Rye Not? - Looking at the Recent Use of Rye in Beer!!

Preface: As many can see, this blog has been on a hiatus of sorts. Previously I have focused primarily on experiments in beer tasting, beer week events and occasional home brewing. An admittedly narrow focus when it comes to all the things that can be said about beer. So, consider this post an expanding and revamping of the blog. Here's to more beer stuff!!

Ahem... So, we all know there are four basic ingredients involved in beer making: water, malt, hops and yeast. All of which contribute to the overall flavor of beer. Recent American beer history has been rife with hop heavy focus or Belgian fervor. Categorically, beer drinkers have been fixated on two aspects of beer flavor. Most notably in American craft beer it has been about hops. How many IBU's ?(hops are not the only ingredient that contributes to this number BTW...) IPA, Double IPA, Imperial IPA... The West Coast craft beer scene is practically defined by hops.

The flipside of this coin is the yeast. Yes, Yeast!!! We can thank the Belgians for their near perfect utilization of various yeast strains that produce hallmark esters of fruit and spice and in some cases very tart and aromatic flavors. Dubbels, Trippels, Quads, Lambics... Not only is the yeast appealing because of the flavors, Belgian beer tends to be above 7% ABV and upwards into the double digits for some styles. The yeast used in Belgian beers can aggressively attenuate even the most sugar laden worts (wort = beer before fermentation)!!

But wait... There is another player yet to be mentioned (okay, there are two but I don't really want to talk about water... ). Malts are the true flavor of the beer. It determines a beers style in the most general sense. Stouts, Porters, Pales, Ambers... They all rely on malts to determine their color and flavor on the most basic level. There are numerous types of malted barley, specialty grains, additives and adjuncts used in beer making. For more information on malts in general, refer to Google!! Here I wish to focus on the use of Rye malt in particular. 

Rye is by no means a new ingredient in making beer, it just seems as though there is a recent influx of rye based beers into the market. One of the first, and albeit best Rye beers I've ever had is a Bear Republic (Healdsburg, CA) Hop Rod Rye. It has been around ever since I can remember drinking beer. Rye is a unique malt as it tends to stand out due to its strong earthy, spicy character. Wait... those adjectives seem more suited for a different beer ingredient... Right? Hops are generally thought to contribute these flavors to beer, however Rye not only compliments hop flavors but also tends to compete with the hops on some level. The balance of malt and hops in beer is traditionally between its sweetness and bitterness. Rye seems to fill the gap and tie the two extremes together. I have realized this only in the past month or so. Primarily because I have been heartily consuming two of the most recent beers to feature Rye. Here, I will briefly describe these beers. Both of which can be found on shelves currently and are well worth the investment.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA (Chico, CA) - 6.6%ABV

This beer is one that caught me off guard as I was walking through my local grocery store. The packaging is nothing short of unique and eye catching. This is SN seasonal for 2012. It was so new, when I initially bought it the company website had no trace of the beer existing whatsoever! The flavor of this beer is awesome and it has one of the best balances of malt and hops I have ever tasted. The Rye is strong but not overbearing. It has that hallmark Sierra Nevada taste, coming in somewhere between the Pale Ale and the Torpedo in terms of bitterness but the malt is closer to the Celebration Ale of the last couple years. But there is something sharper and more rustic being prevalent. RYE!! Be sure to grab this beer ASAP. 

Widmer Brothers Rotator Series: O'ryely IPA (Portland, OR) - 6.4%

The Rotator Sieres from Widmer has been some of their best work to date in my opinion. All experimental IPAs have been awesome. The newest is their Rye based O'ryely IPA. Again, similar to the SN Ruthless with a very strong spicy character that is earthy, however this IPA is a little more in your face. The Rye comes out stronger and goes head to head with the hops. Overall, it is more hopped than the SN beer by a bit. I could easily drink this beer all day. It is worth picking up a sixer for sure.

