Bay Area Beer Blog

Beer of the Week: Napa Smith Brewing Lost Dog

bayareabeer — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:12:02 +0000

This weeks Beer of the Week is Napa Smith Brewing’s Lost Dog Red Ale that comes in at 7.2% abv. This is not a typical example of the Red Ale style seeing that the beer pours more of a golden orange color than the typical deep red. The beer also does not have the typical strong malt base with a significant hop character. Having said this it is still a very goo d beer just not what I was expecting. The beer does pour a golden orange with a nice frothy head that dissipates to about a half inch that leaves decent lacing. The beer has a very faint aroma that is not very distinctive but is most likely from the hops. The beer has a roasted malt flavor with just the slightest hint of hop character and almost a peppery flavor. This beer has a great dry finish which I love in a Red Ale. The Lost Dog has a very thin mouthfeel with a heavier than expected carbonation. I overall enjoyed this beer but I feel that calling it a Red Ale is just a bit misleading. The beer is evaluable in 22oz bottles for around $5.

Another Update On the Federal Tax Increase on Beer

bayareabeer — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:07:56 +0000

There has been no new news on whats going to happen with the proposed Federal Excise Tax but there is still time for our voices to be heard. There are two websites that give information on what we can do to stop this tax from happening and I received an e-mail updating the situation from the Brewers Association that can be read bellow. The websites are www.sylb.org/excisetax.html and www.axetaxesnotjobs.com/index.aspx. I will continue to pass on any information that I come across.

Dear Beer Enthusiast,

Small brewers are facing an imminent and extremely serious threat to their businesses. The consequences of remaining silent have the very real potential of reducing your choice of beer and dramatically increasing the price of any beer that you purchase.

The Senate Finance Committee in Washington, DC is currently considering a proposal to increase and equalize the excise tax for alcohol beverages as part of healthcare reform deliberations. This proposal would triple the excise tax for 4.5% ABV beer and impose even higher excise tax rates for higher ABV beers.

If such a proposal becomes reality, there is no question that many small brewery businesses will suffer, some will close and consumers will face higher prices and diminished choice in the marketplace.

The Brewers Association brewery members and leadership have been actively engaged in building the case against an excise tax increase, recently submitting a letter to the Committee outlining our opposition.

We need you to speak out now. Today or tomorrow at the latest.

If you live in the following states it is most urgent that you contact your Senator who is on the Senate Finance Committee:

Arizona Nevada

Arkansas New Jersey

Delaware New Mexico

Florida New York

Idaho North Dakota

Iowa Oregon

Kansas Texas

Kentucky Utah

Maine Washington

Massachusetts West Virginia

Michigan Wyoming

Montana

If your Senators are not members of that committee, ask them to contact their Finance Committee colleagues and express their opposition to this proposal moving forward.

Your ask of them is simple:

Oppose the Tax Increase. Let them know that you oppose, in the strongest possible terms, raising the federal excise tax on beer because of the serious consequences it would have on small brewers and the craft beer they brew. Additional talking points appear below.

Once again: If one of your Senators sits on the Senate Finance Committee (roster of members below), urge them to oppose this proposal in committee deliberations.

If your Senators are not members of that committee, ask them to contact their Finance Committee colleagues and express their opposition to this proposal moving forward.

Take Action – Call and/or email your Senators’ Washington or district offices and make your personal case against this massive excise tax increase.

As always, thanks for your support.

Charlie Papazian

President, Brewers Association

Senate Finance Committee Members:

Baucus, Max (MT), Chairman Bingaman, Jeff (NM)

Bunning, Jim (KY) Cantwell, Maria (WA)

Carper, Thomas R. (DE) Conrad, Kent (ND)

Cornyn, John (TX) Crapo, Mike (ID)

Ensign, John (NV) Enzi, Michael B. (WY)

Grassley, Chuck (IA), Ranking Member Hatch, Orrin G. (UT)

Kerry, John F. (MA) Kyl, Jon (AZ)

Lincoln, Blanche L. (AR) Menendez, Robert (NJ)

Nelson, Bill (FL) Roberts, Pat (KS)

Rockefeller, John D. (WV) Schumer, Charles E. (NY)

Snowe, Olympia J. (ME) Stabenow, Debbie (MI)

Wyden, Ron (OR)

ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE TO SMALL BREWERS EXCISE TAXES

Small brewers are small Main street businesses, typically employing 10 to 50 employees.

