The Wisconsin beer that makes me most proud

I have more recently started ranting about the reasons you should drink local beer.  I fully admit I was a little slow to join this most recent wave mainly because of the fact that there are so many great breweries from so many different states.  Maintain that CA, MI, and CO still rule the roost for having some of the best craft beer, but the playing field is being leveled every day.

One of the main reasons I have jumped on the Drink Local campaign is that frankly, I have a hard time picking out beer anymore when I head to the liquor store.  The number of choices makes choosing a six pack a fairly daunting task.  Therefore, why not start exploring everything great that the fantastic state of Wisconsin has to offer.  This great state has not always carried the greatest reputation with the obvious leader being the monstrosity known as Miller Brewing Co.  Even some of the other main players have fallen out of favor as of late.  Leinenkugel’s, Capital, New Glarus have worked themselves out of the picture, though I do admit each one of these has really stepped up their game in recent months.  The new kids on the block such as Lake Louie, Ale Asylum, and Lakefront are starting to emerge as the best of the best in the state.  I guess the moral of the story is that competition makes everyone better and is great for the consumer.

I wanted to take a moment to recognize two beers that have tried to declare themselves as Wisconsin beers by putting it right in the name.

Sconnie

To be 100% honest I didn’t even realize this was a WI reference.  I was having a conversation with one of the owners of Alpine Liquors.  Quick plug here, if you are anywhere near the Eastside of Madison, you need to visit this liquor store.  One of the best selections outside of Woodman’s and Steve’s you will find in the whole city.  He very kindly connected the dots between SCONie and WiSCONsin for me.  I did have a chance to try this Minhas creation and I have to say it left something to be desired.  I think I understand what they were trying to accomplish.  Cheaper beer, in a can, something throwback.  What they ended up creating was a lager that is just plain awful.  As our conversation evolved, we determined that real Wisconsinites didn’t call themselves “Sconnies”.  Rather this seemed to more likely be a term for transplants from other states that have ended up here.  Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t really care, I am sticking with this theory.

Wisconsinite

Now this is a term I am familiar with and would very willingly put under my name on a business card.  This brew from Lakefront Brewery makes me even more proud.  Their goal was to create a brew made from 100% Wisconsin grown ingredients.  The hops, malts, wheat, and water where fairly easy to come by.  Brewmasters at Lakefront did get hung up on the last and most crucial ingredient, the yeast.  They decided to elicit the help of Northern Brewer, a company primarily focused on distributorship of brewery products, to create a native WI strain.  In the end, they were able to develop what is thought to be the first yeast strain produced in North America.  I expect this to be one of the newest and most interesting beer trends: breweries developing new strains of yeast, but that is for another article another day.  This unfiltered Weiss is absolutely fantastic, the absolute perfect summer brew.  I have never been a huge fan of this variety, but I must say Lakefront has opened my eyes.  I appreciate what they were able to accomplish by sourcing only local ingredients.  But to make a beer that good also, is truly an accomplishment.  The next time you plan on being outside on a nice hot summer day, make sure and have some Wisconsinite in the fridge, it is the perfect cure for that mid-summer heat and humidity.

What makes a beer Gluten Free?

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Double IPA Blinded Taste Challenge – Round 1

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http://www.hereforthebeer.com/double-ipa-blinded-taste-challenge-round-1/

Flavor Profile and Development (P&D): Three B’s Stout (Homebrew 0001)

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Hey Yokels, Drink Local

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Craft Beer in a Can

This was one of my early Beer-Universe articles: Major Craft Breweries Join Canned Beer Apocalypse

Last year we highlighted that many craft brewers are shifting to the can revolution – it appears that this trend is gaining steam once again as the craft brew heavyweights enter the fold.  Currently, craft beer is being packaged in cans by 171 breweries in 43 states in the US. 

This year, Sierra Nevada introduced their flagship Pale Ale in a 12 pack of 12 oz cans and their Torpedo IPA in a 4 pack of pint cans.  One of the last remaining traditionalists, Boston Beer Company (makers of Samuel Adams) has confirmed reports that they are also working on developing a canned product.
To some craft beer elitists, the idea of a canned craft beer is similarly appalling as a screw-top bottle of fine wine.  There are however, significant advantages to canning versus bottling:

• Cans provide 100% protection from light and oxygen that bottles cannot achieve.  This keeps beer fresher for longer
• When icing down your beer, cold temperatures are transmitted across a can faster than a bottle – achieving an ice cold brew can happen in minutes
• Cans are light weight and significantly easier to transport – this translates to reduction in shipping costs up to 35%
• It takes a lot more force to break a can than a bottle – while this is important for the end user, it is even more valuable for distributors
• While glass is not an accepted receptacle at all venues, cans of beer are allowed almost everywhere including beaches, rivers, ballparks, speedways, swimming pools, and concert venues
• Aluminum cans are very easy to recycle and therefore eco-friendly

While years of perception may favor bottled beer, technology is leveling the playing field.  The can of beer that your grandpa was drinking 20 years ago has seen some dramatic improvements.  Aluminum cans in the modern day are lined with a water-based polymer which shields the beer from being exposed to metal.  For another canned improvement, turn to the brewmasters at New Belgium Brewery.  They add a small dose of live yeast to Fat Tire cans to consume the oxygen in the head space of a can.  Many blind tasters prefer the flavor of the canned versus bottled variety.

The “Canned Beer Apocalypse” was tabbed by one of its founders, Oskar Blues Brewery and they continue to look for ways to provide alcohol to consumers in canned form.  A new branch of the company has been established, Lyons Soul Distilling LLC and the objective is clear: "We're going to can some spirits".  While this project is in its infant stages, a whiskey and agave based liquor are in the works.

Why am I here?

Friends, Family, Random People,

As you may or may not know I started writing for http://www.beer-universe.com/ a few months back.  I thoroughly enjoy my gig with them and will continue to write articles for this fantastic site.

More recently, I have focused all of my Twitter attention (https://twitter.com/jagatelife) on beer related posts.

I have come to the realization that these two avenues just aren't sufficient for everything beer related I would like to be sharing with the world.  So check in, browse, read, criticize, disagree, enjoy, drink, and be merry.

Myself and Uncle Jay at WurstFest in New Braunfels, TX