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This is a Perry/Cider hybrid…Black
Rock Cider + 2l
100% Fresh Pear Juice + 1kg Sugar +
water topped
up to 23l mark. Fermented at 21 ~27… 2
weeks after
bottling it tasted like the fluid that
collects in the
bottom of a rubbish bag but let it sit
for 3months
and it’s a beaut medium-dry cider.
Bloody strong
though ! The key is to let this stuff
rest. One avenue
of improvement would be Champagne yeast
and dry
enzyme…
– Rating:3/5

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Made this up with:

.5lb [220g] 60L crystal
.5lb [220g] chocolate malt
.5lb [220g] Carapils
.25lb [110g] roasted barley
2lbs [904g] Muntons light DME
500g Coopers brewing sugar
1 Muntons Irish Stout kit
Nottingham dry yeast

Turned out great – roasty, toasty, some
chocolate, good mouthfeel. No added
hops, but the kit had plenty of
bitterness. Would definately do again.
– Rating:4/5

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Ken Allen, one of the pioneers in the craft beer movement, has announced Anderson Valley Brewing will be sold to HMB Holdings. The transaction is expected to be complete in April.

From the press release:

Under the leadership of respected industry pioneer Ken Allen, Anderson Valley Brewery has been creating award winning craft beers in Boonville, CA since 1987.

HMB Holdings LLC is owned and managed by Trey White, a fifteen year veteran of the alcoholic beverage industry. Through his role as executive vice-president at United States Beverage, Mr. White worked with a variety of fast growing successful American craft beers including Goose Island, Rogue, Ipswich and SLO as well as selected imports including Grolsch from Holland. HMB will retain the current brewing and production facilities at Anderson Valley Brewery while expanding the sales and marketing capabilities.

“Ken Allen is a true leader within the American craft beer industry,” says Mr. White “The beers created by Anderson Valley are amongst the premier craft beers available in the world. Ken’s high-quality craftsmanship combined with his respect for the environment is a legacy we will respect and uphold. HMB is thrilled with the opportunity to grow consumer awareness and expand the distribution of the Anderson Valley family of world class award winning craft beers.”

Ken Allen says: “I have enjoyed immensely growing the Anderson Valley Brewery from a start-up operating a modest brew pub in Boonville into a world class regional craft brewery. The people and friends I have made in the industry will last a lifetime. I want to thank the many customers and brewery fans who have become key parts of the Anderson Valley Brewery family.

“I have looked long and hard for the right person to whom to entrust our legacy and I could not have found a better partner in Trey White. His passion and knowledge of the craft beer industry, coupled with his respect for the brands we have developed, will make him the ideal person to take the Anderson Valley Brewery to the next level within the growing craft beer industry.”

Located in the bucolic Anderson Valley region, the environmentally friendly, solar powered brewery produces Boont Amber Ale and Hop Ottin’ IPA in addition to many other highly respected craft beers. Ken Allen was awarded the craft industry’s prestigious Small Brewer Association Recognition award last year for his decades of service to the craft beer industry.

The brewery has long been known for hosting one of California’s best beer festivals.

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Using the recipe in issue 9 OF
bEER & bREWER WINTER 2009 i CHOOSE
COOPERS IPA WITH BREWCRAFT PRODUCTS TO
PROVIDE THE BLACKROCK LIQUID MALT
EXTRACT(AMBER i CHOOSE WOULD WORK WITH
BLONDE) 500G DEXTROSE 30GM CASCADE HOPS
AND SAFALE SO4 HOPS(YEAST STARTER 2 DAYS
PRIOR. yEAST PITCHED AT 21C . tHE RECIPE
SUGGESTS 2 MONTHS IN BOTTLE…AFTER I
MONTH I HAVE CONVERTED NON IPA DRINKERS
WITH THIS BREW.. WILL GO FOR DOUBLE IPA
NEXT…STILL HAVE HOPZILLA IN MY SIGHTS.
– Rating:5/5

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The Brewers Association has called on beer drinkers across the country to join the effort to lower the beer excise tax for America’s small brewers.

For small brewers making less than 6 million barrels annually, H.R. 4278 would cut the small brewer tax rate in half, to $3.50 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels brewed annually. It would reduce the tax rate from $18 per barrel to $16 per barrel on production between 60,000 barrels and 2 million barrels.

