Playing over .640 baseball means that things have gone very well for the Philadelphia Phillies so far this season. But nothing of importance has been secured yet.
Ryan Howard will need to carry more of his team's playoff weight this season.
Wikimedia Commons
While a playoff berth will only be avoided through total devastation, postseason progress is far from certain.
Let's look at what Charlie Manuel's squad is facing on the road ahead:
J-Roll
Playing in what could be the final season of his Phillies career, Jimmy Rollins(notes) has found himself on the sidelines once again. This latest absence highlights the dilemma faced in deciding to retain him or move on in the offseason.
It would be hard to imagine the Phillies winning many playoff rounds without Rollins wearing his glove at shortstop or holding his bat at the plate. He needs to return a few weeks before the playoffs begin, play well and remain healthy all the way through October.
Polanco
Another key health concern involves third baseman Placido Polanco(notes).
While the various rejuvenation methods "Polly" has used seem to have temporarily solved his problems, it's uncertain as to how long this latest Band-Aid will hold. Like Rollins, he plays a critical role in the field and in the lineup.
Polanco's consistency can help to win a World Series. If he is unable to perform, his team's championship chances are reduced significantly.
Starting Staff
General manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., went all-in during the past few seasons, gambling that a superb pitching staff offers his club the best chance at victory.
Roy Halladay(notes), Cliff Lee(notes) and Cole Hamels(notes) have basically won the hands that have been dealt to them. While Roy Oswalt(notes) hasn't drawn an ace, he has enough time left to join the winner's circle.
If all four men have their poker faces on come October, they will find no comparable foursome in the majors. That should translate into playoff series victories, even if the rest of their teammates aren't cranking on all cylinders.
Bullpen
Ryan Madson(notes) has proved himself during many past October occasions. Beyond him, there are question marks in this bullpen.
Antonio Bastardo(notes) and Michael Stutes(notes) have performed well this year, but they are experiencing greater workloads than at any previous time in their careers. It is unknown how the stretch run and playoff pressures will affect them.
Brad Lidge(notes) might be useful in some type of support role, if he can maintain his control. While he is well past his 2008 level, it's still possible that Manuel can put him in the right spot to succeed.
The wild card in the bullpen, just like in the regular season rotation, could be Vance Worley(notes). Unless one of the top four starters is hurt, he will pitch in playoff relief.
This young man has guts and talent. It would be a good bet to assume that both will remain on display in October.
Other factors
The Phillies would be very difficult to stop if they can get on an offensive roll heading into October.
Obviously, playoff matchups against the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals will determine how far down the road this preseason favorite can travel.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Grand Trenton Wake Up Call Imperial Porter
(Victor, ID) – Grand Teton Brewing Company, known throughout the West for their exceptional craft brews, will celebrate the release of Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter at their pub in Victor, Idaho on Friday, August 26. Wake Up Call is the autumnal brew in their 2011 “Cellar Reserve” series of specialty beers.
Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter has a distinct and robust coffee flavor that blends harmoniously with the roasted malts. Caramel, chocolate, and black malts give this ale its dark color and overtones of caramel and a cocoa-like sweetness. Only very gently hopped, the addition of coffee shines through, providing a delicious accent to this brew.
Grand Teton Brewing Company used well over a pound per barrel of Triple Certified Espresso beans from Caffe Ibis Coffee Roasting Company in Logan, Utah. This specialty dark roast has caramel sweetness with hints of dark chocolate and nuts and a smooth clean finish. While the focus has been on finding the perfect mate for this seasonal porter, it is no coincidence that the choice of beans also supports social justice and sustainable agriculture.
Caffe Ibis is a locally owned and operated 35-year-old award winning Green Business and custom roasting house. It specializes in Triple Certified, Organic, Fair Trade, and Smithsonian Shade Grown “Bird-Friendly” coffees from around the world. Reuter’s Triple Pundit called it “The World’s Most Sustainable Coffee.” Over the years Newsweek Magazine, The Wine Spectator, and Sunset Magazine have all added to the chorus singing praises to the remarkable cup quality of Caffe Ibis Coffee.
Porter was the first industrial beer, brewed for the laborers of England’s Industrial Revolution. Technological advances of the 18th century–such as the thermometer and hydrometer–allowed brewers to refine the brewing process. These changes allowed for brewers to create consistent batches of beer, and that beer was nearly always porter.
The addition of coffee to porter is an even more recent creation, with craft brewers of the past 30 years embracing the enhancement that coffee makes to the flavor and body of dark ales.
The coffee flavors in this ale pair exceptionally well with meaty entrees: drink this Imperial Porter with grilled steak, barbequed spare ribs, or portabella mushrooms sautéed with soy sauce. The toast and chocolate-like flavors of the dark malt complement sweet confections. Any dessert that you would take with coffee will be a fine accompaniment to this ale. We recommend tiramisu, hazelnut scones, and German chocolate cake.
If stored appropriately, this beer should stand up to the test of time. The roasted coffee and rich maltiness will mingle together and mellow with age; but at 7.5% alcohol by volume, we don’t recommend you cellar it for much more than a year.
The Cellar Reserve series of beers are unique, different even from other craft beers. Grand Teton Brewing Company’s Cellar Reserves are brewed with specialty hops and malts and unique strains of yeast. Most ales and lagers are produced in 2-4 weeks. However, up to 8 months are spent on each of the Cellar Reserve specialty brews. They are also bottle-conditioned, which produces natural carbonation that will blend and smooth the flavors with time. Proper aging of many of these bottles creates beers to be cherished.
Grand Teton Brewing Company will release three specialty brews in the Cellar Reserve line for 2011. The production quantity for each brew is very limited.
Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter is available at select locations in California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming! Call the brewery at 1-888-899-1656 for information and availability on this exciting new product.
Grand Teton Brewing Company was founded in 1988 as the first modern “micro” brewery in the state of Wyoming. Today, Grand Teton Brewing Company is in the Brewer’s Association’s “Top 100 Craft Breweries in North America.” Their premium microbrews include the 9x gold-medal-winning Bitch Creek ESB, the 2009 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner (American Pale Ale) Sweetgrass APA and the favorites of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks; Old Faithful Ale (pale golden), Howling Wolf Weisse Bier (hefeweizen) and Teton Ale (amber.) From their production facility in Victor, Idaho, Grand Teton Brewing Company beers are hand-crafted from only the finest ingredients, including locally-grown grains and pure Teton mountain spring water.
