Beer Photo: Edelweiss Wheat Beer

Beer Photo: Trumer Pils at Hemingway Bar in Graz, Austria

Beer News: What is the President's personal brew?

A light, crisp, refreshing beer, made with honey from the White House's gardens -- That does sound delicious!
I hope some craft brewery is able to get this recipe and produce the White House's brew on a larger scale, so people across the nation can buy some beer. I would even be happy if some of the cost went toward the whittling down the US deficit. (What an idea for a slogan, Drink to reduce the Deficit!)
"

(CNN) – President Obama makes a point of being seen enjoying a beer now and again. ...

This may be no surprise, given that the winner of recent presidential elections has usually been the same person that voters have identified in polls as someone with whom they’d prefer to drink a beer.
But the president even went a step further last week during his trip to Iowa, revealing to a voter that his campaign bus was stocked with beer that is brewed in the White House. Obama officials have long been tight-lipped about the home-made beer that is reportedly made with honey extracted from the White House gardens, but now home-brewing enthusiasts are hoping to force their hand.
In a petition on the White House website, individuals identifying themselves as “homebrewers across America” are calling on the Obama administration to fork over the special suds recipe.
“In keeping with the brewing traditions of the founding fathers, homebrewers across America call on the Obama Administration to release the recipe for the White House home brew so that it may be enjoyed by all,” the petition reads.
While the White House website allows for anybody to make a petition on any matter, the administration will not formally respond unless the petition garners at least 25,000 signatures within one month. As of last count, the petition had 880 signatures.
Meanwhile, as reported by Government Executive, at least one user on the home-brewing forum of the website Reddit is going a more bureaucratic route – filing a Freedom of Information Request with the administration. In the request, the individual writes that disclosure of the recipe will “likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government.”
While it’s unlikely the recipe will be forked over anytime soon, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney did divulge a few details last week.
“The President said there are two types - there’s a light and a dark. I think I’ve only tried the light, and it’s quite refreshing,” Carney told reporters.
 "

[Links removed]
Attributed to CNN White House Producer Alexander Mooney

Beer Advice: What Beer to Order at a Bar

In a recent interview of Charles Bamforth on Chow.com, the professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences [This exists!?!] at UC Davis explains how best to order beer.
The best beer is locally brewed, poured from a fresh keg whose lines are cleaned nightly.
That's because the beer has traveled less, which means it was brewed more recently; an untapped keg is less likely to be stale; and cleaning the lines reduces chance of bacterial infection which can alter taste.
Second choice? Any beer on tap, where the lines are cleaned nightly.
Never order imported beer, because you don't know how long it took to travel from the country of origin to your country of drinking.
Even cans aren't necessarily to be frown upon. Cans can seal more air-tight than bottles, and the metal protects the brew from light which can degrade the volatile chemicals which make beer so flavorful.

His whole interview is worth a read, go check it out.

Beer Trivia: Reinheitsgebot

In 1516 Reinheitsgebot was introduced as a law in Germany which states that beer may only contain four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. This law has regulated German beer brewing ever since.

Beer Roll: January

January was a slow month for me drinking beer.
Here's the Beer Roll:
Blue Moon Winter Seasonal
Detroit Brewing Co. Detroit Lager
Spaten Oktoberfest


These are not beers, but like to join the party:
Mike's Hard Light Lemonade
Mike's Hard Punch - Mango

Beer News: 2012 Oberon Mini-Keg Label Released

If you're like me, you longingly await the release of Oberon each Spring. The wheat beer with the subtle hint of orange and citrus. It's the perfect brew on a summer night.
And as an Oberon drinker, I can't beat the economy of one of the Bell's mini-kegs! Wondering what you're looking for? Bell's label for their 2012 Oberon mini-keg was just released.

Beer Video: Buy Local Beer

Beer Roll: December

Since I've been so busy, I figure I needed a solid way to make sure I post at least once a month for you all.
So this new feature I'm calling "Beer Roll" - a roll call for all the beers I've tasted during the month. This will include new tastes and the standards.

Beer Roll for December 2011:

• Bell's Christmas Ale
• Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool Ale
• Corona Light
• Dark Horse Raspberry Ale
• Magic Hat #9
• Royal Oak Brewery Aged Java Porter
• Sam Adam's Chocolate Cherry

Beer News: Happy Prohibition Repeal Day

December 5 marks the anniversary of the 21st Amendment of the United States Constitution.

