Blooms and Brews Festival in Silverton, OR

This weekend, April 28-30, the second annual Blooms and Brews festival takes place in lovely Silverton, OR. There's live music, plenty of flora to look at, and beers from some of the region's best breweries. For more information click the link below, or call the Oregon Gardens at 503-874-8100

Blooms and Brews Google Map

The list of participating breweries is growing daily, but there's already some tasty things scheduled to be there. Here's a few to look out for, in no particular order:

Siletz Chocolate Porter Widmer Broken Halo IPA

Alaskan Smoked Porter! Rogue Dad's Little Helper (Malt Liquor!)

Plus many more from:

Stone Big Horn Lost Coast Golden Valley Full Sail
Pelican New Belgium Flying Dog Red Hook Pyramid
Kona Deschutes Big Sky

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Tags: beer, Silverton, OR, Blooms and Brews, Siletz, Widmer, Alaskan brewing, Rogue, Stone, Big Horn Brewing, Lost Coast, Golden Valley, Full Sail, Pelican, Flying Dog, Red Hook, Pyramid, Kona, Deschutes, Big Sky

StoneWall Charity Auction

Are you an Arrogant Bastard? If you're one of the legions of Stone fans out there and you want to contribute some cash to a worthy cause check out these fine auctions.

Stone Auction Items on eBay

Here the gist of it: You donate money to the cause by bidding on the "stones" which are being built into the new Stone Bistro. You feel good about helping others. Then you get invitations to the StoneWall release party, gift certificates to the bistro, and limited (really limited) edition bottles of StoneWall Ale from the brewery.

You may be asking yourself, "What's StoneWall Ale, and why should I care?" It's a limited edition beer to honor the people who donate to this event, and the names of all the donors will be printed on each bottle. It's also the strongest beer that Stone has ever produced, which is saying something considering their barleywine and Stout clock in around 11%. As if that wasn't enough, it's also NOT going to be available for sale. That's right, the ONLY way to get yourself a bottle or two is to donate to the auction, or wait until they go back up on eBay again for ridiculous amounts of money.

The bidding starts at $125 for an 8"x8" stone and goes up from there, and this might be the only way you'll ever have your name printed on a beer bottle, so dig deep and help them help others.

This is "The Wall". Your name could be here.

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Tags: beer, Stone Brewing, StoneWall Project, StoneWall Ale, eBay

This is so bad I can't even think of a witty headline...

Read this and be glad you don't live in New York...

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2006-04-24-breathalyzer-usat_x.htm

Maybe tomorrow when the shock and indignation wear off I'll have some sort of comment, but now I need a beer.

SNOB Stuff

Become a member! SNOB (Support Native American Beer) and the Oregon Brewers Guild can use your support. Call Brian at 503-288-2739 or email him at brian@oregonbeer.org. Thanks to the Oregon Brewers Guild for the following information.

SNOB party for the 1000th SNOB and prize package entry for all new members and renewals between 3/31 and 04/29, 2006. If you are going to attend please RSVP to Brian@oregonbeer.org or call 503-288-2739

Membership month will end Saturday 4/29/2006 at 3:00 p.m. at Concordia Ale House, 3276 NE Killingsworth. Anyone who renews their membership between now and April 29th will be entered into a drawing to win a fabulous prize package to be drawn on April 29th at Concordia Ale house at 3:30 p.m. There will be free food, specially selected and priced beers from Oregon microbreweries such as Roots, Laurelwood, BJ's, Amnesia and perhaps a few others. We will cut off entry at 3:00 p.m.

Please RSVP if you are going to attend.

Hope to see you there.

Guild Gathering for May
The Guild gathering for May will be at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby on May, 20th 2006. Long time Lucky Lab Brewer Dave will be there and he will introduce his Maibock and offer brewery tours. The May Guild gatehering will be at Lucky Lab, 1945 NW Quimby from 1-4 503-517-4352.

Upcoming Events

June Guild Gathering

The June Guild gathering will be at the Raccoon Lodge, June 24th from 1-4 p.m. at 7424 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale HWY, 503-296-0110. This will be part of their Summer Solstice celebration and Brewer Ron Gansberg will be on hand for brewery tours and he will probably bring out some cool beers for this event.

