A brewer's take on the old CCCP Soviet Hammer and Sickle flag. The hammer has been replaced with an old mash paddle and CCCP is now the Cyrillic Russian word for "beer"! 

They are about $20 and can be found with all of the other hop related merchandise in the Hop Shop found here.

Будем здоровы

Oh Sculpin, you ugly, sexy, beautifully hoppy and altogether wonderful fish! How do I love thee? This is one of the hopmonsters that you've got to hunt down if you call yourself a hop lover. Its hard to get better than this, I promise.

From Ballast Point:

"The Sculpin IPA is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. Founded in 1992, the Mart continues to be a catalyst for the San Diego brewing scene, setting the trend for handcrafted ales. Inspired by our customers, employees and brewers, the Sculpin IPA is bright with aromas of apricot, peach, mango and lemon. Its lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. This delicious Ballast Point Ale took a Bronze Medal at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival in the Pro Am category. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on its fins that can give a strong sting. Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin is considered some of the most tasty. Something that has a sting but tastes great, sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale."

Here we go...

Pour - big, bright orange and yellow with a glow that makes you think of that first morning sunrise of a long vacation. This is all topped off with a big fluffy white head.

Aroma - tropical fruits (mangoes, pineapples, papaya, guava) and loads of tangerine and grapefruit to boot. This smells heavenly, such a great mixture of fresh piney goodness from the hops. Its pungent and enticing, I am drawn in immediately.

Taste - big juicy tropical fruit flavors mesh with a great balance of cotton candy like malt sweetness. Its a perfect match for the big hop profile that Sculpin is packing. Pineapple and grapefruit really stand out on the tongue with just the right amount of bitterness and astringency but again this is backed up nicely by the sweetness. 

Overall - absolutely excellent American IPA and one that stands out even amongst so many great choices on the shelves these days. This is what the discriminating hophead craves.

Would I buy more of it? - yes, yes, yes. Next time its released fresh I'll be stocking up on this super fine fish.

Note - some facts about Sculpin:

• There are 756 recognized species of Sculpin
• The vast majority of Sculpin species live in salt water; only the Abyssocottids, Comephorids, and a few species of Cottids living in fresh water.
• These bottom feeders are generally considered good to eat, and have sharp spines rather than scales.
• Sculpin can live for several hours out of water if kept moist. They use their large pectoral fins to stabilize themselves on the floor of flowing creeks and rivers.
• The easiest fishing method for Sculpin is a dropper loop setup with live or dead anchovies.
• Sculpin stings are very painful and are often associated with swelling and reddening of the affected area. The most common treatment for a Sculpin sting is to submerge the stung area in warm to hot temperature water. The heat will help to denature the proteins in the poison and to relieve the pain of the sting.

The first beer from the New Glarus "Unplugged" series that I've gotten my mitts on. This is a series of limited release and rather unique beers from the Wisconsin brewery which only distributes within the state of Wisconsin. Cherry Stout was actually a beer previously released by New Glarus and has been brought back due to popular demand. 

From the New Glarus site:

"This ale is aged in Oak barrels to promote the spontaneous fermentation. Eight Wisconsin malted barleys combined with Wisconsin Montmorency Cherries make for a complex and sublime taste experience that you may never find again."

Here we go...

Pour - pours rather light for a stout. By that I mean it appears like a brown ale when it comes to depth and has some hints or red or auburn in the light. Minimal head with only a thin ring remaining after the pour settles. 

Aroma - a nose full of cherry cough drops, that is what I get. Maybe its mixed with black cherry flavored soda. This is a little more intense than I would have liked from a cherry stout, so much for subtle.

Taste - sweet and sour cherry flavor up front that quite dominate with some hints at maltiness but nothing close to a roasty/toasty stout in the background. This is pretty tart and the color of this beer really does nothing more than trick your eyes and palate. I am slightly tasting the oak but the cherry is just too much and takes over immediately. 

Overall - I am astonished by the flavors of this beer. I was pretty excited by a stout that had been aged in barrels with some subtle cherry flavors. Instead, it is almost as if this beer is dominated by cherry and whatever else was involved is nothing more than an afterthought. 