"We celebrate Repeal Day because December 5th marks a return to the rich traditions of craft fermentation and distillation, the legitimacy of the American bartender as a contributor to the culinary arts, and the responsible enjoyment of alcohol as a sacred social custom." - http://www.repealday.org/
Happy Repeal Day !

Beer News: Google Beer

Well, Dogfish Head is at it again, and this time it is collaborating with Google and Google's bees.

From Mother Nature Network

Since it was announced late last month, Google's new beer has been creating a better buzz than anything related to its terrible online app (Buzz was officially killed off last week) — and I'm happy to hear that Google bees had a hand in it. 

Didn't know Google kept bees? The online tech giant installed four hives in the spring of 2010 and ended up with more than 405 pounds of honey during the subsequent fall flow. “The honey is being put to good use — everyone who participated in the extraction got a jar to take home, while the rest of the honey will be used in the cafes and for cooking classes organized by Marc Rasic, an executive chef at Google and one of the people behind the beekeeping initiative,” wrote software engineer Rob Peterson.

Like the White House, Google has recently put some of that honey to use for an official company beer. In partnership with eccentric Delaware brewery Dogfish Head (the same guys with their own series on Discovery Channel), the search giant included the sweet stuff — along with many "interesting" ingredients from around the world to create "Urkontinent." PC World lists some of them as wattleseed from Australia, amaranth from South America, green roobios tea from Africa, and Myrica Gale from Europe.

"It’s what Google does every day — take a fractured world of information and put it into something cohesive and whole," Dogfish Head founder and president Sam Calagione told the site.

URKontinent went on tap Sept. 27 and may be packaged for full distribution depending on how people like it. So far, reviews over on BeerAdvocate.com trend towards the positive. 

"I was expecting the worst given the aroma but it was completely different from what I imagined," said one. "The wattle seed really came through in the end, with a little malt back bone. Overall very smooth. Mouthfeel was nice, not as heavy on the mouth as the appearance would suggest, but light and good carbonation."

You can check out a comprehensive 13-minute video on Google's new brew. The company, however, is careful to point out that it has no interest in entering the beer business and will not make a dime off of URKontinent. Bottoms up! 

Beer Website: I'm a Beer Hound - Find a Michigan Retailer

Are you interested in finding Michigan beer near you? Are you interested in brewing your own beer? I'm a Beer Hound has a searchable database of retailers that specialize in Michigan craft beer.
This site has more than just the obvious places!

Beer Review: Dark Horse Brewing Raspberry Ale

 I recently tried the Raspberry Ale by Dark Horse Brewing Co. I found it at Crunchy's of East Lansing, and I ordered it in a mug (25 oz.) Clocking in at only 5%, this was a refreshing drink and I wasn't hammered when I was finished.
As described by Dark Horse Brewing Co. "This is a light bodied easy drinking ale. We only use real raspberries so the flavor is very mild fruit and balanced, not what you would expect from a "fruit" beer. The way we see it is we're brewers so lets make good beer, not some fruity carbonated malt beverage. Oh yeah, our motto..."beer first, fruit second"."
At first look of this beer, it's a light orange-yellow color, and made me think of summer. The head was creamy but still light. (What little head was left. The waitress slopped our beers all over the table.) At the first taste, I had some trouble tasting the raspberry. What this is, is a really solid, light and refreshing wheat ale. Where in a lot of brewers add citrus notes to their ale, Dark Horse has added raspberry. That subtle hint of raspberry, where it's least expected, makes this beer a stand-out in the ale category. And true to its claim, it tastes like real, fresh, raspberries -- this is NOT a "fruity carbonated malt beverage" which is so common with purported fruit beers. (Sam Adams fruit beers come to mind.)
The bitter hops flavor is really subtle and well-balanced as well. What the subtleties add up to is a really great ale that you can drink all night, with just about anything to eat along side.

Beer Event: International IPA Day

Happy International IPA Day!
May I recommend my favorite: New Holland Brewing's Mad Hatter IPA.

