New Year, New Beer Glass, Three New Reviews!

Hope you all had a delighfully splendiferous holiday break, and the most joyous of tidings for the New Year!   2011 is shaping up to be a fine year for beer, but then again, whenever you choose to devote yourself to the epicurean pursuit of malted goodness, every year is a fine year indeed.  I also hope that some of you were able to get your hands on some new brews over the holidays, because there were a lot of goodies to be had this season.   I'm not going to lie, I think I did pretty well for myself this year - four new beer and brewing books, two sample packs with accompanying glassware, a few rarer/limited individual bottles and a few old favorites.   A great little Christmas haul, if I do say so myself. 

First, a bit of housekeeping.  This year for 2011, I've decided to increase the frequency of my postings, in order to provide a greater sampling of the brews I've encountered in my travels.   What this will hopefully mean is that there will be more 'shorter' posts in the form of a quick review, with less-frequent 'big' posts about whatever beer-related topic on which I feel like going into exhaustive depth.  Previously, I've been saving up my postings to cover a lot of ground in one big post, which tended to be a bit too infrequent and, frankly, harder to write.   Hopefully with this new approach, there will be a greater chance that there will be a new post on the blog for you to check out, rather than only every week or so. 

So, now that I've set up a new blogging rule, allow me the pleasure to immediately break it!

Don't worry, I'll make a better start with this next time round.  First, however, here's a three pack review of my gift pack from HirschBrau that the lovely Michelle bought me for Christmas.  Since I've been nursing these brews over the course of the past week and a half, I can give them a go in one fell swoop.    Allons-y!

Der HirschBrau (Privatbrauerei Hoess) is located in the Alpine town of Sonthofen, Bavaria, which happens to be the most-southern town in all of Germany.   Seriously, you could huck a rock from their city hall and there's a good chance that it will land in Austria (citation needed).   Many of their brew names refer to the surrounding region of Allgäu, nestled right between Swabia and Bavaria.  This is seriously lovely alpine country, so much so that "Mad" King Ludwig II decided to build his crowning jewel, Neuschwanstein Castle, smack dab in the middle of it - and only a few miles away from the HirschBrau brewery.   Neuschwanstein is really the mother of all castles, renowed around the world for it's impressive design; its Romantic feel, featuring huge spires and towers inspired Walt Disney to build similar castles at his resorts.   Having a castle such as this in their backyard, coupled with the surrounding Alpine countryside means that HirschBrau is definitely a brewery one should make a visit to someday.   The gift pack included three brews - two weizen and a Munich lager - along with a tall, narrow glass emblazoned with the bottle design from the lager, Neuschwansteiner.  Naturally, there's a lovely image of the castle on the front.  ("Das Echte" is, as I'm told, German for 'the genuine/real')   As I tend to do with bottles from gift set, I used the same glass (a 'stange' glass, for those interested) for all three brews. 

Beer: Weisser Hirsch

Type: Hefeweizen

ABV: 5.2%

First off is their hefeweizen, a brewing style I absolutely love coming back to.  Even though hefe's taste their best on a hot summer's day, I'll happily drink one every day of the year.  Though I should probably pour this into a weizen glass, I'm enjoying using my Neuschwansteiner stange too much.

Because of the size of the glass compared to the volume of the bottle, lots of top-up pours were necessary.  A pale, cloudy golden brew, left behind a sturdy, foamy head.  Surprisingly good retention, lots of lacing to boot.  Not too shabby at all.  Some reviewers have noticed very little head, if any at all; fortunately, mine turned out alright.  Hefes are definitely a style with which I like to see a big billowing pile of foam on the top of my glass.   The glass may not have done it justice, but at least it was there.

The nose is mild, but pleasant.  Notes of citrus, wheat malt, clove, a bit of coriander.  Some floral aromas and bubblegum as well, hiding in the back.

Weisser Hirsch proves to be a decent-tasting weissbier, citrussy and refreshing.  The malt character is surprisingly potent here; each sip yields a slightly nutty flavor to the finish.  Thinner in flavor towards the end.  There isn't as much substance to this brew as can be found in the great German wheat beers, but certainly enough to be pleasing to drink. 