Grand Teton Brewing Company is a green company utilizing environmentally conscious and sustainable practices whenever possible. Grand Teton Brewing Company is also the inventor of the modern glass growler, which is estimated to have saved over one billion bottles and cans from entering the ecosystem to date. Discriminating beer drinkers can find their favorite Grand Teton Brewing Company brews on tap and in bottles throughout California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter has a distinct and robust coffee flavor that blends harmoniously with the roasted malts. Caramel, chocolate, and black malts give this ale its dark color and overtones of caramel and a cocoa-like sweetness. Only very gently hopped, the addition of coffee shines through, providing a delicious accent to this brew.
Grand Teton Brewing Company used well over a pound per barrel of Triple Certified Espresso beans from Caffe Ibis Coffee Roasting Company in Logan, Utah. This specialty dark roast has caramel sweetness with hints of dark chocolate and nuts and a smooth clean finish. While the focus has been on finding the perfect mate for this seasonal porter, it is no coincidence that the choice of beans also supports social justice and sustainable agriculture.
Caffe Ibis is a locally owned and operated 35-year-old award winning Green Business and custom roasting house. It specializes in Triple Certified, Organic, Fair Trade, and Smithsonian Shade Grown “Bird-Friendly” coffees from around the world. Reuter’s Triple Pundit called it “The World’s Most Sustainable Coffee.” Over the years Newsweek Magazine, The Wine Spectator, and Sunset Magazine have all added to the chorus singing praises to the remarkable cup quality of Caffe Ibis Coffee.
Porter was the first industrial beer, brewed for the laborers of England’s Industrial Revolution. Technological advances of the 18th century–such as the thermometer and hydrometer–allowed brewers to refine the brewing process. These changes allowed for brewers to create consistent batches of beer, and that beer was nearly always porter.
The addition of coffee to porter is an even more recent creation, with craft brewers of the past 30 years embracing the enhancement that coffee makes to the flavor and body of dark ales.
The coffee flavors in this ale pair exceptionally well with meaty entrees: drink this Imperial Porter with grilled steak, barbequed spare ribs, or portabella mushrooms sautéed with soy sauce. The toast and chocolate-like flavors of the dark malt complement sweet confections. Any dessert that you would take with coffee will be a fine accompaniment to this ale. We recommend tiramisu, hazelnut scones, and German chocolate cake.
If stored appropriately, this beer should stand up to the test of time. The roasted coffee and rich maltiness will mingle together and mellow with age; but at 7.5% alcohol by volume, we don’t recommend you cellar it for much more than a year.
The Cellar Reserve series of beers are unique, different even from other craft beers. Grand Teton Brewing Company’s Cellar Reserves are brewed with specialty hops and malts and unique strains of yeast. Most ales and lagers are produced in 2-4 weeks. However, up to 8 months are spent on each of the Cellar Reserve specialty brews. They are also bottle-conditioned, which produces natural carbonation that will blend and smooth the flavors with time. Proper aging of many of these bottles creates beers to be cherished.
Grand Teton Brewing Company will release three specialty brews in the Cellar Reserve line for 2011. The production quantity for each brew is very limited.
Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter is available at select locations in California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming! Call the brewery at 1-888-899-1656 for information and availability on this exciting new product.
Grand Teton Brewing Company was founded in 1988 as the first modern “micro” brewery in the state of Wyoming. Today, Grand Teton Brewing Company is in the Brewer’s Association’s “Top 100 Craft Breweries in North America.” Their premium microbrews include the 9x gold-medal-winning Bitch Creek ESB, the 2009 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner (American Pale Ale) Sweetgrass APA and the favorites of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks; Old Faithful Ale (pale golden), Howling Wolf Weisse Bier (hefeweizen) and Teton Ale (amber.) From their production facility in Victor, Idaho, Grand Teton Brewing Company beers are hand-crafted from only the finest ingredients, including locally-grown grains and pure Teton mountain spring water.
Grand Teton Brewing Company is a green company utilizing environmentally conscious and sustainable practices whenever possible. Grand Teton Brewing Company is also the inventor of the modern glass growler, which is estimated to have saved over one billion bottles and cans from entering the ecosystem to date. Discriminating beer drinkers can find their favorite Grand Teton Brewing Company brews on tap and in bottles throughout California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Firestone Walker Union Jack Review
Firestone Walker Union Jack
Firestone Walker‘s newest IPA for release, Union Jack. It has been in test markets in California, and has been poured at the Firestone Walker Tap Room in Buellton, CA. After many months of perfecting it for all to consume, Union Jack has made it to 12oz bottle, sporting the brand new logo all Firestone Walker Ales will carry.
Appearance: Golden yellow, not overly active carbonation. About a 1 inch head.
Aroma: Floral hop, bazooka bubble gum.
Taste: Light floral hops, spicy malts, and a tiny bit of tartness on the finish. A small hint of metalic hop balanced with the nice malt profile. Found some citrus as it warmed up.
Mouthfeel: Refreshingly thin, perfectly carbonated, made it go down real smooth.
Overall: The most pleasant, balanced IPA in all of California. I love a chewy hop bomb, this has tons of hops in it, but doesn’t blow your face off. As of this writing, it is still infiltrating shelves.
Firestone Walker‘s newest IPA for release, Union Jack. It has been in test markets in California, and has been poured at the Firestone Walker Tap Room in Buellton, CA. After many months of perfecting it for all to consume, Union Jack has made it to 12oz bottle, sporting the brand new logo all Firestone Walker Ales will carry.
Appearance: Golden yellow, not overly active carbonation. About a 1 inch head.
Aroma: Floral hop, bazooka bubble gum.
Taste: Light floral hops, spicy malts, and a tiny bit of tartness on the finish. A small hint of metalic hop balanced with the nice malt profile. Found some citrus as it warmed up.
Mouthfeel: Refreshingly thin, perfectly carbonated, made it go down real smooth.
Overall: The most pleasant, balanced IPA in all of California. I love a chewy hop bomb, this has tons of hops in it, but doesn’t blow your face off. As of this writing, it is still infiltrating shelves.
Baxter Brewing To Begin Massachuetts Distribution
Baxter Brewing Company of Lewiston, Maine, providers of Pamola Xtra Pale Ale and Stowaway IPA, and the first brewery in New England to package all its beer in kegs and cans, shipped the first truckload of its beer out-of-state this week.
“Our beer has been available on Amtrak’s Downeaster train for some time, now,” said brewery founder and president, Luke Livingston, “but this is the first full shipment to leave Maine.” Until a recently completed increase in production capacity, Baxter had been barely able to meet demand in Maine, where it has been described as among the fastest growing craft beers ever introduced in the state.
