Sierra Nevada is about to set out on the inaugural Beer Camp Across America festival, an ambitious traveling beer extravaganza that invites every craft brewery in the country to participate. The festival will eventually make its way to Sierra Nevada’s new facility in Mills River, NC, and nine South Carolina breweries will be making an appearance at that stop.
Sierra Nevada‘s new Mills River, NC facility recently came online, and with it’s production a new beer exclusive to the Southeast.
A little hair of the dog, anyone?
If your liver is still functioning the morning after Brewvival, there’s a pretty awesome special event being held to help keep the festivities going.
Wednesday evening, the folks at the Charleston Beer Exchange – one of the event’s sponsors – released details about the Morning After Brewvival Sunday Beer Breakfast. This is the first official event outside of the festival sanctioned by Brewvival in its four-year history.
Here’s the deal: On Sunday, Feb. 24, a breakfast will be held at the GrowFood Carolina building in Downtown Charleston, with food provided and prepared by Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill. Different foods will be stationed throughout the venue and each item will be paired with beer from Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada or Coast (or, in some cases, all three). Not only that, but Sam Calagione of Dogfish, Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada and David Merritt and Jamie Tenny of Coast will all be drinking and eating right alongside you.
Food and drink will be unlimited, so long as you can handle yourself.
Tickets are $45 per person and must be bought in advance, and only 100 tickets will be sold, so the event will definitely sell out.
The tickets will be sold through the Brewvival website when they go on sale, which will be sometime today. at 9 a.m. Friday.
There’s been much consternation and gnashing of teeth this week over the news that Sam Caligione of Dogfish Head and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada collaborated not only on a beer (Rhizing Bines), but also a glass to go along with and help accentuate it and other IPAs. The bulbous, ribbed Spiegelau glass was reportedly designed to help amplify hop aromas and aerate the beer, coming together in what was dubbed the “new standard for IPA glassware.”
The much-maligned Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada IPA glass.
As expected with trivial things such as this, social media exploded in a fit of rage and mockery. People fell into either the “Oh, cool. Another one for the collection” camp or “I HOPE YOUR CHILDREN GET CANCER AND HIT BY A BUS &*&^(@&!&” camp. There really are no happy mediums online.
While the glass doesn’t really do it for me – I’ll admit it does look ridiculous and is a bit highfalutin – it did give me an opportunity to write up an opinion piece I’ve wanted to do for some time on a topic near and dear to many beer geeks: glassware.
My glassware collection. Everyday glasses on the bottom, specialty ones up top.
I’ll say this first: I love beer glassware. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a collector, but I have a sizable variety of glasses I’ve either bought or won from breweries, or received for free as part of a glass night at a local bar or with a bottle release. I’m not sure what it is – small mementos from breweries, interesting designs, uniqueness, etc. – but I’ve always had a thing for breweriana. Shaker pints are my go-to water glasses, and I’ve got enough to take up a whole shelf in one of my kitchen cabinets. Also, I’ve got a plethora of tulips, snifters, goblets and so on of different shapes and sizes.
We’re told that the only way to truly enjoy our beer is to always put it in the proper glassware. That stout isn’t going to taste the same in that goblet, you’re missing out if you put an IPA in a stange and you might as well just drain pour that quad if you’re putting it in a tulip. To an extent, I agree with that, and I certainly find certain glassware suits certain beers better. After going to Belgium and seeing how each brewery picks a specific glass to go with a specific beer, you can tell that people who are meticulous about it want to ensure the most enjoyable drinking experience. If I’m drinking at home and I’ve got a brewery branded non-standard glass – Allagash, Dogfish, Ommegang – I’ll generally pick that glass since I know the brewers likely chose it for a specific reason. But if I go to a bar and someone gives me, say, a doppelbock in a tulip instead of a snifter, I’d never send it back because it’s “not proper.”
My go-to glassware: tulip, snifter and goblet.