New Releases

Dechutes Brewery:

They have released two new beers in 12 oz bottles, Buzzsaw Brown and Inversion IPA. They have also released as part of their Bond St. series the Broken Top Bock in 22 oz. bottles.

Raccoon Lodge .

They will release their Farmhouse Brown today, April 21st, 2006. This is a beer made in the Saison farmhouse style from Belgium. Farmhouse Brown is fermented with La Chouffe Ardennes yeast with a secondary lactic acid fermentation in oak barrels. Reminiscent of the very rare in these parts, Moinette Bruin. Get it while you can.

Rogue Ales

Rogue is always doing something new, and for Fathers Day this year they are releasing Dad'sLittle Helper Malt Liquor. Available in bottles and on draft at the pub, this beer honors Sonora Smmart Dodd who organized the first Father's Day celebration on June 19th, 1910. If your dad drank malt liquor, Rogue is here to let you know this is not your dad's malt liquor. Brewmaster John Maier has made this beer with 40% corn, lightly hopped with Oregon's own Crystal hops then lagered at a warmer temperature to bring out the sweetness of the corn.

2006 Brewers Association World Beer Cup

Seattle, Wash. • April 14, 2006 – The 2006 Brewers Association World Beer Cup again proved it is the world's largest and most diverse international beer competition for commercial breweries with its 2,221 entries from 540 breweries in 56 countries.  This year saw a 42 percent growth in entries, 37 percent growth in breweries, 40 percent growth in number of countries represented from 2004 with a record number of entries in 85 beer-style categories. (33.5 percent growth in breweries from 2002)

“The World Beer Cup has become the global stage by which brewers world-wide showcase the quality craftsmanship, flavor and diversity of their beers and in so doing highlight their own achievements and the enduring culture of beer,” stated Charlie Papazian, founder of the World Beer Cup and president of the Brewers Association. “The explosion in competition entries only demonstrates the excitement and passion for beer among brewers and the values appreciated by beer drinkers.”

Breweries from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, England, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, Trinidad, USA all received awards at the Brewers Association World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner. The Brewers Association presented the 247 World Beer Cup awards in front of more than 950 of the world’s best brewers and their colleagues April 14 at the Washington State Trade & Convention Center in Seattle, Wash.

The night culminated with the presentation of the Champion Brewery and Brewmaster awards in five brewery categories differentiated by size and types. Three of these category winners also won that same category in 2004, the first time these awards were given.  The award for Mid-Sized Brewing Company went to Firestone Walker Brewing Company of Paso Robles, Calif. and brewmaster Matthew Brynildson who also won in 2004.  The award for Large Brewing Company went to Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wis. and brewmaster Dr. David S. Ryder who also won in 2004.  The award for Large Brewpub went to Russian River Brewing Company of Santa Rosa, Calif. and brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo who also won this award in 2004.  The award for Small Brewpub went to Piece Brewing Co. of Chicago, Illinois and brewmaster Jonathan Cutler.  The award for Small Brewing Company went to by Brauerei Michael Plank of Laaber, Germany and brewmaster Michael Plank.

These breweries and brewers won the following medals:
World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Small Brewing Company
Brauerei Michael Plank
Michael Plank
  
Gold   German-Style Pale Wheat Ale - Plank Leichtes Hefeweizen
Gold   South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock - Plank Heller Weizenbock 
Silver  German-Style Dark Wheat Ale - Original Plank Hefeweizen 

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Mid-Size Brewing Company
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Matthew Brynildson

Gold American-Style Pale Ale  - Firestone Pale Ale
Gold American-Style Strong Pale Ale - IPA Nectar
Silver American-Style Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter - Firestone IPA
Silver American-Style Pale Ale  - Mission Street Pale Ale
Bronze American-Style Brown Ale - Hemp Ale

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Large Brewing Company Miller Brewing Co. Dr. David S. Ryder
Gold American-Style Lager - Miller High Life
Gold American-Style Specialty Lager - Icehouse
Gold American-Style Light Lager - Miller Lite
Gold American-Style Dark Lager - Henry Weinhard's Classic Dark
Silver American-Style Specialty Lager - OE HG 800
Bronze American-Style Specialty Lager - Milwaukee's Best Ice
Bronze American-Style Premium Lager - Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Small Brewpub
Piece Brewing Co.
Jonathan Cutler

