobbery and elitism because at the end of that is place where we will all lose. At the same time though a great counterpoint was made by Kristi Griner, head brewster at Vintage 50 stated it best, "We are still introducing a new crowd to the joy of craft beer and bringing them over to our side, while some of these beers may be unique to some people, for others these are their local breweries and are places they go to enjoy great beer." 

My mother hennish thoughts aside, SAVOR is an excellent and worthwhile event that any food or beer loving person should highly consider attending. You will not be disappointed.

The Legacy of Pilsner

We stepped out of pilsner month on Thursday but before we leave it too far in our rearview mirror we should take one final look at its legacy. The impact of pilsner beer cannot be understated; it is still being felt today, I posit that our current craft beer revolution owes a huge debt of gratitude to pilsner beer.  

First a bit of history, pilsner gets its name from Plzen, Czech Republic, a small town in the Bohemia region. Plzen had a few advantages in creating pilsner beer.  It has ridiculously soft water compliments of the limestone, a distinct style of noble hops, Saaz, located just down the road, fertile land for growing barley, and caves that will keep things cool. The brewing community was also properly motivated. A few years prior vats of beer had to be dumped because of their horrible taste. Quite a scandal for the local brewing scene so there was an impetus to change it up and prove some brewing competence in Plzen. 

(Original here)

What they introduced, in 1842, (with an assist of a smuggled Bavarian yeast strain) was a beer unlike anything scene before. A crystal clear, golden colored, high carbonated, white fluffy headed wonder. A beautiful filtered lager built for refreshment. It was a smash hit…and that may have been the end of the story, but here is where the pilsner story gets a whole lot more interesting. 

In my view the most fascinating thing about pilsner isn't the beer itself but its popularity explosion around the world. If pilsner had been introduced 50 years, maybe even 30 years earlier it may not have risen to the heights it did, it may have stayed a regional novelty. The timing of pilsner's arrival could not have been better. It was to be the beneficiary of technological, industrial, and social convergence. 

By 1842 the industrial revolution was in full force in the German states and railways were rapidly connecting cities and all points between. In addition communication channels were also improving, (newspapers, telegraphs) News of this new beer spread across central Europe pretty quickly. With reliable transportation it became possible to ship it and once modern refrigeration arrived on the scene it became possible to store it for longer periods of time. With a beer as novel as pilsner once it showed up on the scene it was soon copycatted. 

The 1840s were also a period of upheaval in central Europe, notably 1848, where revolutions spurred massive immigration to the United States. German immigration brought along with it a strong brewing culture and a thirstiness for pilsner beer. German brewers quickly established brewing strongholds throughout the United States but most prevalent in the midwest in places like Milwaukee and St. Louis. The seeds for pilsner's rise and decline would be sown here. Americans were thirsty for this brew and it caught on quick. 

The Germans in Europe were also doing their part to spread the pilsner word. 

Once the Prussians brought about unification they then turned colonization in Africa and parts of Asia. Where the Germans went so did their beer. Since pilsner didn't travel well it became necessary to brew it in the colonies. 

Part of why pilsner caught on like wildfire was that it was refreshing and great at quenching thirst but still light on the palette. While it is a lager and tastes been when chilled with the advent and proliferation of modern refrigeration these issues became moot. So what happened? How did a beer that had reached stratospheric heights in popularity end up with such a mediocre reputation. 

It is interesting to note that reputation only really holds true here in the United States, pilsner's reputation in other places is not as poor. In fact it soon had inspired a variety of responses and competitors like Kölsch, Kristallweizen, and Belgium tripel, to name a few. 

Craft brewers work to rehabilitate
pilsner's reputation.

In the States though we had Prohibition, over a decade of poorly thought out temperance that thoroughly devastated the American brewing industry. The most aggressive of those survivors were soon national then global in scope. Making money became the most important factor, not necessarily brewing the best product, but brewing a product that will fly off the shelf the fastest. Once that became the focus pilsner changed to pilsner-like and it's reputation declined accordingly. 

It was this lack of creativity and homogenization of beer that helped fuel people's desire to drink and try other brews which has led to our current burgeoning craft brewing revolution. It should be no surprise then that it is in this arena where pilsner as a style has started to gain its credibility back as a delicious and refreshing beer that when brewed with care and inspiration shows us how it managed to soar to the most popular beer in the world. 

Pilsnerbock redux and the joys of cellared pilsner

We are nearing the end of pilsner month and we have covered a lot of ground. The original plan for this week was to look at a few pilsners outside of the traditional strongholds and compare them but I must admit I wasn't prepared for that. But I feel I have come up with a suitable alternative; we are going to take a look at a perfect example of pilsnerbock and then look at a cool niche of the pilsner style. All okay with that? Good,  then read on!

