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Most food and beverage labels warn with“Best Before” dates implying that the product is not at its finest upon “expiry.” Craft brewers are once again changing the paradigm. Some beer types are best laid away to rest before enjoying.
Read the Deschutes Brewery notes on its latest release, Mirror Mirror. “Best if consumed after April 2010.” At 11.5% and 30 Bittering Units (relatively low) this malt emphasized oak aged barley wine is probably more in the style of English barley wines than the hoppier American version – but that is besides the point.
There is one thing that is of important note about this beer you won’t on their web page. It is a significant detail absent and that is could not be emphasized enough. What I’m about to tell you will probably be one of the most important reasons why this beer will rise in quality and popularity. The bottle closure is sealed with wax.
This may seem insignificant, but it’s a very big deal to those who collect, age and savor beer. Boston Beer Company was one of the first with their original editions of Tripel Bock in the 1990’s. Few brewers are doing it. You can do it easily. Why is a wax seal important?
Whether a beer is corked or sealed with a bottle cap, there is oxygen “ingress” into the bottle. The seal is never perfect. Air ingress happens slowly by way of the interface between the seal material and glass. Oxygen causes an “oxidizing” aging process in the bottle. For aged beer this can be positive up to a point. Once that point is reached (and it varies with each beer) the beer will take on oxidized flavors that are not so pleasant. Characters in aroma and flavor such as vegetal, wet paper, wet cardboard, unpleasant caramelization will send an .JPG)
otherwise classic, expensive and highly rated beer “over the hill.” There is always some oxygen content in bottles of the best of beers when it is packaged. Wax sealing will not 100% prevent negative aging character, but it will slow it down.
I speak from experience. I’ve addressed this in a previous column post and it’s worth telling the story once again. I dip the closures of the wines and strong beers and meads I’ve made in melted paraffin. Better yet, I should use sealing wax, available at most homebrew and winemaking stores. It’s a simple process and will dramatically extend the age of your cherished “great” beers, provided that oxygen introduction into the bottle was minimized during the original packaging. Some of my 20 year old treasures have little or no oxidation character and I don’t have access to sophisticated packaging techniques professionals use.
Sadly, I have other very old beers I had hoped would survive the years that are not drinkable. Oxidation has eventually destroyed them. They were not waxed.
It’s a great time to be a beer drinker. If you love to collect and sample beers later in their and your life, do yourself a favor – wax those closures. You’ll be thanking me for this advice years later. Yes of course you could send me a bottle of that 15 year old barleywine or imperial stout as gratitude or share it with me at the table we sit across from each other.
The news is essentially good.
As reported in the Friday issue of Beer Business Daily, these are some of things that Neilsen Research vice-president Nick Lake told Harry Schuhmacher at the Craft Brewers Conference in Boston:
For the first quarter, craft beer sales were up 6.5% in volume (I believe this includes Blue Moon so the BA might no concur when its figures are released);
Seasonals (up 28%) and variety cases (up 24%) are driving that growth;
This is happening despite the fact that crafts saw the highest price increases from last year, a fact Lake attributed to consumers “seeing the value” in craft brands;
As other sources have indicated, the trend is toward more drinking at home. To quote directly:
There has been a significant acceleration of shifting volume to the craft segment the past 13 weeks. The key thing to look at is that 63% of that gain has come from new craft beer buyers off-premise. “We believe that’s a function of people who were drinking on-premise who are now drinking off-premise. We think these shifts in behavior are going to stick with the consumer for awhile,” says Nick. This is good news for the craft segment off-premise. Not so good for restauranteurs or brewpubs.
Neilsen estimates that there are 12 -14 million craft beer buyers and that over 60% of the sales volume is purchased by slightly less than 2 million of them (around 14%).
As I’ve said before, if I ran a brewpub, I’d be cracking out a new “seasonal” as often as possible to keep ‘em coming back, although most in this area seem to be holding up pretty well doing what they do from what I’ve seen.
Long term, the silver lining in this terrible recession might turn out to be that is helping further cement craft beer as a serious player in the wider industry as wholesalers, retailers and publicans become more aware of the higher profit margins while fighting for every dollar and consumers, many of them primarily wine drinkers previously, discover all the flavors and possibilities.
Manolith.com has posted a graphical timeline of the History of Beer. While there may be some historical errors or omissions, the chart is a novel, and humorous, look at some of the milestones in the history of beer. Some interesting points in time include the “Dark Age of Beer” (it’s not what you may think), the first canned beer, beer pong, along with mention of some memorable beer advertising.
To see the entire article click: History of Beer.