Would I buy more of it? - since I don't live in Wisconsin it's not really a question I am faced with. However, I do wonder what those who were originally psyched about this beer and somewhat responsible for its return are thinking. Is this the same beer or is this some sort of cherry cough syrup flavored beast that has supplanted the original in a terribly unfortunate way?

Note - If you LOVE strong cherry-flavored beers then you will LOVE this beer. 

The only coffee beer I know that comes in a can. Surly certainly has done its share to rid the world of canned beer phobia. Once you open a can of this, or any of their other beers, you are well aware that you have something special in your midsts and it should be taken seriously. 

From the Surly site:

"Coffee Bender refreshes like an iced-coffee, is aromatic as a bag of whole beans as satisfies like your favorite beer. The Surly brew team has developed a cold extraction process that results in intense coffee aromatics and flavor bringing together two of our favorite beverages. Your only dilemma will be whether to finish your day or start it with a Coffee Bender. "

Here we go...

Pour - out of the can this floods my glass and settles as a reddish brown color with a big, thick, off-white foamy head. Looks like a nice beer right out of the can. 

Aroma - wow. Once you pop that tab it smells like you cracked one of those little Doubleshots from Starbucks. The smell is that of super fresh roasted coffee and can easily be detected from across a room. Hay-soos! Coffee galore when it comes to the aroma, not much else to say. Hooray for coffee!

Taste - a big wave of bitter, dark-roasted coffee heaven takes center stage followed by some sweet malt and some tangy flavors. This is a very solid brown ale mixed with some ridiculously fresh (and quality) tasting coffee. 

Overall - I had this once before and wasn't all that impressed. For some reason the second time around is a totally different experience. Maybe Surly changed things? Maybe this can was fresher? Who knows. All I know is that the coffee flavor in this beer is intense and makes for one hell of a great tasting beer. 

Would I buy more of it? - part of me wishes I lived in Minnesota and part of me is glad I don't. I'd be spending a lot on Surly beer....

Note - The coffee used to brew this beer is Guatemalan Finca Vista Hermosa Full City Roast (which is a roast level) by Coffee and Tea Ltd.

The canned pride of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota! Surly doesn't just can their beers they can their beers BIG! 16 oz. pounders that fit nicely into a pint glass, you can't beat that. Thanks so much to John in Minnesota for hooking me up with these and much, much more. Cheers!

From left to right:

CynicAle - Saison/Farmhouse Ale (6.7%)

Bitter Brewer - English Bitter (4.5%)

Coffee Bender - Coffee-flavored American Brown Ale (5.1%)

Furious - American IPA (6.2%)

Bender - American Brown Ale (5.1%)

SurlyFest - Rye Beer (5.5%)

Hell (not pictured, because I don't have it) - Kellerbier (5.1%)

Some hoppy goodness from Pennsylvania and the Midwest. If you've yet to try and of these, and you're a fan of hops, be sure to hunt them down if you can. These four differ quite a bit in intensity and alcohol by volume but all offer something special when it comes to homage paid to the almighty hop.

From left to right:

Hopslam Ale - Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo, MI)

INDIA Pale Ale - Weyerbacher Brewing Company (Easton, PA)

Nugget Nectar - Tröegs Brewing Company (Harrisburg, PA)

Hop Hearty - New Glarus Brewing Company (New Glarus, WI)

Ahhh, the little brother of the big, badass, practically twister-proof Double-Wide IPA from Boulevard. Checking the website I am impressed by the fact that this IPA has six varieties of hops used in it's production. That sounds hoppy! I've never actually had this before and now that I've booked a trip to Kansas City in May I look forward to seeking it out on tap when I get there. 

From the Boulevard site:

"The latest addition to the Boulevard family of year-around beers, Single-Wide I.P.A. is our take on a style that originated in 18th century Great Britain. This American version -- inspired by our Smokestack Series Double-Wide I.P.A. -- boasts a heady combination of six varieties of hops, some of which were employed for dry-hopping."

Here we go...

Pour - orange and yellow, quite nice looking in the glass with a big frothy head. Some nice bubble streams heading north. 

