Archives for March 2018

French Broad River Brewery in Asheville, North Carolina by Edwin Arnaudin
One of the Big Four breweries that formed the Asheville beer scene before there was such a thing, French Broad River Brewery remains a local force alongside fellow mainstays Highland Brewing Co., Green Man Brewery and Asheville Brewing Co.

Founded in 2001 and housed in plain warehouse on the edge of Biltmore Village near Hillman Beer and Catawba Brewing Co.’s original Asheville outpost, French Broad offers a similar no-fuss vibe through its decor, atmosphere and beers that’s made it a longtime favorite among area residents.

Intimate seating inside the taproom, often right next to live acoustic music, and a handful of outdoor tables by the entrance keep the space immune from overbearing crowds and place the focus firmly on one of Western North Carolina’s most reliable and balanced year-round beer portfolios.

A flight of Wee-Heavy-Er Scotch Ale, 13 Rebels ESB, IPA, Ryehopper Rye Pale Ale, Gateway Kolsch and Anvil Porter showcase the brewery’s range of styles and is typically augmented by a seasonal brew, from the Zepptemberfest Märzen and Dry Irish Stout to a Flanders Red and the Wee-Heaviest Belgian-style Scotch Ale.

Visitors may take French Broad’s beer home in cans and 22 ounce bombers, both at the brewery and area grocery stores, though the taproom itself is poised to become more of a destination.

After local brewpub chain the Thirsty Monk came close to purchasing French Broad, Sarah and Paul Casey of Chapel Hill became its new owners in 2017. The couple restored “River” to the brewery’s name, implemented a rebranding with watery font and imagery and have additional aspirations to keep their company innovative in an ever-competitive local market. Plans are afoot to expand and renovate the current building’s interiors, maintaining the character of the existing taproom while offering additional space for patrons and brewing capacity.

French Broad River Brewery
101 Fairview Rd. #D
Asheville, NC 28803
Phone: (828) 277-0222
frenchbroadbrewery.com

Anderson Valley Brewing is the first brewery in America to have our own 18-hole disc golf course. It’s no secret they share a passion for brewing excellence and a love for the sport of disc golf. So, it was only a matter of time before they would craft a beer to celebrate the two.  Brewed with Chinook and Columbus then heavily dry-hopped with Citra and New Zealand Ekuanot, Hop Hyzer is juicy pale ale bursting with tropical fruit aromas and citrus flavors with a clean and mellow bitterness. And at only 4.9%, it’s the perfect beer to complement a casual round with friends or a weekly doubles match. Tee one up and you’ll see what they are talking about.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company has been a long-time supporter of the sport through disc golf-themed promotions, regional tournament sponsorships such as the San Francisco Safari, and hosting the Annual Legendary Boontfling held each August here in Boonville, CA. We’re excited to see disc golf become one of the fastest growing sports in the world and will continue to support it for years to come.

FOOD & CHEESE PAIRINGS:
Farmhouse cheddar, Buffalo Wings, Chicken Vindaloo

ALC/VOL:
4.9%

BITTERNESS:
40 IBU

MALTS:
Pale Two-Row, Wheat, Oats

HOPS:
Chinook, Columbus, Citra, Ekuanot

History of Anderson Valley Brewing
Anderson Valley Brewing Company was founded on December 26th, 1987 in the town of Boonville, CA. In the beginning, we brewed out of a modest 10-barrel brewhouse located in the lower level of our original brewpub, The Buckhorn Saloon. At the time, we were one of only 20 craft breweries in the country and have long been considered one of the pioneers of the craft beer industry.

By 1996, the demand for our award winning ales exceeded the capacity of our 10-barrel brewery, so we started construction on our current facility at the corner of Highways 128 and 253, just one mile down the road from the Buckhorn Saloon. Surrounded by rolling hills peppered with century-old oaks to the west and towering redwood forests to the east, our 26-acre property houses a 100-barrel brewhouse, tasting room, beer garden, and is home to the first 18-hole disc golf course ever to be built at a brewery.

Boulder, Colorado—The Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers—today released its Beer Style Guidelines for 2018. Reviewed and revised annually by the BA, these guidelines serve as a model resource for brewers, beer judges and competition organizers, and celebrate the great diversity of beer around the world.

