Realbeer.com Beer Therapy

The Falconer Foundation has announced it’s recipients for the 2009 Glen Hay Falconer Scholarships. From an outstanding group of talented applicants, Kachusha Munkanta of 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco, CA) and Evan Taylor of Silver Moon Brewing (Bend, OR) have been named recipients of the 2009 Glen Hay Falconer Foundation Brewing Scholarships.

This year witnessed an outstanding group of highly qualified applicants and a very tight race for the two brewing scholarships. Kachusha will attend the World Brewing Academy Concise Course in Brewing Technology held at Siebel Institute of Technology’s Chicago campus this November. Evan will attend the WBA Packaging and Process Technology course in October at the Siebel campus. Each brewing scholarship is a full-tuition grant along with travel stipend that is offered with the generous co-sponsorship of the Siebel Institute.

Siebel Institute of Technology congratulates this year’s recipients, and we look forward to seeing you in Chicago this Fall.

Bison Brewing announced the release of its Honey Basil Ale, a seasonal Bison classic since 1994. The brewers infused this unique ale with organic honey and organic basil. Honey lends a hint of sweetness and rich aroma, while fresh organic basil, in lieu of finishing hops, infuses a slight herbal note and basil aftertaste—a perfectly refreshing brew for the dog days of summer.

Bison Brewing, which recently partnered with Mendocino Brewing Company in Ukiah, CA, continues its 20-year tradition of brewing and bottling its award winning line of organic beers. Bison’s brewers include specialty ingredients to augment 4 primary ingredients: barley, hops, water, and yeast. With like-minded maltsters, hop co-ops, and brewing partners, Bison is committed to artisanal brewing with only the finest ingredients; Bison’s distinction for consumers in today’s craft beer marketplace is organic certification and innovative use of ingredients to craft award winning, drinkable beers that people remember.

“Like my other specialty brews, this year’s Honey Basil Ale uses specialty ingredients judiciously – we don’t hit you over the head with the ingredients, but rather hint at it,” says Brewmaster Daniel Del Grande. “All our beers focus on drinkability and balance, so after finishing the bottle I leave you wanting another! Some beers out there fatigue my palate; I like to enjoy a couple beers with food and friends.”

This year’s Honey Basil Ale is available in 12 ounce bottles, which retail for $7.99 per 4 pack. The company produced its first 2500 case batch. It’s now available in 4 of Bison’s 12 state distribution networks; it will be available most of the summer.

The Assignment: pick one of Deschutes Brewery’s adventurous craft beers and create a dish that pairs with it perfectly. For the average home cook, this might prove challenging. But for 18 outstanding chefs, it’s a piece of cake. Or, perhaps it’s a huckleberry white chocolate spice tart with toasted vanilla meringue.

That’s what chef Gavin McMichael of The Blacksmith will be pairing with The Abyss at the 21st annual Sagebrush Classic Feast on July 18. Other pairings include chef José Andrés’ “Not your everyday Caprese salad” with Green Lakes Organic Ale and chef Roberto Donna’s combination of La Fleur Ale and Lobster salad with fava beans, string beans, roasted beets and salsa verde topped with baby arugula.

The complete menu is posted to the Sagebrush Classic website. Tickets for Saturday night’s feast can be purchased online for $200 each. Besides Saturday’s culinary gathering in the Broken Top Meadow in Bend, Oregon, golf enthusiasts enjoy Friday’s fierce but friendly amateur golf tournament. Tickets for the golf tournament are $2,500 for a four-person Patron Team, or $650 or $850 for individuals (the higher price includes a ticket to Saturday’s feast). Proceeds primarily benefit Deschutes Children’s Foundation.

The Deschutes Brewery Sagebrush Classic is a golf tournament and gourmet culinary event held each summer in the spectacular mountain town of Bend, Oregon. The primary beneficiary of the event is the Deschutes Children’s Foundation, which works to assist families and children in need in Central Oregon. Visit http://www.sagebrush.org for more information about the two-day event.