Our first candidate tonight is Heavy Seas Small CraftWarning Über Pils which comes out of Baltimore, Maryland. We have looked at a Heavy Seas beer before here and it was a winner in my book. The Small Craft Warning pours with a fluffy white head and has a nice floral nose. Right away you can tell it is different from a traditional pilsner as it fills the glass with a rich, clear, darker golden liquid.

On the taste it has a nice crispness to it but mixed with a maltier bock-like sweetness.  That is well balanced by a hops and the high carbonation. It has the bitter aftertaste of traditional pilsner but it moves off the palette quickly leaving only a mild sweetness in the back of the mouth. It is a refreshing lager which is rather surprising considering it comes in at 7.0% ABV.

This is the standard for what a pilsnerbock should be. You could drink a good pilsner then follow up with this and understand how it sits in the pilsner spectrum. One informs the other and you can chart the influence of the original style. Simply put, this is how “imperialization” should work, as a modification of an original style to amplify distinguishing characteristics. (Otherwise you are in business of creating something new.)

The script on the bottle seems to back this up:

Unofficially the original American Über Pils, Small Craft Warning is a rich, golden bock lager with big malt flavor and a crisp hop finish.

Our other candidate tonight, Tuppers' Keller Pils, takes a slight deviation with the pilsner style; instead of the normal process it remains unfiltered. We haven’t really dived into keller (cellar) beer yet on this blog, but in a nutshell they are left to age out a bit in wooden casks with active yeasts. (Follow this link for more info) This particular model takes a slight twist on that and goes the bottle conditioned route instead.

What we have is a beer that pours a hazy, golden straw color, with a white fluffy head, and an elegant floral nose. On the drink you get a lot of hop right up front, a crisp bite that isn’t overpowering. It yields to a fine bubbly smoothness that ends with a flat, mildly bitter aftertaste that lingers on top of the mouth for a bit before finishing dry.  It is a solid 5% ABV.

With the amount of carbonation in this it is more reminiscent of a Zwickel beer than a true keller beer. The Tuppers’ Keller Pils hedges its bet a bit by combining the two styles by increasing the alcohol and taking the bottle-conditioned option allowing it to maintain the high carbonation. Overall this is an excellent beer and the perfect high note to end our pilsner reviews on.

If you have had either of these let us know in the comments!

Imperial Pilsners: A Beer Paradox

This week in Pilsner month we tackle Imperial Pilsners. You have to hand it to American craft brewers for their tendency to take a style and then bulk it up. Bigger, stronger, hoppier, etc., imperializing or "doubling" a style has come to mean taking a style of beer and "roiding" it up. Starting with IPAs it has progressed into other styles. It only gets weird when it encounters a style where imperializing obfuscates the original intent. Don't read this as a screed against imperial styles, far from it, I appreciate the effort and willingness of craft brewers to push the boundaries and to create challenging new brews. I enjoy drinking them even more, but we do have to recognize the problems that arise when we mislabel or confuse. Today we are looking at two different imperial pilsners with a closer view of what they are trying to do and whether they promote or defeat the pilsner style. 

Our candidates:
Dogfish Head My Antonia

The first noticeable thing is that this beer is more creamy and smoother than a standard pilsner. There is a bite but not as crisp or sharp. Since this is a Dogfish Head beer there are hops, noticeable in the floral nose, and in the earthy taste, but it is not as pronounced. There is more body to the beer, it's heavier on the tongue and it is not as effervescent on the palette even though it is highly carbonated. While the aftertaste isn’t as bitter it does stick around forever, it was still present a good fifteen minutes after my final drink. Describing the traits of this beer is difficult compared to the other pilsners we have encountered. Mature is an apt word to describe this. My Antonia has taken all the characteristics of a pilsner and refined them, forced then to grow up. You could say this is subdued, but that misses the point, it is an easy drinking beer with more refinement and complexity in the glass. Take the basics and square them but mute them also. If that makes any sense to you then you have cracked the code on this brew. It has a bigger 7.5% ABV. The final verdict is this is a richer, more full bodied pilsner beer but still recognizable as a member that style. 