Hundreds of revisions, edits, format changes and additions were made to this year’s guidelines, including updates to existing beer styles and the creation of new categories. Updates of note include:

• Juicy or Hazy Ale Styles: The addition of this trio of styles include representation of what may be referred to as New England IPAs or West Coast Hazy IPAs. The styles will be identified in the guidelines and Brewers Association competitions as “Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale,” “Juicy or Hazy IPA” and “Juicy or Hazy Double IPA.”
• Contemporary American-Style Pilsener: The addition of this new category addresses marketplace expansion and provides space for sessionable craft brew lager beers with higher hop aroma than found in pre-prohibition style beers.
• Classic Australian-Style Pale Ale and Australian-Style Pale Ale: This split from one to two Australian-Style Pale Ale categories reflects tremendous diversity in the Australian craft beer market and authoritative input from the technical committee of the Independent Brewers Association. Classic Australian-Style Pale Ale can run slightly darker and typically exhibits relatively lower hop aroma. The Australian-Style Pale Ale category provides ample room for a range of somewhat paler, more hop aroma- and flavor-forward beers being produced today by hundreds of breweries in Australia.
• Gose and Contemporary Gose: Predominantly technical tweaks were made to create more differentiation between these two categories.

The Brewers Association’s Beer Style Guidelines reflect, as much as possible, historical significance, authenticity or a high profile in the current commercial beer market. The addition of a style or the modification of an existing one is not undertaken lightly and is the product of research, analysis, consultation and consideration of market actualities, and may take place over a period of time. Another factor considered is that current commercial examples do not always fit well into the historical record, and instead represent a modern version of the style.

To help inform the creation of the new Juicy and Hazy categories, a wide variety of beers that were thought to represent or approach this style were sought and tasted.

“What we discovered and verified was that there was a wide range of alcohol content for what was being perceived in the public as just one style,” said Charlie Papazian, chief of the BA Beer Style Guidelines since 1979, and founder and past president, Brewers Association. “After evaluating appearance, aroma, bitterness, hop characters, mouthfeel and overall balance these beers gave a consistent impression that helped frame the Brewers Association’s inaugural guidelines for three styles of Juicy Hazy ales.”

“The Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines, led by Charlie Papazian for the past 30+ years, are a trusted resource for the brewing industry worldwide,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Brewers Association. “The guidelines have fostered a lexicon that has allowed the community of drinkers and brewers to talk about beer and celebrate beer across diverse cultures, around the world.”

The 2018 Beer Style Guidelines are available for download Here

Note: New styles will take effect for the 2018 Great American Beer Festival® competition. Suggestions for adding or updating a beer style guideline may be submitted online at BrewersAssociation.org.

About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 4,000-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup℠, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Homebrew Con, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine, and Brewers Publications™ is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com.

In May 2016, 24/7 Wall Street came out with a ranking of America’s drunkest cities. The list is based on self-reported drinking rates among adults in 381 metropolitan areas across the country. That data was then aggregated with county level data from a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program, called County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. These are the results(Click Here for full listing and story: CBS News)
1. Appleton, Wisconsin
2. Oshkosh-Neenah, Wisconsin
3. Green Bay, Wisconsin
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Fargo, North Dakota
6. La Crosse – Onalaska, Wisconsin
7. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
8. Ames, Iowa
9. Eau Claire, Wisconsin
10. Mankato-North Mankato, Minnesota
11. Wausau, Wisconsin
12. Sheboygan, Wisconsin
13. Missoula, Montana
14. Grand Forks, North Dakota
15. Racine, Wisconsin
16. Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin
17. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin
18. Lincoln, Nebraska
19. Iowa City, Iowa
20. Corvallis, Oregon

McGuire’s Irish Pub – Pensacola, FL
McGuire’s Irish Pub first opened in 1977 as a small neighborhood pub in a shopping center. McGuire cooked and tended bar and Molly waited tables and greeted customers. When Molly made her first tip -one dollar- she tacked it to the back bar for good luck. Friends of the pub added to the collection and it soon became tradition. Today you will see over 1 million one dollar bills hanging from the ceiling throughout the Pub, all of which have been signed by Irishmen of all nationalities.  In 1982 McGuire’s moved to its current location, Pensacola’s original 1927 Old Firehouse. The old “firehouse” look has become a true landmark, and inside the pub, a turn-of-the-century, New York Irish Saloon theme reigns. Guests are often in “awe” as they pass through the theme-oriented rooms at McGuire’s. Whether it’s the Pipers Den, Notre Dame Room, The Irish Links Room or the Ruprecht O’Tolf Wine Cellar, McGuire’s Irish Pub is a 400-seat, 20,000 square foot landmark with a staff of over 200 warm and friendly faces.
McGuire’s Brewery
McGuire’s offers fine Ale’s, Porters and Stouts brewed on premise in our traditional oak and copper brewery. Nature and the old-time know-how of a masterbrewer get the job done here. They brew with only the finest malted barley, imported hops, and McGuire’s very own house yeast.

