2015: The Beer In Review!

The Beer In Review

This is my yearly wrap-up for my beer-tastic blogging exploits!  I started doing this blog in 2012, initially with the intent of posting Jack Of All Brews club events.  I discovered that I enjoyed writing things up but wanted to expand into more beer and brewery reviews as well.  About 2 years ago I started to get into photography and added a few non-beer related photography and book-club posts as well--hey variety is the spice of life!  My goal has been to have at least one post a week, since blogs that update only once a month or so quickly fall to the bottom of my check-in list.  I think I've been doing fairly well on that front, averaging about 2 posts a week over the past year.

In January of this year I started a series of beer reviews called A Whale A Week.  This mainly began as a way of guaranteeing at least one blog entry a week and to make a dent in my expanding cellar of rare beers.  This has been an amazing experiment.  By inviting different friends over to share, I've not only tasted amazing beers, but have enjoyed the social aspect of the process far more than I expected.  I've had old friends, neighbors, and even had a few new friends I've met on local beer forums (Beer People on Facebook mainly) over for this series.  I still have a fairly sizeable chunk of rare beers, as well as some vertical tastings of somewhat less rare beers that I'd like to get through so I plan on continuing A Whale A Week into 2015.  Upcoming beers?  Three Floyds Dark Lord, Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise, Cascade Figaro, Big Foot vertical from 1995-2015, and many more!  If you are local and want to join me for a tasting some time, touch base!

This year we didn't take any international trips, but did get to several areas for shorter excursions.  Our biggest trip was to Asheville, NC for a week and that was a wonderful beery place to visit!  We got to plenty of breweries there for sure!  Sj and I also went to San Diego for the National Homebrewer's Conference and of course made sure to visit lots of places there.  We took a road trip for the Hoppy Halloween homebrew competition in Fargo and got to try out a slew of new places along the way. A trip to Duluth for All Pints North and another quick jaunt to Rochester rounded out the beer-visits for the year.

I started out the year making up my own weekly photography challenges, and incorporated some of these techniques into my Whale A Week posts--making sure to use a special photo for most of them. More recently I joined up with the PhotoChallenge.org weekly photo challenge to force myself to try new things. I haven't had very much comment on any of my photo's but, hey, I'm mostly doing it for myself. I'm particularly proud of some of the photos I did for my Surly Darkness series.

Now is the time I reflect and decide what some of my favorites of the year have been.  I do this a bit differently every year.  I'll post a few here, but will do a couple other lists over the next few days to spread the wealth!

Top 10 New Beers I Tried in 2015

I decided to stick with new ones since otherwise my lists would be very similar year to year.  I gave all of these beers 5's.

1) Surly Brewing Todd The Axe Man.  I have not been as happy with Abrasive the past two years, but this beer has taken it's place in my top tier!  Strong hop aroma, balanced bitterness, tropical and catty at once.  Well done!

2) Waconia Brewing Pair-A-Dice DIPA.  This is a new limited release at our local taproom, made with all New Zealand hops and boasts a tropical fruit and balanced malt character that is simply stellar.  The first time I tried this I was blown away and have had goblet after goblet of it since.

3) Pelican Mother Of All Storms.  An amazingly complex barrel aged English style barleywine.

4) Wicked Weed Red Angel.  A blended raspberry lambic from the Funkatorium.  We went back multiple times for this when in Asheville.

5) The Rare Barrel Ensorcelled.  One of the best barreled sours I've had from America.

6) Goose Island Nuthulhu.  Vanilla, hazelnuts, RIS!

7) Freehouse Infinity.  An early contender, tasted in January of 2015.  This was a perfectly balanced barrel aged RIS--the brewery's first anniversary beer.

8) Keith Brady's Chester Hopperpot.  The only homebrew on the list, this incredible IPA has won first place at MN State Fair, Best In Show at Hoppy Halloween, and just keeps getting better.  I want more commercial beers to taste this good.

9) Lift Bridge Barrel Aged Silhouette.  First tasted at The Happy Gnome Lift Bridge beer dinner, this one put the brewery back on the map for me.

10) Spring House Blood Lust Aged in Pappy Van Winkle Barrels.  Tasted at a Surly Darkness vertical, this was one of the best RIS I've had all year.

Top 10 Breweries I Visited in 2015

1) Surly Brewing (MPLS, MN)  This one is just a treat.  Say what you will about Surly, they remain one of the most challenging and unique breweries in the state.  Their new brewhouse is a thing of beauty and has some of the best food I've ever had at a brewery.

2) Wicked Weed Funkatorium (Asheville, NC) Wicked Weed's sour facility is making a huge range of American sours that is incredible.  We went back 4 times in 7 days.

3) Junkyard Brewing (Moorhead, MN) A surprise contender.  Comfortable taproom, fabulous beers.  I want to live closer.