Gold Rye Beer - Worryin' Ale
Gold South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier - Top Heavy

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Large Brewpub
Russian River Brewing Co.
Vinnie Cilurzo

Gold American-Style India Pale Ale - Blind Pig IPA
Gold Imperial or Double India Pale Ale - Pliny the Elder
Gold Other Belgian-Style Ale - Temptation


The World Beer Cup is referred to as The Olympics of Beer Competitions because of its prestigious awards philosophy and panel of expert judges from around the world.   Elite brewers and other industry experts from around the world conducted the blind judging used to determine the awards.  This year 109 judges came from 18 countries: (3) Australia, (1) Austria, (8) Belgium, (3) Canada, (1) Cayman island, (1) Czech Republic, (3) Denmark, (12) Germany, (1) Italy, (4) Japan, (3) Netherlands, (2) New Zealand, (1) Romania, (1) Singapore, (2) Sweden, (8) UK, (55) USA. 

Participating breweries were from the following countries:  Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Scotland, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad, Ukraine, USA.

Held every two years, the Brewers Association World Beer Cup is a global competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding beers produced today.  In 2004, 1,566 entries from 393 in 40 countries participated. 

The average number of beers entered per category was 26. Category 69: South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier had the highest number of entries. American-Style India Pale Ale category was second with 67 entries.

For more information on the World Beer Cup and the Brewers Association or to view a complete list of winners visit www.WorldBeerCup.org. World Beer Cup 2006 sponsors are:  Barth-Haas Group, Sahm, Ball Corporation, Brigl & Bergmeister, Durst Malz and Siemens AG.

This is from the Brewers Association (http://www.beertown.org)
Check out more at www.beertown.org/events/wbc/winners_list/winners_2006.html

New Beer Friday

It's time to dig through the big stack of cases and see what tasty new treats have arrived. So far today we have two beers from Fish Brewing; Monkfish , a Belgian-style tripel, and Fish's Blonde Ale, a light summer blonde brewed with a touch of rye to give it a gentle spiciness.

Next up from the venerable Brasserie d'Achouffe comes Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel. The beer is even more complex than the name. I tried a sample for lunch and was blown away by the beautiful blend of flavors. It's got the light "yeasty-apple" sweetness and dry finish of a Belgian Tripel combined with the citrusy hop magic of a fine N.W. IPA. At 9% abv it's pretty potent, but the alcohol notes are so well integrated that you'd be hard pressed to guess it was that strong. Trust me, by the end of the glass you'll be feeling the magic of the gnomes...



I think that's it for new arrivals today. One last reminder to anyone living in or near PDX: Hair of the Dog's Earth Day sale starts tomorrow at 10am. Alan and his crew have bottled up roughly 200 cases of Blue Dot Double IPA (22oz bottles) and there's a 2 case limit per person. Judging by the response on the beer lovers websites it'll be gone by the end of the day so get there early!

| Monkfish | ratebeer.com | beeradvocate.com | Fish Brewing Homepage |
| Fish Blonde Ale | beeradvocate.com | ratebeer.com |
| Houblon Chouffe | ratebeer.com | beeradvocate.com | d'Achouffe Homepage |
| Blue Dot DIPA | ratebeer.com | beeradvocate.com | HOTD Homepage |

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Tags: Belmont Station, beer, Fish Brewing, Monkfish, Fish Blonde, Houblon Chouffe, Brasserie d'Achouffe, belgian tripel, IPA, Hair of the Dog, Blue Dot IPA, Earth Day

High Tech Beer

From NewTechSpy.com:
..The specially modified cans use proprietary engineering to create a temperature drop that will reduce the I.C. Can contents by a minimum of 30° Fahrenheit in just three minutes. When activated, the all natural desiccant contained within a vacuum draws the heat from the beverage through the evaporator into an insulated heat-sink container. It is this patented vacuum-power which lowers the temperature so dramatically and quickly, leaving the beverage inside cold.
....The I.C. Technology is 100% safe non-toxic and environmentally benign, because the whole process is the driven by the simple physics of water evaporation.