Beer News: Short's and Dogfish Head Collaborating

From Short's Brewing

Both Dogfish Head and Short’s have open minds about brewing, yet both breweries strive to do everything that they do, no matter how unusual or new, in a delicious and dignified way. Therefore, it was a natural decision for the two breweries to work together. The concept for the collaboration brew this: each brewery would contribute ingredients from its home state, the key ingredients would be new or unusual in craft brewing, and the brewing would take place at Short’s.
The yet unnamed collaboration brew is a Baltic Porter featuring beach plums from Delaware, horehound from Michigan, and red popcorn (sent by Nick Floyd of Three Floyds brewery in Indiana). The resulting brew will resonate strongly with those who love Short’s Black Cherry Porter. It is delicious.
Short’s is releasing the test batch of this beer at its Pub on July 4th. Then, on Wednesday July 6th, Joe and Sam will host a public reception at the lobby of the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa from 5-6:30 p.m. That evening, Sam will dine with the Short’s crew at the Aerie Restaurant on the 16th floor of the tower. Special kegs of Short’s and Dogfish Head will be featured at Aerie that night (a tap takeover to remember!). Short’s Brew will also be featured at Jack’s Sports Bar, which is located near the hotel lobby.
Meanwhile, during the first week of July, the brewers of Short’s and Dogfish Head will be brewing a batch of the collaboration beer in Elk Rapids that will be bottled and distributed throughout Michigan later this year.


*Personally, I'm not a big fan of Short's; their beer is more reminiscent of wine than beer. And while I'm excited that they're taking major influence from Dogfish Head, I'm concerned that with a Short's stout base, it will just be a heavier Short's brew. What's your opinion? Leave a comment below!

Beer Video: American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week kicks off next week, May 16. Support your local breweries!

Beer Quickie: Leinenkugel Cans Spotted on Shelves

Doing my weekly grocery shopping this week, I noticed a brightly colored case in the beer aisle: Leinenkugel in cans! There are two different cases available: Summer Shandy, in the traditional 12-pack case, and a summer variety 12-pack, in a box. The variety pack has Summer Shandy, Honeyweiss, Sunset Wheat and Berryweiss.
With all the social events I'm planning on this summer, I plan on taking that summer variety pack with me everywhere!

Beer Shout Out: A Practical Wedding

This is so cool! Boobs and Beer was linked over at A Practical Wedding.
My wedding is May 21! It's coming up so soon!

If you're wondering, we are for sure having Oberon and Detroit Brewing Lager, as far as beer choices go. It was suggested that I round out the flavors with something with a little more hops. I suppose I could go with Miller Lite, as it is Triple Hops Brewed. But that's not a Michigan brew!
Any suggestions for a reasonably priced, Michigan beer with prevalent hops?

Beer News: New Law Lets Grocery Stores Give Beer Samples

You all know that new law that lets grocery stores sell alcohol before noon on Sundays?
Well this same law also lets grocery stores give samples of beer and wine in the store.
All grocery stores have to do is purchase a one-time $70 permit, apply for a free event permit and give training to their employees. This seems like a pretty good deal for stores to help you decide on that pricey drink from a different kind of brewer.

Kroger and Whole Foods are two chains that are currently offering this.
And West Michigan Spartan and D&W stores are having events this weekend.

As a shopper at the store, you simple need to provide your ID showing that you are 21+.

For more on this, check out MLive.

Beer News: Memorial to Pierre Celis

Pierre Celis - Father of Wit Beer (March 21, 1925 - April 9, 2011)

Pierre Celis was a Belgian brewer who opened his first brewery in 1966 to revive the wit beer style in his hometown of Hoegaarden. Pierre was born on March 21, 1925 in his family home on the edge of the Hoegaarden town square. He grew up working on his father's cattle farm, but also helped out in the brewery of his neighbour Louis Tomsin. Tomsin brewed wit beer, which was a speciality in the region around Celis' home town. After Tomsin closed his brewery in 1955, wit beer disappeared from Hoegaarden. Celis, who became a milkman after he married, took up beer making in 1965. The first year he started out with a wash tub in the barn of his father. With a loan from his father he bought equipment that came from an abandoned brewery in Zolder. His first batch of Hoegaarden beer was made on 19 March 1966 and he opened Brouwerij Celis (Celis Brewery). In 1980 he opened Brouwerij de Kluis as he transferred the production to new buildings. In the late 1980s his brewery burned down. Because the buildings were not insured, he was forced to sell his company to Interbrew, now AB Inbev. He then founded the Celis Brewery in the USA, which was managed by his daughter Christine.

In Honor of Pierre, I recommend drinking a Celis White, or Celis Raspberry today.