As part of a new alliance between Baxter Brewing Co. and Burke and Merrimack Valley Distributors, of Randolph and Danvers respectively, Baxter’s beers will soon be available throughout the Boston area and North Shore of Massachusetts (with distributing throughout the remainder of Massachusetts slated for early 2012).
Located in a renovated corner of Lewiston’s historic Bates Mill, Baxter is the first new manufacturer in that space in more than 100 years. Other shipments from the mill included textiles used to outfit General Grant’s Grand Army of the Potomac, as well as the world-renowned Bates bedspreads.
Baxter shipped its first beer in January of this year and the brewery itself has become a destination for visitors to Maine, attracting fans from 44 states and more than a dozen foreign countries for tours and tastings. Many of those guests have been asking when the beer would be available closer to home.
“We had been shipping the equivalent of about 4,500 cases a month,” Livingston said, “and demand, just here in Maine, has been growing well beyond that. In fact, we’ve just learned that in addition to our existing strong network of hundreds of retailers, bars and restaurants statewide, some 70 Rite Aid stores have been authorized to stock our beer beginning this fall. But,” Livingston added, “our new capacity will enable us to meet the demand here at home, and begin shipping to Boston. We are also on-track to introduce a third variety of beer, coming this fall.”
While the list of locations where Baxter beer will be available in the Boston area is still being assembled by the distributors, Livingston explained that “Our Website includes a button labeled Can Finder that lists retail and on-premise locations by zip code and town. We’ll be adding the Massachusetts locations as soon as they are established. Or, even better, our friends in Massachusetts can simply ask for Baxter anyplace great beer is sold or served!”
“Our beer has been available on Amtrak’s Downeaster train for some time, now,” said brewery founder and president, Luke Livingston, “but this is the first full shipment to leave Maine.” Until a recently completed increase in production capacity, Baxter had been barely able to meet demand in Maine, where it has been described as among the fastest growing craft beers ever introduced in the state.
As part of a new alliance between Baxter Brewing Co. and Burke and Merrimack Valley Distributors, of Randolph and Danvers respectively, Baxter’s beers will soon be available throughout the Boston area and North Shore of Massachusetts (with distributing throughout the remainder of Massachusetts slated for early 2012).
Located in a renovated corner of Lewiston’s historic Bates Mill, Baxter is the first new manufacturer in that space in more than 100 years. Other shipments from the mill included textiles used to outfit General Grant’s Grand Army of the Potomac, as well as the world-renowned Bates bedspreads.
Baxter shipped its first beer in January of this year and the brewery itself has become a destination for visitors to Maine, attracting fans from 44 states and more than a dozen foreign countries for tours and tastings. Many of those guests have been asking when the beer would be available closer to home.
“We had been shipping the equivalent of about 4,500 cases a month,” Livingston said, “and demand, just here in Maine, has been growing well beyond that. In fact, we’ve just learned that in addition to our existing strong network of hundreds of retailers, bars and restaurants statewide, some 70 Rite Aid stores have been authorized to stock our beer beginning this fall. But,” Livingston added, “our new capacity will enable us to meet the demand here at home, and begin shipping to Boston. We are also on-track to introduce a third variety of beer, coming this fall.”
While the list of locations where Baxter beer will be available in the Boston area is still being assembled by the distributors, Livingston explained that “Our Website includes a button labeled Can Finder that lists retail and on-premise locations by zip code and town. We’ll be adding the Massachusetts locations as soon as they are established. Or, even better, our friends in Massachusetts can simply ask for Baxter anyplace great beer is sold or served!”
Quality Time With Raging Bitch (Review)
This Friday, I spent some quality time with good friends and one particularly Raging Bitch. I picked up a six-pack of this little honey on a whim, and I’m sure glad I did. Flying Dog Raging Bitch is one from their Canis Major line up, created to commemorate the brewery’s 20 year anniversary. Even before getting into the meat of the review, I can tell you that this is one brew I look forward to enjoying again.
Dubbed a "Belgian-Style India Pale Ale," Raging Bitch weighs in at 8.3% ABV and pairs well with foods that can stand up to its American hops and Belgian funk. Think heavy Asian or Mexican inspired flavors if you’re serving this beer alongside food.
Appearance
Pours a slightly hazy, deep copper color with copious amounts of dense, creamy, off-white head. Great retention on this pour.
Aroma
Citrusy and lightly floral hops pair well with the Belgian yeast’s spice. Sweet caramel scent is rounded out well by notes of pepper and orange. Quite complex and rather seducing.
Taste
The flavor of Raging Bitch matches well with its nose, but puts more focus on the floral, piney hops than on the citrus. The hops are nicely rounded out by that bubblegum flavor from the Belgian yeast, resulting in a well-balanced honey sweetness mid-sip and a medium bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel
Probably the most significant aspect to me, the body of Flying Dog Raging Bitch is nothing short of creamy. I was happily surprised by this, as it was much creamier than most IPAs I’ve enjoyed. Smooth, medium to medium-heavy body with a perfect amount of carbonation, the mouthfeel is absolutely the star for me.
Overall
I am positively in love with the marriage of Belgian yeast and American hops in Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. Balanced, complex and intricate, I absolutely recommend this brew and plan on picking up another six-pack for my fridge.
Cheers!
Dubbed a "Belgian-Style India Pale Ale," Raging Bitch weighs in at 8.3% ABV and pairs well with foods that can stand up to its American hops and Belgian funk. Think heavy Asian or Mexican inspired flavors if you’re serving this beer alongside food.
Appearance
Pours a slightly hazy, deep copper color with copious amounts of dense, creamy, off-white head. Great retention on this pour.
Aroma
Citrusy and lightly floral hops pair well with the Belgian yeast’s spice. Sweet caramel scent is rounded out well by notes of pepper and orange. Quite complex and rather seducing.
Taste
The flavor of Raging Bitch matches well with its nose, but puts more focus on the floral, piney hops than on the citrus. The hops are nicely rounded out by that bubblegum flavor from the Belgian yeast, resulting in a well-balanced honey sweetness mid-sip and a medium bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel
Probably the most significant aspect to me, the body of Flying Dog Raging Bitch is nothing short of creamy. I was happily surprised by this, as it was much creamier than most IPAs I’ve enjoyed. Smooth, medium to medium-heavy body with a perfect amount of carbonation, the mouthfeel is absolutely the star for me.