According to the article, Miller is going to be the first to jump on this technology, with the first cans to hit retail next summer. I'm glad they're going with an environmentally friendly evaporative-cooling approach instead of using some sort of chemical.

I'm curious to see what consumer response to these cans will be. I can see plenty of applications for outdoor enthusiasts who don't want the hassle of bringing ice and coolers, but with the added container cost and the fact that the can only holds 10.5oz, it might push the price of the beer beyond what people are willing to pay for it. It also makes me wonder what impact this will have on the recycling of cans, and whether or not this new design will require special processing to remove the desiccant and other materials before reclaiming the aluminum. Only time will tell I suppose...

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Tags: Belmont Station, beer, newtechspy.com, beer can, Tempra Technology, Cool Tech, Miller Brewing

The Beauty of Beer

I'm sitting on my porch doing "homework" (drinking new beer), when John, my housemate, says, "I can see the whole neighborhood in your beer."

So I looked, and sure enough he was right. I grabbed my camera and shot this picture. The beer was Maharaja, in case anyone was wondering. I realize that you're not "supposed" to drink Imperial IPA from a belgian tulip, but I love sipping beers like these from a glass that forces my nose right into the fray. Plus, you've got to admit that just about any beer looks really, really appetizing in one of these glasses.

New Beers for Tuesday April 18, 2006

In all the excitement over the Stone Imperial Stout I almost lost sight of the fact that a couple new beers came in today, as well as the return of a couple "long lost" favorites...

New Arrivals:
Alaskan Summer Ale - Juneau, AK
Skagit River Highwater Porter - Mt. Vernon, WA
Macau Beer - China

Back after an extended absence:
Whitbread Pale Ale
Thomas Hardy's Vintage '04

It's too late in the day for me to write about all of them, but I'll try and drink my way through the new arrivals tonight and give everyone the low down tomorrow...

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Tags: Belmont Station, beer, Stone Imperial Stout, Alaskan Summer, Skagit Porter, Macau Beer, Whitbread Pale Ale, Thomas Hardy's

The Russians Are Here!

Stone's impossibly good Imperial Russian Stout arrived this morning. I haven't had a chance to drink one yet, but here's the official description:

"There's no question that Stone Imperial Stout is revered among enthusiasts," states Stone CEO Greg Koch. "I know, because I'm one of 'em and I can hardly wait for it to come out each year!" Some may think that a late Spring release for a special brew of this sort is an odd time for it to come out onto the market. Koch justifies this with the rationalization "What better than a warm time of year to come out with a brew that tastes great as it warms up!" That's because "ice cold" is certainly not the appropriate way to serve the beer. Nearly without exception, the darker, richer and more alcoholic a brew is, the warmer the serving temperature should be. The Stone Imperial Stout label describes the brew as being "intensely aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate...expect this mysterious brew to pour like used motor oil and taste even heavier! Serve at 55 degrees."

Mmmmm....used motor oil....

We only received eight cases so we have to limit people to six bottles each, and unfortunately we are unable to ship any. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause...

| Stone Homepage | Beeradvocate.com | Ratebeer.com |

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Tags: Belmont Station, beer, Stone Brewing, Imperial Russian Stout, Greg Koch

Follow-up to Spring Beer and Wine Fest

I've heard from a few people that Walking Man's "Big Fat Homo" (Double IPA) and "Street Walker" Malt liquor were two of the hot beers at this year's fest. I was in the process of moving over the weekend and wasn't able to attend, but I wanted to hear opinions from our loyal readers regarding the festival, your favorite beers, whatever...

One beer I was really curious about (mainly to see other people's reactions) was the new "Stealth Micro" from St. Louis, MO. Did anyone try a sample of the Wild Hop Lager? Good, bad, ugly?

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Tags: Spring Beer and Wine Fest, SBWF, beer festival, Walking Man Brewery, Big Fat Homo, IPA, Street Walker, malt liquor, Wild Hop Lager

Widmer Broken Halo IPA

I realize this has been out for a couple weeks and I'm a little behind, but this is the first chance I've had to try it.