Mouthfeel is a bit watery, but the carbonation is about right, maybe just a touch low. Because of the head's retention, there's a creamy texture to it as well.

No complaints here - refreshing and easy to quaff.  It won't earn a spot among my all-time top hefeweizen list, but it goes down well, has some good flavors and pretty much does what it sets out to do. Not going to argue with that!  (Grade: B)

Beer: Dunkler Hirsch

Type: Dunkelweizen

ABV: 5.2%

(Sorry for the poor photo, folks.  I sampled this one late at night and the lighting wouldn't cooperate...)

Dunkelweizens are very similar to their 'hefe' counterparts, but the particular yeast and malting process yields a darker, maltier, nuttier brew than the citric, light hefeweizen.   Many breweries that specialize in wheat beers will feature both styles in their lineup.

Mahogany chestnut in colour, with brilliant orange-golden around the edges.  Cloudy, nearly opaque.  Several attempts at swirling the bottle failed to produce much in the way of head, though - anything gained quickly dissolved into the thinnest of rings.  A bit surprising, not what I like to see in a dunkel, but at least the colour is nice.  (At this point, I began to wonder about whether the brews in the giftpacks sent to Ontario didn't hold up as well as they should have.  Sometimes exporting can be a bitch, I guess...)

Nose is hazelnut, malted wheat, chocolate, sweet lemon (lemon candy), spice. Not much in the way of yeast, but overall the usual dunkel notes are all there.
Like the Weisser, the Dunkler Hirsch is smooth, and easy to drink.  Surprisingly meaty to the finish. Malty, with milt notes of banana, spice and chocolate.  An occasional hit of bubblegum now and again. Sweet, but enjoyable; paired well with some sesame peanut chicken.

"The Dunkler!!"

Mouthfeel was a touch under-carbonated, but surprisingly silky. Pinpoint carbonation. Creamy.

The Dunkler proved to be my favorite of the three (the others being a hefe and Munich helles), flavorful and enjoyable to drink.  Not near the standards set by the giants of German weizen brewing, but still this one is worth a go.  (Grade: B)

Beer: Neuschwansteiner
Type: Munich Helles Lager
ABV: 4.7%

Munich Helles lagers are a bit of a 'reactionary' brew, as they were designed to represent a German challenge the massive popularity of the new Czech Pilsner.  Helles lagers are thus light, floral, malty, and with a nice little hop character as well.

This was the last of the gift set, and the inspiration behind the choice of glassware included in the pack.   Unfortunately, I can't really say this brew was worthy of sporting the world's most famous castle on it's chest...

Poured a deep golden, slightly opaque, leaves behind a thin head with some flecks of lacing.  I must say this is a rather limp looking brew, nothing zippy or exciting about it.   In order for any head to appear in the picture, I had to vigorously swirl the bottle, pour out enough to make the head, then hope the camera was ready in time - it left that quickly.  Little visible carbonation, pours a bit soupy.  Sadly, this already looks flat.  Another swirl to fill the glass a second time did little to spring some life into things. 


Nose is decidedly more pleasant, with lemon, herbal hops, Munich malts, a nice grainy, farmland feel to it.

Tastes like a sweet German pilsner, with the emphasis on a solid malt profile and lemon/herbal hops.  A bit too sweet for my tastes, but there is certainly nothing artificial to this brew.   However, the whole thing feels rather flat and watery, not really doing it for me.  A classic example of a flavorful brew that gets killed by a lacklustre mouthfeel.  The carbonation provides the occasional zip of flavor, but generally it feels flat and lifeless.  I'm actually wondering if the brew's gone a bit past its prime, but it's only been in the fridge for a day or two and the gift set was a recent purchase, with the hefeweizen and dunkelweizen tasting and feeling just fine the night before.  So I'm not really sure that's the problem. But, since I'm obligated to base my review on what I have in front of me, rather than what I think it should have been, I have to say this one missed the mark.

