2007 Comes to a Close: Hops & Barley Blog Bests!

Beer luvvas,

Seems it's common for bloggers to have a year in review post, so I'll give it a go. 2007 was my first year as a blogger (actually not quite a full year; 10 months), and I've enjoyed watching my page hits grow from a couple a day to almost 1,000 hits in December! (only 86 hits needed today to reach that mark) And I've really enjoyed finding new great places to drink beer, and trying all the different beers I've sought out, and been exposed to since I kicked this blog off in March.

So here goes Hops & Barley Blog Best of 2007:

Best Brew Locations 2007
This feature is what I'm hoping to hang my blogging hat on each year, so look for new locations in 2008! For 2007, I'll just summarize my #1 locations below since I kicked this off this year.

• Portland, OR #1: Henry's 12th Street Tavern
• Las Vegas, NV #1: O'shea's Casino
• Southern California (LAX/SAN) #1: Stone World Bistro
• Seattle, WA #1: Brouwer's
• Albuquerque, NM #1: Billy's Long Bar
• Alaska #1: Alaskan Brewing (JNU)
• Phoenix, AZ #1: Papago Brewing

Beer Festivals: OBF & Holiday Ale Fest! Only made my 2 standards this year. Hope to add a couple more in 2008.

Best Beers of 2007

• I got a lot of positive feedback on my Men's Journal reviews, so I'll plan to do that again in 08. Mmmmm Deschutes Abyss!
• 2007 included my Summer of IPAs as an attempt to beat the heat in PHellX. There were many IPA related posts this year, but I'd recommend checking out my Top Ten IPAs.

Well, short and sweet. I hope every beer luvva's 2007 was hop-worthy. Catch you next year!

Prost to 2007 and Happy New Year from Hops & Barley Blog!

Surprise Holiday Treat: Small Batch 471!

Beer luvvas,

The Holidays are the time where American Judeo-Christian society dictates that we should be counting our blessings and thankful for friends and family. I must say that I'm thankful for my lovely wife, Freebird. Not only because she allows me to indulge in significant consumption of beer - both dollar value and quantity. But she also enables me to do so without the negative stigma of an Enabler for an Alcoholic - I can quit posting any time I want to.

Yesterday, after returning from a hectic day of manicure, pedicure and a 4 wine glass lunch; Freebird surprised me with a sixer of Breck Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA! Why do I deserve such a gift? At times I'm not sure I do....

But as I sit here enjoying the 4 different hop varieties in this limited edition batch from the brewers in Breckenridge, CO; I am thankful that my wife loves me enough to buy only the very best.

Merry Chirstmas and Happy 2008 from Hops & Barley Blog!

East Coast IPA Bringin' It

Beer Luvvas,

MCO received another shipment of East Coast brew, and was gracious enough in this Holiday Season to part with a bottle of Harpoon's IPA. Not as powerful as Victory's Hopdevil, but this East Coast IPA does represent.

And why is Harpoon Brewing's IPA so good??

HOPS: The pronounced hop aroma and the deep copper color make an immediate sensory impression. Northwest Cascade hops are used generously in Harpoon IPA.

Ah, kickin' it West Coast Style. Now, if we can just convince MCO that NW Cascade Hops is enough of a draw to follow ASG & Freebird back to "The People's Republic of Portland" when we return home.

Prost to East Coast Brewers using Northwest Cascade Hops!

Soon to be the best beer site on the Internet...

Beer Luvvas around the country unite!

I have recently stumbled upon the website with the potential to become the single most important beer related site on the World Wide Web: The Beer Mapping Project.

A snippet from their About page:

If you like beer and you like maps, then you may have found the right place.
beermapping.com is a project by someone who likes knowing exactly where he is and how far he needs to go for good beer. At this point, there is only one individual working on the code that is making the Beer Mapping Project function. But that one person is supported by many friendly craft beer lovers who offer suggestions for new maps and they help by submitting new locations, adding new reviews, uploading pictures for locations or contributing to the forums.

I've signed on as a reviewer (heavy on PHX & PDX locations), and if you love beer I recommend you do too!

Prost to the Beermappers!