I, personally, have a few standard glasses I use for specific beers: A tulip, a snifter or a goblet. IPAs/DIPAs and really the majority of beers I drink go in a tulip. It’s easy to hold, has a good weight to it and does seem to make the hop aromas pop more. Darker and heavier beers – stouts, porters, etc. – go in a snifter. It’s smaller volume and size is good for sipping and not guzzling 15% behemoths. And generally, all Belgian-style beers go in a goblet. The bigger aromas and flavors are complimented by the wide mouth. Other than that, it’s a guessing game.
Above my bar, I have this poster, which aside from looking cool is good for picking out which style should go in which glass. I don’t take it as gospel, but it’s useful to have if I’m not sure what I should put where. (Heh heh.) But I’m not so anal to the point that if it’s not in the proper glass I don’t think I’m getting the proper “experience.” I agree you should respect the beer your drinking, but there’s a limit.
So, what’s the point I’m trying to get at? If you want to pour every beer you drink into a shaker pint and that makes you happy, cheers. If you’d rather go for a more “appropriate” glassware, I’m right there with you. But if you go so far as to get angry or mock people for trying to achieve a better drinking experience when it does no harm to you, you need to have a beer – you’re welcome to choose whatever glass you like – and chill the hell out.
*** As I was writing this post, I was enjoying a Hopslam out of a Mason jar-shaped glass. I thought about noting how it tasted different compared with drinking it from a tulip, but I’m going to chalk that up to the fact I’m sick and not that anal.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, Ca
Ruthless Rye Rye Beer
6.6% ABV
One of the most hyped and well-regarded new beers of 2012 was Ruthless Rye, the 6.6% rye beer Sierra Nevada introduced as its new spring seasonal. The Internets were wowed by its solid blend of rye spiciness and solid hop and malt profiles. As with the vast majority of beers produced by Sierra Nevada, it was regarded as a winner.
I was one of the few who didn’t jump to such a conclusion, which was strange for a lot of reasons. I love rye beers, I’m an unabashed hophead and I generally love whatever comes out of the Chico, CA, brewery. But for some reason, Ruthless Rye left me shrugging my shoulders and wondering what everyone was so excited about.
The year passed and a few weeks ago, Ruthless Rye returned to store shelves just as the warmer weather was beginning to roll in. No sooner had it arrived than the hype machine took over once again, with plenty of people proclaiming it to be better than last year’s batch.
With my palate having developed plenty since then, I gave it another shot. I was …
The nose is a juicy blend of wet pine, melon, sweet malts and a slight spiciness from the rye. Compared with other rye beers – i.e. Bell’s Smitten – there’s definitely more of a juicy hop presence on the nose than a rye bite. The hops give off rich orange, melon and honeydew notes with a light lemony citrus as well. It’s sweeter and fuller than I remember.
The bite on the front of the tongue is strong and spicy, a good mesh of the citrus notes from the hopes and the spice from the rye. There’s just a slight carbonation and a medium body. In the middle of the mouth was where the rye took over. It scorches the middle of your tongue with spiciness, which is accentuated by the bite of the hops. The finish is just slightly dry, with those citrusy notes popping up again and giving it a crisp lemony finish.
All that being said, Ruthless Rye – once again – left me unimpressed. Again, it’s a good, solid, flavorful rye beer, but I honestly don’t see what the fuss is about. For the second year in a row, it left me underwhelmed, and that’s not because I overhyped it in my mind. It just didn’t deliver what I expected it to. To be fair, it’s much better on draft, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t try it. But for the second year in a row, this beer did not deliver.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA
Narwhal Imperial Stout
10.2% ABV
Sierra Nevada has seemed to get better and better as the year’s gone along. Brux was a great new collaboration and this year’s batch of Hoptimum was a big step up from the previous year’s batch. But with Narwhal, their new seasonal imperial stout, they created what could be their next Bigfoot.
The beer is a pretty standard imperial stout, and there’s nothing that really sets the beer above a lot of others in the style. But what might otherwise be written off as a new seasonal beer is one more complex and unique base imperial stouts I’ve had in a long time. And the fact they slap a date on the neck makes me think this is something that could get even better with age.
