“I’m in the mood for some Magic Hat.”

It was a simple enough statement made by my coworker, but not as easy to follow through on in an area where the Vermont brewery doesn’t have distribution. Thankfully, she’d made the comment within ear shot of the resident beer writer. Knowing I had the means to make it happen, we made plans to drink some Magic Hat in the near future.

The setting couldn’t be beat, a sunny afternoon in Sonoma County, a quiet park with just enough shade. On the menu was the Magic Hat Night of the Living Dead sampler with a trio of tacos.

The Ourtoberfest ale, Hi.P.A and Humble Patience poured freely and washed down our meal. As we sampled from each beer, not necessarily analyzing each, the pure enjoyment of a good lunch and a couple beers became evident. Conversation flowed, stories were told, and in the middle of a busy work week, a little relief was found.

As beer geeks, we love our beer and love to get involved in the drinking of the beer. While there’s a place for that, there’s also a place to get lost outside of the beer. As we watch our summer slip away into fall, give yourself that chance to enjoy an afternoon that’s not about the beer.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company is a special brewery for me. It was Boont Amber that opened my eyes to what beer could taste like and helped guide me through the vast world of microbrew in the late 90’s. While Boont got me into good beer, Poleeko Gold is one that really excites me today. An American Pale from the microbrew era, Poleeko is balanced, light and hoppy enough to satisfy. Readily available in bottles, this beer really excites me on draft. Every year at Boonville’s Legendary Beer Festival I make a point of tracking down a fresh pint.

As I mentioned before, the amber style is what spurred my love for beer. Over the years I moved away from Boont, but the style, typically maligned as being a throw away for many breweries, is still a favorite. Of those, Red Nectar is one that stands out as a must have in my book. While receiving a respectable score in terms of percentiles, a 3.46 doesn’t seem to do this beer justice. In my days living in Oregon, I would search out bottles (usually found at Cornucopia) for a little bit of California in a glass.

Rounding out my short list is Moonlight’s Death and Taxes. I realize this seems like an odd choice considering again that the percentile ratings look great. The reason I include Death and Taxes (or simply “Death” as it’s known locally) is because it is such a great beer and rare to find outside of the Bay Area, but has nowhere near the hype surrounding the beer and brewery as other local brewers. Once a year in February, people line the streets of Santa Rosa for 10 oz of triple IPA, yet when some turn away upset over the long lines, rarely do they know that just 2 blocks away are 6 taps of Moonlight at Flavor Bistro. While we all love the hoppy and barrel-aged beer that comes from Downtown Santa Rosa, the beer geeks really should take the time to experience Moonlight more often, especially ata place like Flavor where so many beers are on tap at all times.

So what are your favorite unsung beers? Are they guilty pleasures? Are they long time favorites? Are they simply overlooked? Share in the comments area.

Currently, I carry one of two coolers. The first was a freebie from a cheese festival. It’s soft sided, collapses down easily enough and has a single zipped pocket on the front. The second is a larger cooler designed to collapse, complete with side, front and rear pockets and a shoulder strap.

The new coolers to be put to the test were two from Coleman, a 24 Can Soft Sided Picnic Cooler and 24 Can Soft Sided Cooler, a Thermos Element 5 24 Can Cooler and a Timbuk2 Dolores Chiller Messenger.

For each cooler, I would see how each could accommodate bottles of various size, compare their capacity (22 ounce bottles) and see how long they could keep ice when filled to approximately 80% with ice alone.

I started with my own coolers. The green freebie is pretty feature free. While accommodating tall bottles admirably, 22 ounce bottles and Belgians need a little help and creative zipping of the top. The top could still close and zip shut with 6 22-ounce bottles inside, Belgian bottles would be limited to 1, possibly 2 and would have to be placed as far from the zipper as possible. This cooler leaked when filled with ice but did keep ice for approximate 60 hrs*.

Next was my larger cooler, a red Ci Sport. I love this cooler because of the ample storage on all sides. The shoulder strap is handy as this cooler is usually packed full, but the comfort padding is actually rather uncomfortable. Capable of handling any bottle of any size, this cooler maxes out at 12 bottles and keeps ice for over 72 hours. As with the first cooler, this one leaks, leaving a puddle on my kitchen floor during testing.

Next up was the Coleman picnic cooler. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t do the trick when it comes to large bottles. Velcro top flaps, added for easy accessibility to content, refuse to close over anything but tall bottles. While keeping ice for approximately 40 hours, the storage options are minimal. This cooler did pass the wife test though, as my wife was anxious to use this for a picnic with its design that’s reminiscent of classic picnic baskets. If taking 12 oz bottles and a lunch, this cooler could work well, but won’t transport your larger format bottles.