Overall
I am positively in love with the marriage of Belgian yeast and American hops in Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. Balanced, complex and intricate, I absolutely recommend this brew and plan on picking up another six-pack for my fridge.
Cheers!
Friday, August 26, 2011
10 Best Beer States
WASHINGTON (TheStreet) -- Some states will let insults about their air quality, road conditions, beaches, cities or even accents pass without blinking an eye. Insult their beer, however, and it's go time.
Even as the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau reports that overall U.S. beer sales decreased 1% by volume last year, the number of breweries in the U.S. jumped to 1,759, according to the Brewers Association. That's the highest count since the end of the 19th century. That number rose to 1,790 by July and doesn't include the 725 breweries in the planning stages.
According to Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, that puts the majority of Americans within 10 miles of a brewery. Excluding only Tennessee, Rhode Island, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska, Illinois, Louisiana and Washington, D.C., the amount of beer being brewed in those nearby breweries only increased within the past decade, according to figures from Washington-based industry group The Beer Institute's 2010 almanac.
Just as some states are being left out of the beer bash, some companies are getting to the keg just as it kicks. Anheuser-Busch InBev(BUD) and MolsonCoors(TAP) each saw business drop 3% last year and continue a downward trend as such importers as Diageo-Guinness USA(DEO) (whose sales increased 3.9% last year) and craft brewers including Samuel Adams producer Boston Beer(SAM) (which increased sales nearly 12%) siphoned off their market share.
Sales of imported beers were up 5% on the whole last year, while craft beer led the charge with 11% growth by volume and 12% growth in revenue. Those gains only continued for hyperlocal craft beer, with a 14% jump in sales volume and 15% in their take through June, according to the Brewers Association.
That said, beer has become an increasingly local point of pride that states will defend to the bitter, hop-flavored end. But what states can most legitimately call themselves "beer states?" We took a close look at stats provided by the Brewers Association and Beer Institute and, based on four key criteria -- production, consumption, breweries and breweries per capita -- came up with the 10 top beer states in America. There were some tough omissions, and we're sure the inbox will be filled with a lot of hate from strong producers such as Pennsylvania (8.9 million barrels last year alone) and strong supporters such as North Dakota (whose three breweries rank dead last in the U.S., but whose nearly 30 gallons a year in per capita consumption rank third), but these 10 laid out strong arguments for their spot on the tap wall:
10. Montana
Number of breweries: 27
Capita per brewery: 36,645
Production in 2010: 971,947 barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 30.5 gallons
The output of Montana breweries including Big Sky, Great Northern and Bitter Root isn't all that impressive, especially considering that Mike's Hard Lemonade alone rolled out roughly 200,000 more barrels last year and D.G. Yuengling & Son more than doubled the entire state's production on its own. Yet Montana's beer production has increased 1.8% in the past decade, which ties Montana for the most brewing growth of any state in the U.S.
How Montana pours out that production and that of other states is much more awe inspiring. At 30.5 gallons of beer per year, the average Montana resident's beer consumption is second-highest in the nation, almost a full gallon ahead of third-place North Dakota and a whopping three gallons ahead of South Dakota.
Those little more than two dozen breweries may not seem like much in more established craft brew states, but it's the third-best ratio of brewers to citizens in the U.S. There are some hard winters in Big Sky Country, but there's plenty of beer to warm those cold nights.
9. Delaware
Number of breweries: 11
Capita per brewery: 81,630
Production in 2010: 735,442 barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 25.4 gallons
Delaware only wishes it could brew as much beer as Montana, but it has one item in its backyard Montana can't match: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
The Milton-based brewer produces roughly 17% of Delaware's beer and has a brewpub in Rehoboth Beach that still faithfully pours out its brews to the summer vacation crowd. Founder Sam Calagione's commitment to experimentation and forensic archeology has produced beers such as Midas Touch, based on residue found in the drinking vessels of King Midas' tomb in Turkey, and helped bring Dogfish Head to national attention through his short-lived Discovery Channel series Brew Masters.
Even Dogfish Head needs some help from other locals, including Old Dominion Brewing, Twin Lakes Brewing and Evolution Craft Brewing in quenching the average Delaware drinker's 25.4-gallons-a-year thirst for beer, which is the eighth-highest consumption rate in the nation. Fortunately for the tiny First State, Delaware's 11 breweries are enough to give it the 10th-best ratio of brewers to population in the U.S.
8. New Hampshire
Number of breweries: 16
Capita per brewery: 82,279
Production in 2010: 1.4 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010:32.7 gallons
The "Live Free" part of New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die" motto seems to have the state's beer drinkers covered.
That 32.7 gallons of beer consumed by the average New Hampshire resident last year is the highest level in the land, and the state gives its beer lovers a whole lot of freedom to choose when it comes to its tap selections.
Want a small brewpub? Portsmouth Brewery still keeps that "kettles in the back" aesthetic that drove the original craft boom in the '90s. Want a local craft brew, but something with a broader palate? Even the Portsmouth Brewery keeps fellow Portsmouth brewer and regional favorite Smuttynose's Old Brown Dog and Old Shoals Pale Ale on tap. If all that's just a little too local and specialized, the Craft Brewers Alliance's(HOOK) Redhook cranks out ESB, Wit and Copperhook at its large Portsmouth-based brewing facility and brewpub while hosting special events on the brewery's sprawling grounds throughout the year.
New Hampshire has the 11th-best capita-per-brewer ratio in the U.S., but even that's not enough to keep up with both in-state demand and that of thirsty neighbors who drive over the state line to New Hampshire State Liquor Stores just to avoid the sales tax. That's why Anheuser-Busch InBev helps bulk up the total by churning out its macrobrews at the brewery in Merrimack that serves as the hub of its New England operations. If you're going to take it, you may as well dish it out.
7. Wisconsin
Number of breweries: 72
Capita per brewery: 78,986
Production in 2010: 4.8 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 26.3 gallons
The state roots on a first-place team named the Brewers, was the birthplace of iconic brands such as Pabst and is still home to not only the Miller cooling caves, museum and brewing facility, but MillerCoors' division offices. Combine that with a growing and increasingly vocal craft beer community and you have a state that's been a beer state since before the great-grandparents of University of Wisconsin freshmen were born.
Wisconsin residents drink the fifth-most beer per person in the U.S. and have the ninth-best ratio of residents per brewer in the country. Their commitment to Old World-style brewing is so great that Sprecher Brewing still adheres to the original German formulas, New Glarus brews in a facility that looks like an Alpine lodge nestled in the predominantly Swiss town of the same name and Miller still keeps Leinenkugel's "Leinie Lodge" facility intact after buying the brewer 23 years ago.
