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Craft Beer Blast
December, 2013
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From Larry...
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The shorter days of winter are coming, and the winter beers are being released. These beers are usually darker and spicier than the fall brews. They include Porters, Stouts, Barleywines and Winter warmers. These beers all go well with the holiday season. Maybe it's the malty character that satisfies the palate, evoking rich aromas and flavors of toasty caramel, the addition of roasty coffee-like notes in porters and stouts, and the complexity of spices and alcohol warmth in winter warmers. Whatever your beer, enjoy the cooler days to come and drink good beer at your holiday celebration.
The "Style of the Month" for December is Imperial Stout. A dark strong beer, Imperial Stout may be the perfect winter brew. Big and bold in taste and alcohol, these beers will warm up your winter night. Many American breweries make a special release of these brews; seek them out and give this classic style a try.
The Brewery of the Month for December is Wicked Weed Brewing of Asheville, NC. One of the newer breweries in the area, Wicked Weed promises "Excessive hops and flavor will be abundant." My kind of place!
The 8th annual Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival is coming up in January. I mention it here because the tickets for the Friday night event, Field of Beers, sell out quickly. More info below.
The annual Beerdrinker of the Year contest at Wynkoop Brewing in Denver is on. Do you have what it takes? Contestants create a 'beer resume' detailing their philosophy, activities and contributions to the world of craft beer. View my resume for the 2013 contest HERE.
Beer Blast Archives. Remember something you saw in a prior issue of The Blast? Are you reading for the first time? All back issues of The Blast are available on our Media / Archive page. Go there to reference past issues and articles.
It's been a phenomenal year for craft beer. Florida has come into it's own, craft beer wise, with sales up and many new breweries opening or in the planning stages. My beer event and classes have also grown; the latest area is corporate craft beer events. Have a great holiday season and drink local beer whenever you can!
Cheers,
Larry
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Style of the Month
Imperial Stout
American -Style Imperial Stouts are black in color and high in alcohol. Brewed using roasted malts which impart the dark color, roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavors.The extremely rich malty flavor and aroma are balanced with assertive hopping and fruity-ester characteristics. Sometimes called Russian Imperial Stout after the brewers tried to please the czars with impressive strong alcohol levels and robust flavors. Stouts were usually the 'stoutest' porter in a brewery's line up. Later it become it's own style. Imperial stouts are great winter beers; dark and roasty with plenty of alcohol warmth. On those cold nights, sit by the fireplace and savor one of the many different Imperial Stouts available.
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Beer Life
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The Field of Beers event takes place on the field at Roger Dean Stadium.
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Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival / Field of Beers
On January 24 and 25, South Florida's favorite beer event is happening in Jupiter. It offers many craft beers in a fun, relaxed setting. Both events have a limited number of tickets available. The Field of Beers is the Friday night before the festival. There are 15 stations; each features a beer paired with a special dish made for the event. There have been some great match-ups over the years. The next day the festival happens with many different craft brewers bringing a special brew or two for the festival. Tickets go on sale in mid December. More at Jupiterbrewfest.com
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Brewery of the Month
Wicked Weed Brewing
In 1519, King Henry VII declared "Hops are a wicked and pernicious weed" that would ruin beer. There were independent minded brewers that defied this and the world has come to enjoy hops in most beers. At around the same time the German beer purity law required only four ingredients for beer: water, hops, malted barley and yeast. Today, hops have an honored place in the craft beer movement as the favored ingredient in many American craft brews. At Wicked Weed, they craft big flavor, hop forward beers that push the boundaries of creativity. The brewery opened in 2011 in Asheville, NC, where there already were ten or more breweries of some type. With the idea of creating big, bold and flavorful beers, WWB found a home at 91 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. The building looks like it was a gas station from the 1950's. The space is great for a brewery and restaurant. The restaurant is upstairs with the brewery and tap room downstairs. I visited Wicked Weed in October and was impressed with the beers and the facility. It is a great addition to the Asheville beer scene and is a must visit for any beer aficionado or hop lover. My review is on the GBL 2013 Review Page and there are some photos on the GBL FB page.
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Locally...
Craft beer school is back in session at Miami Culinary Institute. Starting in January there will be three classes scheduled two times each. I am leading the classes which will cover beer history, styles and seasonal beers. Each class includes a related tasting. Times and dates TBA.
Titanic Brewing:
Tripel Reserve and Honey Amber ale are both on. Several Wynwood brews have been featured recently along with different guest beers.
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New Breweries
Wynwood Brewery Grand Opening!! The brewery is having the official grand opening on December 4. Come out and support local brewers..See the events page for other events this month.
MIA Brewing Co. Construction continues and they hope to open early 2014.Check MIA's Facebook page to follow progress on the brewery and see where they will be pouring their beer and giving out MIA bottle openers.
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Florida Brewery News
Saltwater Brewing is getting close to opening. On a recent drive - by, we were told it would be in early 2014. They also said that there will be an IPA and Double IPA among other brews. Saltwater is located in Delray Beach at I -95 and Atlantic avenue. I - 95 is quickly becoming Florida's road to beer. I can name at least 10 breweries that are located within a mile or two of the road. Check out their blog for more about the brews and opening details.
Also coming in January Brew on the Bay the craft beer festival of Key Largo. It will be held on Saturday January 14th. More details next month.
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© Larry Goeser
Miami, Florida Good Beer Larry |
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