Sierra Nevada Chico Estate Harvest

On tap at Frisco Grille, apparently a fairly limited release. I'll let them explain it below:

Estate Ale is one of the world’s only estate-made beers, brewed with 100% all-natural, hops and barley grown on-site at the brewery in Chico, CA.

Inspired by the renowned winemaking region of its Napa and Sonoma neighbors, Sierra Nevada is the first brewery to develop its own terroir. This beer is brewed with ingredients that reflect the flavors of the environment and the seasonal rhythms of nature.

Got it? I thought this was just OK, Sierra Nevada just seems to have a certain acidic bite to their hoppier offerings, which was fortunately toned down on this, steady malt profile perhaps balancing out the hops but it was just missing something. Beautiful lacing though, so the visuals were great.

May Pint Nights at Frisco Grille

Great lineup this may at Frisco Grille:

Wednesday May 6th -- Konig Ludwig Weissbier
Wednesday May 13th -- Troegs w/Pils, Hopback, Nugger Nectar
Wednesday May 20th -- Sierra Nevada w/Summerfest, Brown Saison, Harvest, Pale Ale
Wednesday May 27th -- Stone

Free featured brewer pint glass with first purchase of featured brewery after 7 PM

Quinto er, Sesto

Another Sierra Nevada Torpedo, wrapping things up. Camera happy much?

Quarto

Sierra Nevada 12th Release Harvest Wet Hop Ale. Eh ... skunked, perhaps?

Terzo

Sierra Nevada Torpedo, brand new in bottle.

Back Into The Swing of Things

Went to Frisco Grille's Troegs Brewing pint night last night, and forgot to pick up a free pint, d'oh! Whatever, a good time was had. While in San Diego I saw in their beer list they had Magic Hat's Odd Notion sour beer and I really wanted to try a taster of that. Sadly, it disappointed. It had some sourness, but as Oliver the bartender said, it tasted like one of those spritzy lime sodas, wayyyyy too light.

Keeping with the theme, they had Troegs' Mad Elf, Hopback Amber and Dreamweaver Wheat on tap. The Mad Elf is a wildly popular, high-alcohol winter ale brewed with honey and cherries. Its a really unique taste, not too sweet, a bit watery/on the light side as far as body/mouthfeel, but good. I'd had a six pack at home and wanted to try it on tap, pretty much the same but always fun to get something fresh out of the keg. I was less interested in the Hopback and Dreamweaver so left those for other patrons.

One interesting thing I saw was a customer ordering a "Mad Dream" where they combined the Mad Elf with the Dreamweaver. The Troegs rep was there as well, nice guy, handed out some literature and whatnot. Sounds like they'll have another Troegs event at Frisco Grille in January to mark the release of Troegs' wildly popular Nugget Nectar, so be on the ready for that if Nugget Nectar makes you happy.

After that it was a pint of the Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale and the Southern Tier IPA. Both were delicious, particularly that Southern Tier. Not all of their offerings are great, but some really hit the spot.

Frisco has clearly become my top spot. It took a little getting used to but the gentlemen behind the bar as well as owner Adam are all nice people, they keep a ton of interesting beers on, the menu's good, and occasionally I can pick up a copy of the latest Mid-Atlantic Brewing News or Beer Advocate if they haven't already been picked over by other customers. Good stuff.

Tis The Season of Winter Beers

Fall came and went, and many beer drinkers fell in love with the various Fest beers, Marzens, Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin beers. But not I. No sir, those are a tough sell, but my heart is warmed as the weather cools by the arrival of some pretty cool winter beers.

As noted earlier, Sierra Nevada has released its "Celebration" Ale, a tasty IPA that reminds me of some of the better flavors I get from the great Firestone Brewing's pales and IPA's. Right now I'm knocking down a bottle of Harrisburg PA based Troegs' Mad Elf, a sort of sweet winter ale made with cherries and honey. This is a much coveted brew and I gotta admit I'm enjoying it.

But then, I'll enjoy almost any decent cherry beer (Brewers Art Charm City Sour Cherry, any of the various Belgian cherry lambics, Mad Elf, etc.).

Elsewhere, I definitely recommend the Corsendonk Christmas beer available on tap right now at Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia.

Locally, I've talked to several people who swear by Frederick MD based Wild Goose's Snow Goose. And then there's Clipper City with its Winter Storm, a "winter warmer" that is on draft all over the place (Frisco Grille, Judge's Bench, etc.).

Lest I forget, the great Brewer's Art downtown should have some form of a winter beer available (I think its called St. Festivus?) if it's not already on tap.

Feel free to email me with other notables or comment below.

