Dessert in a Bottle?

I know what you are thinking... another Firestone beer. But, I cant help it, Firestone Brewery has hit more home runs this year than Babe Ruth! This time I had the privilege to enjoy Abacus, a big barleywine! Abacus has a beautiful rich Copper color and pours thick with beautiful lacing on the glass. On the nose, I pick up hints of raisin, chocolate, and carmel. The first sip produced one thought in my mind... Tiramisu! Flavors of vanilla, brown sugar, carmel, and bourbon fill my pallet. It finishes with a slight coffee and nutty flavor. The carbonation is low to moderate, with a just right mouth feel.

The history behind this beer is as good as it tastes. It all started 3 years ago, Adam and David placed Abacus in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels (Whiskey barrels). For three years, this liquid delight, picked up all the flavors of the bourbon barrels. It may be hard to find, because it was just released a week or two ago.

Why Green Beer?

I am not sure what American Pub decided that green beer was a good idea. I am guessing that the pub owner sold nothing but fizzy yellow beer and decided to disguise it by dyeing it green. So thus the green beer atrocity began! If this pub owner had good quality American Micro Brew on tap, he would not have to dye his beer green to attract customers. This is just my two cents!

Hidden Treasures

  One of my favorite micro breweries is Anacapa Brewing Company. What's that you say... You have never heard of it.

  That is why it is my hidden treasure. Listen carefully and I will tell you how to find the hidden treasure.

  But first, lets talk about the beer. Anacapa Brewing Co. has been brewing beer over a decade. They opened their doors in 2000. Head brewmaster Jason Coudray joined the brewery last year. I have always been a fan of their Pierpont IPA (no surprises there) but this weekend I had a chance to enjoy their Fuggle ESB (AWESOME!!!) But back to the Pierpont, it has big flavor and aroma! I brought back a growler, opened it today, and I almost finished it (by myself)! Enough said about the Pierpont.

  Another thing Anacapa has going for them, is the amazing food! Try the pulled pork sandwich, it is my favorite. Or you can indulge in the beer battered stuffed Jalapenos.
  I know, you all want to know how to find this treasure. Well, it is off  Main Street in Ventura. This is all I will tell you. Now it is up to you to do some treasure hunting. If you happen to stop by for lunch, say hi to Megan. She will educate you on Anacapa brew culture. - Cheers

Living in a bottle...

Bottling day finally arrived! As I sanitized my bottles and set up the priming sugar (that is what is used to get the yeast to off gas carbon dioxide for carbonation), I realized something. I got my siphon ready to extract beer from the carboy, I noticed a lot of stuff floating around. Then it hit me! I never racked my beer. Racking is the process of transferring beer into another carboy to get the sediment out (ie: left over hops, malt, barley) that was left over from the brew process. So my beer turned out unfiltered. That's ok I guess. I took a sample of the beer and measured the gravity. By my calculations it is a respectable 6.8% ABV. I tasted the sample and found a surprising floral hop taste (from the dry hopping I did). So by next Tuesday I will open my first bottle. I will let you know how it all played out! Cheers!

It's all in a Name!

As I pondered  a good name for my new home brewery, my mind kept wandering to the brilliantly named AleSmith. Beer is meant to be artful and innovative and AleSmith has hit that out of the park. Their Belgian and British style begs a second sip. Yule Smith (summer) may be my favorite seasonal brew. Done in an English style IPA, it has a refreshing lightness and body. The hops balance the summer brew out to a perfect finish.
My wife loves logos. Normally she picks her wine based on the label. I think this has rubbed off on me. The AleSmith name and logo is brilliant. Unlike most logos and packaging, this beer is amazing!

Off-Centered Ales For Off-Centered People!

Dogfish Head Brewery began in 1995, in Delaware. Delaware??? Seriously??? Sam Calagione is an innovative brewer. He has come up with some bold, crazy, hair brained, awesome, innovative, good... Did I day crazy? If Sam is not traveling the world to find out how different cultures brew beer, he is at his original Brew House in Rehoboth Beach. He has chewed whole corn kernels to create a fermentable beer or he is capturing live yeast in Egypt. But above all, no matter how successful the brewery becomes, Sam still runs it like a micro brewery.

