Spring 2018 Blast Header
From Larry...
 
Spring is arriving late this year. The northeast just got pounded by the third major snow storm just last week. Here in South Florida spring is on it's way and the seasonal beers are already on shelves. When winter ends, the darker stronger winter brews will go with it. In their place the spring beers will appear. Some of the styles for spring are: Belgian Amber Ale, Irish Red, Maibock and Wheat Beer. The New England IPA could be a spring beer as it is lighter and less bitter than the regular IPAs. Your local brewery probably will have a spring ale out soon. Enjoy them when you find them as they will be fresh and will be gone before you know it.       
 
The "Style of the Month" is New England IPA. Light, easy drinking and packed with hops for a robust hoppy flavor and aromas. New England IPAs use about six times the hops as the regular version. This could be good for hop farmers as they have a glut of hops right now.   
 
Recently, I visited a new brewery, Tarpon River Brewing in Fort Lauderdale. Read about it on my 2018 review page. A brewery with a full restaurant was a great idea and the food was good. 
  
In 2018 the craft beer industry will continue the trend of consolidation. Breweries are merging and the large brewers will continue to buy smaller craft brands. The industry now has several groups of investors that buy an interest in a brewery and then have the expertise to help that brewery grow and prosper. There has been a massive expansion of the entire industry, but demand is leveling out. Green Flash Brewing of San Diego is a good example of taking on too much debt and trying to become a national brand too quickly. They built a new brewery on the east coast and were in almost every state. They now are retreating, leaving several markets and reducing their workforce. Read more about it HERE. I like GF's beer but I think they have lost their way. The original brewer left, the beer line - up has totally changed and they still want $16 for a six pack. In this market that won't work. I will miss them as Florida is one of the markets they are leaving.
 
Upcoming Events: Sierra Nevada Brewing Beer Camp 2018 is on again this summer. The"epic adult day camp" will be held at both of their breweries. I will attend the Mills River version in June.  In May the annual Brew at the Zoo will be held at Zoo Miami.   
         
Cheers,
Larry

Hazt IPA Glass

        Style of the Season

          New England IPA

 

The latest craze in the beer world is the New England IPA. The style is an unfiltered IPA aggressively hopped in the brew kettle, and dry hopped with massive amounts of hops in the fermenter. Between all the hops, certain yeasts, high protein grains and other brewing aspects, the result is a big juicy, hazy chewy IPA. The emphasis is on hop flavors and aromas. Bitterness and malty flavors take a back seat here. The style has taken the craft brewing industry by storm. Everybody now has a NEIPA available, from the smallest local taproom to the big national breweries. These brews are best consumed as fresh possible, as with any hoppy brew. Over time the delicate hop aromas can fade away. The beer's haze can settle out; a fresh beer could be almost opaque, and an older beer may only be slightly hazy. NEIPAs are big beers with a creamy mouth feel that is softer and fuller than regular IPAs.The ABV is from 4% to over 7.5% covering session, standard and double IPAs. Try one at your local brewery; Sierra Nevada also makes a good example.

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Irish Drinking Shoes Get your Drinking Shoes on!
St. Pat's Day Special Events
On March 17th celebrate St. Paddy's day in many ways; here are a few:
 J Wakefield Brewing presents the third annual Wake Fest Saturday with over 100 breweries, food trucks and special releases all day.
Biscayne Bay Brewing is celebrating the occasion with a house brewed green beer! Enjoy Tropical Bay IPA a hazy New England IPA. There will be other specials all day long
Twisted Trunk Brewing is throwing a St. Paddy's Day Bash with special releases, food truck and shenanigans in the parking lot! 
Miami New Times posted a list of the 10 best brewery St. Pat's events in South Florida.
Have a great day and remember: Erin go bragh!
Trends
Smuttynose Brewing, one of New Hampshire's oldest breweries was sold at auction to the bank that is the company's top lender. The brewery has expanded quite a bit in the last few years. The brewery will continue with business as usual. Read more on the website along with the original owners response.
Healthy Beer?
Younger people are drinking less and embracing a different lifestyle than their parents. A recent article in the WSJ explores the phenomenon along with Sam Calagione, the founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Dogfish Head Brewery
has joined the pursuit of good health for all ages. Their SeaQuench Ale is a real thirst quencher and has other benefits as well. This year Sam and Co. decided to use it as part of #JanuQuenchy a diet that requires a can of SeaQuench a day with the goal of losing 10 pounds by the end of the month. Sounds better than my annual "Dry January" that doesn't seem to work as well as it used to!
 

© Larry Goeser