Why isn't Wisconsin ranked higher, then? Partly because of production that doesn't even crack the Top 10, but partly because of legislation passed this summer that protects Miller from A-B InBev encroachment that combines the brewer's permit and wholesale and retail licenses given out by municipalities into a single permit under state control and prohibits brewers from buying wholesale distributors. That's great for Miller, but just made life a whole lot more difficult for the more than 70 brewers in the state that aren't Miller who now have a much more difficult path to getting licenses and getting their product on shelves.
Wisconsin's total beer output grew only 0.2% during the past decade. Making life harder for most of your brewers for the sake of one doesn't seem like the best way to create growth.
6. New York
Number of breweries: 59
Capita per brewery: 328,442
Production in 2010:10.3 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 16.5 gallons
This is an easy choice to knock. Only Connecticut (16.2 gallons) and Utah (12.4) drink less beer per capita than New York does. Those two states still have a higher capita per brewery ratio than New York, which ranks ahead of only 10 other states and trails Rhode Island and South Dakota despite each of those states having only four breweries apiece.
So what's New York doing here? It comes down to two factors: outcome and potential. New York produces the fourth most beer in America, but the two states directly in front of it -- Florida with 12.7 million barrels and Texas with 19.4 million -- have even worse brewery-to-human ratios. Texas, despite having Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors facilities and a cool 431,000 barrels a year from Shiner Bock producer Spoetzl, still has less than one brewery for every 500,000 Texans.
New York, meanwhile, gets a big boost from the A-B plant in Baldwinsville and from Labatt's U.S. headquarters in Buffalo but also has a lot of help from Rochester-based North American Breweries. The holding company is based out of Genesee Brewing headquarters and still produces cans of Genny Cream Ale, but also includes Dundee Brewing, Vermont-based Magic Hat, Seattle-based Pyramid and Portland, Ore.-based MacTarnahan's in its portfolio. Collectively, the NAB brands grew 6.8%, to nearly 2.3 million barrels worth of production in 2010.
That's just the frothy head on New York's big brew, as F.X. Matt Brewery, which produces the Saranac line, contributes another 182,000 barrels and Brooklyn Brewery has nearly doubled its output from 58,000 barrels in 2006 to 108,000 last year. With smaller players like Brooklyn's Six Point and Long Island's Blue Point quickly gaining consumers and craft credibility, New York seems the most likely among the big-brewing states to slide its production up above the 0.2% growth of the past decade.
5. Washington
Number of breweries: 123
Capita per brewery: 54,671
Production in 2010: 4.15 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 19.1 gallons
Bud and Coors aren't brewed here and much of Washington doesn't seem to mind. Craft beer alone holds 25.5% of the beer market in the Seattle area, according to Beer Marketer's Insights, which is more than MillerCoors' 25.3% share and A-B's 23.8%.
That's what can happen when your state has the second-most breweries in the country and the eighth-best capita per brewery in the nation. It also helps to have some old friends such as Pyramid Breweries and Redhook Ale Brewery still calling your state home, even if their corporate masters are based elsewhere.
Perhaps the most surprising contribution comes from a brewer that few beer enthusiasts would deign to call "craft": Mike's Hard Lemonade. The Seattle-based brewer has turned its colorful, fruity malt beverages into a 1.2-million-barrel-producing beast last year after pushing out only 805,000 just four years earlier. In the geographic cradle of craft beer where no macro dares to tread, Mike's is the closest Washington comes to a big brewer.
4. Colorado
Number of breweries: 118
Capita per brewery: 42,620
Production in 2010: 3.6 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 22 gallons
While we're sure the Colorado brewing community is very proud of New Belgium Brewing and the 661,000 barrels it turned out last year, Oskar Blues and its pioneering of craft beer in cars and of other big contributors such as Avery and Great Divide, Colorado's brewing success isn't based in craft alone.
Colorado is still Coors country, and as long as Pike's Peak stays on the cans, a Miller Coors division office stays in Golden and the Colorado Rockies' stadium is still called Coors Field, it's going to stay that way. Also, as much as Fort Collins seems to love New Belgium's bike-in theater and scavenger hunts and Odell Brewing's potent concoctions, it's still home to an Anheuser-Busch plant and distributes 30 packs of macro far and wide.
Yet this is what makes a beer state: a little something for everyone. With the fourth most breweries in America and the fourth best capita per brewery in the country, Colorado has plenty of IPA and witbier for the craft collective and enough Bud and Coors Light for the Tim Tebow jersey-wearing Broncos faithful.
3. Oregon
Number of breweries: 121
Capita per brewery: 31,622
Production in 2010: 2.8 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 22.7 gallons
Oregon's beer empire is built on craft, and anyone who's found themselves amid too many brewpubs in Portland with too little time to see all of them knows it can take quite a while to explore that empire.
Deschutes Brewery is a good place to start and produces the second most beer of any Oregon brewer -- 203,000 barrels last year alone. They trail only the Craft Brewers Alliance, which brewed 370,000 barrels in Oregon last year and owns Portland's Widmer Brothers Brewery and Gasthaus Pub. Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River, meanwhile, has a stunning view from its brewpub and produced 101,000 barrels last year while staring up at Mount Hood or gazing down at the kitesurfers along the Columbia River.
The key to Oregon's success doesn't lie with Rogue Ales, BridgePort Brewing, Widmer Brothers Brewing, MacTarnahan's Taproom or even at Craft Brewers Alliance headquarters. It's in the state's variety of breweries that give it the third-most facilities in the nation and second best capita per brewery. The state's smart drinking public is matched only by its solid brewing community.
"The states that have high number of breweries or a low number of people per brewery (capita per brewery) I consider as areas where there is a high level of beer knowledge, interest in small, local companies and an entrepreneurial streak," the Brewers Association's Gatza says. "For every brewery that starts up across the country, there is a person willing to strike out on her or his own and go through all of the steps needed to get the brewery going."
2. Vermont
Number of breweries: 21
Capita per brewery: 29,797
Production in 2010: 528,469 barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 26.2 gallons
Vermont's a tiny state with a population of 626,000 that's only slightly larger than the city of Boston. Its brewing culture, however, is enormous.
This isn't about Vermont's output. The Craft Brewers Alliance alone produced more beer than Vermont did last year. It's about the state's love of beer and its access to it.
Vermonters drink the sixth-largest amount of beer per capita in the United States and have plenty of great options to choose from. Meanwhile, each of Vermont's 21 breweries serve a crowd smaller than the capacity of Fenway Park and give the Green Mountain state the best capita per brewery in America.
