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 You may be wondering why there is this ridiculously funny picture of me dressed up like a Spartan from the movie 300. It is because we have just reached Volume 300 of the Fresh Beer Times. Wow! I started this email newsletter over 11.5 years ago as a way to let people know about this little known thing called "craft beer". Most people knew it as "microbrewed" beer back then, a misnomer that got dropped as some of the more successful craft breweries grew to sizes that could hardly be considered micro any longer. We have come a LONG WAY since then. Is that the understatement of the decade? Time to talk like the old beer man I have become....(insert gravely old man voice here). Back in the day, I could barely get a bar owner or retailer to listen to me about what good local beer was about. I would literally drive a keg around to bars and sample right out of the back of my truck. IPA? What's that!?! That would be a question that I would have to answer regularly. Then I would have to explain that there are people who actually like "bitter" and "hoppy" beer. And price....who would buy a keg of beer at THAT price!?! While most of the country had already joined the craft beer revolution, it seemed as if Florida remained in the dark ages and might never "get it". I even remember doing a beer fest at the exact same location as Grovetoberfest...that drew exactly three people...literally. But there were a few back then who understood. A select few who when we did a tasting or sampling would say "That's some pretty damn good beer" and "Where can I get that?". Seeing that there was a growing customer base that needed some way of finding our beers, I started collecting emails of interested people so I could help them find us. I think the first newsletter may have reached 25 or 30 people. Interesting thing is that most of those people are probably reading this right now. Because craft beer is not only about great beer, but also the community that comes with it. People are passionate about craft beer and they want to know all they can about the beers that we were selling....where to taste them, where to drink them and where to buy them. Now that group has grown to thousands of people statewide looking for the finest craft beer that we have to offer. They want to congregate at bars and restaurants that serve great craft beer. They want to attend events where they can get a good beer to drink not just some fizzy yellow liquid. And they want to talk about the beer they just had or one that is just about to come out. So as I approach this milestone and also the end of 2013, I have to say that I am thankful for all of you out there that have joined our revolution. All of you readers that have spent the time to read our newsletter, go to our events, drink our beers, and join us for all the fun we have had for the last eleven and a half years. Cheers! And for those of you who have been reading this newsletter for a while you know there is always a little tradition that I bring this time of year so without further ado.... Well the beer market in Florida is getting exciting, And the readers you know they are always imbibing, You know the time is drawing near, Let's have a cheer, it's 300 dear, drink some craft beer!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!! Adam Fine Director of Hoperations |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
(for more info click on the event title)
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NEW AND RETURNING PRODUCTS
VISIT OUR BEERFINDER TO FIND THESE PRODUCTS
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Appease your divine nature and drink in the mysteries and sacred flavors of this milk stout is brewed with organic Masala Chai spices. Dark chocolate notes combine with an exotic blend of ginger, cardamom, black pepper, coriander, and cinnamon, which is softened by the milky sweetness of lactose. Meant to be revered, this handcrafted stout may product spontaneous midnight mooing, awaken your chakras, or set you sailing on your own passage to India. 6.0%ABV
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Brewery Ommegang sits on a historic hop farm, allowing the brewery access to fresh hops each season. That's the inspiration for Hop House. Ommegang Hop House is a dry-hopped Belgian pale ale that commemorates the hop farm where Brewery Ommegang now resides. 6.0% ABV.