Broken Halo pours clear and coppery, with a dense, creamy head. It opens the sinuses with a bright citrusy hop aroma (which is rapidly becoming a hallmark of N.W. IPA's) and leads to a slight caramel undertone. The rather subdued carbonation and weel-balanced malt makes it feel full, soft, and smooth in the mouth. After a few sips you can taste the slight fruity esters from the Widmer house yeast as well. Then the hops come back firm at the swallow and give it a dry, almost astringent ending that encourages you to take another sip. Even after several minutes I'm left with a nice, resiny reminder of the beer. All in all it's pretty solid, and changing the name from "W'05" should make it more palatable to those who negatively associate the letter "W" with our current administration. Not that there's any people like that in Portland...

It's currently available on draught at the Horse Brass and several other locations in the area, as well as 6 packs, 12 packs, and singles (if you shop here). Unless I'm mistaken, this is going to be a full-time beer from Widmer, and it should start showing up in the variety 12 packs once they phase out the Blonde Ale.

| Widmer Homepage | Ratebeer.com | BeerAdvocate.com |

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Tags: Widmer, Broken Halo, IPA, Portland, Horse Brass, ratebeer, beer advocate

H.O.T.D.'s Earth Day Sale

Saturday April 22, from 10am to 4pm, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company will be hosting their first Earth Day Sale. The postcard I received promises Blue Dot Double IPA in bottles! If that's not enough to get you there I'm sure Alan will have some other surprises up his sleeve. Last I heard, there was still some Rose Cassis, a special recipe Rose featuring black currants, which was brewed and bottled last fall.


Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
4509 SE 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97202
503-232-6585

Get there with Google Maps

| Ratebeer.com | Hair of the Dog | Blue Dot DIPA | Rose Cassis |
| BeerAdvocate.com | Hair of the Dog | Blue Dot DIPA | Rose Cassis |

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Tags: Hair of the Dog, brew, Earth Day, Blue Dot IPA, Rose, Rose Cassis, ratebeer.com, beeradvocate.com

Where are all the hoppy n.a. drinks at?

I have been a recovering alcoholic for almost 90 days and I must say I really don't miss drinking alcohol that much, but I do miss the hoppy beverages. I would really like to know why no one is making any tasty, hoppy n.a. beers or teas. It doesn't seem like it would be very hard to do. In fact a good friend of mine has experimented a little bit with hop tea and has come up with some pretty tasty concoctions.

I know for a fact that I am not the only person who has realized that what was once a hobby had become a big problem. I also am sure that I am not the only hop head out there who is no longer drinking. I have talked about this to friends who still drink and they would love to have hoppy beverages without the alcohol at times too. It seems that if someone took a little time and came up with some good recipes they could do quite well with non-alcoholic brews.

Anyone who has had n.a. beer knows it sucks. I really think that a lot of the reason why is that the only people making n.a. beers are the large macros. Anyone who has good taste in beers knows that the really good beers are not put out by the macro-breweries. So if small micros are making the best beers here in the states then one would think that if they put a little time and energy into some n.a. alternatives they could do something quite good with them.

So that is my wish that I am sending out into the universe. Someone please make me a hoppy, hoppy, delicious n.a. beer. That would make me happy. Hoppy makes me happy.

More New Features

Just a quick post to test the functionality of the new features I've added.

I've tried to place a quick "Add to...." button here for all the major portals which allow personalized content, as well as buttons for NewsGator, FeedLounge, and the other big news readers/aggregators. If I've missed your favorite portal or reader just drop me a line
and I'll see if I can add it to the list.

For people who don't like using a news reader, or just prefer good old-fashioned email, you can now submit your email address in the box along the right side of the page. You'll receive a daily digest of anything new that's been added to the site in a format you can access from anywhere. You can even check us out from your web-enabled phone, if that's your thing.

Tags: NewsGator, Feedlounge, news reader, aggregator, email, web phone

New Blog Features

I've added a few things to help make the blog more accessible.

Add to Google - You'll find this little button on the bottom of the page. If you have a "personalized" Google homepage, or if you use the Google Reader, you can click this button to automatically add our Atom Feed to your page. This is one of the thousands of applets that can be added to your homepage to increase it's functionality. Click HERE to see the huge directory of applets.


Blogtopsites - This button is mainly for tracking and rating purposes, but you can click it to see the most popular blogs in the "Food and Drink" category and use it to search for other beer-related stuff.