Despite NAB's purchase of Magic Hat last year, Burlington still embraces Magic Hat as one of its own and puts out nearly 160,000 barrels of it.
Windsor's Harpoon, meanwhile, produced 150,000 barrels last year between its cozy brewery in the mountains and its slightly more industrial home along Boston Harbor. Bridgewater's Long Trail Brewing is still all Vermont and produced 117,000 barrels in the state last year. Otter Creek, Rock Art and other Vermont breweries bolster the numbers a bit, but when you're pouring for such a small crowd, even out-of-state skiers and leaf peepers don't drain too much out of the keg.
"One common trait in the Top 5 states that have the fewest capita per brewery is that self-distribution is allowed under the laws of the state," Gatza says. "It is easier to open a microbrewery when you can go to retailers on your own to build sales of your beers up to a level that carrying your brands become attractive to a beer distributor."
1. California
Number of breweries: 245
Capita per brewery: 152,057
Production in 2010: 22.2 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 18.4 gallons
For beer lovers, it doesn't get any bigger than California.
Though it ranks only 21st in capita per brewery, its 245 breweries and 22.2 million barrels of production are No. 1 in the U.S. Much like Colorado, though, California has enough love for brewers big and small.
MillerCoors has a home in Irwindale, Anheuser-Busch Inbev has a brewery in Fairfield and North American Brewing's Pyramid Brewers maintain a presence here as well. California's vaunted craft brewing community is no slouch either, with Sierra Nevada taking the lead by producing 786,000 barrels in its Chico headquarters alone last year. Brewers that have been household names to craft fans for years are finding bigger followings as well, with Escondido's Stone Brewing increasing production from 49,000 barrels in 2006 to 115,000 last year and Lagunitas-based Lagunitas Brewing jumping from 39,000 to 106,000 during the same span.
But shouldn't a state with this much beer love its beer a little more? The amount of beer Californians consumed per capita last year was the seventh-lowest in the country, but California seems to have no problem pouring a few rounds while everyone else picks up the tab.
Even as the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau reports that overall U.S. beer sales decreased 1% by volume last year, the number of breweries in the U.S. jumped to 1,759, according to the Brewers Association. That's the highest count since the end of the 19th century. That number rose to 1,790 by July and doesn't include the 725 breweries in the planning stages.
According to Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, that puts the majority of Americans within 10 miles of a brewery. Excluding only Tennessee, Rhode Island, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska, Illinois, Louisiana and Washington, D.C., the amount of beer being brewed in those nearby breweries only increased within the past decade, according to figures from Washington-based industry group The Beer Institute's 2010 almanac.
Just as some states are being left out of the beer bash, some companies are getting to the keg just as it kicks. Anheuser-Busch InBev(BUD) and MolsonCoors(TAP) each saw business drop 3% last year and continue a downward trend as such importers as Diageo-Guinness USA(DEO) (whose sales increased 3.9% last year) and craft brewers including Samuel Adams producer Boston Beer(SAM) (which increased sales nearly 12%) siphoned off their market share.
Sales of imported beers were up 5% on the whole last year, while craft beer led the charge with 11% growth by volume and 12% growth in revenue. Those gains only continued for hyperlocal craft beer, with a 14% jump in sales volume and 15% in their take through June, according to the Brewers Association.
That said, beer has become an increasingly local point of pride that states will defend to the bitter, hop-flavored end. But what states can most legitimately call themselves "beer states?" We took a close look at stats provided by the Brewers Association and Beer Institute and, based on four key criteria -- production, consumption, breweries and breweries per capita -- came up with the 10 top beer states in America. There were some tough omissions, and we're sure the inbox will be filled with a lot of hate from strong producers such as Pennsylvania (8.9 million barrels last year alone) and strong supporters such as North Dakota (whose three breweries rank dead last in the U.S., but whose nearly 30 gallons a year in per capita consumption rank third), but these 10 laid out strong arguments for their spot on the tap wall:
10. Montana
Number of breweries: 27
Capita per brewery: 36,645
Production in 2010: 971,947 barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 30.5 gallons
The output of Montana breweries including Big Sky, Great Northern and Bitter Root isn't all that impressive, especially considering that Mike's Hard Lemonade alone rolled out roughly 200,000 more barrels last year and D.G. Yuengling & Son more than doubled the entire state's production on its own. Yet Montana's beer production has increased 1.8% in the past decade, which ties Montana for the most brewing growth of any state in the U.S.
How Montana pours out that production and that of other states is much more awe inspiring. At 30.5 gallons of beer per year, the average Montana resident's beer consumption is second-highest in the nation, almost a full gallon ahead of third-place North Dakota and a whopping three gallons ahead of South Dakota.
Those little more than two dozen breweries may not seem like much in more established craft brew states, but it's the third-best ratio of brewers to citizens in the U.S. There are some hard winters in Big Sky Country, but there's plenty of beer to warm those cold nights.
9. Delaware
Number of breweries: 11
Capita per brewery: 81,630
Production in 2010: 735,442 barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 25.4 gallons
Delaware only wishes it could brew as much beer as Montana, but it has one item in its backyard Montana can't match: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
The Milton-based brewer produces roughly 17% of Delaware's beer and has a brewpub in Rehoboth Beach that still faithfully pours out its brews to the summer vacation crowd. Founder Sam Calagione's commitment to experimentation and forensic archeology has produced beers such as Midas Touch, based on residue found in the drinking vessels of King Midas' tomb in Turkey, and helped bring Dogfish Head to national attention through his short-lived Discovery Channel series Brew Masters.
Even Dogfish Head needs some help from other locals, including Old Dominion Brewing, Twin Lakes Brewing and Evolution Craft Brewing in quenching the average Delaware drinker's 25.4-gallons-a-year thirst for beer, which is the eighth-highest consumption rate in the nation. Fortunately for the tiny First State, Delaware's 11 breweries are enough to give it the 10th-best ratio of brewers to population in the U.S.
8. New Hampshire
Number of breweries: 16
Capita per brewery: 82,279
Production in 2010: 1.4 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010:32.7 gallons
The "Live Free" part of New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die" motto seems to have the state's beer drinkers covered.
That 32.7 gallons of beer consumed by the average New Hampshire resident last year is the highest level in the land, and the state gives its beer lovers a whole lot of freedom to choose when it comes to its tap selections.