Small brewers represent only 4% of the entire U.S. beer market by volume, with 95% of them being very small businesses (producing 15,000 barrels or less per year).

We strongly oppose proposals to increase the excise tax on beer.

Proposals to increase and equalize the tax among all types of alcohol will tax small brewers at the highest rates because our specialty, gourmet and innovative beers typically have higher alcohol contents.

Brewers already pay a disproportionately higher share of taxes compared with other products – federal, state and local taxes represent over 40% of the retail price for beer while the same taxes equal nearly 24% of the price for all other purchases.

Higher taxes will worsen the economic recession – resulting in less competitive products, reduced sales and revenues, lost jobs and, for some small brewers, business closures.

$1 per case excise tax increase will typically cost the consumer at least $1.69 due to successive mark-ups as the case moves from brewer to wholesaler to retailer.

Many small brewers are struggling to deal with the consequences of the 2008 spike in ingredient and operational costs.

Beer of the Week: He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.

bayareabeer — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:52:32 +0000

The beer of the week is He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. by Shmaltz Brewing. This beer is a double IPA made with rye malt. Rye is one of my favorite ingredients that is being used a lot more these days. This beer is aggressively hoped and comes in at 10% abv. The RIPA pours a deep red almost caramel color with a large frothy head the dissipates down to a very thin layer. The aroma from this beer is sweet with a noticeable hop and rye with just a hint of alcohol. The first thing that you notice about the beer is it has a very strong malt character. Then you get that nice spicy rye flavor and the finish is all hops. There is just the slightest of of alcohol flavor. The beer is sweet and biter at the same time as the name would lead you to believe. The beer has a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel with just a little carbonation to offset it. I really like this beer but I wish they would also make an IPA version of this beer that could bring out the great rye and hop flavors of this beer. This beer is availible in 22oz bottles and on tap if you can find it. This is a great summer night cap beer.

Beer Events of the Week

bayareabeer — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:06:22 +0000

This is great week to be a beer fan in the Bay Area. Here are some of the great events going on this week.

Tuesday 6/2- Rouge Ale House in San Francisco will be hosting their second Meet the Brewer Night featuring Trumer Braurei of Berkley

Wednesday 6/3- Monks Kettle in San Francisco will be holding a Deschutes Beer Diner. The diner will feature a five course meal paired with the beers of Deschutes. The beers that they will be pouring with diner are Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Cider Cone Red, Red Chair IPA, Mirror Mirror and Blake Butte XX. The diner cost $80 and reservations must be made in advance.

Thursday 6/4- Every Thursday at City Beer store they feature a different flight of beers every week starting at 5:30pm.

Friday 6/5- The Jug Shop will be featuring an Around the World with Barley Wine tasting from 6-8pm for just ten dollars. They will be featuring different Barley Wines from around the world that will include Amager Batch One , Unibroue 17th Anniversary, Stone Old Gaurdian and Deschutes’ Mirror Mirror.

Saturday 6/6- The Monterey Beer Festival will be held at the Monterey Fair Grounds from 12:30 to 5:00pm. The festival will feature more than 70 breweries from around the world. Tickets can be purchased on-line until Friday at 5pm for $30 and if still available at the gate for $35. I will have more information on this event later in the week.