Related: cask conditioned beer/ale in Baltimore and Maryland, pumpkin, Oktoberfest and fest beers (bier) in Maryland

As always, be sure to use my various links on the side as resources in tracking down beers, places to drink and local breweries. Particularly useful for this entry are the Howard County Beer maps and Maryland Beer and Breweries Maps.

Just Arrived: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2008

The much-anticipated Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale "Christmas" IPA is in Maryland. I was at The Perfect Pour tonight and picked up a six pack. Oddly enough I've never tasted this beer before but have heard rave reviews so it was on my target list.

Good timing, as I was in there to pick up some beers for some guests this weekend.

Latest Brew Reviews

They can all be found at Beer Advocate.

Sierra Nevada 2008 Summerfest (Czech Pilsener)
Flying Dog Garde Dog (Biere de Garde)
Smuttynose Hanami Ale (fruit beer)
Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale (Scottish Gruit/Ancient Herbed Ale)
Fraoch Heather Ale (Scottish Gruit/Ancient Herbed Ale)
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale (American Strong Ale)
Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock (Maibock/Helles Bock)
Clipper City Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night (Saison/Farmhouse Ale)

The Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale got my highest grade, an A-/4.15. I'm still getting used to the "ancient ale" style, so the Fraoch and Grozet were difficult to grade.

Maryland Natives Clipper City and Flying Dog both fared well.

Also, be sure to enjoy Flying Dog's brewer video about what went into making the Garde Dog.


Flying Dog Brewery Garde Dog Biere De Garde from Flying Dog Brewery on Vimeo.

American Craft Beer Week

It's a big week for brewers and beer fans alike. All this week, from Monday May 12th to Sunday May 18th it's American Craft Beer Week.

American Craft Beer Week (May 12-18), which is celebrated annually, highlights
the industry and culture of craft beer. This year, breweries and beer makers
will also recognize their collective charitable contributions. For the first
time ever, the Brewers Association announced U.S. craft breweries' charitable
contributions, and for 2007 they are estimated to be more than $20 million.

Changed to a weeklong event in 2006, the inaugural American Craft Beer Week
was recognized by the U.S. Congress with House Resolution 753 (PDF file). The week has continued to grow with interest and support from beer enthusiasts and the media. In 2007, more than 150 brewers registered their community celebrations at http://www.americancraftbeerweek.org/.

So, uh, celebrate!

Be sure to get out this week, there's an incredible amount of interesting beer events in the area, and they should be taken advantage of.

All week long at Max's in Fells Point will be their 2nd Annual Craft Beer Fest. They'll have an incredible amount of good beers on tap, and will feature a brewer or style each day of the week. That looks incredible.

In D.C., many of the nation's most prominent brewers will offer their selections and lecture in various salons at the SAVOR "An American Craft Beer & Food Experience" event. Tickets are pricey ($85/day), but it will run from Friday through Sunday. Again, that looks like an incredible event.

With all these great brewers in the area, we're fortunate that some will host a handful of interesting events. Notable:

Tuesday 5/13 and Wednesday 5/14: The Lupulin Reunulin/Kill Dave Tasting featuring five great brewers at D.C.'s The Brickskeller. Pizza Port/Lost Abbey, Russian River, Avery, Allagash, Dogfish Head. Tickets are $35, I believe.

Thursday 5/15: Sierra Nevada Fresh Hop Ale Tasting at the Brickskeller in D.C. They'll present their "Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale", which is much-anticipated.

Thursday 5/15: Stone Brewing Company Pint Night at Axis Bar & Grill in D.C. Stone's a personal favorite of mine, from my old hometown of San Diego. Giveaways, pint glasses, reps, and brews like the Stone IPA, Arrogant Bastard and Smoked Porter (which is delicious).

Friday 5/16: Samuel Adams Beer Dinner at Mie N Yu in D.C.

And, unrelated but important, it's the Preakness on Saturday! Maryland is privileged enough to host the second leg of horseracing's Triple Crown and Kentucky Derby winner (and potential dynamo/Triple Crown winner) Big Brown will be running.

Saturday 5/17: Pints for Pets Brewfest in Hollidaysburg, PA. All proceeds benefit the Central PA Humane Society. Tickets are $25 to $30, and they expect upwards of 50 brewers and distributors to attend.

Saturday 5/17: Brandywine Valley (PA) Craft Brewer's Festival. Tickets are $30, hosted by Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant.

Saturday 5/17: 7th Annual Virginia Beer Festival in Norfolk. Tickets are $25-$30.

Saturday 5/17: 1st Annual Yardley (PA) Beer Fest supporting the Yardley Flood Relief Mitigation Fund. Tickets are limited.