Want a small brewpub? Portsmouth Brewery still keeps that "kettles in the back" aesthetic that drove the original craft boom in the '90s. Want a local craft brew, but something with a broader palate? Even the Portsmouth Brewery keeps fellow Portsmouth brewer and regional favorite Smuttynose's Old Brown Dog and Old Shoals Pale Ale on tap. If all that's just a little too local and specialized, the Craft Brewers Alliance's(HOOK) Redhook cranks out ESB, Wit and Copperhook at its large Portsmouth-based brewing facility and brewpub while hosting special events on the brewery's sprawling grounds throughout the year.
New Hampshire has the 11th-best capita-per-brewer ratio in the U.S., but even that's not enough to keep up with both in-state demand and that of thirsty neighbors who drive over the state line to New Hampshire State Liquor Stores just to avoid the sales tax. That's why Anheuser-Busch InBev helps bulk up the total by churning out its macrobrews at the brewery in Merrimack that serves as the hub of its New England operations. If you're going to take it, you may as well dish it out.
7. Wisconsin
Number of breweries: 72
Capita per brewery: 78,986
Production in 2010: 4.8 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 26.3 gallons
The state roots on a first-place team named the Brewers, was the birthplace of iconic brands such as Pabst and is still home to not only the Miller cooling caves, museum and brewing facility, but MillerCoors' division offices. Combine that with a growing and increasingly vocal craft beer community and you have a state that's been a beer state since before the great-grandparents of University of Wisconsin freshmen were born.
Wisconsin residents drink the fifth-most beer per person in the U.S. and have the ninth-best ratio of residents per brewer in the country. Their commitment to Old World-style brewing is so great that Sprecher Brewing still adheres to the original German formulas, New Glarus brews in a facility that looks like an Alpine lodge nestled in the predominantly Swiss town of the same name and Miller still keeps Leinenkugel's "Leinie Lodge" facility intact after buying the brewer 23 years ago.
Why isn't Wisconsin ranked higher, then? Partly because of production that doesn't even crack the Top 10, but partly because of legislation passed this summer that protects Miller from A-B InBev encroachment that combines the brewer's permit and wholesale and retail licenses given out by municipalities into a single permit under state control and prohibits brewers from buying wholesale distributors. That's great for Miller, but just made life a whole lot more difficult for the more than 70 brewers in the state that aren't Miller who now have a much more difficult path to getting licenses and getting their product on shelves.
Wisconsin's total beer output grew only 0.2% during the past decade. Making life harder for most of your brewers for the sake of one doesn't seem like the best way to create growth.
6. New York
Number of breweries: 59
Capita per brewery: 328,442
Production in 2010:10.3 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 16.5 gallons
This is an easy choice to knock. Only Connecticut (16.2 gallons) and Utah (12.4) drink less beer per capita than New York does. Those two states still have a higher capita per brewery ratio than New York, which ranks ahead of only 10 other states and trails Rhode Island and South Dakota despite each of those states having only four breweries apiece.
So what's New York doing here? It comes down to two factors: outcome and potential. New York produces the fourth most beer in America, but the two states directly in front of it -- Florida with 12.7 million barrels and Texas with 19.4 million -- have even worse brewery-to-human ratios. Texas, despite having Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors facilities and a cool 431,000 barrels a year from Shiner Bock producer Spoetzl, still has less than one brewery for every 500,000 Texans.
New York, meanwhile, gets a big boost from the A-B plant in Baldwinsville and from Labatt's U.S. headquarters in Buffalo but also has a lot of help from Rochester-based North American Breweries. The holding company is based out of Genesee Brewing headquarters and still produces cans of Genny Cream Ale, but also includes Dundee Brewing, Vermont-based Magic Hat, Seattle-based Pyramid and Portland, Ore.-based MacTarnahan's in its portfolio. Collectively, the NAB brands grew 6.8%, to nearly 2.3 million barrels worth of production in 2010.
That's just the frothy head on New York's big brew, as F.X. Matt Brewery, which produces the Saranac line, contributes another 182,000 barrels and Brooklyn Brewery has nearly doubled its output from 58,000 barrels in 2006 to 108,000 last year. With smaller players like Brooklyn's Six Point and Long Island's Blue Point quickly gaining consumers and craft credibility, New York seems the most likely among the big-brewing states to slide its production up above the 0.2% growth of the past decade.
5. Washington
Number of breweries: 123
Capita per brewery: 54,671
Production in 2010: 4.15 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 19.1 gallons
Bud and Coors aren't brewed here and much of Washington doesn't seem to mind. Craft beer alone holds 25.5% of the beer market in the Seattle area, according to Beer Marketer's Insights, which is more than MillerCoors' 25.3% share and A-B's 23.8%.
That's what can happen when your state has the second-most breweries in the country and the eighth-best capita per brewery in the nation. It also helps to have some old friends such as Pyramid Breweries and Redhook Ale Brewery still calling your state home, even if their corporate masters are based elsewhere.
Perhaps the most surprising contribution comes from a brewer that few beer enthusiasts would deign to call "craft": Mike's Hard Lemonade. The Seattle-based brewer has turned its colorful, fruity malt beverages into a 1.2-million-barrel-producing beast last year after pushing out only 805,000 just four years earlier. In the geographic cradle of craft beer where no macro dares to tread, Mike's is the closest Washington comes to a big brewer.
4. Colorado
Number of breweries: 118
Capita per brewery: 42,620
Production in 2010: 3.6 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 22 gallons
While we're sure the Colorado brewing community is very proud of New Belgium Brewing and the 661,000 barrels it turned out last year, Oskar Blues and its pioneering of craft beer in cars and of other big contributors such as Avery and Great Divide, Colorado's brewing success isn't based in craft alone.
Colorado is still Coors country, and as long as Pike's Peak stays on the cans, a Miller Coors division office stays in Golden and the Colorado Rockies' stadium is still called Coors Field, it's going to stay that way. Also, as much as Fort Collins seems to love New Belgium's bike-in theater and scavenger hunts and Odell Brewing's potent concoctions, it's still home to an Anheuser-Busch plant and distributes 30 packs of macro far and wide.
Yet this is what makes a beer state: a little something for everyone. With the fourth most breweries in America and the fourth best capita per brewery in the country, Colorado has plenty of IPA and witbier for the craft collective and enough Bud and Coors Light for the Tim Tebow jersey-wearing Broncos faithful.
3. Oregon
Number of breweries: 121
Capita per brewery: 31,622
Production in 2010: 2.8 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 22.7 gallons
Oregon's beer empire is built on craft, and anyone who's found themselves amid too many brewpubs in Portland with too little time to see all of them knows it can take quite a while to explore that empire.