Wife or Girlfriend think you drink too much beer?

Male Beer Luvvas rejoice!

An enterprising young lass (19) in the UK has the fix for those of you (us) who's female companion believe we might drink too much beer.... A beer designed for women.

Thanks to Brookstone Beer Bulletin for posting this story.

Prost to 19yr old English female brewer Harriet Easton!

Piedmont Porter - Wisconsin or NY brew?

Merry Christmas Beer Luvvas!

A quick post on this day of celebration:

Earlier this weekend, I sampled a bottle of Piedmont Porter at a buddies house. It was a decent quaff. Nothing particularly spectacular, but I enjoyed it.

The reason I find this brew blog-worthy, is because I cannot verify where it's brewed. According to RateBeer, Minhas Craft Brewery in Wisconsin is the brewer. However, their site does not mention Piedmont (a couple Malt Liquors if that gets ya in the mood).

The label on the bottle says it was brewed and bottled by MDII out of Rochester, NY. And I can't find any specific links to MDII - but I have found a couple other references.

Any ideas??

Prost to the Beer Luvva who can clear up this brewing conundrum!

Papago Morning After Update

PHX Beer Luvvas,

Just a quick update on last night's Papago festivities:

1. MCO punked out, something about feeling sick, traveling to NY for the Holiday's, cold & wet, blah, blah, blah...
2. We determined that MCO + Beer = El Robusto (Papago's Baltic Porter)
3. The Ebenezer keg blew right when Freebird was ordering her first beer.
4. Liars Dice gift from G's Dad was good filler while we waited for food and kibitzed about work.
5. The Breck Christmas brew was decent, but definitely a step below Wassail, Celebration, Ebenezer, Jubile, etc.
6. Old Rasputin on tap is one of mankind's greatest contributions to society.
7. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout is a good solid stout, but not as strong a coffee flaava as I expected.
8. Rogue has a Dry Hopped version of their Red (avail in 12oz bottles) that brings an excellent hop note on top of the standard red ale malt - "Not quite bitter beer face," says Freebird.
9. Freebird wants to be reminded that she's not a fan of Papago's Ryan's Red - not sure why.
10. Finally, Delirium Noel is a Holiday Belgian Ale that's over 10% ABV. For when you really, really, really don't want to remember the Holidays. Damn!

Only 4 more shopping days til Christmas. Click on an add, buy something for the beer luvva you now.

Prost! Happy Holidays from Hops & Barley Blog!

Merry Christmas to me! Papago Taplist!

PHX Beer Luvvas,

It's Friday for Freebird, Mr. & Mrs. MCO & the Hobbits - only I am working tomorrow. So we are going to Papago Brewing to enjoy their currently excellent tap list tonight!

Old Rasputin!
Ebenezer!
Breck Christmas!
San Tan Winter Warmer!

It doesn't get much better. Join us all @ Papago ~7pm tonight!!

Prost to a Papago Christmas!

Another great RWB outing!

Phoenix Beer Luvvas!

Just another post to say - Red White & Brew (RWB) kicks ass!

Freebird and I introduced Mr. & Mrs. MCO to this find earlier this evening. MCO & I each enjoyed a 22oz Imperial Pint of Bridgeport IPA, and I chose another Breck Vanilla Porter while MCO went with the Cave Creek Amber.

The ladies chose a reasonably priced Chilean Cab to accompany their meals - which again were worth much more than the $10-15/plate.

If you haven't been - go.

Prost to RWB! Good beer and great food in South Chandler!

Oh, Tannenbomb! Oh, Tannenbomb!

Beer Luvvas,

Just a quick post to say that there's nothing better around the Arizona fire pit on a cold desert night than a bottle of Tannenbomb winter warmer from Golden Valley Brewery in McMinnville, OR. It definitely helps keep the chill out if the Java Log is overpowered on an extremely cold, clear night.

It was even worth the $2/bottle we paid at the Made in Oregon store past security in the PDX Airport so we could bring a few bottles home to Phoenix after the Holiday Ale Fest this year.

Prost to Golden Valley Brewery! Oh Tannenbomb, how lovely are your Chinook, Liberty, Fuggles and Kent Goldings hops!