Narwhal has a really thick and silky pour to it. It’s absolutely pitch black in the glass, as an imperial stout it wont to do. The head on top was surprising. There was about a finger to a finger-and-a-half worth of a brown bubbly head that didn’t dissipate as quickly as I expected it to. Even a few minutes after pouring, there’s a slight bubbly film over the top with a big group of bubbles toward the center of the glass. That imparts some really nice, thick lacing and alcohol legs.
The first thing that hits you on the nose is the roasted coffee aroma. It’s a big, rich dark coffee smell, but it’s mellowed out slightly by this equally big chocolate note. It’s a slightly sweet, slightly bitter dark chocolate note along with a dry hit of cocoa. There’s a bit of a plum or fig note to it as well. Nicely balanced with the roasted and sweet notes.
Those bitter dark chocolate and coffee notes hit your palate hard on first sip. It’s a very strong roasted quality and lingers on the back of the tongue as well. But the mouthfeel on this thing is really, really big. It’s not thick or syrupy, but it’s just such a big flavor that it takes over your entire mouth. Those sweeter fruit and chocolate notes are unmistakable, but it wouldn’t be a Sierra Nevada beer without hops, which are definitely present on the finish. It’s a biting, citrus hop note that sticks to the back of the tongue while the roasted coffee flavor lingers nicely.
Narwhal is an incredibly solid and complex imperial stout made even more impressive by the fact this is the first year Sierra Nevada’s made it. It’ll be interesting to see what time does to it. I see some of those hop note fading away and a sweeter, more roast-forward imperial stout developing. Only time will tell, but I’ll certainly be coming back for more in the future.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Chico, CA
Russian River Brewing Co. – Santa Rosa, CA
Brux Domesticated Wild Ale
8.3% ABV
One of the things I really like about collaboration beers is that it gives people the chance to sample an offering from a brewery they might not otherwise get to try. Recently, there’s been the New Belgium/Lost Abbey Brett Beer collaboration, and of course all the collaboration offerings from Stone. In South Carolina, we don’t get Lost Abbey or most of the breweries Stone team up with, so it’s nice to say you’ve tried something that at least has the name of an out-of-reach brewery on it.
And while ‘round these parts we get plenty of stuff from Sierra Nevada, we’re a long way away from anywhere that stocks Russian River. (Although that hasn’t stopped me from getting my hands on most of their sours and Pliny the Elder.) Fortunately, we can now count Russian River among the ranks of East Coast beers thanks to Brux, the “domesticated” wild ale they cooked up with Sierra Nevada.
Coming in at 8.3% and bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Brux is a cellerable sour that promises to develop nicely over time. But I have little patience, so let’s get into it.
Brux pours a gorgeous sunset orange color that’s beautifully clear. There are a couple fingers of a head on top but it barely lasts long enough to appreciate it. No lacing on it but some fairly strong alcohol legs.
A big punch of Brett funk hits you first on the nose, exactly what you’d expect from a beer that trumpets the yeast of its label. It smells very effervescent, bubbly, light and crisp. There’s a big yeasty note to it and a chewy breadiness as well. That’s topped with a touch of sweetness, a bit of grass and a wisp of peppers, apples and lemon.
On the front of the tongue is a big pinch of tartness. The carbonation completely washes over your mouth and pops open the taste buds. It’s got a medium but bubbly mouth feel. The tartness is very mild on the back at first but then explodes into this sweet yeast, along with some light raisins, green apples and grapes. There are very mild hints of apricots, bananas, honey and some citrus. It’s topped with a nice dry finish on the back and a slight white wine note.
Sours are a new territory for Sierra Nevada, but the folks at Russian River know what they’re doing when it comes to making a great tart beer. Brux is a departure from many beers in the style as it’s pleasantly tart on the front, but settles more on the back, stopping just shy of being lip-puckingly sour. The “domesticated” part of the name makes sense when you look at it that way.
Bottom line: Get a bottle for now and a bottle for later. This one should be even better than it already is with a little time on it.
