Green Flash's Winter's Folly

I had never heard of Green Flash's Winter's Folly (beer on the right in the picture) until about two weeks ago.  I didn't know Green Flash offered a holiday beer.  I still don't know anything about this beer other than it's freaking excellent.  I had it at Slater's 50/50, where it was being offered for $3 a pint as part of a happy hour special.  The best way to describe this full-bodied, mahogany beer is that it's a big, hoppy red ale.  It reminded me of Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard.  Winter Folly is an aggressive beer, like other Green Flash beers, but it was also approachable, a difficult characteristic that Green Flash manages to capture in its big beers.  It's rich roasted malts are well balanced with a strong hop profile, which gave the beer a welcome drinkability and prevented taste bud fatigue.  This was important because at $3 a pint, a second Winter's Folly was a must. 

I'd like to know more about this beer, like whether it's going to be a regular seasonal offering, or if it was just a beautiful one-off.  If you get a chance to try this beer, take it.

A quick note on Slater's 50/50.  I had Winter's Folly on my second visit, and there was no sophomore jinx.  Concerns about tap rotation seem unfounded, as there were plenty of different beers on tap from my first visit in late November.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Beer Geeks

If you're not into beer but know a beer geek and want to buy a present to indulge his or her hobby, here are a few gift ideas, and ones to avoid, for this holiday season. 

1.  Don't Give Beer.  Unless you have been given a specific beer request, you should avoid direct beer gifts.   The beer geek is at heart a snob and if you don't know the beer your giving, the chances of choosing a beer the geek will like is slim.  Stella Artois and Newcastle Brown Ale are not special, and Cost Plus' Beers-of-the World twelve packs are lame.

2.  Beer Store Gift Certificates.  If you are set on giving beer, a gift certificate to a good beer store or grocery store with wide beer selection is a better gift idea than randomly trying to choose strange beers.  You should budget around $25, which will let the geek buy two to four beers.

3.  Brewery Gift Certificates.  If you're lucky enough to live near a brewery you should think about a gift certificate.  A gift certificate from a local brewery will allow the geek to fill growlers, or buy bottled beer or pickup up glassware, logoed clothes or other beer swag.

4. Glassware.  Quality beer glassware is hard to find, but makes a great gift.  Crate & Barrel finally has as decent selection of beer glassware.  I'd recommend the Hops, the Bruges (picture), or imperial Pint Tumbler.  Many breweries now sell special glassware, and again, if you live near a brewery, you should investigate this option.  Avoid the ubiquitous Shaker pint glasss, the tall pilsner glasses or any glasses with handles.  Any respectable beer geek has plenty of Shaker pint glasses and won't need any more.  Stores like Target and Macy's only offer the tall pilsner glass, but while these glasses look elegant they're a pain to use, plus beer geeks don't tend to drink many pilsners, which these glasses were designed for, and if they do it's usually directly out of a can or bottle.

5.  Beer Books.  The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes and Unabashed Arrogance is a good literary gift.  Amazon has it and I've seen it at Costco (although this is probably regional). It's a glossy well written book that the beer geek will enjoy.  Most professional beer writing is tedious at best, so be careful with selecting beer books.

6.  Bottle Opener.  It sounds simple, but a good bottle opener is a must for any beer geek, and an overlooked tool for the drinking trade.  Choose an opener that has heft and leverage, as it will be required to open wine bottle-size beer bottles.  Local breweries and a quality beer or liquor store are a sources for openers, but other cooking stores should carry suitable ones, too.

Keep your beer gift search simple.  Beer does not lend itself to over thinking.  The beer geek is typically an appreciative person, despite the snooty attitude towards beer, and will enjoy any extra effort to indulge their habit.

Year-End Thinking

It's unlikely I will reach my goal of 100 posts for this year.  I could write a number of small useless posts to get to 100, but I am not going to succumb to posts that read like a New Brew Thursday tweet just to meet a meaningless target. 

I am putting together my list of best and worst beers of the year.  I know the best beers I have had this year, but I am having a hard time putting together the worst beers.  I'd had some beers that have disappointed and underwhelmed, but until last weekend none that I'd call the worst beer of the year.  Iron Fist's undrinkable Gauntlet double IPA was shudder inducing bad.  It did not taste like an IPA, was way too malty and boozy and had a nasty aftertaste.   If I didn't know it, I would not have guessed it a double IPA.  A friend ordered the Gauntlet at a pub, and I tasted it, so I did not actually have one myself, so maybe I should not include it on my list.  But whether I include it or not, with one taste it was by far the worst beer I had this year.   We asked the bartender if we could swap Gauntlet for a Coronado Brewing Idiot double IPA, which I knew was a good beer, and she gladly obliged, agreeing with us that Gauntlet was a tough beer to drink.   I can't remember ever sending a beer back for crappy taste.