Deschutes Brewery is a good place to start and produces the second most beer of any Oregon brewer -- 203,000 barrels last year alone. They trail only the Craft Brewers Alliance, which brewed 370,000 barrels in Oregon last year and owns Portland's Widmer Brothers Brewery and Gasthaus Pub. Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River, meanwhile, has a stunning view from its brewpub and produced 101,000 barrels last year while staring up at Mount Hood or gazing down at the kitesurfers along the Columbia River.
The key to Oregon's success doesn't lie with Rogue Ales, BridgePort Brewing, Widmer Brothers Brewing, MacTarnahan's Taproom or even at Craft Brewers Alliance headquarters. It's in the state's variety of breweries that give it the third-most facilities in the nation and second best capita per brewery. The state's smart drinking public is matched only by its solid brewing community.
"The states that have high number of breweries or a low number of people per brewery (capita per brewery) I consider as areas where there is a high level of beer knowledge, interest in small, local companies and an entrepreneurial streak," the Brewers Association's Gatza says. "For every brewery that starts up across the country, there is a person willing to strike out on her or his own and go through all of the steps needed to get the brewery going."
2. Vermont
Number of breweries: 21
Capita per brewery: 29,797
Production in 2010: 528,469 barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 26.2 gallons
Vermont's a tiny state with a population of 626,000 that's only slightly larger than the city of Boston. Its brewing culture, however, is enormous.
This isn't about Vermont's output. The Craft Brewers Alliance alone produced more beer than Vermont did last year. It's about the state's love of beer and its access to it.
Vermonters drink the sixth-largest amount of beer per capita in the United States and have plenty of great options to choose from. Meanwhile, each of Vermont's 21 breweries serve a crowd smaller than the capacity of Fenway Park and give the Green Mountain state the best capita per brewery in America.
Despite NAB's purchase of Magic Hat last year, Burlington still embraces Magic Hat as one of its own and puts out nearly 160,000 barrels of it.
Windsor's Harpoon, meanwhile, produced 150,000 barrels last year between its cozy brewery in the mountains and its slightly more industrial home along Boston Harbor. Bridgewater's Long Trail Brewing is still all Vermont and produced 117,000 barrels in the state last year. Otter Creek, Rock Art and other Vermont breweries bolster the numbers a bit, but when you're pouring for such a small crowd, even out-of-state skiers and leaf peepers don't drain too much out of the keg.
"One common trait in the Top 5 states that have the fewest capita per brewery is that self-distribution is allowed under the laws of the state," Gatza says. "It is easier to open a microbrewery when you can go to retailers on your own to build sales of your beers up to a level that carrying your brands become attractive to a beer distributor."
1. California
Number of breweries: 245
Capita per brewery: 152,057
Production in 2010: 22.2 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 18.4 gallons
For beer lovers, it doesn't get any bigger than California.
Though it ranks only 21st in capita per brewery, its 245 breweries and 22.2 million barrels of production are No. 1 in the U.S. Much like Colorado, though, California has enough love for brewers big and small.
MillerCoors has a home in Irwindale, Anheuser-Busch Inbev has a brewery in Fairfield and North American Brewing's Pyramid Brewers maintain a presence here as well. California's vaunted craft brewing community is no slouch either, with Sierra Nevada taking the lead by producing 786,000 barrels in its Chico headquarters alone last year. Brewers that have been household names to craft fans for years are finding bigger followings as well, with Escondido's Stone Brewing increasing production from 49,000 barrels in 2006 to 115,000 last year and Lagunitas-based Lagunitas Brewing jumping from 39,000 to 106,000 during the same span.
But shouldn't a state with this much beer love its beer a little more? The amount of beer Californians consumed per capita last year was the seventh-lowest in the country, but California seems to have no problem pouring a few rounds while everyone else picks up the tab.
How Lager Came To Be?
After searching for the missing yeast species that is responsible for the crisp, cold-brewed and stored lager, scientists have finally found the elusive organism. Their investigation lasted about five years, finally ending on an Argentinian beech tree. [bendbulletin.com]
The newly discovered wild yeast strain is called Saccharomyces eubayanus and, when hybridized with S. cerevisae, the organism created can ferment at lower temperatures, perfect for lagering. The found strain is 99.5% identical to the non-ale side of the S. pastorianus genome, proposing it to indeed be the long lost ancestor.
Scientists are still uncertain as to how S. eubayanus made its way 8,000 miles from Patagonia to Germany, but if I can be so bold as to speak for them and those of us invested in beer, I’m glad it did.
The newly discovered wild yeast strain is called Saccharomyces eubayanus and, when hybridized with S. cerevisae, the organism created can ferment at lower temperatures, perfect for lagering. The found strain is 99.5% identical to the non-ale side of the S. pastorianus genome, proposing it to indeed be the long lost ancestor.
Scientists are still uncertain as to how S. eubayanus made its way 8,000 miles from Patagonia to Germany, but if I can be so bold as to speak for them and those of us invested in beer, I’m glad it did.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir Review #32
Midas Touch Golden Elixir
ABV: 9%
Year Round
Draft In A 4oz Glass In A Custom Flight
Midas Touch Golden Elixir is a beverage based on the residue found on the drinking vessels in King Midas' tomb. Our recipe highlights the known ingredients of barley, white Muscat grapes, honey and saffron. Somewhere between a beer, wine and mead, this smooth, dry ale will please with Chardonnay or I.P.A. drinker alike.
Dogfish Head Brewery
Milton, Delaware
Sam Calagione\
1995
Appearance:
Pale Gold Body
Yellowish Tint
Light Hazy Clarity
Thin Head
Head Fades In Minutes
Reasonable Lacing
Champagne Quality Carbonation
Aroma:
Syrup Aroma
Saffron
Prunes
Jasmine
Honey Note
Candy Notes
Mouth Feel:
Slick Texture
Could Be Refreshing In Small Doses
Thin/Medium Body
Sweet Balance
Light And Smooth Mouth Feel
"Wine Beer"
The taste of this beer was very complex, each sip had varying flavors. The high alcohol content is hidden very well in this beer, not a boozy tasting beer. The taste was much lighter and smoother than I expected from a bold beer. A very sweet tasting beer that carried honey,apples, grape and some vanilla notes. This beer seemed like a white wine/champagne hybrid beer. The beer was a little to sweet for my liking and there are so many other outstanding choices from Dogfish Head.
2 Out Of 6
Don't Want A Sixer
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