Lastly, Rye is becoming one of my favorite ingredients and the use of Rye seems to be fairly common with many breweries featuring it as an ingredient in one or more of their beers. It is most likely coincidence or happenstance that Rye seems more visible in the market now than before. Obviously these two beers in particular are widely distributed national brands and that probably has quite a bit to do with it... However, here is a quick list of other locally available beers that feature Rye that have recently caught my attention and my palate. Check them out!!

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale (Healdsburg, CA) - 8%

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale (Petaluma, CA) -7.8%

Knee Deep Brewing Co. Ryedentity Crisis Saison (Lincoln, CA) -8%

Firehouse Brewery & Grill Hops on Rye (Sunnyvale, CA) - 7.5%

Ale Industries Rye'd Piper (Concord, CA) - 5.8%

I am sure there are numerous others out there, these are just a few I have come across and they are relatively local. Cheers!!! 

Seven Years of Anchor "Our Special Ale"

With winter starting to fade, and spring time appearing, we can take pause and reflect on what is truly great about the colder months... Anchor Christmas Ale. Every year since 1975 the brewers at Anchor have brewed a distinctive and unique Christmas Ale, which is available from early November to mid-January. The Ale's recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which it is offered remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beers/christmasale.htm With some collaborative effort from good friends S. Joe Griffin and Richard Perry, seven years of this beer were brought together for one sit down session of vertical tasting. Unlike previous tastings, I have done, this one was not geared toward delineating any useful ranking of the beers. Instead it was a quest for understanding and appreciating a unique ale as it has evolved and aged. Because of this, there was no blind taste test, just a careful consideration of beer as it existed in front of us. For insight beyond the scope of this blog, check out the original pictures and other opinions from Joe and Richard HERE.

THE BEERS...

2004: This beer is seven years old. Needless to say I did not know what to expect. First off this beer had a fairly surprising and strong aroma. A nice spicy sweet smell. The first sip was thin and light bodied, however the malt is strong and flavorful, with a slightly burnt smokey taste, much like a stout. The spices are muted taste wise as the malt itself is very present. Not a lot of hop bitterness, however the  aftertaste had something piney about it. Overall a very good start to the tasting. The remarkable thing about this beer is how flavorful it was after seven years. Often a beer that has aged for only a year or so looses some of the nuances of added spices. This beer however retained a fair bit of its original flavor. Or, when it was fresh, it was the most flavor packed and spiced beer ever made... 

2005: This beer offered an abrupt change of pace. No real trace was left of the original spices that may have flavored this beer at some point. Instead, the beer had a bit of sourness to it. Not necessarily a wild flavor, but the yeast may have aged out of the beer a bit and caused some weirdness...or goodness depending how you look at it. The malt had a somewhat bourbon like character to it. Not really strong at all, just a hint. The finish was fairly sweet. This beer was good, and just that. It was a little disappointing after the previous year being so flavorful, however this kind of flavor was exactly what I was expecting for a six year old beer. Overall, Likable but forgettable...

2006: Very sweet beginning to this beer. The malt is strong and upfront initially but there is a flatness to this beer. Bland and no dynamics here really, but as the tasting continued, an apparent chocolate like characteristic became present. The burnt flavors of the malt also showed up and it seemed more like a stout that anything else. At this point I really enjoyed it, but not as the Christmas ale I have come to know. The spice had dropped out completely and all that is left is an o.k. stout like ale.

2007: This beer had a strong presence right off the bat. Sweet at first with a very alcohol strong finish. Again, there is a bourbon like taste apparent here. This beer seems more lively than the previous two. Also, the stout like burnt malt taste is not really a large part of the characteristic of this beer as it had been in the others. The malt instead had something more bready going for it. Much like an Anchor Steam beer. At this point I was starting to think that maybe these ales are brewed with malt bases that mirror existing Anchor beers like Steam, Porter, and Bock. Maybe. Either way this beer aged exceptionally well and was a stand out among the others.

