Wine Focus for August: Beer and other cooling libations

[Robin Garr]

Even the most ardent wine lover - or most of us, at least - occasionally switches to other adult beverages. And even after spending a month looking for lighter, fresh-styled reds that suit a sultry summer evening, we still may find the dog days of August prompting us to look for a chilled, sparkling beer. Or a fresh, lightly alcoholic cider. Or even a cooling cocktail: Mojito, or a classic gin and tonic, anyone?

This month we'd like to explore these summery byways from our familiar wine road. We assume that the discussion will tilt toward artisanal, "craft" beers that have become so popular, but nothing is off the table. If it's a summery drink and makes you feel a cooling breeze in the summer air, please share!

I don't geek out about beer as much as I do with wine. Mainly because I can't remember all the names! (Plus, when it comes down to it I prefer wine, and consume a lot more of it) But, there are many occasions when beer is more appropriate.

Such as these last few weeks when I was in Germany. And even though we mainly drank wine, I found some time for beer in Bavaria. (Admittedly we were in Franken, so of course we couldn't ignore wine. Like a trip to Wirsching in Iphofen and then a local wine festival a few villages over)

But, there was beer. The best was probably Neumarkter Lammsbräu Urstoff Würziges Helles. Nothing too special or over-flavorful in that US craft beer sense. But clean, organic and so confident in its purity. And of course much more interesting flavor-wise than most lagers/pilsners.

Back at home I'm now drinking a Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale. I usually don't seek out Lagunitas, but my wife bought a six-pack for a gathering and I figured I would open one before dinner. Quite delicious. Of course the hops are present, but the body is still brisk and refreshing while not being boring. I am happy.

That said, I have a gorgeous 2012 ESJ Fenaughty on deck for our dinner.

Shipyard, Monkey Fist , IPA; has been my go to brew all spring and summer despite the plethora of summer brews in the area. FYI a monkey fist is the large knot tied to the end of a line (rope) to make it easier to throw. What that has to do with this ale is beyond me! It is a beautiful IPA, with a nice amber color, a full bodied taste, very smooth on the way down, and most importantly it is very, very hoppy.

...most importantly it is very, very hoppy.

That's not hard to find, is it?

[Robin Garr]

...most importantly it is very, very hoppy.

That's not hard to find, is it?

Flavoring hops, or bittering hops? It makes a difference ...

Flavoring hops; and it is a year round offering so it should be available where Shipyard can be found.

...most importantly it is very, very hoppy.

That's not hard to find, is it?

Flavoring hops, or bittering hops? It makes a difference ...

Perhaps. But both seem to be in abundance in American IPAs? Or am I wrong?

And of course IPAs overwhelmingly dominate the US craft beer market (much to my dismay). So while I understand why some people like hoppy beers (it's like new oak for wine, if I may use a crude analogy, and it clearly offers an intense experience), they don't seem hard to find in the US.

[Robin Garr]

Perhaps. But both seem to be in abundance in American IPAs? Or am I wrong?

Certainly correct, but trying to remember back to the days when beer tasting/judging was just about as precise and finicky as the wine equivalent, it matters in terms of beer styles. Some styles use hops only for flavor; some only for bitter; some for both, some not at all. Think about a wine geek looking at total acidity, volatile acidity, tannins ... or tree fruits vs berry fruit ... and don't even get started on minerality.

If it means anything to y'all the hops are Chinook, Cascade.

And of course IPAs overwhelmingly dominate the US craft beer market (much to my dismay). So while I understand why some people like hoppy beers (it's like new oak for wine, if I may use a crude analogy, and it clearly offers an intense experience), they don't seem hard to find in the US.

Despite being a drinker who uses the term with great frequency, I'd type that it's time to retire the term 'hoppy'. Beyond the bittering versus flavoring distinction Robin alludes to above, there's a pretty broad range of hop-derived flavors expanding even further due to the development and commercial availability of new hops (we've moved well beyond the citrus-meets-pine-in-dankness typicity of the three C's) and new hopping techniques (moving beyond mere dryhopping to hopbursting and even Sierra Nevada's distillation of wet hop's essential oils). There are very 'hoppy' pale ales, light-bodied, dry, and moreish that zing with the guava and mango flavors of these new-fangled hops like mosaic, citra, amarillo, or nelson sauvin, but don't bring the biting bitterness of old skool West Coast IPAs like Racer 5 or Stone's IPA, nor the citrus-pine Cascadian axis of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. A thousand hop flowers are blooming . . .

