Ballparks & Brews: Wrigley Field Chicago

When talking about Chicago's Wrigley Field and craft beer, it's all about the Goose Island. Starting outside the stadium, all the surrounding bars carry some type of Goose Island product, usually the 312 Urban Pale Ale or Wheat and the Green Line Pale Ale. All three are drinkable, but at times you might be able to find their IPA or Honkers Ale - both more pleasurable. To ensure a better Goose Island selection, head to Goose Island Wrigley, their brewbpub located near the main gate. During our visits there were usually 6-7 beers on tap, plus an assortment of specialty brews. I became quite fond of the Pepe Nero, Pere Jacques, and Class of '88 Belgium Style Ale - the later a collaboration with Deschutes Brewery where the ale is aged in used muscat wine barrels. Love the Belgium and love the sour.

Outside the stadium - for us at Murphy's Bleachers and then the CubbyBear -  we discovered Old Style beer - the beer of choice for most locals. Originally brewed in Wisconsin by the G. Heileman Brewing Company, production shifted to Chicago in 1935 and in 1950, Old Style began a Cubs sponsor. This is a very drinkable Pilsner - more of a light lager actually - but pleasant - particularly when consuming frequently.

Inside the stadium, InBev seems to hold a monopoly which helps the Goose Island presence. the 312 Urban series and Green Line are served immediately in the bleachers entrance and throughout most Wrigleyville Brew House stands.

Between games, if you find yourself in the Courthouse district, check out Bub City and their Whiskey Bar. Quite the selection and great staff. Too bad the ran out of Black Maple Hill but plenty of High West and much, much more.

There are also several breweries within an easy cab ride from Wrigley.  Revolution Brewing, Piece Brewery, the new Lagunitas Brewing Company Chicago, Ale Syndicate Brewers, and Atlas Brewing Company are just a few samples. Check outh theCompass Winery, Brewery, & Distillery Locator for the complete list. Cheers to Chicago and Wrigley Field.

Ballparks & Brews: Nationals Park

Regardless if you are a Washington Nationals regular or visiting from out of town, there are plenty of craft beer options inside and surrounding Nationals Park in Southeast Washington.  Outside the stadium, check out Bluejacket Brewery or Gordon Biersch Brewery for your pre or post game celebrations. Bluejacket has a rotating tab of at least twenty home grown beers - checkout the sour Sideshow or Pyro; chocolate-spicy Mexican Radio; or the super strong Belgian Quad Cashmere. At Gordon Biersch, I usually stick to the Hefeweizen or Czech Pilsner.

Inside the stadium. the big boys have monopolized the roving beer-men (and women) and food stands (although you can find  New Belgium Brewing Company and Boston Beer Company at a few stands), but there are a few District Draft carts serving local breweries.You can be assured that Port City Brewing Company and DC Brau Brewing LLC are available with possible beers from 3 Stars Brewing Company, Atlas Brew Works, or Mad Fox Brewing Company. The Port City Wit is my choice on a hot summer day and you can find the District Draft carts at section 119, 138, 225 & 309.

For an expanded national craft beer selection, hit the Red Porch at the main entrance in the outfield. This restaurant has taps from Flying Dog Brewery, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Allagash Brewing Company, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Starr Hill Brewing, and many more. Diners get a nice view of the stadium. #GoNats.

SAVOR Profile: Flying Dog Brewery's Rising Dead OLD BAY Summer Ale

I had heard rumors and SAVOR verified that the latest beer making trend is brewing with crab seasoning. Frederick's  Flying Dog Brewery started the trend by officially partnering with McCormick & Company to add Old Bay to produce Rising Dead OLD BAY Summer Ale. The release honors the spice's 75th anniversary and proceeds are contributed to True Blue, an organization that advocates on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay's 5,500 water men.  The beer itself starts very clean, but then finishes with the familiar taste of Old Bay - sometimes subtly - other times - more intensely. A food pairing, and just not crabs, are in order. Even chips and salsa worked well. Supplies are running low as the beer is in great demand. Before you homebrewers attempt to re-create your own version, don't start dumping Old Bay into your wort. Too much sodium. Flying Dog obviously received the non-sodium part of the recipe.