I really have to stress that this was not a poor-tasting brew. It's quite flavorful and has most of the things I'm looking for in a Munich helles.  However, the poor appearance and lifeless body reveal one of two things: that Neuschwansteiner doesn't ship well to Ontario (and hopefully tastes better in its native Southern Germany), or this beer is simply not among the brewery's best.  Since I so enjoyed their bock and hefeweizen imports, I'm going to lean towards the latter.  (Grade: C+)

To really give this brew justice, I might just have to make a trip to southern Germany to sample it fresh on tap.   With the lovely Bavarian countryside, the mighty Allgauer Alps, and one of the world's great castles all within sight, I'm sure making a trip to the brewery will not be an unpleasant experience whatsoever.  In the meantime, I'll keep using my HirschBrau glass, look at the image of Neuschwanstein, and dream...

Christmas Eve Review! - Quebec Beer #2: A Sultry Black

A wonderful Christmas Eve to you all!  It's cold and clear and shaping up to be a lovely white Christmas in Waterloo.  I hope all of you managed to get wherever you wanted to be for the holidays, and that the day is filled with family, happiness - and hopefully an ale or two!

Thought I'd do a quick review before the festivities truly begin, this being another gem from my Quebec Beer Haul!  Enjoy! 

Beer: Porter Baltique Grande Cuvee

Brewery: Les Trois Mousquetaires (Brossard, PQ)

Type: Baltic Porter

ABV: 10%

Baltic Porters are similar to Russian Imperial Stouts, in that their high ABV's and big malt profile meant for better shipping to colder climes - in this case, the Baltic ports of Russia.  Rich, hearty, full of boozy goodness - a great winter brew as well!

Les Trois Mousquetaire's version is one black hole of a brew from which light cannot escape. Seriously, this stuff is dark.  As the brew warmed up in the tall bottle, I was more successful in producing a bit of mocha head, but not much.  There's little lacing as well, with just a thin ring surviving. Looks like this is what other folks have got from this batch as well, so I'm not worried.   Great colour, though.

Nose is lovely - dark and milk chocolate, coffee, cream, cherry, grape, figs and raisins. A wonderful roasty smoke taste as well.

Tastes as good as it smells: a luscious blend of flavors from the imperial stout palette, but it distinguishes itself with a creamy, milk-stout character and a fruity profile more reminiscent of an English brown or plain porter.  Lots going on here.  Molasses, espresso, hazelnut also make an appearance.  Finishes slightly dry and bitter.

The body is thick and creamy, with slightly higher than expected carbonation, but this was definitely a good thing to keep the thickness and ABV in check. Not chalky or anything - a good silky feel.

Not the best looking brew on the block, but this brew scored big points where it counts - the flavor department. Lots of tasting notes to keep even the most discerning beer geek busy. I've been very happy with LTM so far, and their Baltic Porter, while not the blow-you-away brew beer I was expecting, was certainly a quality, flavorful brew. Well worth a pick up if you can find it!  (Grade: A-)

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I'll see you after the holiday!

Matt's Beer Den at the Movies: A Review of "Beer Wars"

“Frankly, over here we find your American beer is a little like making love in a canoe.  It’s fucking close to water.” - Eric Idle


If the beer industry landscape as portrayed by Anat Baron in her 2009 documentary film "Beer Wars" is to be believed, then it is most certainly a very bleak one indeed.   In the increasingly-aggressive competition to win the patronage of the American beer-drinking consumer, flavor is out and sameness is in, at least for the major breweries that dominate the market.  As the film explains, there really are only three major American brewery players in the game, and they want things to stay that way.  At the time of the film's release, Anheuser-Busch held a nearly 50% market share of the nation's beer, and with its total output combined with the two next-highest sellers, Miller and Coors, respectively, the Big Three (referred to derisively in the beer geek lingo as 'BMC') hold more than three quarters of the entire market.  A serious, possibly insurmountable challenge for the nation's micro or "craft" breweries to overcome.  To be fair, the status quo of brewing world can hardly be said to differ from that of most other industries, with a few winners soaking in the sun and hundreds of smaller  pretenders finding a niche and surviving as best they can.  But the trees that occupy the canopy are not satisfied with simply being at the top.   The big breweries utilize whatever tools they can to maintain and to increase their market share, be it through brewery acquisitions or buyouts, aggressive marketing campaigns and lucrative sponsorship, glutting the market, and even outright imitation and duplication of rivals' practices - just as other large companies in other fields have done in order to secure their primacy.  It's a tough world down at the bottom, but there are some interesting characters to be found there.