Union Craft Brewing Old Pro Gose
Definitely my go-to beer all summer long, this is a classic sour beer, incredibly tart and refreshing. Perfect ice-cold on a hot day. And at 4.2 percent, you can drink more than one. From a small craft brewery in Baltimore, this was a very lucky find. I love sour ales -- especially bretty ones like Cantillon gueuze -- and while this isn't made with brett, the tartness quotient really hits the spot.

[David M. Bueker]

So it's after 12 where I came from, and needed something to go with lunch. I am having a Karbach Brewing Co (Houston, TX) Hopadillo IPA. Good stuff. Not too bitter and has a nice lemony top note. Goes well with a surprisingly good bowl of shrimp and sausage gumbo.

Star Gazer Chamomile Wheat Canuck Empire,BC. Light wheat flavors, raspberry, banana, chamomile. Need to look out for this one!

I had 2 nice droughts with ribs in a local restaurant. First was Smithwick's Ale - dark, hoppy, slightly bitter. The second was Flying Bison Summer Ale - local (Buffalo) craft brew - medium gold, with a touch of citrus. I enjoyed both.

Today I had a Labatts Bourbon Barrel Ale, my first time, and liked it a lot. Ginger and yeast with a slight bourbon note. My real favorites are stouts and porters so I lean towards Founders Breakfast Stout, Left Hand Stout (America's Favorite Stout supposededly) , Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (a local favorite) and Sierra Nevada Porter. When I can't get a porter or stout in a reasturant, which is frequently, I'll go with a Moosehead or Tsingtao. Imperial Stouts I find too much of a good thing like the Russian Rasputin and Founders Imperial Stout which is like syrup and 10+ abv , too much even for me. Black is beautiful!
Do NOT be afraid of the dark!!

[David M. Bueker]

I was away for business travel the last few days, and has been typical, I tried more beer than wine on the trip. What struck me (beyond the one beer I reported on earlier) was how boring most of the local brews I tried were, with no real depth of flavor or interesting twists. Is the craft beer thing beginning to run its course with not many new ideas/ways to differentiate left for new brewers?

Is the craft beer thing beginning to run its course with not many new ideas/ways to differentiate left for new brewers?

Depends what you mean by 'run its course'. Differentiating in terms of new ideas/gimmicks is not necessarily the best path forward, although it may have been for a while. But surely there will always be a place for well-made beer. And hopefully as the average craft beer consumer becomes more discerning, the lower quality 'craft' beers will fail. As in any marketplace.

That said, the interesting tension in the craft beer market appears to be the greater presence of local names. Which in theory could create more room for higher-quality products that don't need to build up to a mass scale. But then again being local is no guarantee of being good. And there is also a market segment for national brands.

[Robin Garr]

I think David raises a point worth discussing, but I see it from a slightly more generous angle: In a world where many people happily consume Bud, Miller and Coors and their Light/Lite siblings with pleasure, there's a demand for a good, simple golden lager. Here in this market at least, that niche is being filled well by local craft brewers who may not be making memorable beers in this category, but decent ones that are far more to my liking than the majors. Others' mileage may vary, but when I'm sitting at a ball game in summer heat, I'd rather have a Bluegrass Brewing Summer Lager or Falls City Golden ale than either a Bud or a black, hefty local porter or stout. On another occasion I might want the rich and dark beer, but I'm happy to have the choice.

I think David raises a point worth discussing, but I see it from a slightly more generous angle: In a world where many people happily consume Bud, Miller and Coors and their Light/Lite siblings with pleasure, there's a demand for a good, simple golden lager. Here in this market at least, that niche is being filled well by local craft brewers who may not be making memorable beers in this category, but decent ones that are far more to my liking than the majors..