Delaware's 3rd Wave Brewing Co. actually started the trend of brewing with crab spices by releasing Shore Thing, an amber ale, which they released last year. Unfortunately, the Abbey Burger Bistro was sold out when I went to taste this weekend.  And Ocean City's Backshore Brewing Company just tapped their Baycation, a red ale spiced with crab seasoning. This beer is fuller than the Rising Dead, with more subtle spices - quite enjoyable.

Cheers to summer, beer, and crabs.

SAVOR Profile: Crazy Mountain Brewing Company's Neomexicanus Native Pale Ale

Over the years most of us have become accustomed to recognizing several hop styles, particularly when dry-hopped, such as the citrus-floral aroma from Cascade hops or the more floral Centennial. I've also come to appreciate the single hop brews such as Flying Dog Brewery's Simcoe. What all hops - used in American brewing - have in common is their European lineage (humulus lupulus lupulus); they may be grown in the Pacific Northwest; but the specific hop varieties originated in Europe. Until now. 

One of the coolest breweries I met at SAVOR was Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, out of Edwards, Colorado - not far from Vail. They were pouring their Neomexicanus Native Pale Ale which is bittered using the indigenous humulus lupulus neomexicanus hops. "This species of hops is completely native to the United States and is genetically different from other varieties of hops currently commercially available." For my wine friends, we are talking about lubrusca or aestivalis as compared to vinifera.

Kevin Selvy, the brewery's CEO & Brewmaster, spent 5 years searching for this hop - and found it growing at CLS Farms in the Yakima Valley, Washington. They had procured some rootstock from a farmer in northern New Mexico, who had spent his life collecting "eighty different genetic lines of the plant that were growing wild". CLS Farms planted 8 of these varieties and when Selvy saw them, he ordered the entire supply. Coming full circle, the humulus lupulus neomexicanus hop variety is native to Colorado, so perhaps one day, Crazy Mountain will plant their own estate hops. Pretty cool.

The Neomexicanus Native Pale Ale weighs in at 6% ABV and 46 IBU. The aroma is very strong - part agava and part white fruit - as I recall. The flavor is on the sweeter side, somewhat bready; with the long finish focusing on citrus flavors - grapefruit and lime. A rather unique flavor profile. And very tasty. For now, I believe you need to travel to Colorado to enjoy the beer. Painful. Cheers to Crazy Mountain. 

Cruising Ocean City Breweries with #theCompassApp

This past weekend I had some house keeping chores in Ocean City Maryland so I decided to utilize our theCompass Winery Brewery Distillery Locator mobile app to navigate to as many breweries along the Route 50 corridor as possible.

 After talking to the folks at Evolution Craft Brewing Company at SAVOR, I started my trip to the beach with a slight detour in Salisbury to visit their Public House for dinner. While listening to Reggae music and a burger, I enjoyed their Special 608 Belgian Amber, that was made originally brewed for the Craft Brewers Conference but seems to have found a stable home. It is sweet and spicy (brewed with honey, lemon peel, orange peel, and coriander) with dark fruit flavors balanced nicely with a slight bitter finish. Next time I need to bring a designated driver so I can sample through their portfolio.

The next day, after several hours of painting, I hopped on my bicycle and pedaled south towards the boardwalk. I passed Ocean City Brewing Company which hopes to be brewing at their 55th Street location this month.  My first stop was at Backshore Brewing Company, between 9th & 10th streets on the boardwalk next to Hammerheads.You may have heard of the brewery as Shorebilly, but because of trade marks have re-branded themselves. They also feature a new brewmaster and signs look bright as I savored their Four-Ten Kolsch and Hop Solo IPA. You can judge a brewery based on their lightest beer, since there's few places to hide faults and their Kolsch was smooth, clean, and refreshing. Perfect for a bike ride. The Hop Solo isn't a west-coast IPA, meaning lighter on the hops, but still exuding a nice flora aroma and clean finish. The brewery has several beers aging in used Jack Daniels barrels as well as a spiced-ale infused with an Old Bay equivalent just in time for summer. I'll be back.