Happy Holidays from SanTan Brewing!

PHX Beer Luvvas!

Not all local brew spots are Scrooge-like this Holiday Season. G's Dad and I enjoyed lunch at SanTan Brewing this afternoon and experienced their seasonal Winter Warmer brew.

There's not enough "O's" in smooooooooth to describe this Holiday Seasonal. But there is enough alcohol (9%) to make it quite palatable, and a definite "warmer" from the inside-out. Served in a Brandy Snifter, which is a nice touch.

Also recommended is their stuffed burgers. We shared the Stuffed Mushroom (mushrooms/grilled onions/mozzarella) and Stuffed Aegean (marinated artichokes/olives/spinach/feta/pesto aioli) burgers. Out-Standing! And the pub-fries are tasty too!

Because of the seasonal addition of the excellent Winter Warmer, we decided to get a growler to go!

Now that growlers are available in house, the food is superb, and SanTan Brewers have demonstrated an excellent winter ale alongside their HopShock IPA & Gordo Stout, I'm elevating SanTan Brewing to the #3 Best PHX Brew Location!

Ho Ho Ho! Eat, drink SanTan brews, and be Merry!

OC Update: Not worth a special trip....

PHX Beer Luvvas,

I finally made it to the Chandler Old Chicago and have bad news to report: only one beer of their Holiday Ale specials is a) on tap and b) worth drinking: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

I did enjoy Lost Coast Winterbraun, and Rogue Santa's Private Reserve - the latter in a 22oz Bomber. But both are available @ Papago, and at a better price.

So in a divergence from my regular post closing prost...

Bah Humbug to Chandler, AZ Old Chicago!

If you're gonna have a Winter Ale special, at least get it all on tap!

What type of beer are you?

Thanks to a Beer Sort of Girl.....

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

What sort of beer are you??

Prost Beer Sort of Girl!

Another Colorado Brewer Discovered!

Beer Luvvas!

It's cold and rainy in the land of the everlasting sun, Freebird's asleep early and I have a chance to talk about a new brewer I recently sampled: Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, CO. The Hobbit and his wife graciously provided a sixer sampler after we dog-sat Nigel the Wacky Whippet over Thanksgiving so they could spend time with 'The Fam' in Fort Collins.

Their Winter Seasonal, Isolation Ale, was a warm and malty quaff; but at 6% ABV, it lacked the kick I expect from holiday/winter beers. On the other end of the spectrum, their IPA - although not XTREME - was very floral and quite satisfying. After the 2007 Summer of IPA, I don't believe Odell's IPA would make the top 10, but it is an excellent example of the 'American Style' of the IPA.

Odell is yet another brewer to lead the rest of the country in Green practices. They use 100% wind power, a hot line from the utility during peak power usage will temporarily shut off their chillers, and they use bio diesel in all their trucks.

Prost to Odell Brewing, another excellent brewer from the great state of Colorado!

New #1 Brew Location in Portland!

Beer luvvas,

I finally have a moment to post on the great new PDX brew locations I experienced during this year's pilgrimage to the Holiday Ale Festival.

What more could a Beer Luvva want after spending many hours enjoying multiple winter beers with other fans of the malted barley beverage? But more excellent pints of course!

Prior to my first day @ the festival, Freebird, Mr & Mrs MCO and I had lunch at a PDX favorite that has been a gaping hole in my list of great PDX brew locations: The Pilsner Room.

At this McCormick & Schmick's watering hole just off the Willamette river - now accessible by Streetcar from downtown PDX - I enjoyed Hopworks Abominable winter ale, and Laurelwood's classic Vinter Varmer. An excellent sampler of brews from one of PDX's newer and more established brewers.

After day one, "the crew" (we picked up a few more friends @ the fest) headed to Portland's newest brew location - Bailey's Taproom. See Beervana for an excellent review. There I sampled Ninkasai's Oatis Imperial Stout and this year's Wreck the Halls from Full Sail. Bailey's is located across the street from Tugboat Brewing, a hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint (which I found out later will bring orders to Bailey's), and of course - Mary's. Don't know Mary's? Last time I went, both the cassette player and the dancers were older than I am now.