Almost all of the 1,500-plus breweries in the United States — most of them in fact brewpubs — make fewer than 60,000 barrels annually. Only a little more than two dozen brew more, including Boston Beer (Samuel Adams beers) and Sierra Nevada at the high end and breweries such as Abita Brewing and Great Lakes Brewing at the lower end.

The Brewers Association points out:

- A tax reduction will help grow small business breweries and provide drinkers will greater access to a wider variety of beers.

- Harvard University’s John Friedman’s study, Economic Impact of Small Brewers Excise Tax Reduction shows that H.R. 4278 would also help stimulate job creation quickly and at a low cost. The bill would generate more than 2,700 new jobs over the first year to 18 months, followed by an average of 375 new jobs per year over the following four years.

The Brewers Association has assembled a resource page at its website that industry members and beer drinkers can use to join the lobbying effort to reduce the tax.

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Nice beer. I’m new to
home
brewing, I’ve made up three kits. This

was the first and the best (so far)
followed the directions on the packet.
Primary for 4 days @ 28c. It’s been 8
weeks since I bottled it and it keeps
getting better. – Rating:4/5

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Like many others this came with my kit.

I mixed this up with Muntons Beer Kit
Enhancer and primary was complete after

7 days @ 18-21 Centigrade. Bottled in
2ltr PET bottles primed with a
tablespoon of sucrose per bottle and
after 2 weeks I was really suprised. I

was expecting it to be a bit flavourless

but it was actually really nice and
rounded with nice head, although the
head retention is not great. Everyone
who has tasted it has been very
impressed. I’m now on to the Mexican
Cerveza.
– Rating:4/5

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1 x Coopers APA can, 1 x Coopers BE2, 1
x Saaz
hop teabag (steeped for 10min in cup of
boiling
water and the lot thrown in), 1 sachet
of Fermentis
US-05 yeast. Brewed at 18 deg C using a

collapsable esky and ice bottles. Got to
1.010 in 2
weeks but left it for a total of 3 weeks
then bottled
with 2x carb drops per long neck. After
six weeks it
is crystal clear, light golden in
colour, head lasts all
the way, carbonation is perfect with
very fine
beading, not a hint of
‘homebrewyness’. Saaz is
very dominant, would probably use
Cascade next
time which is more true to style. Great
kit if brewed
at a low temp and a good dry yeast is
used. – Rating:4/5

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Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has signed a bill that allow Iowa breweries to make and sell beers up to 12% alcohol by volume. Out of state breweries were already selling these stronger beers in Iowa, but in-state breweries were restricted to a 5% abv. A movement for Iowa Beer Equality arose to remove the competitive disadvantage Iowa breweries faced. The passing of SF 2088 now allows Iowa brewers to sell many more styles of beer.

To celebrate Olde Main Brewing in Ames will let customers pick the first strong beer the brewpub offers. “We’ve been getting a lot of questions on what will be the first high proof beer we brew,” Olde Main’s Jill Haverkamp said, “so we are planning to let the people decide by doing a poll.” Customers can vote at the brewery’s website.

The Sioux City Journal surveyed other breweries via email to see what they had planned. The responses:

Rock Bottom Brewery, Des Moines – New Era Barleywine, Belgo India Pale Ale, an imperial stout and an imperial red ale.

Granite City Food and Brewery, locations in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport – “We have an IPA that we distribute to all our 26 restaurants, but since we have three in Iowa, we have always brewed it to the Iowa limit,” brewmaster Cory O’Neel said. “We will tweak the recipe to where it always should have been.”

Old Man River Brewing Co., McGregor – A doppelbock. “I’m looking forward to giving it a go,” brewer Jacob Simmons said.

Worth Brewing Co., Northwood – “A strong Belgian ale is a definite,” said brewer Peter Ausenhus. “I am also very excited about brewing a proper English old ale and some authentic German bocks.”

Raccoon River Brewing Co., Des Moines – “I currently make a double hopped version of our Bandit IPA called Bandito Loco, that I’m looking forward into making a true double IPA” said brewer David Coy.

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I fermented it at 15C, and I bought 2
additional fermentis S23, to keep the
lager character of this beer.
It’s fantastic, medium-full body,
malty, not too bitter, a slight taste of
caramel.
To do again and again….. – Rating:5/5

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