One place I probably won't be back is Fin City Brewing Company, located in Hooper's Crab House just over the inlet bridge on Route 50.  Whereas the restaurant provides nice seafood and perfect views of the bay and inlet, the Fin City Sneaky Wheat was quite under-whelming.  It seemed to try to imitate a Belgium Wit with the coriander and orange peel, but it also appears they may have used Bavarian Weizen yeast so there's also a Banana character that doesn't mesh with the orange flavor.

From Fin City, I rode seven miles to Berlin and Burley Oak Brewing Company. While biking, stay in the bike line on Route 50 and then follow the bike signs for detours to access roads. I've visited the brewery in the past and have enjoyed some of their beers in Ocean City, so knew what to expect - high quality. That started with their Kolsch - Just The Tip. Clean grainy, and refreshing - spot on for quenching a thirst. Trying to stay within lower abv's I then had their Sour Trip Berliner-Weisse checking in at 3.3% abv. Slightly sour after being fermented with lactobacillus bacteria, it is also refreshing and begging to be consumed quickly. For a change of pace, ask for the raspberry puree which enhances the sourness and adds a nice fruit flavor.  Now, time to bike 13 miles back.

The next day I started my return trip stopping by Tall Tales Brewing Co, in Parsonsburg, just a few miles East of Salisbury. Over bratwurst, I sampled six beers starting with a really cool Apple ale - the Johnny Appleseed. Light and fruity, but not sweet, there is great acidity with the subtle hops to make this a nice beer. I sampled two other lighter beers, their Some Beach Island Ale and the Calamity Jane - both Blonde ales with the Some Beach have just a little extra hops to make it more interesting. Next was the Excalibur, an IPA with citrus aromas and a caramel malty palette balanced with a shore bitter finish. Their best seller is the Red Headed Step Child, a sweeter red ale with less of a hoppy feel than your tradition red ale. The final sample was the Sasquatch - an Imperial American Stout that was right on, chocolate and coffee flavors merge into a bitter finish. Nicely done.

On a tip, I headed north on Route 13 to Delmar, Delaware to visit  3rd Wave Brewing Co. who occupy the space once used by Evolution Craft Brewing Company. Unfortunately I didn't use the advice I always give for people to call ahead for hours, and the brewery was a couple away from opening. Delmar is only a few miles north of the Salibury bi-pass, so a side trip will be better planned next time.

The last short pit stop occurred in historic downtown Cambridge where Realerevival Brewing set up shop. The brewery looks like they have equipment for a decent brewing capacity but this day they had only one of their beers on tap: the Bucktown Brown. This brown ale was quite tasty, having a full, malty body with a touch of sweet chocolate followed by a light hop flavor. They also carry beers from several other craft breweries, so plenty of options for consumers. And the food looks good - from sliders to sushi.

There you go, plenty of beer options when taking Route 50 to the shore. More photos are available at out Facebook album: Eastern Shore Brewery Tour. And for those that take the back roads to Delaware, 16 Mile Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, and Mispillion River Brewing are within easy reach. Cheers.

Update: I forgot to mention de Lazy Lizard Brew Pub, which is located just north of the Route 50 bridge. The brewpub was closed when I visited. Hopefully next visit.

It's #SAVOR Day - Ready to sample over 150 craft beers

Today is one of my favorite days of the year - Savor: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience. Back again in DC and sponsored by the Brewers Association, the Experience features two beers from 76 breweries and paired with food created by Chef Adam Dulye of The Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco in collaboration with Occasions Caterers.  The 2014 SAVOR collaboration beer is the Hydra Cuveé brought to us by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. and Flying Dog Brewery. This beer is a blend of four different beers—two barrel-aged beers, a robust imperial porter and a black rye IPA. In keeping with Greek mythology, the hydra represents three distinct parts—the lion, the bear (both from Firestone Walker’s insignia) and the Flying Dog. I will be attending the Bottle Conditioning 101 Salon featuring Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing Company; Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery; Steven Pauwels, Boulevard Brewing Company; and Brian O'Reilly, Sly Fox Brewing Co.