2008: This beer had a much drier flavor and feel than any of the ones before. The malt was a little heavier as well. Not a strong malt presence overall, but more spice and complexity apparent here. It seemed that some dried fruit esters were still present from the yeast. It had aged fairly well and was fairly tasty. The standout characteristic here was the more pronounced hop and bitterness that was much  stronger that any other beer here. However, this aspect was not overwhelming. A very balanced, and somewhat spicy amber ale. This beer was not the most interesting out of the bunch, but it definitely held its own over the last couple years.

2009: This beer was very strong and spicy. Being only a year old, I expected this beer to retain some of its original flavor. The beer is light bodied overall. It most resembles the 2004 in terms of spice and aroma and literally tastes like Christmas. Very sweet with a slightly bitter finish. Again the dried fruit notes are present but the interaction of the intense spice and malt with what seems to be a strong yeast works to really round out the flavor of the beer. Honestly this is one of my favorite years. I had it quite a bit in 2009 when it was fresh and I loved it. It hopefully will be one that keeps it's flavor for some years to come. 

2010: This is a much fresher tasting beer obviously. It has everything right about it. A good upfront spicy aroma and taste without being overwhelming. The brewers have balanced these characteristics with a malt that is not heavy or overly stout like. Instead we get a very normal beer taste, kind of  bready, with a hint of burnt malt. It is similar in malt complexity to the 2007 version. However, instead of a Steam like taste, this beer invokes the subtle flavor of the Anchor Humming Ale. This sentiment was shared by Joe. This beer has a noticeable hop flavor as well, which may be adding to the  Humming Ale similarity. Overall this is the most balanced beer here. I have a hunch though that this beer may not age as well as others have. I realize that many of the beers here that seem bland or plain may have been well balanced to begin with  and the loss of  the spice character may  actually "kill" the beer in a sense. Regardless, I am looking forward to next years batch and seeing what this one will do over time.

For the sake of consistency, I did actually decide on my top three favorites of the tasting...

1) 2010

2) 2009

3) 2004   

Seeing as I may never be able to drink a 2004 Christmas ale again and given its potency after seven years of aging, it may be the best beer I have ever had in the grand scheme of things. However, for the task at hand it is placed accurately in relation to the others. 

Until next year...

Sequoia Brewing Co. Fresno, CA

It's been a while... But alas, it is time to get back to writing a little about beer. While I have consumed many good brews over the last few months, I really have not been doing so with the intent of writing anything of interest about them. I have literally just been drinking them for pure enjoyment... a noble reason if I may say so. I could easily write about many of these beers, but without any coherent tasting notes to accompany them, it would just be conjectural rambling and praise most likely. Instead, I had the pleasure of going to a central valley brewery that I may have never gone to if not for my work situation. On the way back from 29 palms California, our crew decided to stop at the Sequoia Brewing Company for lunch. So, here I will give my personal run down of the joint and the brews they offered.

Sequoia Brewing Company Bar & Grill was started in October
of 2003 by Scott and Michele Kendall who purchased Butterfield Brewing Company in February 2000. Butterfield's started in the Spring of 1989 with award winning Brewmaster Kevin Cox in the heart of the historical Tower District, Fresno, California. The Micro Brewing Company and Restaurant is known as a neighborhood icon in Fresno. Scott and Michele changed the name to wholesale their beer throughout the United States. The brewery has a second location in Northeast Fresno in July of 2005 at Piazza del Fiore. (http://www.sequoiabrewing.com) 

As most breweries go, the decor and set-up was fairly standard. Comfortable banquet room adjacent to a more intimate taproom/ gift shop area. The menu offered a fair spread of normal pub grub... nothing particularly inventive or unique. The price point was average, and everyone including me seemed to enjoy their food. However, I was interested in the beer most of all and I ordered the 10 beer sampler as my appetizer... 

Beers: Half-Dome (Hefeweizen-Pale Ale hybrid), Blossom Trail (Wheat orange blossom pale), China Peak Pilsner, Moto Brew (Pale-Ale), Hopfest (Dry Hopped Pale-Ale), General Sherman IPA, Tamarack Amber Ale, Black Oak Porter, Del Oro (Mexican Style Light Ale), and a Seasonal Red IPA.   