Beer Ed. 101

My beer awakening happened in 2000. Sure, I had worked at Firestone Brewery in 1997-1999. My real beer education happened when I went to Europe. I had the opportunity to go to Belgium, it was like going to a grown kids Chuck-E-Cheese. My first day in Brussels (the center of Belgium) I had a few (true pints) of Hoegaarden. My walk back to the hotel was an interesting one! Ya see, I was used to no flavor and lower alcohol content of American beer. I could not believe my whole world was spinning after two pints! While adventuring around Belgium, I had the chance to experience Hoegaarden and Duvel Abby Breweries. My whole beer world was rocked! I had no idea beer could be so complex and wonderful! Just seeing how the Trappist Monks put their whole lifestyle and passion into a beer, made me wonder what beer is all about. Ever since that trip, I have a drive to find breweries in the U.S.A. that have that same passion. I guess you could call my trip an awaking. Thank God America stood up and demanded better beer. I keep seeing that same ideology in the micro breweries, that have started up in the last 10 years, as I did in Belgium. So support you local breweries and take a trip to Belgium! - Cheers  

Big Barley Wines

After I brewed my first Barley Wine, I found a new found appreciation for Barley Wine. I have have always enjoyed Stone Brewery's original Old Guardian brew. So I waited with much anticipation for the release of Old Guardian Belgo. The Belgo pours with an awesome dark bronze color and leaves a great lace around the glass. Spicy aromas and Belgian yeast are picked up on the nose. First taste picks up hints of cloves and orange. You can defiantly taste the Belgian yeast notes. It finishes with a malty sweetness. As it warmed up, the flavors intensified. This is a strong beer, with a 12% abv. This beer is a little young, I think it will age well. I will defiantly be putting one in my beer cave!

Hop Talk

Beer is pretty simple. You mix a little water with some cereal (aka barley). Then you boil it and add the best ingredient ever! Yup you probably guessed it... (no not chocolate) it would be Hops! The Humulus lupulus, is the secret ingredient to good beer (translation: hops makes beer good). The beautiful flower to the right is called Centennial. Hops are used for three main functions. First they are used as a preservitive, it is also used as a bittering agent. One of my favorite aromas is fresh hops! These aromas spill over into the beer. The best part of a beer, is the amazing aroma when you first open a beer. Hops grow on a vine, kind like ivy that grows on the side of an old church.  So the next time you enjoy a cold brew, wallow in the bitter and aromatic goodness that is the Humulus Lupulus.

The Elusive Sculpin

No, I am not talking about a fish! Although the fish it self is quite elusive! I am talking about Ballast Point Brewery's Sculpin IPA. Sculpin IPA is an amazing beer, the balance of hop to malt is perfect. Tastes of Lemon and Apricot hit your pallet at first, then a taste of peach jam. It finishes with a crisp bitterness of hops. It has a medium body to it with a chewy mouth feel. The citrus definitely is picked up on the nose.
I think the reason I covet this beer so much is because it is so hard to get. Short of driving down to the brewery, I have to have 24 hour surveillance on my favorite beer shops to get it! Here is the kicker, the closest beer shop that has it in stock, is 25 miles away! Ballast Point does not distribute north of Los Angeles. If you can spot the elusive Sculpin, catch it right away! It is an excellent beer that will stay on your list of favorites!

The Joys of Being Canned!

    Being a beer snob, I shy away from canned beer. Canned beer brings a stigmata that what's inside is going to be fizzy, yellow and tasteless! One day, while browsing my local micro beer spot, I noticed canned beer had migrated into the micro brew section. This does not happen, micro brew is pure and would never be put in a can! Upon closer inspection I noticed one can was labeled Imperial IPA. I shook my head and picked up my favorite 22oz bombers and left the store.
    Later that night, while enjoying one of my favorite bombers, my mind kept wandering back to the horrors of canned brew. I had to get down to the bottom of this! I did endless research, actually I just went to beeradvocate.com. I found out that Gubna is one of the highest rated IPA's! As a matter of fact it is now one of my favorite Imperials! Check it out at Oskar Blues.

Just Outstanding!