4) Burial Brewing (Asheville, NC) Somewhat ghetto taproom, but full of character and had some of the best beers we tried in Asheville.  Skillet Doughnut Stout!

5) Ballast Point (San Diego) I've really loved most of the beers from Ballast Point since they arrived in MN, and the visit to the brewery was not a let-down.  Fantastic up-scale food (seafood focused) and a huge variety of beers to choose from.

6) Modern Times (San Diego) We enjoyed both the FlavorDome and the regular brewery.  80's and 90's retro style, house roasted coffee, and a mix of sours and regular beers.

7) Waconia Brewing (Waconia, MN) My local, so I spend more time here than many other places.  This family run business has embraced our small community, putting out stellar beers very close to home.  Their Octoberfest placed second among about 10 we tried at a homebrew club event recently (only losing to Ayinger).

8) Prairie Rose Meadery (Fargo, ND) Not my first meadery visit, but certainly my favorite.  Susan Ruud has crafted something wonderful here.

9) Castle Danger (Two Harbors, MN) This summer we visited the new taproom and I was happy to find excellent beers, with a wide open and well-lit taproom space.

10) Green Flash Cellar 3 (San Diego) Green Flash's new cellar/barrel aging facility that had opened just days prior to our visit.  Plenty of sours available and a food truck serving house (truck?) made jerky that was amazing.

For 2016 I plan to continue A Whale A Week.  We've already scheduled a week trip to Portland (oh I'll get to some good breweries there!) as well as a Disneyworld 15th anniversary trip.  I hope to continue visiting all the new taprooms in the Twin Cities area and supporting our burgeoning local beer scene.

The Beer In Review: 2014

Well, for the past few years I've been doing a piece I call The Beer In Review.  In this treatise I discuss events and excitement from the previous year as I gear up for another year of the unknown.  Life is a journey and this is the trip so far!  Whether people are reading my blog entries or not, writing this has been a great way for me to chronicle the day to day of my very beer-centric life.

2014 has been a busy one for me and for my wife SJ.  Fairly early in the year we took a trip with four of our friends to Belgium and The Netherlands to discover many amazing sights and even more amazing beers!  This was our second trip with Beertrips.com and did not disappoint.  We met with brewmasters, drank ourselves to oblivion in a Belgian pub's beer cellar, crashed two chaotic Belgian beer festivals and tried over 200 different beers.  Yup it was a good trip!

Sj quit her day job as a librarian to pursue her dream of making jewelry professionally instead of just as a hobby.  She was invited to be a Member Artist at the new Unearthed Arts cooperative/gallery in Waconia and has been having a blast working with them.  I have to say that she couldn't have landed in a more supportive place or with better people!

Just as I was starting to make a small dent in my massive beer cellar, I bought a large quantity of rare beers from a local acquaintance.  This counted as an early 41st Birthday present--but I won't complain since these will last me at least another year!  This did necessitate a total reorganization of my current cellar, and has uncovered some buried treasure in the process.

The craft alcoholic beverage scene is quickly moving into my Far Western Suburbs (that area on the map where the sea monsters and dragons frolic.)  Enki Brewing continues to put out good local brews in close-by Victoria.  Waconia Brewing opened to much fanfare and seem to be doing a great job so far.  Schram Vineyard (also in Waconia) became Minnesota's first Winery/Brewery.  And J. Carver Distillery has started to market their spirits--I hope they manage to eventually serve samples or cocktails at the distillery!  Now I don't have to drive so far for a good craft brew experience.

More breweries pop up all over the Twin Cities area and I find myself having a hard time visiting them all!  To some extent, I leave most of them alone for 3-6 months to "mature" before doing official visits.  This year I checked out the newly branded Bent Brewstillery, Urban Growler, Fair State, Day Block, Freehouse, and finally got to Lucid.  Oh, and the Four Firkins added a second store of beery goodness.

I had many great meals around the Twin Cities including: Butcher & The Boar, many amazing beer dinners at The Happy Gnome, a couple of cool beer dinners at McCoy's (Thanks Nick!) as well as both beer and wine dinners at local eatery Terra Waconia.

We spent another week of crazed theater going interspersed with trips to Town Hall Brewery and Republic during Fringe Festival this summer.  We also went to several great shows for the Twin Cities Horror Festival at the Southern Theater--sure to be even more impressive next year.  We continued our theater going at the Orpheum with possibly too many 80's movie musicals like Sister Act, Flash Dance, and Dirty Dancing.  We also saw the timely White Christmas and the ludicrous and uproarious Book of Mormon.  And of course we hung out with friends at MacKenzie after the shows to take advantage of the great beer selection.

