All About Beer Magazine January 2011 Issue

Craft Beer—State of the Union, 2010

Beer Changes Lives

with Jeff Bagby

You’ve won Large Brewpub of the Year twice, and you have won Alpha King twice. So what I want to know is, what’s the story with the plaid pants? That’s a good one. I like that question, right off. In my high school years, some friends of mine used to wear kind of loud pants... View Article

Twin Cities

Winter Festival, January 27-February 6, 2011. “In 1885, a New York reporter described Saint Paul as ‘another Siberia, unfit for human habitation’ in winter,” wrote Clara James on About.com. “Saint Paulites were highly offended by the insult, so they decided to prove that Saint Paul was not just habitable, but actually fun in the winter.”... View Article

Montreal

Mondial de la Bière, June 8-12, 2011. Bouchard and Co. are smart to produce this in the summer. Going on its 18th year, the largest international beer festival in North America keeps outgrowing its staging grounds and next year will take place at the Bonaventure Palace and Hilton Bonaventure. The festival features over 500 beers... View Article

Anchorage

The Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival, January 14-15, 2011. The fest, says Roberts, brings virtually every spread-out brewery around the state together under one roof. Yes, thankfully, it’s indoors. There are three sessions, but if you can only hit one, spend the extra 10 bucks for a $40 ticket and make it the... View Article

Flying North for the Winter

If there’s anything we’ve learned from National Geographic, it’s that animals migrate south for the winter. But we’re neither geese nor pronghorns. Furthermore, we are craft beer lovers, not lemmings. So why follow the herd? This winter, as the Arctic winds sweep across the northlands, embrace the glacial conditions and head for the higher latitudes.

Smoked Beer

Newcomers are often surprised that smoked beers even exist, but beer made with smoked malts are one of our most tangible link to the 18th century and before. At one time, most beers made with kilned malt had a smoky tinge, and maltsters strove to eliminate it. The exception is a handful of brewers in... View Article

Smashed Pumpkin

Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland, ME Available: AZ, CO, GA, IL, IN, MN, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN Shipyard, which grew out of the Kennebunkport Brewing Co. and Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub, is the largest brewery in Maine. ABV: 9 ABW: 7.5 Color: 14 Bitterness: 28 Original gravity: 1088

Swamp Ape IPA

Florida Beer Co. Melbourne, FL Available: FL (soon in VA) In addition to this double IPA, the company brews the Ybor Gold, Key West, Hurricane West, Cuban La Tropical and Indian River beer brands. ABV: 10 ABW: 8 Color: 9 Bitterness: 83 Original gravity: 1096

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Boston Beer Co. Boston, MA Available: nationwide Brewed with hops grown near the 48th parallel, the latitude that defines the “hop belt” in the Northern hemisphere. ABV: 5.8 ABW: 4.6 Color: 20 Bitterness: 60 Original gravity: 1059

Sweet Josie Brown Ale

LoneRider Brewing Co. Raleigh, NC Available: NC LoneRider Brewing Co. was opened in early 2009 by two employees of high-tech firms in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. ABV: 6.1 ABW: 4.9 Color: 23 Bitterness: 35 Original gravity: 1057

Bourbon Barrel Stout

Odell Brewing Co. Ft. Collins, CO Available: CO, AZ, NM, NE, KS, MO, SD, WY, MN This batch of stout was aged for months in used Maker’s Mark barrels. Three brewers travelled to KY last spring to hand-select the barrels. ABV: 10.5 ABW: 8.4 Color: 191 Bitterness: 27 Original gravity: 1092

John Barleycorn 2009 Barleywine Ale

Mad River Brewing Co. Blue Lake, CA Available: AZ, HI, NC, SC, CA, KY, OH, IN, WA, MA, MN, OR, MD, PA, VA, MT, NE, NJ, FL, OK, GA, IL The first beer to be identified as “barleywine” was Bass No. 1, a strong ale brewed in England around 1900. ABV: 11 ABW: 8.6 Color:... View Article

McRogue Scotch Ale

Rogue Ales Newport, OR Available: nationally Originally designed by Rogue brewer Nate Lindquist and revised by head brewer John Maier, this scotch ale is returning to the market after a near-decade absence. ABV: 7.9 ABW: 6.3 Color: 28 Bitterness: 45 Original gravity: 1029

SOS

Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs, LA Available: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV For every bottle of SOS—Save Our Shore—sold,... View Article

Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer

Innis & Gunn Edinburgh, Scotland Imported by: Innis and Gunn USA Manhasset, NY Available: CT, GA, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI ABV: 7.4 ABW: 5.9 Color: 20 Bitterness: 21 Original gravity: 1066

Santa’s Little Helper

Port Brewing Co. San Marcos, CA Available: CA, AZ, CO, WA, IL, PA, MA First created at the Pizza Port in Solana Beach in 1997, and brewed annually ever since. ABV: 10.5 ABW: 8.4 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original gravity: 1092

Wolaver’s Alta Gracia Coffee Porter

Otter Creek Brewing Middlebury, VT Available: VT, NH, ME, NY, MA, CT, RI, NJ, MD, NC, PA, OH, VA Flavored with organic vanilla beans and organic shade-grown coffee from the Alta Gracia community of farmers in the Dominican Republic. ABV: 5 ABW: 4 Color: ruby black Bitterness: 18 Original gravity: 1067

Black Betty Imperial Stout

Nebraska Brewing Co. Pappilion, NE Available: NE, IA, OR, PA, NY, MA Aged six months in fresh oak Stranahan Whiskey barrels, and bottle-conditioned for an additional month before release. ABV: 9 ABW: 7 Color: 47 Bitterness: 83 Original gravity: 1085

Vertical Epic 10.10.10

Vertical Epic 10.10.10 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido, CA Available: AK, AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, DC, WA The Vertical Epic series began in 2002 with the release of 02.02.02. Each beer... View Article

Toxic Sludge Black IPA

Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue, NY Available: NY, NJ, CT, FL, NC, PA, MD, RI BP Toxic Sludge was brewed to benefit birds affected by BP’s Gulf oil spill. All of the proceeds go to Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research for their “Spreading Our Wings” Capital Campaign. ABV: 7 ABW: 5.6 Color: n/a Bitterness: 35... View Article

Foreign Extra Stout

Guinness and Co. Dublin, Ireland Imported by: Diageo-Guinness USA Norwalk, CT Available: nationally Foreign Extra Stout is the strongest beer in the Guinness line. It is carbonated, rather than nitrogen-dispensed, and makes up 45 percent of global sales. ABV: 7.5 ABW: 6 Color: 66 Bitterness: 65-71 Original gravity: 1072

Noël Christmas Ale

Affligem Brouwerij Opwijk, Belgium Imported by: Total Beverage Solutions Mount Pleasant, SC Available: AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, AND WI Affligem Abbey, in... View Article