There are several local DC, Maryland, and Virginia breweries that won a space from the lottery. Port City Brewing Company (Optimal Wit & Colossal One); Bluejacket Brewery (Forbidden Planet & Bourbon Barrel-Aged Burning Bush); Atlas Brew Works (District Common & Rowdy); Evolution Craft Brewing Co (Lucky 7 & Lot # 6); Flying Dog Brewery (Dead Rise & The Truth); Heavy Seas Beer (Loose Cannon & Riptide); Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery (Magic Beaver & Three Chopt Tripel); Strangeways Brewing (Martian Spring & WHAP! Sorachi Sour); Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Danzig & Pear Lager); and Hardywood Park Craft Brewery (Gingerbread Stout & The Great Return). I will also be spending time with New York's Saranac Brewery (Saranac Legacy IPA & Saranac Tramonay Rogue), Chicago's Revolution Brewing (A Little Crazy & Straight Jacket) and Nebraska Brewing (Apricot Au Poivre & Sexy Betty). Plus there's a certain amount of anticipation to finding new beers that will

I'll be posting on Twitter (@winecompass) and follow along with the #Savor hashtag. And if any attendees want to visit the area breweries beforehand, theCompass mobile application can help. Cheers.

Bringing Some Due South Brewing Company UXO American Strong Ale North

During Spring Break this year I took my son to south Florida to visit his relatives and an added benefit to the warm weather is the addition of Due South Brewing Company to the environment. This brewery has been operating for a couple years now and I've mentioned them before. What's changed is that they have started canning their beer, which means, I can bring some home. I chose the UXO American Strong Ale, although I'm regretting not returning with their Category 3 IPA as well. More beer is better than no beer.

The UXO pays homage to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians that have served in the US Military and "UXO is a term EOD Techs use meaning unexploded ordnance".  Due South founder and head brewer, Mike Halker, is a former EOD Tech himself and a portion of the proceeds will go to the EOD Warrior Foundation.

The beer is big at 8% ABV with a sweet malty & caramel flavor - this is not your summer lawn mower beer. The malt is balanced with 67 IBUs if hops and I mean balanced because that much hops does not overwhelm the finish - just an easy transition. Nicely done.

Parkway Brewing's Majestic Mullet Krispy Kolsch: more than just a cool name

I've been finding several beers from southwestern Virginia's Parkway Brewing making its way into the DC market. One of these is the Majestic Mullet Krispy Kolsch which I first purchased solely because of the packaging and brand name. Good marketing. However, I now have another summer after-biking beer with this refreshing slightly hoppy and yeasty brew. Looking forward to navigating my way to the brewery using theCompass during Floydfest. Cheers.

Press Release: Brewers Association Announces 2013 Craft Brewer Growth

Volume and Sales Reach Record Levels as Market Share Surpasses Seven Percent

The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, today released 2013 data on U.S. craft brewing¹ growth. As a primary driver of growth in the beer industry, craft brewers saw an 18 percent rise in volume², representing a total of 15.6 million barrels, and a 20 percent increase in retail dollar value.

In 2013, craft brewers reached 7.8 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market, up from 6.5 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 14.3 percent in 2013, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $14.3 billion, up from $11.9 billion in 2012.

“With this stellar year, craft has now averaged 10.9 percent growth over the last decade,” said Bart Watson, staff economist, Brewers Association. “Beer drinkers are excited about what small and independent brewers are offering and that is evidenced by the rising production and sales of the craft segment.”

Additionally, the number of operating breweries in the U.S. in 2013 totaled 2,822, with 2,768 of those considered craft, demonstrating that craft breweries make up 98 percent of all U.S. operating breweries. This count includes 413 new brewery openings and 44 closings. Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided 110,273 jobs, an increase of almost 2,000 from the previous year.

“Openings of brewing facilities continue to far outpace closings, demonstrating that the demand for high-quality, local, fuller-flavored beers is only increasing,” added Watson. “The geographic diversity of openings and production growth shows the national nature of this movement. In towns all across the country, craft brewers are creating jobs, delivering innovative products, advancing the beverage of beer and strengthening their local economies.” 

Note: Numbers are preliminary. The Brewers Association will release the list of Top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies by volume sales on March 31. Additionally, a more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Colorado from April 8-11. The full 2013 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2014 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and sales by individual breweries.