I continue to brew, but not quite as much as I would have liked to this year.  I did get one of my beers into the second round of the National Homebrew competition but didn't make the final cut.  After helping out Steve Piatz with a lecture/class on mead making at the Arboretum I jumped back into mead making whole-hog this past fall.  I'm just starting to test out the fruits of my labors and am pretty happy with them so far!  Oh and I won my first Best Of Show (for Mead/Cider) award at the Hoppy Halloween competition in Fargo!

We traveled to Grand Rapids Michigan for the National Homebrewer's Conference this summer, and visited a ton of great breweries there including Founders, Bell's, Jolly Pumpkin, Perrin, and Dark Horse!  Much beer was had on that trip I tell you!  And I'm ready to go next year to California...

Sj and I took a quick trip up to Duluth for the All Pints North beer festival and had a wonderful time along the North Shore. This has become my favorite beer festival over the past two years.

Sj and I took an anniversary trip to Disneyland in California, spending time with our friends Pete and Genevieve.  I struggled to find beer there, but we were able to visit the nearby craft beer Mecca of The Bruery located in the poorly named town of Placentia.  It was an experience like none other!  We followed up this busy and crowded California visit with a trip to Pittsburgh and rural Pennsylvania to visit friends Andrew and William. Yup, we got to several breweries and even a cidery there.  You know how I am with travel by now!

I got to take a trip to St. Louis with Rob Wengler and Ron Johnson to help film the Limited Release episode on Barrel Aged Abraxas.  Now that was an experience!  An amazing event, brewery, beer, and crew.

As people may have noticed over the year, I finally bought myself a real camera and have been working on learning more about photography and editing.  I hope that people appreciate the better quality of photo I'm bringing to the blog and not annoyed with the divergence from all-beer-all-the-time!  I thought about making a separate blog for photography stuff, but realized that I would have a hard time running both.

So, lots of long and short trips, punctuated by a fair amount of breweries, good friends, and good beers.  Yup, this is pretty much what my ideal life is!  Ok, all those in-between days I'm actually working my rewarding and busy day job...I'm not some man-of-leisure dilettante!  This year I give thanks that I'm still healthy, that I have a wonderful wife who mostly tolerates my crazy notions, and that I'm surrounded by so many great friends and family.  I wish I had more time to visit everyone!

And what would the New Year be without some resolutions?  In addition to the obligatory exercise- more-and-eat-better-so-I-can-fit-my-pants resolution I have a few more fun ones.

1) First off I plan on doing a weekly blog entry called A Whale A Week.  This will be my excuse to crack a rare beer (and hopefully share it with others,) every week to make some headway on my obscene beer cellar.
2) Travel: I plan to go to NHC in California this summer.  Sj and I are still discussing, but we would like to take at least one extended trip in the country--possibly North Carolina due to the incredible brew scene down there.  I'm thinking another overseas Beer Trip in 2016.
3) Continue my weekly photo challenges to force me to learn new techniques and get better.
4) Brew more!  I really didn't do an impressive job this year, and would like to get more batches under my belt.  I want to experiment more with water additions and focus on a few common styles (hoppy) that I haven't had as much luck with.
5) Actually organize some some more Jack Of All Brews club field trips this coming year!
6) Catch up on some cool video games now that I have a PS4.  Dragon Age should take me most of 2015...

Cheers to 2014 and to the upcoming 2015!

The Beer In Review: 2013

The new year is a time for reflection on the past year and for forward thinking about the future.  2013 was a good year for me overall.  As a beer geek, many of the things I did were beer related, and most were chronicled here in the JABlog.  For those who missed out, read my old entries to catch up! 

Brewing:  I didn't brew nearly as much beer this past year as I would have liked.  Usually I brew a ton of big beers in the fall to keep me busy over the winter months, but that just didn't happen before this deadly cold streak we have been having here in Minnesota.  It is now difficult for me to bundle up to brew in my garage when the outside temps are hitting negative 8 degrees F.  Call me a wimp.  I hope to brew a lot more for the coming year and to keep all 6 of my tap lines rotating frequently.  I did get to take part in the Jack Of All Brews club yeast experiment and our first barrel aging project resulting in a fantastic and award winning JAB de Garde.

Fame:  My brushes with fame this year include being featured in a few more fun episodes of Limited Release.  Probably their top viewed episode was on their trip to Russian River Brewery for the Pliny the Younger release and their subsequent punking by handing me doctored Mickey's malt liquor and watching me squirm on camera.  JABlog and Jack Of All Brews were nominated for The Growler's Kind Of A Big Deal Awards this year--alas neither placed in the finals!

Travel:  This was a year of many short trips, mainly for a slew of weddings.  Amongst the nuptials I was able to fit in fun brewery visits in Tennessee, Kansas City, Portland and Bend.  In Bend, we visited 10 different breweries in 2 days!  I also had quick visits to Alabama, Illinois (Champaign and Chicago), and Duluth (for All Pints North).  For 2014,  I look forward to a big trip to Belgium next May, another Duluth trip, and hopefully NHC in Michigan if I can get in.