Aroma - slight citrus, a little malt sweetness, a bit of grassiness and some slightly sour notes.

Taste - the biggest thing I get from this IPA is bitterness. A tongue lashing comes without a lot of malt backbone nor is it accompanied by a lot of hop flavor. Its rather one-sided, or to put it another way, its not all that complex. I am left wanting more citrus and pine flavors and even a little more sweetness to balance it out. 

Overall - not one of my favorite IPAs to date but one that I do plan on giving another shot when I am sitting at the Boulevard Brewing Company's bar in Kansas City in a couple months. 

Would I buy more of it? - well, I actually didn't buy this bottle but if I could buy this I actually probably would pass it up for something I know is a little more hoppy and balanced.

Note - more random stuff about trailer homes from Wikipedia - The two major sizes are single-wides and double-wides. Single-wides are 18 feet (5.5 m) or less in width and 90 feet (27 m) or less in length and can be towed to their site as a single unit. Double-wides are twenty feet or more wide and are 90 feet in length or less and are towed to their site in two separate units, which are then joined together. Triple-wides and even homes with four, five, or more units are also built, although not as commonly. They also differ from site built homes in that it is not uncommon for owners of singlewides to "trade up", as one might with a car.

While site-built homes are rarely moved, singlewide owners often "trade", or sell their home to a dealer in the form of the reduction of the purchase of a new home. These "used" homes are either re-sold to new owners, or to park owners who use them as inexpensive rental units. Single wides are more likely to be traded than double wides since removing them from the site is easier. In fact only about 5% of all double wides will ever be moved.

"Initiative comes to thems that wait." 

I've had this bottle for almost a year now and I finally decided it was time. All you little "droogies" can be happy now. You can have your "velocet" and drink it too. Cheers to Three Floyds for coming up with such a great label for this aptly named milk stout. If only I could have had a pint of this in the old Korova Milk Bar that was once located in the East Village in NYC (now in White Plains). 

From the Three Floyds site:

"This Milk Stout is brewed with a portion of golden naked oats and lactose milk sugar to give it a rounded and full-bodied mouth feel. With a deep roasted and slightly sweet maltiness."

Here we go...

Pour - ultra-violent jet black with a thin coffee colored head that slowly fades to the sounds of Ludwig Van. 

Aroma - espresso with raw sugar, melted vanilla ice cream, burnt coffee grounds, bitter chocolate, Kahlua and molasses.

Taste - big roasted malt presence. Lots of sweet maltiness with some nice coffee undertones and a creamy mouthfeel. The flavor of burnt sugar and dark chocolate is present in each sip and the aftertaste is sort of vanilla-ey. Lots of flavors that all come together real "horrorshow" and provide "a nice, warm vibraty feeling all through your guttiwuts"

Overall - creamy, sweet, malty and delicious. All the flavors I anticipated were there. "Viddy well, viddy well".

Would I buy more of it? - absolutely. This is a great stout. I want the shirt to commemorate my experience!

Availability - August release

Note - Moloko is the Russian word for milk. Moloko Plus was the name given to a drink in the 70s and 80s which was made with milk and LSD. 

I was cured, all right!

On a quest to try as many different beer styles as I can find the American Dark Wheat Ale has proved more difficult than I had ever imagined. Schlafly's No. 15 Ale happens to be just that and I am happy to finally be able to say I've tried and reviewed that particular style of beer. Hooray. It really is the small victories in life that matter.

From the Schlafly site:

"Our 15th Anniversary Ale! A medium-bodied amber-colored ale with a delightful wheaty flavor and a fruity, spicy finish."

Here we go...

Pour - pours a murky brownish, reddish, orangish, auburnish color with a thin white head. Rather opaque but yet also quite appealing. 

Aroma - sort of spicy, cinnamon, nutmeg and some sour malt. Has some doppelbock aromas, that of dark fruit and dark bread. 

Taste - sweet, spicy and quite tasty actually. This beer really impresses me with its subtlety and yet its complexity at the same time. Lots of flavors going on here. You've got some spiciness (nutmeg, thyme, cinnamon, cloves) as well as some dark malt flavors and something akin to Belgian-style dubbel. Quite unique and delicious. Wow.