Half- Dome: This beer was confusing at first. The Hefe style comes through right away. Good wheat flavor with a little bit of the yeast profile coming through, a little clove taste but not too strong. The more interesting part of this beer is the Pale Ale half which come through as hoppy and little bit a bready malt taste. As you let it sit on the palette, the mixture of both beer styles start to compliment each other and it actually creates a pretty tasty brew. This would be the taste of summertime if I had to be poetic... I enjoyed it! 

Blossom Trail: One of the hands-down oddest beers I have had in a long time. Very pale in color and slightly hazy. The first taste is light wheat taste with very little malt behind it, but the star of this show is the orange blossom honey. It comes towards the end and is very floral in taste. No the least bit hoppy... at all. I am not really a fan of this beer in particular, but it literally achieves its goal as a beer. It is well done and probably enjoyed by many who come here. 

China Peak Pilsner: A fairly standard pilsner in any case. Kind of a sweet maltiness, the hops are skunky and aromatic. I tend to prefer a pilsner a little more on the dry side, but this beer is described as a Kolsch and is therefore an Ale. The name pilsner might not be accurate for this beer, however as a light tasty german-style beer it is pretty spot on. 

Moto Brew: This Pale-Ale seems to adhere to a more conservative variation on the theme. Not very hop driven and more of a light malty ale with some bitterness behind it, I find that it is a little underwhelming. It is more comparable to Oregon varations of pale ale like Mirror Pond from Deschutes. Fairly standard brew, however it would not be my go to beer. 

Hopfest: This beer was good from the first taste to the last. This is easily a well balanced IPA of sorts. Very good up front bitterness, somewhat citrus and floral aromas on the nose, but balanced with a good malt that was dry and a little bready. This one was my favorite of the sampler. I would have easily knocked back a couple of these and been quite content. 

General Sherman IPA: As IPA's go this one is a textbook example. It has a fair amount of hops and malt. Not a ton of aroma coming off of this one, but the bitterness of the hops is upfront enough. I could see this being an old stand-by kinda beer. Nice and strong. I liked it.

Tamarack Amber Ale: As a category, amber ales are kind of ambiguous, the flavor profile is anything but consistent. Basically if the beer is somewhat red in color it can be an amber. That said, this version is quite enjoyable and little bit more than ordinary. The key in my opinion in making one of these beers good is by creating a tasty malt base and only accenting the beer with a mild hop character. This beer does it. Slightly sweet bready malt with alot of flavor, a nice hop finish that gives the beer a little spice at the end. I really like this one. 

Black Oak Porter: Coffee anyone? Yeah, this is definitely a porter. Burnt, sweet and good. Cant really give much more of an opinion on it. A really good porter...

Del Oro: This was kind of an odd ball beer. A mexican style-ale is fairly ambitious. This one is pretty spot on. A light ale with a dry finish. It lacks that distinctive Mexican beer after taste, but a valiant effort none the less. 

Seasonal Red IPA: This beer is a definite double IPA, pretty strong and bit more malt than hop in this one. But the hops do make their presence. Good aroma with nice spicy citrus finish. Not the best IPA on the plate, but a good one worth a second pint or two. 

Overall I enjoyed this place and will probably go back if given the opportunity... good beers for a small operation... until next time!!!

Odonata Saison v 2.0 : From the Bottle!!!

Odonata is the new face of microbrew in Sacramento as I have previously mentioned... (see previous Odonata post) Their flagship brew is the Saison, and for over a month now the draft version of this beer has been available at various places around Northern CA and has been really good. However, the real premier of this beer is now underway as the bottles have hit the shelves. The saison style is notorious for being finished in the bottle and now I feel as if I am finally getting the finished product from Odonata in their Saison. In one very general statement I can say that this version is perfection. Read on...

Brewed by: Odonata Beer Co., Sacramento, CA

ABV: 6.4%

Through various social networking outlets I found out that the bottles would be on the shelves Tuesday, June 8th... I mentally marked my calendar and as soon as work was done on Tuesday, I headed over to Corti Brothers grocery, a very good place for good beers, and purchased a bottle. I let it sit in my fridge for a day and now having consumed it, I have the data necessary to give my opinion. 