Beer of the Week: Russian River Pliny the Elder

bayareabeer — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:19:39 +0000

This weeks Beer of the Week is Russian River Brewing Company’s flag ship beer Pliny the Elder. This beer is renowned for being one of the best Imperial IPA’s in the world. First off this beer is an Imperial IPA with 8% abv and some where around 100 IBU’s that has won gold medals at both the World Beer Cup and The Great American Beer Festival. The beer pours a hazy golden yellow with a hint of orange with a frothy one inch white head that dissipates quickly. The aroma of this beer is all pine, grass and grapefruit hop aromas and no off putting alcohol that is common in this style. The beer has a nice malt backbone but from there on it is all hops but not overwhelming. The hop flavors start with a nice citrus flavor that transform into a dry slightly bitter finish. The hop flavor will stay with you a little while after you are done with the beer. It has a nice almost smooth mouthfeel. It is very drinkable and refreshing for a beer with almost a 100 IBU’s. This is one of my favorite beers of all time but those of you who are not hop heads yet you can give Russian Rivers Blind Pig IPA a try. It has similar flavors but just on a smaller scale. Pliny The Elder can be found on tap and in 500 ml bottles all over the Bay Area and is distributed to Southern California and a couple other states.

Meet the Brewer at Rouges in SF

bayareabeer — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:31:44 +0000

Tonight at the Rouge Ale House in San Francisco they with be have their weekly Meet the Brewer night featuring Denise Jones of Moylan’s Brewing. This is a fantastic brewery and she will be bringing some of their great beers to share with all that come out. She will be bringing Hopsicle, Imperial Stout and maybe more.

Beer of the Week: Full Sail Slipknot

bayareabeer — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:22:12 +0000

This weeks Beer of the Week is Full Sail’s Slipknot which one gold at the 2008 World Beer Championship. This is the first release of 2009 for the Brewmaster Reserve series of beers that they have been producing for more than ten years. The Slipknot is an Imperial IPA with 7.8% abv and around 80 IBUs. This beer pours a clear golden color with a one inch white head. There is a noticeable hop aroma that is more on the piny side. The flavor is more of a subtle hop up front for an imperial IPA but finishes with a strong hop flavor. The malt base is the first thing you taste followed by a bitter hop finish. The hop flavor is definitely more on the pine side than the floral or citrus flavors that are usually more predominate in this style. The mouth feel is also a little thin for a beer of almost 8% abv. The beer is very drinkable and would recommend picking one up soon before they are all gone. Slipknot should be off the shelves soon because the next Brewmaster Reserve beer, Imperial Porter, is available now.

Update on the Federal Tax Increase on Beer

bayareabeer — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:52:04 +0000

I recently received an e-mail as part of the American Homebrewers Association from Charlie Papazian president of the Brewers Association with an update on the federal tax increase on beer. Here is his statement:

Some of you are aware of the headline discussions in Washington DC this week and last week regarding proposals to dramatically increase Federal Excise Tax on brewers and other alcohol beverage industries. Brewers Association staff and those who are working on behalf of the Brewers Association in Washington, DC are in daily and regular communications on how to best represent small brewers concerns in these very critical discussions. Dramatic excise tax increases would be harmful to both small brewery businesses and to the existing American beer culture of enjoyment and responsibility.

Brewers Association

In order to gain strategic ground before any Federal Excise Tax increase was proposed, the Brewers Association earlier this year teamed up with the Beer Institute to help introduce two bills advocating a reduction in Federal Excise Tax. These two bills are House Bill H.R. 836 and Senate Bill S.1058. They are helpful as both a defense and as a proactive initiative. H.R. 836 has 178 co-sponsors. S.1058 introduced last week has an initial 7 co-sponsors in the Senate. These two bills can help us push back on proposals to dramatically increase excise taxes on small brewers and the industry as a whole.

Earlier this year small brewers were asked by BA to call their Representatives and ask them to sign on as co-sponsor of H.R. 836. Soon they will be receiving information asking them to call their Senator to become a co-sponsor of S. 1058.

In addition to the threat of Federal Excise Tax increases, the Administration’s new budget outline proposes the establishment of annual user fees to fund TTB’s agency budget, which in effect would be an additional tax on brewers and other related industries.