¹ The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.
² Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production.

The FDA Finally Acts to Protect our Country's Livestock from the Dangerous Spent Grain from #Beer Mash

Or at least that must be how the FDA sees the world. Why else would the agency propose rules that "require that spent grain for animal feed be dried and prepackaged onsite in a manner that doesn't touch human hands." What is one source of spent grain - our country's breweries and distilleries. Instead of simply dumping the spent grain, most of these companies have established relationships with local farmers to provide the spend grain to supplement the diet of livestock. Scott Harris of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company explained how the cows that benefit from their spent grain rush the delivery truck when it arrives.  (See the 18 minute mark in this MyJoogTV video and video below.)  And not only does the spent grain supplement the diets, but it also hydrates the animals because the "wet" grain has soaked up the water.

Yet the FDA in their wisdom now wants breweries and distilleries to prepackage the feed, adding production costs to the operations for those companies that provide their left over grain to farmers. Instead of packaging the spent grain, they could also choose to just dump the spent grain, adding other costs in itself. The FDA also wants to force brewers to dry their grain, removing any hydration benefits that farmers prefer. Perfect. Another example of government bureaucrats creating a problem where one doesn't currently exist. In this case, just let the invisible hand of the marketplace do it's thing.

The Brewer's Association is on top of this situation and has posted these suggestions to brewers.

For BA members, we ask that you:

1. Communicate with your farmers that we will be looking for them to submit comments to FDA based on the draft farmer comments that we will circulate once final. Farmer comments should focus on the impact to their business of the proposed rules, the preference to receive grains "wet" from brewers, the lack of problems with receiving spent grains as currently in practice and the environmental issues related to a change in current practice.

2. Prepare your own set of comments to FDA based on the sample brewer comments, with an emphasis on how the current proposed rules will impact your business and any thoughts on how landfilling grains may not fit with sustainability efforts.

3. Sign up for the March 27 Power Hour and then send in comments after final revisions by the March 31 deadline.

Let's hope these comments to dissuade the FDA. Beer and spirits consumers should also contact your local representatives in the House of Representatives & Senate.


Update: another video describing farmers love for spent grain:

The Beer Scene in Raleigh: Trophy Brewing Company

This week I spent a couple snow covered days in Raleigh, North Carolina as a guest of Nomacorc, the world's leading producer of synthetic corks. In between a factory tour and seminars, I discovered that Raleigh has a decent beer culture with a fair number of breweries located within city limits. Big Boss Brewing Company is one I've encountered before and during lunches and dinners I was able to sample their Hell's Belle Belgium ale, Bad Penny dark brown ale, and Blanco Diablo Wit ale. All nailed their respective styles and were quite pleasant.


On my last day I had a couple hours free and planned to walk to a few that were closest to the hotel. However, because of the snow storm two were closed(Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co and Crank Arm Brewing Company), so using theCompass mobile app I sloshed my way to Trophy Brewing Company, a 3 barrel nano brewery and pizza joint.  The restaurant was lively with all bar seating taken - as were most tables. Finding a seat, I immediately noticed the shelves of sports trophies - donated by generous patrons.

I ordered a four beer sampler and soon was Casanova Export Stout, Best In Show “American Saison”, Slingshot Coffee Porter, and Loner Berliner Weisse. The later is a low abv wheat beer, brewed to be tart and sour with very little of hop bitterness. Their version was true to form, although it is also brewed with peaches and ginger and I really didn't pick up on those flavors. The Slingshot was true to its name with the coffee sourced from local Slingshot Coldbrew Coffee. I definitely enjoyed the inter-play of the chocolate and coffee in the palette.  In a similar fashion, the Casanova had a nice balance between the chocolate roasted malt flavor and hop bitterness. However, once again I failed to notice the additives, this time the vanilla notes as described on the chalk board. My favorite of the four was the Best In Show - a very appropriately named farmhouse ale. From the citrus nose to the bitter tail, this beer was completely enjoyable - well done. Next time, I'll try the pizza and expand my visit to the other breweries. But when in Raleigh, pair any of these breweries with American Aquarium. Cheers