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Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine
This English-style barleywine pours burnished copper with a bone colored head. The aromas will wind you up with upfront scents of oak, earthy hops, and caramel with an afterthought of peat. Brewed since 2002, Widdershins' Germanic name means to move counter clockwise - or better yet, left-wise. Floral and fruity notes of orange and apricot rest upon a foundation of oak, garlanded with earthy hop aromas and the sinister presence of peated malt. This backwards beer will pull you in with its saccharinity, and finish with a hop boom and deceptively high alcohol. 8.8% ABV
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Shipyard Mint Chocolate Stout
Mint Chocolate Stout is a dark, silky beer with aromas of chocolate and licorice. Smooth chocolate and coffee flavors upfront lead to a subtle spearmint finish. To fully enjoy all the flavors of this ale it is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
9.0% ABV
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This dark black IPA is for the pirate in you. It combines a rich malty character with the crisp flavor and aroma of American Northwest hops. It's a beer the legendary Blackbeard would have hoisted as he sailed the seven seas. 6.2% ABV
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Dogfish Head Piercing Pils
A Perry-Pils hybrid, Piercing Pils is a Czech Style Pilsner brewed with a White Pear Tea and Pear juice. Both the juice and the tea were added in the kettle during the whirlpool (after the boil) for maximum flavor and aroma contribution. The Pear fruit complexity pierces right through the spicy Czech Saaz hops beautifully, adding a gentle acidity to this pale lager that makes for a crisp refreshing sipper. Amarillo hops add nuanced citrus notes that meld perfectly with the fruit. 6.0% ABV
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The base of Kvasir is a toasty red winter wheat, and the bog-grown berries deliver a pungent tartness. While a handful of hops is used, the earthy, bitter counterpunch to the sweet honey and birch syrup comes from the herbs. 10.0% ABV
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The Bruery 6 Geese Laying
6 Geese-A-Laying is the 6th beer in our "12 Days of Christmas" series and is a return to the more classic dark and toasty winter ale, following the appropriately blonde 5 Golden Rings. Brewed with cape gooseberries, this malty ale displays notes of plums, dark cherry and bright, citrus-like flavors from the namesake berries. Delicious right now, but suitable for aging up to 6 years, upon the release of 12 Drummers Drumming. 11.5% ABV
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Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
The aroma immediately speaks of dark chocolate and dark malts. The taste continues with the intense Belgian dark chocolate gliding across the tongue; starting sweet up front but giving way to rich cocoa flavors at the back. Through it all, a subtle fruitiness from our special Belgian yeast gives the beer brightness otherwise foreign to a beer style normally associated with gray foggy skies. Lingering chocolate entices the drinker to taste more. Go ahead. Dessert is good for the soul. 7.0% ABV
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Limited release of the Backstage Series. Our brewing team painstakingly choreographed each layer of this beer's characteristics, starting with a healthy wheat and roasted malt base and adding clean, fragrant hops. It's one-hundred percent barrel aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels and bourbon barrels over the course of sixteen months, then blended using carefully calculated ratios for the ultimate final product. Take your time allowing the layers of flavors to unfold...Because it'll only get better. 12.6% ABV
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It began with a simple question: what if boilermakers actually tasted good? As always, we were unafraid and stepped up to the challenge with the grit of a champion prize fighter. The solution: age our TOTALLY-high-in-Vitamin-Yum Solid Gold in the finest barrels we had. The result: a delicious corn-based beer that, thanks to its low original ABV and unassuming flavor profile, acted as a 'yum-sponge' grabbing everything available from barrel aging. Oak-y, bourbon-y and corn-y, this lil' sucker retains its original crushability while adding the complex flavors of barrel aging. Awesome. Get ready for the future of barrel aged beers... 7.9% ABV
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Humbolt Brewing Co. 500 B.C.
This double IPA does everything twice. Double the hops, double the ABV. Named for the California coastal redwoods, the oldest and tallest living species in America, we're proud to say this giant brew does these imperial giants justice. 8.3% ABV
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Other returning favorites:
Look out for returning hits such as: Cisco Winter Shredder, Samuel Smith Gift Box, Lindemans Gift Box, Breckenridge Christmas Ale, N'Ice Chouffe, Boulder Never Summer, Dogfish Head Olde School, Blue Point Winter Ale, Samuel Smith Winter Welcome, Samuel Smith Yorkshire Stingo, Avery Old Jubilation, Shiner Holiday Cheer, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, Rogue Santa's Private Reserve, Rogue Yellow Snow, Magic Hat Winterland Variety Pack, Magic Hat Humdinger Series Graupel, Magic Hat Heart of Darkness, Terrapin Moo-Hoo, Terrapin Wake-n-Bake, Ommegang Adoration, Coronado Blue Bridge Coffee Stout, Coronado Stupid Stout, Highland Cold Mountain, Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog, Innis and Gunn Scottish Porter, Left Hand Fade to Black Vol. 5, Southern Tier Krampus, Southern Tier 2Xmas Ale, Southern Tier Old Man Winter, Shipyard Prelude, Shipyard Longfellow Ale, Summit Winter Ale, and Cigar City Invasion Pale Ale in cans!