The more suitable Coleman product, at least from a beer geek’s perspective, would be the Soft Sided Cooler. With vaulted lid, complete with a mesh liner, this cooler can accommodate 22-ounce bottles but has a little trouble with Belgians. The mesh liner is great for freezer packs which will keep your beer cool without melting and ruining labels.  If you’re going with ice, the Soft Sided cooler kept ice as well as the Picnic Cooler (~40 hrs) and can accommodate 6 bottles rather easily. Again, storage on the sides is available, but not excessive.

If you’re looking for a more sturdy design, the Thermos Element 5 might be more of your style. With a plastic liner, this Thermos cooler keeps it’s shape but is far from hard-sided. Tall enough to handle all sizes of bottles, a velcro lid opening allows for easy access to your beer without having to unzip the entire cooler.In addition to a taller design, the larger footprint allows for a capacity of 8 bombers and kept ice for roughly 48 hours. Sadly, storage is limited in this cooler with only one pocket on the front.

The last option is as much a fashion statement as a cooler. Timbuk2, known for producing quality messenger bags, put their own company’s spin on the concept of a cooler and disguised it as a messenger bag. The large size (actually considered medium by Timbuk2 standards) can accommodate all bottle sizes and held an impressive 10 22-ounce bottles. Ice kept for approximately 60 hours but beware, the zipper top is anything but waterproof as water poured freely from the zipper when the bag was tipped, something to consider with a bag that wants to lies on its side as much as it would want to stand up. Storage is smartly hidden in 4 zip pockets that prove to carry far more than one might assume at first glance. Also a nice touch is the attached bottle opener.

*Coolers that leak performed better in terms of time for keeping ice because without water, the transfer of heat was slowed. These coolers might keep ice longer but would not keep bottles colder longer.

At the end of the day, I’ll be replacing my green freebie with the Coleman Soft Sided Cooler. Both are small enough that they are convenient to carry but definitely have their limitations. All round though, the Coleman gives me more room, no leaks and more storage; a win in all cases.

The Ci Sport will be replaced for most situations by the Timbuk2. Large enough to carry copious amounts of beer, the strap proves to be far more comfortable and let’s be honest, it just looks cool. It is worth noting that this bag is the most expensive cooler featured today, and not by a small measure. With that in mind, I look forward to getting plenty of use out of the bag as the construction feels solid and I anticipate this bag to age gracefully.

For summer gatherings, these soft-sided coolers are great for their portability and efficiency. Even the lowest rated cooler kept ice for nearly 2 days, so an afternoon trip to a BBQ shouldn’t be a problem. With tailgating season around the corner, look for a comparison of larger, hard-sided coolers to come.

Saison (French, “season”) is the name originally given to low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, for farm workers during harvest season. Modern-day saisons are also brewed in other countries, particularly the USA, and are generally bottle conditioned, with an average range of 5 to 8% abv, though saisons at the more traditional 3.5% strength can still be found.

 via Wikipedia

Whether it’s a classic, something new or a twist on the style, Saisons are a big part of a craft beer summer. Bold, spicy, tart and refreshing, saisons are great on hot days or cool evenings. As stated in the excerpt above, traditionally Saisons are a light table beer but recently have grown to be bigger beer less appropriate for sessions.

For those looking for the classics, a great place to start to start is Brasserie Dupont. In the style of the traditional saison, Avril is light in alcohol and a refreshing Belgian ale. The Saison Dupont, famous as possibly the best saison in the world, is higher in alcohol but is still considered the gold standard as far as Saisons are concerned. I know that I personally compare all saisons to this Belgian classic. In addition to these traditional saisons, Dupont also brews organic versions (Foret) as well as a Christmas version.

Here in the states, craft brewers are creating their own traditions. This includes teaming up with monasteries here in the US to brew traditional Belgian Ales with Trappist Monks. One of the beers is Sierra Nevada’s new Ovila-labeled Saison. American craft brewers lean towards more aggressive saisons with spicy phenolic notes. Another newcomer to the saison scene is Grand Teton’s Grand Saison.

If something unique is what you’re searching for, the Boulevard brews the saison for you. Starting with their Tank 7 saison as a base, the brewers at Boulevard add 3 months of brettanomyces bottle conditioning before releasing Saison Brett. I instantly fell in love with this beer before even trying it as it was introduced to me as George Brett, the Kansas City baseball hero. Full of all the flavors yopu’d expect from a saison but with the complexity and dryness that comes with the added “brett”, this beer sits deservedly atop RateBeer’s saison ratings at #1.