Uinta Crooked Line Tilted Smile Imperial Pilsner

Immediately you are confronted with the fact that none of the pilsner characteristics are present. Even the golden color is darker that you would find normally. It does not have a clear, but hazy appearance, the only shred of pilsner identity overtly present is the fluffy white head but even that disappears rapidly. This reminds me of a baryled version of a chardonney. It has that same butteriness that your would find in that particular style of wine only blended with a hoppy character. It has a good carbonation but not the bite you would expect, the aftertaste on this is rather grassy and barnyard-like, and it clears off the palette very quickly. We have some cool things going on in the glass and interestingly enough they become more and more apparent as this beer warms up/ once again opposite what you would want out of a traditional pilsner. A more floral taste becomes evident as the temp rises. This is different and I'll admit a slightly confusing beer to me, it's not what I would expect out of an imperial pilsner so once I threw out all my pilsner-centric expectations I started to enjoy this beer a whole lot more. It is a big puncher at 9% ABV. I enjoyed the whole bottle, and Uinta Brewing has brewed a fine beer that is worth seeking out.

Out of both of these the Dogfish Head My Antonia is the better representation of a pumped up pilsner but neither of these beers are ones that you are going to session with or have on a hot summer afternoon as refreshment. In the end while I appreciate what the brewers are doing and the willingness to stretch the boundaries they are a representation of the problem. Imperial Pilsners are a conundrum, and I think it is twofold. One part comes from actually comes from using Imperial in the name. Doing that means it gets associated with the likes of Imperial IPAs and Stouts, both styles that have characteristics that can easily amplified and are now well established in the craft beer world. Pilsners rely on subtly and nuance which makes "imperializing" a much more challenging prospect. In other words it is an unfavorable comparison. The description ends up confusing beer drinkers and could lead to some disappointment with what they are actually drinking thereby defeating the purpose of what the brewer is trying to accomplish here.

The second problem with imperial pilsners is pilsner itself. Pilsner beers have distinct characteristics and their primary purpose is to be refreshing. Imperial pilsners have not become more refreshing, quite the contrary, the are creeping towards heaviness. The fact is both of these beers are stepping beyond the bounds of pilsner's definition. They are using standard pilsner ingredients but we aren't getting the expected result. Are we accurately calling them what they really are? I would argue the answer is no, instead I propose a different name, both of the beers we looked at today I would hold up and say, "Welcome to pilsnerbock!" Appending bock to the end provides a better expectation of the brewer's intent and what the beer drinker is about to enjoy. Looking at the Tilted Smile from this perspective definitely increases my appreciation for it. The end result is here beers,even with all the confusion they cause, are to applauded are providing another path of appreciation for a style of beer that has been dragged down in mediocrity. The bonus is both of them are worth tracking down and enjoying.

The Power of Pilsner: Chapter 1, the Problem of Pilsner

Over the course of this month we are focusing on Pilsner beer. Why pilsners? There are several compelling reasons; the first and most important whether it is realized or not is pilsner beer changed everything. If there ever was a beer at the right time, right place then pilsner is on the short list. Second, it deserves a redemptive reading (or drinking.) One of the biggest issues facing pilsners today is getting over the stereotype of what a majority of beer drinkers think it is. Finally summer is literally right around the corner which means hot days and here true pilsner reveals itself and revels in the fact that it is one of most refreshing beers in the world.

Want another reason for pilsners?
Cool glassware.
(Original here)

Pilsner’s good name has been thoroughly dragged through the mud and many have forgotten what makes a true pilsner beer special. This isn’t the fault of the beer drinker; they have been led down a path of mistrust and apprehension where pilsner style means uneventful, uninspired, tasteless swill. The biggest threat to pilsner beer has been through American macrobreweries. The villains in this story are the Millers, Budweisers, and Coors of the world and if we really want to get down to brass tacks the fault lies with a lot of the breweries that prospered and boomed after prohibition. 

In the beginning these breweries, rich in German heritage brewed true pilsner beers in America. Much like other places in the world the beer caught on and became incredibly popular. One can imagine that these beers were very tasty. As time went on though and cost savings became a priority, concessions were made, the biggest being the step away from barley to cheaper adjuncts like rice and corn. This cheap derivative of the original still sold like gangbusters and encouraged other copycats. The problem was that neither corn nor rice can bring the good malt taste of barley, and for a beer like pilsner that uses very few ingredients that is a death sentence. While this is a very simplistic look at it, the end result was the reputation of pilsner beer slowly slipping into mediocrity.

Now though, things are changing, the craft beer revolution has spurred brewers to recover and reclaim styles of beer. There are craft brewers that have risen to the challenge of brewing true pilsners. Combined with European brewing stalwarts both parties are working hard to dispel the bland image that pilsner has become in the minds of beer drinkers.