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*Check with your Brown sales representative for availability or products not available in certain areas
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Beer concentrate lets you take brews on an outdoor adventure
By: Jim Galligan
Weight is the enemy of the backpacker, as every added ounce can lead to increased muscle strain, fatigue, and the desire to turn around and stay at the lodge.
For fans of craft beer, enjoying a decent brew while hiking or camping away from the car usually involves lugging around heavy cans of beer, which can turn a lovely trek into a grueling slog through the woods.
But now the folks at Pat's Backcountry Beverages have created a solution - their new Brew Concentrates come in featherweight 50ml packets and can be reconstituted with carbonated water (courtesy of their trail-ready 16-ounce carbonator bottle).
For full article
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Get ready for a beer cocktail boom
It appears that 2014 will be another great year for beer consumers. With more than 2,500 breweries in operation and another 1,500 in planning, there has never been a better time to be a beer drinker. While brewers continue to push the innovation envelope, here are three things beer drinkers can expect to see in 2014.
Lower alcohol in session:
Look for more brewers to balance out their portfolios with more sessionable beer offerings in the year ahead.
Although India Pale Ale (IPA) has dominated the craft beer market in recent years and consumers have adjusted to the higher alcohol volume that comes with this style, this year you can expect the alcohol pendulum to swing back toward lower alcohol-by-volume (ABV) beers, nicknamed "session beers" by many in the industry due to their less-than-5 percent ABV.
For full article
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A few of my favorite things: Holiday gift guide for beer lovers, homebrewers
By: Rob Fink
The winter holidays are the perfect time to either get new gear for the homebrewer in your life or give the title of 'homebrewer' to someone.
Brewing your own beer is incredibly rewarding, and best of all -- it's not complicated. With a few hops, some gadgets and a bucket, you can produce suds in no time.
Below is a list of brewing gift ideas, which range from introductory and advanced equipment, to local homebrew gift cards and books on beer. Most of the items below can all be found at your local homebrew store.
For full article
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Featured Beer
Cocktail
A Clockwork Orange
This cocktail was devised in the 1960s by novelist and playwright Anthony Burgess, who is perhaps best known for the novel A Clockwork Orange.
1 shot (1.5 oz) of gin
1 shot (1.5 oz) of rum
1 shot (1.5 oz) of whiskey
1 shot (1.5 oz) of brandy
1 shot (1.5 oz) of Port
3 oz champagne
2 oz Stout
Pour all liquor in a pint glass. Add Champagne and top off with stout.
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Featured Recipe
Beeramisu
By: myrecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) container mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Kahlúa
1 (7 oz.) package Italian-style crunchy ladyfingers (savoiardi)
1 1/2 cups Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Directions:
Line a 5- by 9-in. loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving at least a 1-in. overhang on all sides.
Combine mascarpone, cream, and Kahlúa and beat on low speed, then medium, until mixture is thick enough to spread (do not overbeat).
Set 1 ladyfinger cookie vertically against a long edge of loaf pan and trim it flush with rim of pan. Use it as a guide to trim 12 more cookies, reserving trimmed ends.
Soak 1 ladyfinger at a time in beer, about 1 second per side; then arrange in rows along the long sides of pan, picket fence-style. Arrange 4 ladyfingers lengthwise on bottom of pan.
Spoon half the mascarpone mixture over bottom layer of ladyfingers and smooth evenly.
Top with another layer of soaked ladyfingers (using reserved trimmed ends first), then top with remaining mascarpone mixture, smoothing evenly.
Sift cocoa over top of cream. Wrap beeramisu and chill at least 8 hours and up to 24.
To serve, use plastic wrap to lift cake out of the loaf pan. Unwrap and slice crosswise. Dust each slice with additional cocoa, if you like.
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