Right away I notice that this version is much more carbonated than it's draft counterpart. The aroma is amazingly complex and has a clove like spice with a citrusy tang. This I would find out is indicative of the flavor. The body of this beer is lighter than expected given the slightly heavier draft version and has a crisper bite on the palate. A very balanced sweetness combined with a sharp hop flavor that is subtle , rounds out the initial character. However, this beer showcases one thing and one thing rightfully... the yeast!!! The Dupont yeast strain has really been given a chance to shine in the bottle. It is so much the character of the beer that I could swear this beer was made by Brasserie Dupont with one caveat... This beer may be better than Dupont. Without a side by side comparison I can't be absolute on that, but given what I can taste here, this beer is crisper and cleaner tasting overall. This is still a rustic, downhome beer... but the bottle conditioning has refined it to such a degree that one could crack this open on the farm or in a five star restaurant and be completely satisfied. Hands down, in my subjective opinion, this is my favorite Saison. Objectively, this beer is damn good and deserves to be in ones fridge as a staple brew. Sacramento has it's new pinnacle of brewing and I can only hope it is a perpetual  and prosperous endeavor. Cheers !!!        

Nine IPA Taste Test (Blind) v 2.0

 As summer finally shows itself, I can say  that one of my favorite beer styles to drink on a hot day has always been an American IPA. Generally hoppy and bitter with a balanced flavorful malt and citrusy/piney aromas, these beers tend to be perfect in an outdoor setting. Some may shy away from the overly bitter nature of this beer, but I see it as the ultimate showcase for both malt and hops. Here, a few compatriots and I compiled an assortment of west coast IPA's in an attempt to stack them up against each other and discern a clear favorite. Nine individual beers were brought to the table. This was a fairly ambitious undertaking as an IPA has a tendency to skew the palate. It was understood that many of them might exhibit similar flavors and one might decide that there is no clear winner. Either way it was going to be fun. 

As blind taste tests go, each beer is poured randomly and none of the tasters are aware of what is what. The goal is to form an unbiased opinion about what you like and don't like . This particular go around it was decided that we would use a point system instead of the traditional first, second... and so forth. With so many beers, we could easily decide a ranking afterward by just using arbitrary 0-10 point rankings. Here I will list all of the beers and give you the points I assigned them and small description for each in ascending order from least to most favorite.

9) Alaskan Brewing Co. IPA - 7 out of 10

This beer was somewhat malty in terms of balance, however the malt was uninteresting and just tasted like a boring medium bodied grain malt. The hops are there but barely. This was the most underwhelming beer during the test in this regard.  This brew over all tasted thin and ordinary. It is definitely an IPA, but I couldn't really give it much because it did not offer much.

8) Rubicon Brewing Co. IPA - 7 out of 10

This was a disappointing one, as I have frequented Rubicon Brewing Co. and loved their IPA on tap. The bottled version however was much different. There was virtually no aroma with this brew. The malt overpowers the hops. The hop flavors are merely an afterthought and are very floral in taste. Overall this version of their IPA was just O.K. 

7) Moylans Brewing Co. - 7.25 out of 10

This beer is well balanced and very bitter. The mouthfeel was pretty heavy, but it worked here. I liked this beer enough but it would not be my first pick for an IPA to drink. The aroma was fairly good and the hops come off a little piney. 

6) Russian River Blind Pig IPA - 8 out of 10

A very light malt on this one. Kind of a refreshing taste. The citrus like hop characteristic is good and the bitterness is also well balanced with the light malt. A fairly run of the mill IPA taste, however it is done very well. This was a close call when considering what would be in the top five. 

5) Eel River Organic IPA - 8 out of 10 

This was a malty beer for sure. More like a Pale Ale than an IPA really. However the hop aroma was great and there was a very rustic taste in this beer. Very balanced as the malt was prevalent but allowed the hops to do their thing taste wise. Not particularly bitter at first but there was a little bit on the back end. Overall, I would drink this regularly. 