Proposed Increase of Federal Excise Tax A Serious Threat to Small Brewers and Your Beer Choice — Contact Your Senators Now

We received the following action alert from Support Your Local Brewery, a national, grassroots partnership of beer enthusiasts, professional trade associations and brewers dedicated to supporting and protecting the legislative and regulatory interests of small, traditional and independent craft breweries. Most action alerts are state by state and this is the first national one I’ve seen. They’re asking for everyone to contact their U.S. Senator, but especially those of you living in the following states:

Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The reason these states are so important is that’s where the Senate Finance Committee members are from, so it’s most important that they hear from constituents in their home states.

Here’s the information from the action alert.

Small brewers are facing an imminent and extremely serious threat to their businesses. The consequences of remaining silent have the very real potential of reducing your choice of beer and dramatically increasing the price of any beer that you purchase.

The Senate Finance Committee in Washington, DC is currently considering a proposal to increase and equalize the excise tax for alcohol beverages as part of healthcare reform deliberations. This proposal would triple the excise tax for 4.5% ABV beer and impose even higher excise tax rates for higher ABV beers.

If such a proposal becomes reality, there is no question that many small brewery businesses will suffer, some will close and consumers will face higher prices and diminished choice in the marketplace.
The Brewers Association brewery members and leadership have been actively engaged in building the case against an excise tax increase, recently submitting a letter to the Committee outlining our opposition.

We need you to speak out now. Today or tomorrow at the latest.

If your Senators are not members of that committee, ask them to contact their Finance Committee colleagues and express their opposition to this proposal moving forward.

Your ask of them is simple:

Oppose the Tax Increase. Let them know that you oppose, in the strongest possible terms, raising the federal excise tax on beer because of the serious consequences it would have on small brewers and the craft beer they brew. Additional talking points appear below.

Once again: If one of your Senators sits on the Senate Finance Committee (roster of and links to members below), urge them to oppose this proposal in committee deliberations.

If your Senators are not members of that committee, ask them to contact their Finance Committee colleagues and express their opposition to this proposal moving forward.

Take Action: Call and/or email your Senators’ Washington or district offices and make your personal case against this massive excise tax increase.

Small brewers are small Main street businesses, typically employing 10 to 50 employees.

Small brewers represent only 4% of the entire U.S. beer market by volume, with 95% of them being very small businesses (producing 15,000 barrels or less per year).

We strongly oppose proposals to increase the excise tax on beer.

• Proposals to increase and equalize the tax among all types of alcohol will tax small brewers at the highest rates because their specialty, gourmet and innovative beers typically have higher alcohol contents.
• Brewers already pay a disproportionately higher share of taxes compared with other products – federal, state and local taxes represent over 40% of the retail price for beer while the same taxes equal nearly 24% of the price for all other purchases.

Higher taxes will worsen the economic recession – resulting in less competitive products, reduced sales and revenues, lost jobs and, for some small brewers, business closures.

• $1 per case excise tax increase will typically cost the consumer at least $1.69 due to successive mark-ups as the case moves from brewer to wholesaler to retailer.
• Many small brewers are struggling to deal with the consequences of the 2008 spike in ingredient and operational costs.

If you want some background on what’s going on with this, here’s where it started with a Senate Finance Committee roundtable in mid-May which then escalated to a written proposal on May 20. This increase is in addition to state excise taxes that breweries have to pay. There’s also additional information at Don’t Tax Our Beer and the Brewers Association’s Excise Tax Resources page.

If you care about the beer you drink and the many small breweries that make it, please take a few minutes out of your day to help keep it affordable and also keep some of them from possibly going out of business. Please reach out to your elected official in the U.S. Senate. They’re supposed to work for you, after all, let them know how you feel.

Although the official release date is June 1, if you stop by the Odell Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado today you can get a taste of their newest seasonal offering, St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale.

A mystical legend in the Odell brewhouse, St. Lupulin (loop-you-lin) was the archetypal hophead. He devoted endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within — lupulin. Extraordinary oils in this yellow resin provide this dry-hopped extra pale ale with an undeniably pleasing floral aroma.

“St. Lupulin is our way of honoring the hop plant,” said brewer Jake O’Mara. “The beer has incredible hop character, but it’s balanced and very drinkable.”

While the beer features generous Cascade, Perle, and Centennial hops, brewers aimed to emphasize aroma and flavor rather than bitterness. At 6.5% ABV, the beer delivers a surprisingly clean and crisp finish. St. Lupulin will be available through September.