Kern River Brewing Company has been a brewing company since 2006. However, Kyle smith head brewmaster, at KRBC has been brewing beer since 1996. I first met Kyle in 2005, I fought fire with Kyle for the U.S. Forest Service. I recall his closet full of fermenting beer in the barracks at the fire station. Although I worked at the fire station down the road from Kyle, I always found a reason to go visit him (off duty of course) and con him into letting me sample some of his new brews. Kyle is the one who inspired me to try home brewing (I don't think I have ever told him that). One of my favorite everyday beers, is Kyle's Just Outstanding IPA. As you know, I am a huge hophead, but Just Outstanding is not overly hoppy. Kyle has created the perfect balance of malt to hops that translates into a very drinkable and enjoyable beer. This beer is MY everyday IPA and I have never been let down by it. If you are ever in the Lake Isabella area, head over to the north side of the lake to a little town called Kernville. Stop by and have a pint, you may even get to pry a little brew knowledge out of Kyle.

FeBREWary

Bathtub Brew...
Finally, after a week and a half of being sick, I decided to brew some beer. I had some extract left over from my Christmas brew, so I decided to build an IPA around it. I kept it simple, I only played around with the hops. Here is my breakdown.

OG: 1.044
FG: TBA
ABV: TBA
IBU: 80

Ingredients:
3.0 lbs Lil' Devil IPA hopped malt extract (not very hoppy)
1.0 lbs Pale malt extract
14 ozs Canadian malt extract

Boil
0.25 oz Centennial Hops AA 9.7% (45 min)
0.25 oz Columbus Hops AA 14.25%(30min)
0.25 oz Amarillo Hops AA 8.6% (15 mins)
0.25 oz Centennial Hops (0 mins)

Dry Hop
0.25 oz Centennial
0.25 oz Amarillo

Wyeast American Ale Yeast

I will let you know how it turns out!

Sick Days

Sorry about not posting, I have been under the weather for the last week and a half. I know no one likes to be sick, but let me tell you it really sucks! Food doesn't taste the same, I can't smell anything, and it definitely has altered my taste for beer. In fact I feel better today, so I am sampling a Stone Ruination. Taste buds are still off! My hope is to get back to normal by tomorrow, so I can brew an IPA. I wanted to brew last Monday, but my cold got the best of me. So stay tuned for tomorrow. Hopefully I will have some brew pictures!  

Best Craft Beer of 2010

The Award Goes To......
Bootlegger's Brewery!
This DIPA is in my top 10 all time favorite beers! But, now that it has been voted Best Craft Beer of 2010, I can't find it at any of my regular local spots. I thought I had found a gem of a beer that no one new about! Well, I guess alot more people know about it now! If you have not tried this DIPA, GO FIND ONE! It is easily one of my favorite DIPA's!

Mini Beer Trips

I guess I can't help it. Every time my wife and I go somewhere, I have to find a brewery or great tap room to integrate into the trip. I often get the roll of the eyes when I tell my wife I found a great place to stop by real quick. As soon as the words... "real quick" come out of my mouth, it instantly trips a switch in my wife's brain that tells her I found a place to get beer. Take this weekend for example. I am going to help my parents clean out our old storage locker where I grew up. I partially agreed to clean out the old storage locker cause I knew Firestone Tap Room was a few blocks away, but I also wanted to see what was in the storage locker from my childhood. But, the call of beer still kept ringing in my head. So, cleaned my growler and planned out my mini trip in my head. My wife just shook her head and laughed. I guess it is just ingrained in my DNA. Or it is just a passion or an obsession.

Double Jack

So I guess I am a sucker for an Imperial IPA! First, Stone put out their 14th Anniversary Ale last year. It was probably the best beer I had. Yes, I said had! And you guest it... It was an Imperial IPA. Just when I thought it couldn't be any better... Wait for it......... Firestone releases their Double Jack Imperial! I know what some of you might think, I don't just like this beer because I used to work for Firestone. This beer is amazing! From the first pour, I revel in the up front floral and citrus notes. I think it was the brown sugar and caramel finish that I love! Then, I take a sip! I love the fruit forward, that hits your tongue. You pick up the dry hoppy notes in the middle. And then just when you thought it couldn't get any better... It finishes with a sticky honey and brown sugar symphony!
I know... I sound like a music critic! But this beer is epic! My hat is off to Adam, Dave and Matt!

WELCOME

Welcome to Pine Brewing Company. This site is dedicated to the craft brewers and home brewers of America. I will be sharing some of my experiences of home brewing and some of the great craft brews I have come across. Please feel free to share your experiences too!