Pilsners today coming from crafts have several common traits with their traditional European counterpart: the crystal clear golden color, the white fluffy head, the crisp, light on the palette and refreshing taste. As always, American craft brewers continue to refine and tweak and while the results vary a majority are worth seeking out. For the beer drinker the excellence of pilsner is found in the details and the subtlety.

I argue a great chilled pilsner is one of the most refreshing beers a person can enjoy on a hot summer day. For me it was a Mama’s Little Yella Pils by Oskar Blues that got me interested in pilsners after being turned off of them by the willy-nilly use of “pilsner” by macrobrewers. The golden liquid in that golden can forced me to reconsider my previous notions of what pilsner really was and it opened up a cool part of the beer world. 

We’ll talk a bit more about the history of pilsner in part 2. 

A recipe for beer excellence!

It’s the last day of April and so it is time to wrap up Belgian beer month. This didn’t quite go how I expected it since I didn’t do the best of jobs this month keeping this thing running on a recurring basis. I won’t even begin to address what happened last week.

This could be the start of the best beer party ever.
(Original here)

Weekly beer links are taking a week off; instead I’m going to write a bit more about the “why” of Belgians beers. Brian talked a bit about the Trappist and monastery influence on brewing and that has had a lasting presence and impact on how Belgian beers are viewed, consumed and copied.

That is only half the story though. Frankly Charlie Papazian has said it best in his Joy of Homebrewing, “Belgium is the Disneyland of beer.” If you look on the shelves of your favorite beer store you’ll find that you can’t really argue with that. Not only is there a wide variety of different Belgian beers but there is a depth and nuance that didn’t exist in other parts of the world with few exceptions.

This is because, simply put, Belgian beers are the result of taking staunchly independent regions and cities, fertile land for grains, easy access to good water, well traveled trade routes, major ports, fiercely competitive brewers who cling to tradition and then you throwing them all in an area of less than 12,000 square miles. Add into stew the lack of any “purity laws” and you have a recipe that yields wildness and excellence in equal measures. This is a place that produces over 1100 different types of beer in a country roughly the size of Maryland. Beer is in the blood and has been for many centuries. 

The best part of all this though is that Belgian beers have been incredibly well received by the drinking public and have inspired American brewers to brew their own versions with all the idiosyncrasies found in native beers to the point where America is slowly emerging as a brewing country with as much nuance, creativity, and independence in its beers.

In the end your best bet is to go to Belgium and try them for yourself, but since that is not overly realistic for many folks then I would encourage you to go out find Belgian beers and take a chance on them if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed. Beware though, some of them can be incredibly complex, challenging, but ultimately very rewarding. 

In Site News!

The big news is that we are going to pull back a bit on content production and move to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday publication schedule. As mentioned previously life has a funny way of changing priorities so until a few things work themselves out I will have less time to focus on the blog. What I can say is that hopefully the content is produced on those days has a bit more substance to it and commentary is a bit sharper and not so rushed. It will be similar with the podcast too, less but better.

As always we appreciate you stopping by and commenting. Any thoughts, ideas, or recommendations are always welcome. 

What's a Belgian (Style Beer)?

It’s Belgian style month here at Jolly Good Fellows and we have been stoked to find all sorts of cool choices to sample.  While Skye has been working hard to figure out a way to do some cool comparisons of original to adapted Belgian styles (hey come on, he gets to drink more beer that way), I thought I would go a little different direction and quickly look at what it means to be Belgian. 

This is a sampling of a few just from Belgium.
(Original here)

Belgian style beers seem to be all the range.  A quick research trip to the local Total Wine outlet offered ample evidence that everyone seems to be brewing a “Belgian style” something.  So, again, what does it mean to be Belgian?

Now before you start worrying about who are the Walloons or the entry of the British into the First World War as a result of the Germans swinging through Belgium, we aren’t going there.  No discussion of Leopold II and the Belgian Congo.  No chocolates, no diamonds and no EU politics.  Nope, not this time.

Belgian-style beers are closely linked to the seven Trappist monasteries that are engaged in commercial brewing.  Six of these are in Belgium and one is in the Netherlands.  They were originally occupied in 1836 as the monks left France in the face of the Revolution and began selling beer in 1861.  The Trappist monks are part of the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance and follow the Rule of St. Benedict.  The order was founded in 1664.

As part of the Rule of St. Benedict, the Trappist monks are allowed to sell goods to the public to support their order.  Since they have not taken a vow of sobriety, this includes their now famous ales.

