Brew Community

Next year, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will celebrate their 30th anniversary and will mark the occasion with a yearlong commemoration of the trailblazing brewers who helped transform America into the world’s most exciting brewing nation. In 2010, Sierra Nevada will be teaming up with the founders of the craft beer movement to benefit select charities and beer drinkers across the country.

March of 2010 will see the first of four beers in a series of collaborative projects with America’s craft-brewing pioneers: Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing; Jack McAuliffe, founder of New Albion Brewery; and authors, homebrewers, and beer advocates Fred Eckhardt, and Charlie Papazian. Together, this group is credited as ‘the men who launched a thousand breweries;’ and without them, our current day craft-beer-renaissance might never have happened.

“We wanted to pay tribute to the original pioneers who helped me and hundreds of others get started,” said Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman. “Few people in the craft-brewing world have accomplished more than these guys, and we thought it might be fun to get the original crew together and make something special.”

This project will begin where craft brewing started—Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. Maytag bought the historic brewery in 1965, and his vision for American beer changed everything. In December 2009, these pioneers gathered at Anchor to catch up, reminisce about craft beer’s beginnings, and share their vision for the project.

“I feel honored to sit at the table with these guys,” said Grossman. “Without the help that these guys gave me in the early days, I never would have gotten started. Each of them has shaped craft beer in some meaningful way, and without them, who knows what American beer would be today?”

The beers will be released periodically throughout the year, starting with the first release in March, and continuing until Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary on November 15. These limited-release 750ml cage-and-cork bottles will be available at select retailers and beer-centric bars.

These beers will be much more than a tribute: Proceeds from the project will go to benefit select charities chosen by the four pioneers.

Sierra Nevada started in 1980 with a humble hand-built brewhouse and some interesting ideas about beer. Today it’s America’s longest-running craft startup, and boasts the number-one best-selling craft brand in the country—the legendary flagship, Pale Ale.

A lot has changed in the generation since Grossman first met these brewing pioneers. When Sierra Nevada first opened its doors, there were less than 50 breweries in the United States. Today, there are more than 1,500 craft breweries in operation, and American brewers lead the world in variety of styles, innovation, experimentation, and quality.

Follow this collaboration of pioneering brewers at www.sierra30.com.

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Original Sin, producers of a highly thought of apple cider since 1997, has added a pear cider to its lineup.

Original Sin Pear Cider is a dry cider, a modest 4.5% abv, and is gluten free.

In 2003 a tasting panel for The New York Times judged Original Sin Apple the “top American cider” in a test involving 21 ciders. Original Sin is available in 22 states, recently shipping to the West Coast and to the United Kingdom.

Rock poster artist, R. Black, has created a series of posters for Original Sin featuring models from New York City’s nightlife and art scene. The posters, some more provocative than the one (left) created for Pear Cider, are for sale at the company website.

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I brewed this with #15 Brewcraft Brew
Enhancer and added 500g Japanese Blonde
Malt. Used tin yeast and dry enzyme
under lid. Brewed at about 20 degrees.

This is the best Cerveza I have done to
date, I have found my earlier attempts
to clone a Corona/Sol but found they
didn’t match up.

I think the addition of the japanese
malt makes this a better beer, it came
out light in colour and crystak clear
and is very close to Corona/Sol.

Could almost be my standard house beer
in summer. Great with lemon/lime.

Might try this again with kaffir lime
leaves and chilli! – Rating:4/5

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Do any of you really like it that way?
All the sweetener is artificial so why
couldn’t it be in a separate pack so
you can adjust to taste? Pity, really -
the taste is otherwise fine, at least if
you dilute it way out with tonic or
soda.

Added 500g crushed ginger, boiled 10
min. Had no raw sugar so used 500g brown
sugar plus some dark DME + maltodextrins
from an unused stout mix. Result was
delicious, just too @#$%^&*! sweet. – Rating:3/5

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Per instructions, this makes a
relatively light brew, which IPAs are
not. Added 1/2L light malt extract to
bring ABV to ~5%. Also added tea of 12g
Fuggles hops boiled 2 min. Tossed the
Cooper’s yeast and substituted safale
s-04, brewed @ 18C for 4 wks (s.g. went
to 1016 in the first week but needed
another 3 to hit 1010). Result is a
pleasant, malty, aromatic bitter. But
not bitter enough for the IPA monicker.
Boil those hops longer. – Rating:4/5

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1st home brew using kit used malt
extract, corn syrup, dextrose at 22 C.
Great bitter taste with nice head, what
a great entry to home brewing.
– Rating:5/5

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A Michigan man has become the first to earn the title of Master Cicerone. Andrew Van Til, an account manager at Elite Brands Michigan, one of seven beer industry professionals who took the Master Cicerone exam last month in Chicago and the only one who passed.

“During the Master Cicerone exam, Van Til distinguished himself with his knowledge of all aspects of beer and his skill in tasting beer and in managing draft beer systems,” said Ray Daniels, Director of the Cicerone Certification Program.

Van Til earned the certification through a series of exams culminating with two days of intense written and oral questioning about beer styles, draft systems, beer evaluation, brewing technology and beer and food pairing.

Master Cicerone is third and top level of the Cicerone Certification Program. Founded in 2007, the program tests and certifies beer expertise similar to the wine world’s Master Sommelier program.

To date, the Cicerone Certification Program has given more than 1,000 exams across the three levels of the program. Approximately 800 individuals have earned the first level title of Certified Beer Server and about 75 individuals have achieved the title of Certified Cicerone.

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In the event you missed the dust up between British beer writer Roger Protz and upstart Scottish brewery BrewDog you might start with a little background if you are to appreciate this cartoon from The Publican.

- Cincinnati Restaurant Group Inc., which operates a Hofbräuhaus in Newport, Ky., under license from the famous beer hall of the same name in Munich, Germany, announced it had dropped plans to either lease or buy the former Pabst visitors center and hall inn Milwaukee. However, a spokesman for the group said they are still looking at other locations at the former Pabst complex, now known as The Brewery. Meanwhile a developer proceeding with plans to operate a tavern at the visitors center and Blue Ribbon Hall.

- Heineken has reached an agreement with India-based United Breweries that will allow the Dutch brewer to brew and sell its own brand of beer in that growing market. Heineken’s managed the breakthrough via a deal with Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya and his United Breweries, brewer of Kingfisher, to distribute Heineken beer in what it called “one of the world’s fastest growing and most exciting beer markets.” The Wall Street Journal has details about the intricate transaction, revealing how complicated the business of big beer can be.

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I rate this kit highly. Made with Light
DME, crystal malt, Fuggles hops and
Safale yeast. Beautiful deep reddish
colour, balanced flavours and tight
lasting head. Drinks beautifully fresh
and is getting smoother with bottle age.
A classic pint. Go on, give it a shot!
– Rating:5/5

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Pete Brown was tapped as as Beer Writer of the Year at the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards.

Brown won the Budweiser Budvar Travel Bursary for his book Hops and Glory as well as the overall title, which
this year was re-named to honor the late beer writer Michael Jackson,

“The fact that, for the first year, the award was renamed in honor of Michael Jackson, makes winning it doubly special to me,” Brown said. “I have been writing about beer for six years, but everything seemed to click into place in 2009 and I am over the moon to win this.”

Other winners were Ben McFarland for beer and food writing, Mark Dredge in the new media category for his blog pencilandpsoon and Jeff Evans, editor of www.insidebeer.com for trade writer of the year.

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