Mcguire’s currently brew five regular beers and a rotating seasonal.  Their regular line up includes McGuire’s Light Ale, McGuire’s Irish Red Ale, McGuire’s Porter and McGuire’s Irish Stout. Our seasonal selections include Scotch Ale, Honey Wheat, Wild Irish Raspberry Wheat, Belgian Ale, India Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, Extra Special Bitter Altbier and Christmas Ale; just to name a few. They also make a very popular root beer served draft, right out of the keg.

Stop in for a tour of the brewery during your next visit. Mcguire’s brewmasters, Mike at McGuire’s in Pensacola or Gary or Tom at McGuire’s of Destin will gladly show you around and answer your questions. If you are a homebrewer, you may take some of  their yeast with you to try on your next batch. You can reach their brewmasters by phone at (850) 433-6789 in Pensacola and (850) 650-0000 in Destin.

History of Saint Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, cèilidhs, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.

Top 10 U.S. Cities to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day(according to US News and World Report)
1. Boston, MA
2. Savannah, GA
3. New London, Wisconsin
4. Chicago
5. Hot Springs, Arkansas
6. North Kansas City, Missouri
7. New York City
8. O’Neill, Nebraska
9. Enterprise, Alabama
10. New Orleans

St. Patrick’s Day by the Numbers
13 Million pints of Guiness will be consumed worldwid on St. Patrick’s Day
60% of Americans plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
$5.9billion will be spent of St. Patrick’s Day
$40 is the average amount a St. Patrick’s partiers will spend
45 pounds of dye is used to turn the Chicago River Green
1962 was the first year the Chicago River was dyed green
$1.3 million is the market value of a leprechaun’s pot of gold contain 1,000 1 ounce coins.
4th-St. Patrick’s Days rank amoung the most popular drinking days.
16 cities in the United States are named Dublin.
1737 – The year of the first St. Patrick’s Day parade held in Boston not Ireland

The Brewers Association released its annual list of the Top 50 U.S. craft brewing companies Wednesday. The Top 50 list is compiled based on beer sales by volume in 2017.

“In an increasingly competitive and mature marketplace, these brewing companies continue to lead and pave the path for small and independent craft brewers,” says Bart Watson, chief economist at the Brewers Association.

The Brewers Association (BA), publishers of CraftBeer.com, is the not-for-profit trade group representing small and independent craft brewers. The BA board of directors is the body that sets the definition of a craft brewer.

Small – Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.

Independent – Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional – A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

In June 2017, the BA released the independent craft brewer seal to help beer lovers recognize which brewers fit the craft definition. More than 3,000 breweries have adopted the logo in eight months. Look for the seal — an upside-down beer bottle — on packaging, labels, tap handles at more in breweries and at the grocery store.

Here’s a full look at the Top 50 U.S. craft brewing companies. And before you go sounding off in the comment section, this fact bears repeating: the Top 50 list is solely based on beer sales by volume — this list doesn’t rank breweries by ratings.

Emil Clemens Horst was once the world’s largest hop grower, cultivating more acres of hops than anyone else at the time. Hops, a key ingredient in brewing beer, require very specific growing conditions, typically thriving in nutrient-rich floodplains near rivers. One of Horst’s earliest and most successful hop farms was located along the American River in Sacramento—on the site now known as Campus Commons.

Horst played a pivotal role in transforming hop production with a patented mechanical separator that streamlined the harvesting process by efficiently removing the hops from the vines and leaves. Although the invention is credited to Horst, it was actually developed by his son-in-law.

A historic film produced between 1900 and 1910 captures the hop harvesting process and the journey of the product to market. Originally stored in a Thomas A. Edison-branded 35mm nitrate film canister, the film was initially thought to be one of California’s earliest commercial motion pictures. Upon closer inspection, the reel turned out to be a reversal copy consisting of three distinct segments.

The first portion features the hop separator operating on Horst’s Campus Commons ranch. The second shows hop fields that may be located in Hopland, California, or possibly Oregon. The final segment documents the weighing and transport of baled hops by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, likely near Portland, Oregon.

When the film underwent restoration, technicians speculated that parts of it could have been shot as early as 1908, possibly by Harold J. McCurry. Editing and compilation may have been handled by the Weister Motion Picture Manufacturing Company of Portland, Oregon. Historical records from the Oregon Historical Society indicate that Weister was only active in 1911 and 1912.

Information and video provided by the Center for Sacramento History, and thanks to Jay Brooks for showing me this film exists.

 

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