What are your favorite saisons in the summer? Have any great saison stories to share? Let’s hear from the RateBeer community.

The first event will be a one of a kind event. RateBeer will be hosting a Luxury Suite at an Oakland Athletics game complete with beer from top brewers around the country, food and a ticket to the A’s own Beerfest.

Enter the Oakland Coliseum on July 30^th at 4:05 when gates open and head to the RateBeer Suite. Inside you’ll find your beerfest cup and tokens. Enjoy the 15^th Annual Oakland A’s Beerfest which takes place in the Eastside Club behind the outfield fence.

As the A’s throw their first pitch to the visiting Twins, come back to the suite for food and rare beer. Food provided will include hot dogs, nachos, artichoke dip, hummus, popcorn and, of course, peanuts.  Sodas and water will also be provided.

The beer selection is what you’re really showing up for.  Top brewers from around the country will be represented. Among breweries represented will be Cigar City, Epic Brewing (UT), Lagunitas, Stone and Anchor among others.

Seating is limited for this one of a kind event. Tickets are $150 per person and available to purchase online ($5 PayPal surcharge). For additional information on breweries and details, visit the event’s homepage. Get your ticket now before they’re all gone!

The RateBeer Luxury Suite is only the beginning. Look for seasonal events to be held around the Bay Area.

After the last tasting, I began to contemplate the idea of gluten-free beer. In most cases, the beer was aimed at the industrial lager drinker, and why not? A small percentage of the population suffers from gluten sensitivities of various forms. If you have a small percentage to deal wirth, are you interested in catering to a market that only serves a small percentage of the beer market as it is? Regardless, the idea of a craft brewed gluten-free was intriguing. Would hops help cover the “odd” aftertaste associated with gluten-free beers? Would the brewers who have shown expertise with malt be just as skilled with other non-gluten containing grains?

The first example I’ve been able to try that gets into this realm isn’t actually an American craft beer but one from Belgium. Leireken Lager is an organic and gluten-free lager brewed in the pilsner style (as it begins to arrive on the American shores, look for label to refer to the beer as Pils instead of Lager). A golden straw colored beer with a rich fizzy head, Leireken looks the part. Even with a grassy hop aroma, you’ve got a solid pilsner in your hands. The one drawback is in the malt. Great pilsners have a certain brightness to the malt, a zing that comes out of a bready background and, in my opinion, brings the beer to life. The Leireken lacks that and it may be from the use of different types of grains.

Tasting this beer over the 4^th of July weekend, I sampled some to a trusted beer drinker and we both noted that had we not known this was a gluten-free beer we likely wouldn’t have guessed. Upon learning of this fact, you become more critical and search for inconsistencies. Even then, I found Leireken to be a satisfying beer and one I would recommend to people with gluten sensitivities or without.

I’m still in search of a gluten-free IPA or other craft brewed styles. Do you have any local examples of gluten-free beer that has been tasty? Please, share your suggestions in the comments below.

Before I comment on the list (actually, a couple lists) presented by the AHA, I want to turn back the clock to earlier this year following RateBeer’s Best release. As is common with many things RateBeer, the criticism was that there was too much focus on the rare, the strong and the trendy. As I said before, a list is ripped to shreds the second it is viewed by the public. Many of these criticisms (none of which I will validate with links as many deteriorated from criticisms to attacks) pointed fingers at beer geeks and tickers who were supposedly ruining the world of beer by contributing to such a foolish and apparently dangerous list. I want to state here, my stance is not to question the quality of beer drinker who created this list nor to rip the list apart, but to talk about the AHA’s list and what it represents.

Giving the AHA’s Top 50 Beers in America list a glance, I’m met with many familiar names. In fact, familiar is exactly what comes to mind when going down the list. Many of these beers I’ve had countless times and qualify as craft beer classics.

But does classic necessarily mean that it’s the best? Is Sierra Nevada Pale ale really the tenth best beer in the country? I’d venture I could make a list of “the best” beers at my local grocery store and the classic green label may not make the top 10 (My local grocery store has a very nice beer selection).

Up and down the list are beers that are top sellers, beers that we’ve all sessioned with and, if we’ve decided to homebrew, may have served as inspiration for recipes. While Stone Brewing is represented well with Arrogant Bastard at #6, there is only one other beer from the San Diego brewery to be found in the top 50. This is just my opinion, but wouldn’t homebrewer’s appreciate Stone IPA as much, if not more, than the beer nerds who use rating sites (Stone IPA ranks as the #6 IPA in the world on RateBeer, and #3 on Beer Advocate)? Would a better place in the shopping aisle change this in years to come?