Overall - sort of amazed by how much is going on with a beer that weighs in at 6%. Tons of spice, sweetness and complexity for such a rather simple beer. I really dig it. 

Would I buy more of it? - I think I would and this would definitely be a beer that I'd make other people try just to get their reaction to it. 

Availability - November

Note - There are 103 beer styles recognized on the BeerAdvocate website. It's made very clear that this is not a conclusive list and should be seen as a work in progress. It is however a good list to use if you're trying to work your way through a diverse range of beer styles.

In the 90s Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter used to do a bit called "In the year 2000" in which they would come up with ludicrous predictions as to what life would be like in the year 2000. I dare say my predictions as to what American Beer Culture will be like in the future are ludicrous but if you told me 15 years ago that in the future a beer aged in used Maple syrup barrels would be highly sought after I probably would have questioned you. So, what does the future hold for American Beer Culture? Here are some of my predictions...

International Collaborative Brews - now that almost every brewery in the US seems to have done a collaborative beer with ever other American brewery its time to look international (and not just to BrewDog). Look for more American brewers to partner with International breweries in the future a la Three Floyds/Mikkeller, Boulevard/Orval and Brooklyn/Schneider.

4-packs - for awhile now you've been seeing more and more of these. Remember when some of your favorite higher ABV beers came in groups of six? Well, that is becoming a thing of the past. Look for the 4-pack to gain even more ground on the 6-pack in years to come.

Beer Weeks - Cities/Towns have learned that Beer Weeks make money and attract visitors. If your city doesn't have a Beer Week yet, you just wait.

The ABV Bubble Burst - eventually we should start seeing more average ABV beers on tap and at the beer store. Drinking beer is fun so why not have the fun last a little longer? Session ales are gaining steam and more flavorful "lighter" beers seem to be popping up more and more. 

Craft Beer Everywhere! - look for more of your favorite craft beers to start showing up on planes, in ballparks, arenas, stadiums and maybe even fast food restaurants as the popularity of craft beer continues to grow.

The Power of Sour or Let's All Get Wild - look for more and more US brewers to release sours or wild ales as these unique beers increase in popularity and availability.

Barrels and Booze - as I see it, barrel-aging is going nowhere. It is becoming a normal part of a brewery's beer production. I could foresee more unique wood being used as well as more and more breweries experimenting with different liquors (i.e. rum barrels, tequila barrels etc.) Also, after seeing Rogue age their Dead Guy Ale in Dead Guy Whiskey (distilled from Dead Guy Ale) barrels - John John Dead Guy - I could see this being a trend in the future as well.

Terroir - Rogue (Chatoe Rogue First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager) and Sierra Nevada (Estate Harvest) are the only breweries I know of right now that have the land and cash to produce their own hops and malt (both have released beers produced solely from ingredients they've grown). However, I've heard mention from other smaller breweries that this is something they also hope to do in the future.

Cans! Cans! Cans! - with more and more bottling brewers at least trying canning (Avery Brewing has just announced they'll be releasing four of their beers in cans) it seems this is a pretty big movement that should steamroll in the near future. Oskar Blues, you guys were on to something...

Celebrity Endorsement - until now it really seems like there has been little to no celebrity endorsement in craft beer, aside from some product placement in movies and tv shows (Northern Exposure was doing this in the 90s). Celebrities love fancy stuff so I can imagine they'll be plugging their favorite craft beers soon enough. 

New styles galore! - Cascadian Dark Ales aside the future is bright for more and more new styles. Look for American brewers to push the envelope when it comes to hybrids, crossbreeds and un-categorized mayhem in the future. To all those sticking to tradition, be weary, the question of style might not be so easily answered in the years to come. 

Well, that is about all I could come up with for now. I am sure there plenty of other trends going on that point towards a bright, albeit different, future for American Beer Culture. Whatever may come our way we should all be thankful for how good we have it when it comes to good beer!

Cheers! 

Note - this is all speculation and opinion. The author has not travelled into the future and thus can not be responsible for wrong predictions.