Sure. The average quality may be higher than Bud, but there's still room to improve the craft beer market. I'm not an extremely close follower, but I get the sense that too many craft beers get sold because they are craft beers and not because they're actually good.

[David M. Bueker]

... I get the sense that too many craft beers get sold because they are craft beers and not because they're actually good.

Exactly my thought.

Terry Theise has said similar things about grower Champagne, in that a number of poor wines are now being imported because they are from growers, not because they are good.

I think David raises a point worth discussing, but I see it from a slightly more generous angle: In a world where many people happily consume Bud, Miller and Coors and their Light/Lite siblings with pleasure, there's a demand for a good, simple golden lager. Here in this market at least, that niche is being filled well by local craft brewers who may not be making memorable beers in this category, but decent ones that are far more to my liking than the majors..

Sure. The average quality may be higher than Bud, but there's still room to improve the craft beer market. I'm not an extremely close follower, but I get the sense that too many craft beers get sold because they are craft beers and not because they're actually good.

I am surprised at the amount of mediocre craft beer out there. A couple of years ago seemed to be the "golden era", where just about everything at our local craft beer shop was fantastic. Now the market seems flooded with everyone and their dog brewing beer and it can be tougher to find new things that are decent.

I'm really spoiled to have a good friend who is a nationally awarded home brewer (we brewed a double IPA together for our wedding - even Haley got to help, although she couldn't drink any, being celiac ), so the bar for me is set really high. Just about anything he makes in any style is better than you can find commercially made.

Sitting down at an open air café with a beer is a pleasant pastime on a warm afternoon. However the choice of beers in France is limited but better that it used to be because they have discovered Belgian abbey beers. The most common French beer is Kronenbourg, which, like the often offered Dutch Heineken, is light coloured and refreshing but quickly forgettable were it not for a slight cloying after-taste. As I am usually the driver when we visit cafés, I don't order a beer for myself but usually take a sip or two from Germaine's glass of Belgian beer.

Her choice yesterday was Affligem, an abbey beer from just north of Brussels. It was quite a deep amber in colour but not sweet with medium body, an attractive malty flavour and a bitter but clean finish which left an incisive and invigorating after-taste.

Cider, together with perry, is the typical Norman alcoholic drink. I have to confess that I haven't drunk a lot of it since settling here, but have become a big fan of Calvados, the spirit derived from it. Good cider, however, is a refreshing drink on a warm day but I have yet to have one which is much more than that in spite of claims to the contrary. Big claims are especially made for the ciders of Éric Bordelet, who comes from just outside Normandy. They are good drinks but I am not convinced that they are worth their price of >€10. I will continue to search for one of those superior products.

This one is from a nearby farmer, which I bought in a good quality vegetable shop.

Cidre Fermier brut La Charterie - Pascal Beaumesnil - Alc.5% - €3,60.

A nice fruity drink, not bone dry, with a vigorous bubble and lively acidity together with some depth and underlying roundness. Last year's brew, which bore a medal from Paris agricultural show, was from memory a bit more complex.

Here is the farm's website in French with some nice pictures http://lacharterie.e-monsite.com/ .

I haven't posted wine notes yet from my trip to Northern California (July 28-Aug. 7) and now there is MO'COOL to cover as well so before I dig into those notes, here is a refreshing cocktail I enjoyed at John Ash & Co lounge at Vintners' Inn, Santa Rosa, CA.

Classically Twisted Cocktail
Jameson (Irish Whiskey), Lemoncello, sweet and sour, topped with gingerale. Very enjoyable. On the sweet side but still refreshing on a warmer-than-average day for that part of the country.

Had dinner there (John Ash & Co). A large group of about 12 or 14 people came in right after I arrived and filled a long table next to mine. The group included both men and women and about three or four African Americans and the rest Caucasians. One lady took it upon herself to order wine for the whole table. She was trying to figure out how many bottles they would need for the whole table and how much red wine and how much white wine. So she says "Okay, which of you are whites?" and the table burst out laughing. Duh.. she might want to rephrase her question.