This will be an ongoing feature where certain beers, and brewers, that will be offered at the Audacious Beer Celebration will be profiled. The next in our “Getting to Know” series will profile one of the first Micro breweries to offer a true craft product……….in a can.
“Craft beer in a can!?!?” Is usually the first response I hear when people hear that a craft product is offered in such a “macro” fashion. “No, seriously – it’s actually better for the beer and taste’s damn good as well!”, is the reply. With one eyebrow raised and an almost apprehensive first sip of the brew, a sense of wonderment befalls the now enlightened with a new sense of understanding.
Oskar Blues started during the late 90’s with a small pub located in Lyons, Colorado. Last April, a significantly larger brewery opened in Longmont, Colorado making use of a fully automated canning line. The idea started six years ago, “People said it was sacrilegious to put a really good, premium beer in a can, ” mentioned Marty Jones, one of the driving forces behind Oskar Blues Brewery. “It was more a joke, probably more harebrained than anything else, but the consumer bought on, “said the founder of the brewery, Dale Katechis who is also the name sake of the brewery’s most popular beer, Dale’s Pale Ale.
This flagship beer is more IPA than Pale Ale. Wrote one beer afficianado, “Medium amber pour with a fantastically large, rocky white head. Nose was quite wonderful, with citrus, pine resin, and grapefruit… along with a well-balanced array of sweet caramel and other malts. Flavor followed suit, with ample doses of bitter pine and citrus backed by smooth caramel malt. Malty middle and a refreshing & bitter citrus finish. Very good brew for any occasion.”
With the new expansion, the brewery was able to increase production 25 fold, which amounted to 19,500 barrels last year. Despite the horrific downturn in the economy, Oskar Blues still managed to experience a 64 percent increase in overall sales. “When times get tough, a really good beer provides a great escape”, mentions Jones. With the constant growth ever since its inception, another pub is slated to open in nearby Longmont within the next year or two.
What’s been the key to their success? It all starts with a lineup of solid offerings: Dale’s Pale Ale, Gordon (described as somewhere between a Double IPA and an Imperial Amber), Old Chub (a malty Scottish Style Ale with a dash of beechwood-smoked malt), and Ten FIDY (a immensely viscous and creamy imperial stout). It also doesn’t hurt that they were one of the first to offer a great craft lineup in a unique package that’s quite progressive for the micro brewing world. ”It’s a myth”, said Jones who went on to explain that these new type of aluminum cans are coated with a special coating that prevents the beer from ever coming in contact with the metal. “It’s a good thing for beer”, he said.
In addition, cans are the most effective way to shield beer from the negative effects of light and oxygen. Aluminum is easier to package, easier and more convenient for the consumer to transport, and better for the environment. The brewery also claims a 35% reduction in their carbon footprint when conducting beer deliveries due to the light weight of cans as compared to glass bottles. Other micro breweries have also taken notice starting to realize the benefits that canning craft beer can bring, “Can is no longer a dirty word for craft beer lovers thanks to us. Can-ventional wisdom, that’s our thing”, says Jones.
Fortunately for us consumers, it can be our thing as well.
This will be an ongoing feature where certain beers that will be offered at the Audacious Beer Celebration will be profiled. First up, Three Floyd’s Dark Lord Imperial Stout.
A beer held in high esteem amongst beer connoisseurs, this immensly thick and robust beer is listed as one of the best beers in the world on both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer. Unfortunately, to obtain one requires attending a one day release party at the Three Floyd’s Brewery in Munster Indiana. Those patient and lucky enough to obtain a few bottles are greeted with a level of viscosity and intensity of flavor that is not seen in most beers. Fortunately for those attending the festival, they need not bother searching the ends of the earth to obtain a sample of this rare treat.
What this beer sells is evident on its label. It does one thing and one thing very well. To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women? Not quite. Rather, it presents a huge singular flavor combination that dominates its entire profile. A gigantic tsunami of viscosity paired with a forceful rush of sweet dates, raisons and dark fruit. Certain other characteristics can also be picked out as well having been brewed with Intelligentsia coffee,vanilla, and molasses giving it a slight additional complexity. These signature elements are evident in every vintage and is what keeps stouties coming back for more.
I must say that a fine consolation for watching my brackets disintegrate is a well-crafted Old Ale. “Old Headbanger” from Valley Brewing Company in Stockton, CA is doing the trick. This isn’t widely available, nor will it be served at the Audacious Beer Celebration, but I guarantee that you won’t be dissapointed with the selection.. after all, I am helping round up beers!
Cheers
-Ughsmash