So where does the AHA’s list fit into the grand scheme of things? Are Ratebeerians going to carry this list around as a bucket list? Probably not, as many established beer geeks have most likely had the majority of the beer on the list. Does this act as a great list to help bring in new beer drinkers, or help expand the knowledge of recent craft beer converts? Absolutely. You could hand this list to someone looking to learn about beer and tell them to get back to you when they’ve tried all the ones available in their market.

In the end, every list serves its own purpose. The Brewing Association and AHA have a different audience than RateBeer. While there is a lot of overlap (we all love craft beer), there is a core difference as to where our focus lies. Our lists represent our groups and may seem odd to outsiders, but that doesn’t make them any less valid.

Before I go, I just wanted to point one thing out. Many criticisms of RateBeer’s Best indicated they didn’t like the dominance of Imperial Stouts and Double IPAs. Four of the top 5 in the AHA’s list are Double IPA and Imperial Stout. Maybe they get rated so highly because they are just that good.

So what does everyone think about the increased use of rating #’s in craft beer stores? Good, bad, annoying?

June 17 Via @AllOverBeer

Before tackling the topic, a little background on myself. I write for RateBeer.com as the Editor for The Hop Press. Ironically, I don’t contribute much to the site as far as reviews and ratings. I’ve been a loyal RateBeer user for a few years now and think Ratebeer and Beer Advocate (and other beer rating websites) are incredible tools for learning more about the craft beer world.

With this in mind (have I exposed a possible bias?) I support the idea of ratings tags on shelves. The beer aisle is getting bigger every day and more cramped with various craft beer labels that the average consumer knows nothing about. While this is a function of expanded distribution for some breweries, it is also due to new breweries popping up locally as well as contract beer making its way to select locations. Having a shelf tag under the beer only helps the consumer make a decision, with the help of some friends, as to what might be worth their money.

Skeptics might have a few problems with this idea. The first comment you might hear is regarding the number displayed. Is this overall or by style? A store will no doubt put up the higher number in an attempt to sell more beer. While this is true, I find it hard to argue with an established overall or style rating generated by RateBeer users. Whether overall or by style a beer has to have some real support in order to obtain a 90+ on either category.

This brings us to a second issue, and that’s whether you agree with these ratings or not. While some will be contrarian and insist they don’t agree with the numbers ever, the RateBeer ratings are based on the opinion of many with a weighted average used to place the beer in relationship to others, either overall or by style. If 500 people come together and apply a rating to a beer which earns it a certain percentage overall or by style, this is a community opinion. As far as craft beer drinkers are concerned, this is as close to a general consensus as we can get.

Think of the alternative. In the past (and still some today) stores would allow their managers to make picks. This manager didn’t have to like beer or even have tasted the beer. Usually, the manager’s pick would be beer nearing expiration, or something tied to an incentive for sales. If a difference in opinion could ever come about, this would be a prime candidate.

Yet in the end, shelf tags aren’t perfect. As I mentioned, stores will put whichever category scores higher out of overall and style.  Personally, I’d love to see shelf tags with both, but even then, a description of what the numbers means is still required.

When it’s all said and done though, a more educated customer is the goal. This can be agreed upon by sales people, brewery staff and beer geeks alike. The fact that the uninitiated are rapidly adopting craft beer is a sign that education is on the rise. Shelf tags may be their first exposure to a rating site. Who knows what may come of a customer seeing a shelf tags and unearthing a world of craft beer? How many of you were introduced to RateBeer and saw your appreciation for beer increase with the new access to information?

Before we start, you may be wondering, “why?” Over a couple pints with a visiting brewer and other beer drinkers, the question of Santa Rosa drinking establishments came up. During the conversation, Third Street AleWorks was brought up and generally dismissed by the group. At this point, I felt the need to defend the local brewery. Without mentioning their recent GABF medal, I made the claim “They make the best stouts in Sonoma County.”

As I’m prone to do, I couldn’t make a claim and not back it up, so I organized a tasting session to put the stouts of Sonoma County to the test. Included in the tasting session would be Third Street’s Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout and Stone Fly Oatmeal Stout, Lagunitas’ Imperial Stout and Bear Republic’s Big Bear Black Stout. Not included were draft only beers from around the county simply due to logistics and Demspey’s Ugly Dog Stout simply because I forgot to buy a bottle. The tasting would be done straight, no blind tasting. A blind tasting would have been too difficult given the fact that two beers were served on draft and involving a wait staff in the tasting would have been asking too much. Each taster would simply give their rankings of the beers 1-4 and an average would be taken.