 What follows in "Beer Wars" is Baron's exploration of the recent successes of the 'craft beer movement' and the counter-revolution initiated by the Big Three brewers.  "Beer Wars" is above all else a film, and it is a highly enjoyable one at that.  Baron uses some classic documentary film tricks (animated segments and backstory, adorable 1950s commercials, apropos clips from Monty Python, Cheers, etc.) to keep the entertainment level high.  Not that I needed additional sources of entertainment - learning about beer is all the excitement I need for one afternoon - but I appreciated the Michael Moore/Morgan Spurlock feel.   Anat Baron is also an interesting character herself: a former executive with Mike's Hard Lemonade who, lamentably, cannot drink herself!  Because of this allergy to alcohol, at the very least we can say that Baron is not swayed one way or another by personal tastes.   Baron, like many documentary filmmakers, frames her story around several important figures to give the beer industry story a human face.   Unsurprisingly, the human face is represented by the craft brewers and brewing entrepreneurs, which include Jim Koch of Samuel Adams, Brooklyn Brewery's brewmaster and beer chef Garrett Oliver, and even a quick word from the founders of Beer Advocate, the Allstrom Brothers.  The two figures that receive the most of Baron's attention are interesting characters to say the least, although I am not sure I completely agree with one of her choices. 

She first makes the journey out to Delaware to meet with Sam Calaglione, founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and one of these so-called "lunatic-fringe" brewers who, fed up with the lack of selection and flavor available in mainstream beer, began brewing the kind of beer he wanted to drink at home in the early 1990s.  Consumers have responded favorably to his wares, and sales have been steadily rising (his 60 Minute IPA is occasionally available at the LCBO), allowing Dogfish Head to grow to be one of the largest independent craft brewers in the Eastern United States.  Though Sam and the Dogfish team have achieved what can be declared a 'success-story' in the craft brewing world, theirs is a business fraught with challenges.   As Baron demonstrates, perhaps the greatest obstacle facing new brewers is the act of physically getting their products on the store shelves and in the bars.   Brewers like Dogfish are limited in their ability to ship their brews over long distances because of the so-called "three-tier system" of beer delivery.  Simply put: in order to keep breweries far away from the retailers (a throwback to the Prohibition repeal process), brewers must work through intermediaries - wholesalers - to deliver their products to the nation's supermarkets,  liquor stores and retail outlets.   This works well, if of course you happen to be one of the larger brewers that owns shares or contracts with the wholesalers; smaller brewers must either hire their own wholesalers (too expensive), piggyback on bigger brewers' trucks (unlikely, expensive, no guarantee space will be made), or become affiliated with the larger brewers through ownership (loss of control).  This system, the one the political beer lobby and the major brewers wholeheartedly favour, effectively restricts smaller breweries from expanding their output past a certain range, or forces them to ship privately to other markets, raising their costs - and thus the price - significantly.