Last month, well-known novelist Tom Robbins published his latest book, entitled “B Is for Beer.” The publisher’s website describes it as “A Children’s Book About Beer?”

Yes, believe it or not—but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it’s the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, inter-nationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.

Once upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it’s a fact, you can Google it). Among those affected, each in his or her own way, by all the bubbles, burps, and foam, was a smart, wide-eyed, adventurous kindergartner named Gracie; her distracted mommy; her insensitive dad; her non-conformist uncle; and a magical, butt-kicking intruder from a world within our world.

Populated by the aforementioned characters—and as charming as it may be subversive—B Is for Beer involves readers, young and old, in a surprising, far-reaching investigation into the limits of reality, the transformative powers of children, and, of course, the ultimate meaning of a tall, cold brewski.

Having just finished reading the 125-page novella, I can say it’s a fun read and I heartily recommend it.

Perfect weather greeted attendees of the 3rd Annual Brewer’s Memorial Ale Fest last weekend in Newport Oregon and dogs and beer geeks agree; there was nowhere else they’d rather be.

Many people are confused about what the Brewer’s Memorial Ale Fest is all about. It’s not to honor brewers, though it does so through a wonderfully long list of excellent craft beers. This event honors the memory of Rogue icon “Brewer the Brewdawg”. Brewer was so much more than just a dog (if there is such a thing). Brewer was born and raised in Rogue Ales Brewery, and the only dog in history to achieve the high honor of being named CEO of a brewery. Some say it was a classic case of nepotism instigated by his master, Rogue Ales Brewmaster John Maier, but others who worked alongside the black lab daily for years said he was the true power behind the throne and instrumental in many of the decisions that made Rogue Ales the World Class Brewery it is today.

In May of 2006, after a long full life, Brewer passed away at the age of 13 years. To commemorate his life and contributions to everything that is Rogue, Rogue Ales decided to put on a dog centric microbrew festival at their World Headquarters in Newport, Oregon. So, in Brewer’s honor, Rogue Brewery opens its doors to dogs of all shapes and sizes and their human caretakers for two full days of fun, food, games, and music. (The festival benefits the local Animal Charities.)

This wasn’t my first time at this event. My wife Bonne, dog Maggie, and I attended last year and were delighted with the doggy-ness of the festival. If you’re a little apprehensive about exposing your dog to this kind intense dogdom (there will be dogs everywhere), you can put that fear to rest. You’ll never find a friendlier group of dogs anywhere. They seemed to know the festival is for them and they’re all on their best behavior.

The festival features lots of dog activities. We laughed and cheered the contestants in the Dog Games, which often seemed to confuse the poor pups, but it was all in good fun and there were no losers. Of course we also got our dog washed. Oh, by the way, there was a pretty good selection of craft beer there too. ( 50 styles from 20+ microbreweries)

Of course Brewer’s Ale by Rogue, a seasonal beer brewed especially for the event was a highlight.

But beers flowed from breweries across the country including Allagash, Amnesia, Anderson Valley, Bear Republic, Block 15, Boundary Bay, Calapooia, Caldera, Diamond Knot, Eugene City Brewery, Fort George, Issaquah Brewhouse, Laurelwood, Ninkasi, Pelican, Rogue Ales, Skagit River, Standing Stone, Steelhead, Wakonda, and more. Non-canines enjoyed tours of the Rogue Brewery and the new 3150 square foot cooler. The House of Spirits, Rogue’s craft distillery right next door, also offered tours and tastings of its award-winning spirits like Spruce Gin, Hazelnut Spice Rum and Dead Guy Whiskey.

If you attend, you’ll find Brewers Memorial Ale Fest has a completely different feel from your typical beer festival. Though the beer is good, it’s not really discussed that much. It’s about dogs, community, friendship, and beer. In that order. Dogs break down the barriers between people and we made many new acquaintances as everywhere we went in the festival people and dogs reached out in friendship to us. Brewers Memorial Ale Fest is an annual outing for this family. My wife and I love the closeness and camaraderie between strangers who share a love of dogs and beer.

An Album of Pictures from the 3rd Annual Brewer’s Memorial Ale Fest can be found on at Brewer’s Memorial Ale Fest 2009.