Now how does this relate to Belgian style beer?  Well, Trappist is not a style, but a term of origin as only the seven Trappist monasteries are allowed to use the name or permutations of it.  (Same idea as Champagne – only sparkling wines from that region of France can be called champagne.) So by referring to “Belgian style,” commercial brewers can brew in a style similar to the Trappists, but not infringe on their intellectual property rights.

The current Belgian Trappist producers are:

• Achel, sells Blonde (8% ABV), Brune (8% ABV), Extra Blonde (8% ABV), Extra Brune (8% ABV).
• Chimay sells Red Label (dark, 7% ABV), White Label (Blonde/Tripel, ABV 8%) and Blue Label (dark, 9% ABV).
• Orval sells a "unique"^[5] dry hopped 6.2% amber beer.
• Rochefort sells three dark beers, "6" (7.5% ABV). "8" (9.2% ABV) and "10" (11.3% ABV).
• Westmalle sells Dubbel (7% ABV) and Tripel (9% ABV),
• Westvleteren sells Green Cap or Blonde, (5.8% ABV), Blue Cap (dark, 8% ABV) and Yellow Cap (dark, 10.2% ABV).

Now Belgian brewing is certainly broader than just the Trappist examples listed above, but given the rise of these breweries in and around the time of Belgian independence (1830), their seems to be a close tie. 

These favored few...Sarah's 5 favorite beers

This man knows what he is
talking about. (Original here)

Skye and I had a debate as to how one person really chooses his or her FAVORITE beers. I agree with Fred Eckhardt (who I don’t believe is the original person to say this), saying that my favorite beer is the one in my hand right now. Unfortunately, Skye thought this was a cop out (and he sounded a little annoyed when I told him this answer), so here I go, thinking through my FAVORITE beers... it’s funny how I can commit to marriage and yet I feel as though I’m cheating on beer by listing my favorites.

Here are my top five beers, in NO particular order.

1. Cambridge Brewing Company’s Great Pumpkin Ale

When one thinks about pumpkin flavored beer, usually you immediately think about the spices that are in pumpkin pies. That is why this beer is so GREAT! It isn’t pumpkin pie spices, it’s actual pumpkin. As quoted on CBC’s website:

“CBC’s Great Pumpkin Ale is brewed with 150 pounds of fresh, locally grown, organic sugar pumpkins in each batch, and it has an appropriately distinct orange hue.”

The Brewer may HATE creating this beer, but the fans love it (and insist upon it). I love the high carbonation and slight spice of the beer. To note, I have a soft spot in my heart for this beer because the first time I had it was the night I met my wife for the first time...awwww!

2. New Glarus Spotted Cow

This was an easy choice for me. I simply asked myself: “self, what beer would you want on your death bed?” This was the answer, even if it is a bit macabre.

3. Smuttynose IPA

Many a summer night has been spent where I’ve kicked back and drank a few Smuttynose IPAs. The hoppy flavor is perfectly balanced by the bitterness, making it worthy of session drinking. If I still lived on the East Coast, I’m sure I’d have this always stocked in my fridge. To note - it was very hard picking one IPA, since this is my favorite style of beer.

4. St. Bernardus Abt 12

My wife, also an avid beer drinker, introduced me to the world of Belgian beers. While many of them can be a bit too sweet for my palette, the St. Bernardus Abt 12 is bready, earthy, and over all just a fantastic beer. One where you just can’t stopping drinking when it’s in front of you...then you realize it’s a 10.5% ABV and think: “oh shit...” well it was worth it!

5. Double Mountain IRA

Since I promised myself I wouldn’t choose two IPAs (the Hop Lava is a fantastic beer by Double Mountain), it was easy to pick the IRA by Double Mountain as a favorite beer. This decision was made simple when I asked myself - “self, what beer would you miss the most if you no longer lived on the West Coast?” This one was the answer! With its lovely complex flavors of malts and a kick of hops (okay, so it’s technically an IPA, you got me there!) its a mouthful of happiness at all hours of the day, including breakfast (have you been to the Horse Brass in Portland, Oregon, for soccer and a traditional English style breakfast? trust me, you will want this beer, especially on cask, for this occasion).

Honorable Mentions:

Bells Two Hearted Ale
Hops and malts balance perfectly in this hearty (nice pun!) ale. Every time I go home to Wisconsin I buy this as my second beer (right after my Spotted Cow).

Founder’s Red Rye
Dry hopped and packed with bitter, this beer is filled with great, complex taste, and fantastic pairing abilities. Another beer I would stock all the time if I lived where I can buy it.

{ prost! }

Sarah James
Editor and Writer for Beer Meets Cheese (www.beermeetscheese.com)

Thanks Sarah! Go check out her site. Next up is Brian!