But the problems don't end there.  When the beer finally makes it to the stores, there is still no guarantee that craft brews will receive favorable positioning and shelf space because the bigger breweries have already set up arrangements with retailers to  put their products in the 'plum' spots (at eye level, just inside the fridge door).  In one liquor store visited by Baron, Bud Light alone controls an entire section of fridge space, the shelves packed with endless (and probably unnecessary) permutations of its product: 24 pack, 12 packs, 6 packs, 6 packs of cans, individual cans, etc.  By flooding the shelves with product, Bud Light achieves what is known as a "billboard effect", whereby the sheer volume of beer on display acts as a sort of advertisement in and of itself, while also effectively shutting out the competition from a critical section of the beer aisle.  A similar effect occurs in Ontario's 'The Beer Store', which is majority-owned by the largest breweries in the province: Labatt, Molson-Coors, and Sleeman.  While their products are displayed in large piles on the floor for easy impulse access,  those of smaller breweries are relegated to "somewhere inconvenient in the back."  On top of all of this, craft breweries often find themselves on the receiving end of lawsuits from major brewers; in the film, Dogfish receives one such suit from Anheuser ordering them to cease marketing certain brews because of 'name infringement' (this case was eventually dismissed).  Few of these lawsuits have much merit, and appear to be designed to intimidate or pressure smaller brewers, rather than as a means to correct wrongs.   Indeed, a constant theme of "Beer Wars" is of Anheuser-Busch's increasingly aggressive tactics to prevent craft breweries from growing into a position where they can pose a legitimate threat.   The question remains: what exactly is Budweiser, with its 50% marketing share, afraid of?   Is it the fact that Americans are increasingly becoming drawn to beers that differ from the standard industrial pale lager fare?  It can sometimes be difficult to tell.

All, or at least most of these aggressive business practices could be excused somewhat if the company in question manages to produce a quality product that deserves to be found in shops across the country.  That is, after all, the supposed benefit of a capitalist market for the consumer - that the better product will win out.  An early South Park episode ('Gnomes') hammered this point home with its spoof of the success of Starbucks ('Harbucks' in the show). When Harbucks begins plans to open a new store in South Park, the company is immediately perceived to be a a villainous, greedy, soulless megacorporation - much to the satisfaction of threatened 'small-town' coffee shop owner Mr. Tweak. Yet when the townspeople eventually finally overcome their initial aversions and agree to try Harbucks coffee, they find that they actually enjoy it - far more so, in fact, than the local coffee produced by Mr. Tweak.  The real Starbucks achieved its success in part by producing good coffee, perhaps not enough to justify a place at nearly every street corner in North America, but certainly enough for some degree of ubiquity.  This isn't to say that small coffee shops can't make a great cup of joe; indeed, some of my very favorite caffeine sessions have been in little shops in small towns across the counry.  But the point is made that small shops aren't necessarily, by virtue of their being small, better.  Returning to the beer, while BMC might maintain a massive percentage of the market, did they get there by producing the a better beverage or appealing to what the public wants?  A filmed taste-test conducted for the documentary seems to demonstrate otherwise. Volunteers, many selected specifically because of their avowed devotion to either Miller, Coors or Budweiser, were unable to identify their favorite brew from amongst their competitors despite years of practice. All three brewers are producing beer that is virtually indistinguishable from one another - it's golden, thin, easy to drink and tastes more or less the same as its major competitors (though BMC representatives will vigorously refute this assertion).  As Canadian beer-writer and instigator of the Canadian craft beer movement Frank Appleton declared: "Corporate beer is not too heavy, not too bitter, not too alcoholic, not too malty.  In other words, corporate beer reduces every characteristic that makes beer beer." Thus, Boston Brewery founder Jim Koch's statement in the film that "most Americans have never had a real beer" rings particularly true.  As more and more Americans become aware that there is more to beer than the industrial pale lager, wallets are more frequently lightened with craft beer purchases than ever before.  Although their overall market share is still at a mere 10%, American independent brewery sales are growing annually; in some regions, like the microbrewing mecca of Portland, Oregon, that number hovers closer to twenty percent. 

Step One: Brew Beer.  Step Two...  Step Three: Profit!!

So clearly, smaller breweries are better - right?  Does craft beer in general thus deserve to be so universally lauded while the standard bigmarket output is so universally maligned?  This crucial question is given little attention in the film, and some consideration of the issue would have done wonders to help "Beer Wars" rise above the simple 'David vs. Goliath' theme that is featured in countless other 'anti-corporation' documentaries.   In my opinion, most craft brews out there are indeed a great deal better than the 'corporate' BMC fare, but I also feel that simply being a small brewer doesn't guarantee that the beer will be any good.  Indeed, I've had many brews from small, craft breweries that failed to impress to the point where a Keiths or Moosehead would have been the far-preferable option.  Being the little guy isn't enough.  Baron attempts to demonstrate the challenges of new breweries to break into the scene, but does so with a lousy example, the film's second major character. 