Breweries: The Minnesota craft beer scene continues to blossom with new local breweries and better access to national brands that we have been denied previously.  I was fortunate this year to be able to break the news of two new breweries in this very Blog: Enki and the Roets Jordan Brewery!  Enki is now up and running, putting out very solid beers in the close-by town of Victoria.  Tim Roets is currently working with the folks from Minnesota Harvest Orchard to open a hard cider and apple wine store, as well as working on renovations for the old Jordan Brewery.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does in the coming year.  Bent Paddle from Duluth has opened and is putting out fantastic beers (that we can now get here in the cities.)  The folks on the West Coast (Green Flash, Ballast Point) have finally noticed us here in the Great White North...now where is that Russian River beer?  I'm excited to try all the up and coming local breweries in 2014--please don't disappoint me Minnesota!

I think I'll now do a couple of my personal Top 10 lists for 2013. 

Top 10 Breweries I've Visited in 2013 (Based on beers, service, and vibe)

1) Steel Toe: The new tap room is too dark and too small, but always full and serving up Steel Toe's amazing line up of beers.  A high point this year was getting to taste barrel aged Wee Heavy, Lunker, and Dissent all at once.
2) Deschutes: This place was massive and I had a great time at the brewery and its sister brewpub in Bend Oregon.
3) Bent Paddle: A shining beacon of well-balanced but interesting beer in Duluth.  I'm glad that Bryon, Colin and Peter are doing so well right out of the chute.  Now please can the Cold Press for us!
4) Boulevard: An epic trip to Boulevard Brewery while in Kansas City, Missouri was a high point of that trip.  I've got my fingers crossed that things will only prosper under the new ownership of Duvel.
5) Town Hall: Always a favorite, Hoops and the TH gang continue to put out some of the best beers in the State of Minnesota.  I'm looking forward to seeing the place once their renovation is done.
6) Enki Brewing:  New and small, this is my local brewery.  Located in an old 1900 creamery building, it is a fun place to stop in for a pint.  Many of my friends volunteer here and every time I visit, I find someone to talk to.  I also was able to have my 40th birthday bash at the brewery.  I wish these guys more good luck for the coming year! 
7) Dangerous Man: I love the look of the place and the beers are stellar.  My only complaint is how crowded this place is.  Waiting in a line for 25 minutes to get served a beer is extreme.  They have rapidly outgrown their demand.
8) Revolution: One of the coolest newer breweries in Chicago, these guys have a Surly-esqe vibe and a huge selection of amazing beers.
9) Avondale Brewing: A hidden treasure of amazing beers located in Birmingham, Alabama.  Proof that this craft beer thing is spreading even to less conventional areas.
10) Pfreim: A small new brewpub in Hood River, Oregon that knocked my socks off with traditional style brews and amazing food.

I went to a lot of good (and some not so good) breweries in the past year, but these stood out for me. I still haven't been to the new Surly tap room, so that explains the suspicious absence from my list.  Honorable mention would go to Northbound Smokehouse, for the excellent sandwiches.  Oh and Cascade Barrel House was amazing too.

Top 10 Beers (that I can remember)

1) Toppling Goliath Pseudo Sue--Keith Brady brought a growler of this to our last JAB meeting and it jumped to the top of my list.
2) Surly Abrasive--a yearly favorite of mine with such a tropical fruit flavor!
3) The Bruery Chocolate Rain--Crazy good and crazy sweet.
4) Cigar City Jai Alai--Just tried this on tap in Florida, finding a new favorite IPA that I can't actually buy and drink where I live.
5) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout--Always amazing.
6) Sam Adams Utopias--Tried this just a few minutes before 2014.  I have a wonderful wife.
7) Surly Darkness--Yup always makes my list.
8) Heady Topper--Brought back just days off the canning line by Jason.  Thanks man!
9) Russian River Pliny the Younger (for reals)--It was better than a Mickey's
10) Enki Citric Journey--A great regular pint.  Hoppy but malty, a good mix between English and American pale ales.

Yup lots of hoppy ones in this year.  This is a tough list to make since I had so many great beers this year...a bunch of Cascade sour beers just missed making this list.

For 2014 I'm looking forward to a lot more beer related fun.  The way things are going, it will be hard to keep up but I'll do my best.  I will continue to chase the beers, the places and the experiences that really make me want to write.  Thanks for reading and offering me a venue to discuss the beer scene.  I'd love to hear more about what you, the reader think!  What are your hopes for 2014?  Are there any great breweries or beers that I should have put on my list?  What do you want more of in the blog? Interviews, homebrewing, beer reviews, brewery reviews, random musings, food, competitions?