Holiday Beer Recommendations

I was asked by a friend today for holiday beer recommendations for a party he was hositng.  I immediately said Dupont's Avec Les Bons Voeux, which is possibly the finest beer on the planet, holiday beer or not.    I try to enjoy a couple of this smooth, souped up saison a year.  I sent a later email telling him that he should also buy some Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, a classic American holiday beer.  If my friend and his guests don't like either of these two beers they deserve to get sick on their eggnog.

Slater's 50/50 and Danny Downer

We went to the new Slater's 50/50 in in San Diego's Liberty Station on Friday night.   Before we went I had seen on Slater's website that it offered a good selection of craft beers.  I had also read The Hop Daddy beer blog, which mentioned that Slater's had 111 taps.  Slater's website only lists a handful of its beer options, shortchanging, for some reason, its actual number of taps.  I don't know if Slater's really has 111 taps (the manager told me there were 111) or whether near its closer to 80 taps (like Slater's website states), all I know for certain is there are plenty of beer drinking options.

Some restaurants have a large number of taps, but upon closer inspection, you are left with about three beers you'd want to drink (read: Yard House).  But Slater's 50/50's 111 taps were stocked with mostly good stuff, including Stone Brewing, Ballast Point, Bear Republic, Alesmith, Port/Lost Abbey, Iron Smith, and Green Flash beers to name a few.  Plus, there was a fair number of quality Belgian beers.  Sure there were a handful of macros - Bud, Bud Lite, Ultra, Stella, Blue Moon etc. - but with 111 taps seeing these beers is expected, and who really cares because the important point is that the tap choices at Slater's are heavily weighted towards good beer.

I told a friend about Slater's, which has only been open about a week, and he immediately started putting it down.  He didn't like the namesake 50/50 burger, which is half hamburger meat and half bacon, the regular burger patty that he had fell apart, and other people he knew didn't like it either.   How can someone form such a negative opinion on a week-old restaurant?   I thought the food was good.  Slater's is a brewpub-type burger joint, and it fits this style well.  I don't eat hamburgers that often, but I have no problems with quality of Slater's burgers.  (I had the Thanksgiving Turkey Burger and liked it.)  The service was friendly and attentive, too.  With about 90 to 100 viable draft beer options to enjoy, what the heck do you want, The French Laundry?  My friend and his negative cohorts can avoid Slater's, this leaves more beer for the rest of us.

(The picture above is a Lost Abbey Red Barn in a fancy Lost Abbey glass.)

Round Up - Damnation Batch 23 and Confluence

Here are a couple of quick reviews on two excellent beers.  Russian River Brewing's Damnation Batch 23 is the latest periodical release of the ramped up version of Russian River's year-round Damnation.  Damnation is a Belgian Strong Ale and Batch 23 is Damnation on steroids.   Strong is the key word, as it has an 11% abv compared to Damnation's 7% abv.  Batch 23 is scary smooth, the most drinkable "big" beer I have had in recent memory.  It is yeasty and fruity at the front, with a balancing hop bitter finish.  It is a rich, full-bodied beer.  As you can see in the attached picture, Batch 23 is highly carbonated, and the intense bubbles give the beer a welcome creaminess.  It is worth finding this infrequently released beer.

I am continuing my quest for good sours. As noted in the previous blog post, I went to Pizza Port Ocean Beach's sour and rare bottle night as part of San Diego Beer Week last Friday.  I stayed long enough to pick up my food and drink an Allagash Confluence.  Confluence made the fifteen minute wait in line seem short.  As I took my first taste of this wild American ale, the roar in Pizza Port faded and I heard a chorus of angels sing, "Hallelujah."  Confluence is an excellent sour.  It helped cement my preferred flavor profile for sour beers - strong sour initially and through the middle followed by increased bitterness, and minimal sweetness all around.  Confluence's yeast gave it a funky sour flavor, and it had a nice hoppy bite in the finish.  There was a faint note of sweetness that served to balance, not distract, and it is in no way a sweet beer.  Too much sweetness diminishes a sour beer.  Confluence had a strong body that supported its complexity.  I would have had liked more time to savor this distinct beer.  Like with Batch 23, you'll be doing yourself a favor trying Confluence.

11.11.11 on 11.11.11

I managed to have a Stone Vertical Epic 11.11.11 on its actual namesake date 11.11.11.  It wasn't my deliberate intention, but when I found the sour beer night at Pizza Port Ocean Beach too crowded, I figured it'd be worth grabbing a bottle of the latest Stone release for home consumption.  I'll get right to the point - 11.11.11 was better than I was expecting.  I know that's not a ringing endorsement, but I was suspicious when I heard it was being brewed with chilies and cinnamon.

It poured a clear, deep mahogany, with quick dissolving sand-colored foam.   The chilies provided some spicy heat, but I did not detect too much flavor from them outside of their heat.  The main taste I picked up was cinnamon.  It was present throughout, even with the bittering hops in the finish.  The other taste was booze, which was noticeable from beginning to end.  (I am not sure of the beer's abv, but would guess between 8% and 9%.)  There are plenty of flavors going on in this beer, and I am going to need another bottle (or several) to get its full measure.  I did not do 11.11.11 justice by drinking at least half of it with a pizza dinner, but most of my beer drinking is with dinner.