New brewery owner Rhonda Kallman is a young, attractive mother of two and a former second-in-command with Samuel Adams, one of America's largest craft breweries.  After determining that she had learned all she could learn at Sam Adams, Kallman decided to enter the brewing world for herself, eventually founding the New Century Brewing Company in Massachusetts.   Her flagship brew, "Moonshot", is a unique one: a light lager infused with caffeine to provide an extra jolt to help consumers 'keep the party going.'   Though a few bars, restaurants and stores in the Northeast have picked up Moonshot, the overall company outlook has not been good.  Shots of Kallman pitching her brew to various players in the industry (including, perhaps out of desperation, some BMC reps) indicate that she has achieved minimal results.  With Kallman working long hours to get her company off the ground, her family-life clearly has suffered somewhat with Mommy being away from home for so long and the family finances so tied into the success of Moonshot.  It's a sad situation that will be all too familiar to struggling entrepreneurs and business owners everywhere.  Despite all one's hard work - and the comforting presence of countless motivational posters -success isn't a guarantee, especially in such a competitive environment as the brewing industry.  One is undoubtedly supposed to feel sorry for Kallman and draw parallels between her situation and that of the craft brewing movement as a whole. But Baron's study of Kallman's situation fails to address that most critical aspect of any story about brewing: does the beer taste any good?  In all the discussions of how much trouble Kallman was having because of external forces and natural industry challenges, there wasn't a whole lot to be said about the beer itself.  In Kallman's case, her Moonshot brew came across to me as nothing more than a niche-filling novelty brew, something designed to attract the attention of the heavy-drinking, party-till-the-early-morning crowd who rely upon additional stimulants like Red Bull to keep rolling.  But those who want that extra buzz already have Red Bull; those who want to drink a beer aren't likely to be looking for a caffeinated beer.  They just want a good-tasting beer, which doesn't seem to be the case for Moonshot.  Reviewers at Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate have almost unanimously given Moonshot very poor reviews in terms of flavor and quality.  Without a great product or a market niche to tap in to, it doesn't look like Moonshot has a great shot at success, nor does it really seem like it deserves to be there.  Not all breweries fail because of aggressive competition and unfavorable situations; sometimes, the beer just isn't that great.  A bit more discussion into the risks of experimentation and the challenges of establishing a customer base that actually likes the beer would have taken this film so much further, and would have made for a more representative picture of the craft beer industry.

Despite this criticism, I must say I was still generally very pleased with "Beer Wars."  It was well-made, funny, mostly fair, and told an important story - at least an important story for those who love beer.  For those whose idea of the perfect beer is a bottle of cold Budweiser, the film alerted them to the existence of a craft beer alternative that might just be worth a try.  Many baby-boom Americans, like their Canadian counterparts, grew up in an era where there were very few drinking options to choose from, and so their devotion to a particular bland is fully understandabel.   With liquor stores filled with more beer options, many seasoned beer quaffers (like my father and many of my family friends) have whole-heartedly embraced the unique flavors and diverse styles available in craft beer.  The same goes for those eager to support the 'locally grown' movement; as a bartender myself, my heart leaps just a little every time a customer, searching for their nightly beer selection, asks me "What's local?"  Hopefully, the film might encourage even just a few folks to do the same.   For those those who already have developed a passion for craft brewing, "Beer Wars" serves as a reminder that the revolution for flavor and variety still faces serious obstacles and resistance from various political and industrial players.  If you love your craft beer, keep supporting it, because BMC and the big brewery players will keep pushing for your beer dollars. 

Although the film didn't really tell me anything I didn't know or suspect before, it was nevertheless an important film that I whole-heartedly believe will further the cause of craft brewing in the United States (and hopefully Canada). And that's something worth celebrating.