4) Stone Brewing Co. IPA - 8.25 out of 10

Very bitter beer here. Almost exactly what I tend to think of when i think "IPA". This beer hit all the bases really well. Wildly aromatic, bitter but not harsh, medium to light malt, and very drinkable if you like IPA's. People who shy away from bitter beware because this is what this beer does best! The hop flavors were the star of this beer and I liked it. 

3) Marin Brewing Co. IPA - 8.25 out of 10 

This was a malty beast. Very sweet malt. Almost more of a double IPA in this sense. The hops were more piney and heavy tasting than I am particularly fond of, but the malt base was so robust that this beer offers a refreshing change to the others. I quite enjoyed this monstrous IPA!!

2) Anchor Brewing Co. Liberty Ale - 8.5 out of 10 

This beer according some may not be a true IPA. I say it is. There is really nothing else it could be in my book. Here, this beer was the epitome of perfect balance of hops and malt. Not to say it was the only balance that works, it was simply as if there were equal parts of both ingredients in the taste profile. The malts tend to shine here but the hops are definitely there and make it one of the best beers I have ever had. This beer was so good that it was almost my number one. This is the one I would recommend drinking on a regular basis.

1) Russian River Pliny the Elder -9 out of 10

This is as perfect as it gets for an IPA. This beer is strong. Strong enough to be classified as a double IPA. The flavor though is as much a regular IPA as anything else, but the hops are the star here. So perfectly bitter and very citrusy... The aroma is very crisp and clean. You can smell the bitterness!! The malt is very light bodied and refreshing. This beer is King of IPAs... Given the strength of this beer, I would not put down more than two of these in a sitting, but then again I wouldn't really have to.

Sac Beer Log on Twitter!!

Sac Beer Log can now be followed on twitter http://twitter.com/sacbeerlog

Check it out!!!

Odonata Saison Release Party @ The Shack 4/30/2010

Sacramento has a relatively new name in Belgian-Style Ales. Odonata Beer Co. has been producing some choice beers recently and now I have the pleasure of reviewing one of them and being part of something that I think has a bright and prosperous future. With the unexpected close up of Sacramento Brewing Company, head brewmaster Peter Hoey and partner Rick Sellers formed Odonata Beer Co. in 2009. In the past I have had the opportunity to sample the Odonata Water Witch Belgian Strong Ale. That brew alone got me hooked and needless to say I was stoked to be one of the first to try the Saison.

Saisons are sometimes referred to as Farmhouse ales and the style has its roots with ales that were brewed early in the year for summer consumption. Today the style has been reintroduced and defined by Brasserie Dupont in Belgium and often the yeast strains cultivated for Saisons are derivative of the Dupont yeast. The style is very unique in many ways, however there is no real homogeneity in the flavors of the Saisons I have come across.

The Odonata take on the style is first of all really good. Coming in at 6.4% abv, the beer packs a mild punch and fits well in the Saison flavor spectrum. The aroma is mildly sweet and the initial sip is as well. However, after that the flavor get much more complex. This is a hoppy take on a Saison without a doubt. The malt is not heavy and somewhat drier then I would have expected. In an effort to be constructive here, I would say that the yeast (Dupont yeast to be exact)  is being outshone by the hops. Saisons, in my experience and opinion, are a showcase for the yeast. In reality though, I actually enjoy this rendition because of its use of hops. I feel that any ale made in California should be a little heavy handed with hops... This beer can be summed up in one word in my opinion, rustic! It has an earthy and rustic taste that is unique and awesome. I am really looking forward to the bottle version of this beer. I think the bottle conditioning will create some flavors from the yeast that are missing from the tap version.

For good measure my compatriots and I put this beer along a Dupont Foret. Needless to say these are wildly different beers and comparing them doesn't do justice to either one. The Odonata is even more hoppy after drinking the Foret and the Foret is wildly aromatic and sweet when compared to the Odonata.

Either way, two Kick-Ass beers and one Kick-Ass release party at a place that never fails to produce good food and good beer. 

-Cheers!!!