Technorati - Several people have written and asked me to start "tagging" my posts so they'll get sorted and indexed by Technorati.com. Technorati is a aggregator and search engine specifically geared towards blogs and the people who love to read them. If you're a long-time blog reader you're probably already familiar with the system, but if not then check them out now. Simply register with them (it's free) and start adding URL's of blogs you already read. You can also select keywords/topics that interest you and find things to read from blogs you've never heard of. The best part is the "ping" feature; every time one of your favorite blogs is updated it sends a ping to technorati, which indexes the new content and lets you know that one of the blogs on your watchlist has fresh material. No more clicking through a bunch of blogs every morning only to find out that nothing was updated.

Search this Blog - Another thing people have requested I add before there are too many posts. Should be self-explanatory; type in a term and click search. I searched for beer in this example.

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Tags: beer, blog, google, google reader, atom, blogtopsites, technorati, technorati.com, ping, watchlist, search this blog

Follow up to Michael Jackson on Conan

Anyone who missed last night's episode of Conan O'Brien should check this out. I'll wait for seven minutes until you get back...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wYA04BT04nc

Michael Jackson on Conan

Tonight, Wednesday April 4, Michael Jackson (the Beer Hunter, not the Gloved One) will be on the Conan O'Brien show. I don't know what he'll be discussing, but I'd be willing to bet it involves beer, or perhaps whiskey. Michael Jackson has written many essential books on beers of the world, beer and travel, and most recently published an incredible book about whiskey. He is considered by many to be the most knowledgeable person in the world in regards to beer and spirits and it should be interesting to see what he and Conan talk about.

Conan's Page

Michael Jackson's Page

Mountain Meadows wins Gold!

This press release just popped out of the fax machine:

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Mountain Meadows Mead, a boutique California winery specializing in honeywines and fruit wines, recently won three medals at the 2006 International Mead Festival. The Festival, held in Boulder, Colorado attracted 96 entries (in 10 categories) from thirty wineries from six countries. This event was the largest competition and tasting for commercially-produced meads, with the most experienced panel of mead judges ever assembled. Medals went to wineries from Australia, Canada, Poland, South Africa, and the United States.

"Honeymoon Nectar" Sweet Honeywine, made from wildflower honey and mountain spring water, won the Gold Medal in the Traditional Mead category. Honeymoon Nectar has been judged Best Traditional Mead three times in the Festival's four competitions.

"Trickster's Treat" Agave Mead, made from organic agave nectar and wildflower honey, won the Silver Medal in the Specialty Mead category for the second time in three entries.

"Cranberry Mead" won a Bronze Medal in the Melomel (fruit mead) category. With a Silver Medal at the 2002 Festival, the Cranberry Mead has also won two medals in three entries.

As Vicky Rowe, mead judge and owner of the website GotMead.com observed, "The quality of the meads was phenomenal. Only one gold, silver, and bronze medal is awarded in each category. To win a gold medal means the mead can be considered the best commercial example of that style in the world."

Mountain Meadows Mead, located in the northern Sierra, has been in production for ten years, and is marketing in northern California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as on the internet.

For details see www.mountainmeadowsmead.com & meadfest.com.

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We've been supporting them for years now, and it's great to see that they're getting the recognition they deserve for what are some of the finest meads in the world. They'll be pouring samples of most, if not all of their varieties at the Spring Beer and Wine Fest coming April 14th and 15th. In the meantime feel free to stop in at the shop and grab a bottle of two.

Those who love the taste of mead but feel that it's to thick and sweet will be interested to know that we're now stocking sparkling Redstone Mead from Boulder, CO. They are lightly carbonated and feel more like a sparkling wine or cider in the mouth. I'll post something about the various flavors in a couple days when I have a chance to try all four flavors.

Avery Maharaja

I had one of these yesterday, and I can still taste the hops. This is easily one of the hoppiest, most resinous beers I've ever had; it even gives Ruination a run for its money. If you love hops, and I mean LOVE hops, you'll want to snag a few of these before they run out. This isn't "balanced" by any stretch of the word, but when hops taste this good, who cares?

Check the previous post here for links to the Avery website and commercial description.


Picture copyright 2006 Ratebeer.com