Our final location for the evening is my new #1 PDX Brew Location: Henry's 12th Street Tavern! Located in the original Henry Wienhardt's Brewery, this restaurant/billard hall/ taproom/meat-market is XTREME! The tap list includes: Specialty Releases/Seasonal Ales; Fruit Ales; Hard Ciders; Lagers; Pilsners; Blonde/White Ales; Wheats; Pale Ales; Cream Ales; Amber Ales; Red Ales/Extra Special Bitters; Brown Ales; IPAs; Porters/Stouts; Strong Ales/Imperials; and European Specialities. WOW!

Always ask your server what the Bartender's Choice is. I enjoyed the Willamette Espresso Stout. It recalled for me one of the best beers I've ever consumed: Redhook's XX Stout made with Starbucks Espresso roast before their was a Starbucks on every street corner across the globe. Sooooo, coffee. Soooo, good.

I recommend trying to grab an upstairs booth in the bar where you can watch the Trailblazers on the movie screen sized TV, and watch the Cougars go for anything wearing a black button-down with dark blue jeans. Amazing stuff to watch!

Prost to Henry's and Bailey's!! Two excellent PDX Brew locations!

Holiday Ale Festival - Day 2

Beer Luvvas!

I'm now posting from PDX and their free-wireless (another excellent service from the People's Republic of Portland according to MCO, although it's hard to identify the indirect tax that led to this perk).

Freebird and I are going to board back to PHX in mere minutes so here's a quick list of yesterday's winners:

Top beer of the fest: Oaked Brown Shugga! This Oaked beer exceeded my HUGE expectations, while the rest came up short. Sooper Hoppy!

#2 - Hopworks Kentucky Chirstmas - a nice spiced version of their organic Abomindable red (which was sampled pre-fest @ the Pilsner Room, another excellent place to get brew in PDX) aged in Kentucky Bourbon Barrels. But w/out strong bourbon tinges on either the nose or the pallete.

#3 - Rogue Santa's Private Reserve, Special Blend - this blend was a little more spice and citrus than the standard, and very, very tasty.

Freebird would put the Oaked Tannen Bomb in the top spot, but as I said yesterday - a fine brew that didn't quite meet my HUGE expectations.

Other noteworthy brews worth mentioning....

Asskickers:

• Hair of the Dog Jim II - Barrel aged and the first good kick to the gut.
• St. Nick's Sock Knocker - This barrel aged strong ale from Karlsson Brewing did come through like a foot sqwar in the nuts. And I do mean sqwar!

Got's to board now.....prost to another great fest!

Holiday Ale Festival - Day 1

Greetings from PDX Beer Luvvas!

It's the morning after Day 1 of the 2007 Annual Holiday Ale Festival in cold and rainy Portland, OR - And I'm not hungover!

Actually, today is the 3rd day of the event, but will be my second as Thursday was a travel day for Freebird and I from Phoenix. But enough of the trivial travel items, on to the beer!

This year's event was especially noteworthy due to the additions of Oak Aged Jubelale (Deschutes), Oaked Tannen Bomb (Golden Valley), and Oaked Brown Shugga (Lagunitas). I was able to sample both the Oak Aged Jubelale and Oaked Tannen Bomb yesterday before the beer lines got obscene (before 5pm). And although both beers were tasty, they did not hold up to the HUGE expectations I had based on a comparison of Oaked Arrogant Bastard to standard Arrogant Bastard.

The highlight of day one was Krakatuk Russian Imperial Stout from McMenamins/John Barlycorns. This beer will put hair on your chest, which isn't a bad thing with snow expected in the valley floor today.

I also sampled Wreck The Halls (Full Sail) at our first post festival stop - another excellent vintage. And Oatis (Ninkasi) at our second stop - another great new brew from this great Eugene, OR brewery!

I'll blog about these two PDX brew stops in future posts....preview - I'm changing the top brew locations in PDX based on last night's tasting!

Well, it's off to Mother's for an alcohol absorbing breakfast and another day of Holiday Ales!

Prost to the Holiday Ale Festival! The best beer festival in the land!