I compare all Vertical Epics to my favorite, 08.08.08.   11.11.11, while complex and interesting, is not as good as '08's Vertical Epic.  On the positive side, it's much better than last year's experimental wine wannabe, and I want another, which is also positive.  11.11.11 is an approachable extreme beer, but you'll find yourself sipping it despite its easy drinkability.  The cinnamon and chile heat could qualify this beer as a one-off Stone holiday beer.  Stone has one more Vertical Epic left, and I am already starting to miss the concept.  It's time to start the speculation on next year's Vertical Epic grand finale.   I am rooting for a monster Belgian quad, thick as molasses, with a big dried fruit profile, and hops, loads and loads of hops.

Beerendipity

On Friday I wanted to go to The Blind Lady to meet The Bruery's Patrick Rue and try some The Bruery beers, as part of San Diego's Beer Week.  I drove by The Blind Lady twice trying to find a place to park while noticing the crowd inside.  After the second pass, while driving west on Adams Avenue, I decided to skip The Blind Lady and see if I could find parking and a restaurant somewhere on 30th Street.  My parking impatience resulted in trying an amazing beer and having a superb lunch. 

The Beer Rovette and I decided to eat at The Linkery, where we found convenient parking and a modest late lunchtime crowd.   Green Flash's Le Freak was on cask.  I had seen this beer in bottles for years but had never tried it.   It was delicious.  Being on cask and near room temperature made Le Freak's flavors pop.  Le Freak is a Belgian IPA, and it was a perfect blend of fruity, yeasty, hoppy goodness.  I never would have guessed its alcohol level was near 9%.  It was incredibly drinkable, and as I worked my way down the glass I kept taking smaller and smaller sips to avoid finishing the beer.  I need to go get and drink a bottle of Le Freak to see if it comes close to the cask version, but I am afraid that it won't live up to my expectations.


The other beer in the picture above is Mission Brewery's Hefeweizen, which is a zesty, spicy hefeweizen.   Lunch at The Linkery was excellent, it was my good fortune that I could not find a place to park at The Blind Lady.  The Beer Rovette and I shared soup, salad and a burger.  At my age and girth, I try not to eat french fries, but I had to make an exception for The Linkery's fries, which we ordered as an appetizer.  They are cooked in meat fat, which makes them decadent and cholesterol bursting.  Every time I go to The Linkery I wish I lived in North Park so I could eat there more often.  It's one of the best restaurants in San Diego, plus it always has a beer or two on cask.

Second SD Beer Week Post

Well, half way through SD Beer week, this beer blogger has hit exactly zero events out over 400 million.  Pretty pathetic.  Friday, 11.11.11 is shaping up as the day of days for me.  I like the looks of The Bruery's Patrick Rue hosting a lunchtime tasting at Blind Lady Alehouse, which will feature some special The Bruery beers, including Oude Tart, Snickelfritz and 4 Calling Birds.  On Friday night starting at 5:00, Pizza Port Ocean Beach is hosting a night of sours and rare beers.  I am not sure what beers will be on tap, but am hoping for a few Russian River "tion" (shun) beers and The Lost Abbey's Red Poppy.

SD Beer Week

The third San Diego Beer Week starts today (11/4) and runs through next Sunday (11/13).  I haven't paid too much attention to this year's events, as I'll avoid the big festivities and look to hit some smaller venues.  There are more than 460 events listed on the San Diego Beer Week website, ranging from the large, signature Guild Festival, to select beer specials at local retailers.  I have not gone fully through the list, but like the opportunity to meet The Bruery's founder and craft beer rock star Patrick Rue on Friday, November 11 at the The Blind Lady.

Interesting Pending Releases

I saw today that The Bruery is releasing its annual holiday beer, the fourth in its theme of the carol Twelve Days of Christmas, 4 Calling Birds.  Like the previous three releases, 4 Calling Birds is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale.  I really liked the first two versions, but was lukewarm on last year's Three French Hens (I don't think I even reviewed it).  4 Calling Birds is a mighty 11% abv, so I'll have to block out the better part of an evening to drink this beer.

Stone Brewing is releasing this year's Vertical Epic, 11.11.11, on Monday.  It's the penultimate beer in the Vertical Epic series.  This beer is different every year, and 11.11.11 is keeping up the tradition. The Stone Blog states that 11.11.11 was brewed in:

"a Belgian-style amber ale brewed with cinnamon and Anaheim chillis from New Mexico’s legendary Hatch Valley (famous for growing complexly flavorful chillis prized by foodies.)"

 My chili skepticism is somewhat allayed by the beer's 65 IBUs.  Look for both Vertical Epic 11.11.11 and 4 Calling Birds in the next week.

Arrogant Bastard Reprint

I wrote this post on Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard over three years ago, and it recently popped up on the list of this blog's most viewed posts.  In summary, I credit Arrogant Bastard for starting the extreme beer trend.