Brewers Association is involved in expressing concerns on behalf of small brewers and beer enthusiasts on these two legislative matters. You may hear from us in the near future regarding actions which you can be involved in on these matters.

The Brewers Association feels it is of utmost importance during these critical times that the beer industry present a united and coordinated effort on the federal level. This is why we have teamed with the Beer Institute to help us represent our constituencies. If you are involved or are considering being involved in any other Federal initiatives that would be relevant to American small brewers, please let us know about them.

Contact:

Paul Gatza paul@brewersassociation.org

Pete Johnson pete@brewersassociation.org

or Charlie Papazian charlie@brewersassociation.org

Note: On June 2, the Brewers Association is hosting a “Celebration of American Craft Beer” reception for congressional representatives and their staff on Capitol Hill. We will recognize the two co-chairs of the House Small Brewers Caucus, Peter DeFazio (OR) and Denny Rehberg (MT). The House Small Brewers Caucus (which currently has 46 members) has been championing issues relevant to both homebrewers and small brewers.

Brewers Association staff and brewery members will also attend and make presentations at the House Small Brewers Caucus’s meeting preceding the reception.

Thank you for your valued membership of the American Homebrewers Association,

Charlie Papazian, President

MateVeza Yerba Mate Ale Tasting

bayareabeer — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:22:59 +0000

The Jug Shop in San Francisco will be holding a tasting of MateVeza Yerba Mate Ale this Friday May 22nd from 6pm to 8pm. MateVeza Yerba Mate is an organic beer brewed with a South American natural form of caffeine called yerba mate. Their beers are brewed and bottled for them at Mendocino Brewing Company in Northern California. The two types of beer that they offer are a golden ale and an IPA. There should be more details on the tasting at the Jug Shops website soon.

Beer of the Week: Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere

bayareabeer — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:54:30 +0000

This weeks beer of the week is Sierra Nevada’s Southern Hemisphere that is 6.7% abv and has 66 ibus. This is part of Sierra Nevada’s Harvest Series which includes the Chico Estate and Wet Hop Pale Ales that are availible at different times throught the year. This beer features fresh hops from New Zealand because they harvest their hops in the spring time instead of the fall like we do up here in the northern hemisphere. The hops were picked, dried, shipped to Chico and put into the kettle with in one week. This beer was first made for the fist time last year and was the first US made beer to feature fresh New Zealand hops. The beer pours a nice golden copper color with an nice light refreshing hop aroma. The beer does not have that typical American Pale Ale taste that we are use to because of the use of New Zealand Motueka and New Zealand Southern Cross hops but it is still wonderful. The malt base is strong for a pale ale but the refreshing fresh hops are very noticeable with a nice citrus and grapefruit flavor. The smoth mouthfeel makes this beer an easy drinker. This is a great pale ale for those hot summer days that have come so quickly this year. The Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere is available in 24oz bottles for about $4 and is available now.

Arizona	Nevada
Arkansas	New Jersey
Delaware	New Mexico
Florida	New York
Idaho	North Dakota
Iowa	Oregon
Kansas	Texas
Kentucky	Utah
Maine	Washington
Massachusetts	West Virginia
Michigan	Wyoming
Montana

Baucus, Max (MT), Chairman	Bingaman, Jeff (NM)
Bunning, Jim (KY)	Cantwell, Maria (WA)
Carper, Thomas R. (DE)	Conrad, Kent (ND)
Cornyn, John (TX)	Crapo, Mike (ID)
Ensign, John (NV)	Enzi, Michael B. (WY)
Grassley, Chuck (IA), Ranking Member	Hatch, Orrin G. (UT)
Kerry, John F. (MA)	Kyl, Jon (AZ)
Lincoln, Blanche L. (AR)	Menendez, Robert (NJ)
Nelson, Bill (FL)	Roberts, Pat (KS)
Rockefeller, John D. (WV)	Schumer, Charles E. (NY)
Snowe, Olympia J. (ME)	Stabenow, Debbie (MI)
Wyden, Ron (OR)