Without a unified style to base our sampling, we tasted these beers on a strictly hedonistic scale. From my tasting notes I loved the smooth and dry, almost a touch sour, quality of the dry stout. I found myself taking large gulps when taking my samples. With the Oatmeal Stout I detected a bit of astringency while others commented on a pronounced hop bite. Black bear was big, smooth and satisfying but lost a little bit in that it didn’t seem as “stout” as it could have been. Lagunitas’ Imperial Stout is big, thick, chocolaty and sweet. Sadly, it’s a little too sweet and as with the Big Bear, not quite stout enough, I would have liked a sharp edge somewhere in the beer.

My final lineup went as follows:

1. Third Street Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout
2. Bear Republic’s Big Bear Black Stout
3. Third Street Stone Fly Oatmeal Stout
4. Lagunitas’ Imperial Stout

I went around the table and collected everyone else’s votes. Interestingly, every beer received at least 1 first place vote and every beer (except one) received a last place vote. In the end, it was that missing last place vote that made the difference as the groups’ lineup went as such:

1. Bear Republic’s Big Bear Black Stout
2. Third Street Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout
3. Lagunitas’ Imperial Stout
4. Third Street Stone Fly Oatmeal Stout

While I still believe the Blarney Sisters to be the best stout in Sonoma County, my companions felt differently. The Stonefly stout really disappointed me and I will have to come back and revisit this beer, possibly when it goes back on their cask.

Specifically, the topic of this post is adding more dry hops. For those unfamiliar with the process, after the beer has been brewed and has finished its first stage of fermentation (referred to as “primary”), the beer is taken off of the accumulated yeast and allowed to condition in secondary fermentation. It is during this stage that you can add more hops to the head space of the fermenter in a process called dry-hopping. The result will be more hop aroma and flavor without all the bitterness that comes with boiling the hops.

During Stone’s Most Bitter Challenge, local beer bar Taps put on a keg of Double dry-hopped Ruination along side a collection of bitter stone beers. It was a perfect opportunity to see how the double dry-hopping process affected this beer with the fresh original recipe side by side.

The result was a softer hop bitterness, as if the dry hops somehow filtered out a course, resinous flavor. At the same time, fruity notes from the hops emerged as the flavor and aroma were significantly increased. Visually, the double dry-hopped version was noticeably hazier than the standard brew. In the end, the Ruination became an incredibly smooth drinking beer; one that may have bee a bit too easy to drink considering the potency that still lay within.

I can’t say this result is unexpected. The majority of hop driven beers today are dry-hopped, so the technique isn’t new. That said, it’s not often you get to try a beer when the dry-hopping is turned up to 11.

Previous examples of double dry-hopping that stand out in my mind happened two ways. Some were completely on purpose while one was a wonderful accident.

Last year, to mark April 20th, the Toad in the Hole requested a special cask of The Kronik Censored from Laguinitas. So many hops were forced into the vessel that the cask couldn’t handle it, bursting open and spewing hops and conditioning beer into the air. A valiant effort was made and the beer was saved. With the threshold for hops having beer established, the rest of the conditioning process went as planned. The result was a rich, malty, incredibly hoppy beer that was like hoppy nectar ready to quench the incredible thirst of crowd that day.

In a similar situation, Bear Republic brought a firkin to the Toad in the Hole during the most recent SF Beer Week. So many hops were forced on top of this Racer 5 that when tapped, the bung spewed hop leaves in the air. As anyone who has been showered with freshly-tapped firkin beer can tell you, the hops were a welcome change of pace. Once again, the resulting beer took the well-known beer and transformed it into something new. Additionally, that something new was much softer on the palate but loaded with hop flavor.

My favorite story of double dry-hopping comes from San Leandro and the brewers at Drake’s Brewing. On a day that started as any other IPA brew day, former brewer Josh Miner (now of Sequoia Brewing), went to a tank of IPA, added 20 lbs of dry-hops needed to brew Drake’s IPA then went back to work. Later that day he again visited the tank and dumped in the 20 lbs of dry-hop that was needed…wait, this sounds familiar. In a stroke of genius, Josh shrugged his shoulders and with a “whatever” continued to allowed the tank to brew. The result was Aroma Coma IPA which went on to take the bronze at the Bistro’s IPA festival.

What are your experiences with double dry-hopping. Should this technique catch on? I’d love to see more double-dry hopped session strength beers, getting the big hop impact without having to take down a 9% Imperial IPA. Your thoughts?