Crashing @DCBeer at Beltway Brewing to Promote #theCompassApp

This past Saturday I noticed a tweet from @DCBeerBill Braun how DCBeer had organized a bus trip with Reston Limo to three Virginia breweries: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Port City Brewing Company, and Beltway Brewing Company. Since I had a kids birthday party in Sterling that afternoon, I decided to crash their visit in order to show him #theCompassApp and to learn more about the brewery. Glad I did. Although I didn't have much time to converse with the DCBeer folks, I sampled some nice beer and learned more about the only full service contract brewery in the area. Currently Beltway Brewing offers two house beers, the Batch One Amber Ale and the Suite Dee Session IPA. Both beers were brewed basically in order to test the brewing equipment because their business model is to contract wholly for other breweries. In the past they had produced the brews for Adroit Theory Brewing Company before they moved to their Purcellville location and currently they are pouring a couple from Hilton Head's Wooden Skiff Brewing Company. Once their beers sell out, Beltway will "buyback" a few kicks of each contracted brew that they will pour on Thursday and Friday nights in the tasting room. A great concept for us consumers as our options increase with each contract.

It's too bad Beltway won't continue their house brand because they are quite tasty. The Batch One was malt forward but had a nice hop finish to balance the sweetness. The Suite Dee has a powerful refreshing citrus aroma followed by a light bodied beer and a clean refreshing finish. And at 4.8% abv - love this style of beer.  Going forward, we will have to check out the recipes from the contracted breweries - the Wooden Skiff Blonde was nice and I'll have to head a little further west to sample the Adroit Theory. Fortunately Beltways also sells cans and bottles and not just growlers so I will be able to enjoy the Suite Dee until my stock runs out. Cheers.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup & Beer: Is It Possible?

During last Spring's coverage of the Savor Craft Beer Experience I read about a new fad in craft brewing - combining peanut butter and chocolate into the brewing process. Being a major peanut butter fan, I was intrigued with this concept; yet promptly forgot about it when Summer ascended. In the Fall, I was reminded due to my Lost Dog Cafe app alerted me that the Twisted Pine Brewing Company - Rhesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout was being poured at one of their locations. I hurried over that day to taste the Rhesus and was both disappointed and encouraged. The disappointment arose because the Rhesus didn't really taste like a Reese's peanut butter cup; instead these flavors were subtle and the beer more stout like. On the other hand, I was encouraged because I did like this beer even though I had to strain to appreciate the Reese's qualities.

Over the next couple of weeks I searched for more beers in this style and finally landed the beer that many had recommended - the DuClaw Brewing Company - Sweet Baby Jesus!. This is a porter from a Maryland brewery I've been following for quite sometime and pretty much nails a Reese's cup. There is plenty of chocolate and peanut butter - but also balance - as the tail finishes with a smooth hoppy character. Keeping with the lexicon - so far this is the Holy Grail of  Peanut Butter Chocolate beers.

At the same time I was able to find a Rogue Brewery - Voodoo Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Ale easy to spot in the pink bottle with Voodoo’s "Memphis Mafia" doughnuts. This is the sweetest of the three with plenty of banana throughout - nose, palette, and finish. In my opinion, the excess artificial banana was it's downfall - overwhelming the chocolate and the peanut butter. To others in our tasting party - that was not a problem. 

Finally there's one more in this style I am familiar with that I have not been able to sample: Florida's Rapp Brewing Company - Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout.  I'm not sure how wide their distribution but will seek them on theCompass Alcohol Locator our next trip to Tampa.

My Belated and Redundant - "What Are The Best Pumpkin Beer" Post

I know it's already late in the pumpkin beer season and am sure people have tired of pumpkin beer reviews; but I'll beat a dead horse and release mine. And mine tastes are definitely skewed towards less spices and more pumpkin. During the last month I've tasted about 15 different pumpkin beverages and found almost all tilted to the spicy-sweet side - sort of like biting into a store brought pumpkin pie with loads of nutmeg or clove.  Instead I prefer a beer with either a balanced ratio between spices and pumpkin or one that leans completely towards pumpkin.

That being said, my habitual favorite is the King of pumpkin beers, the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Punkin Ale. Probably the first I ever sampled and ever since I've counted on this beer to deliver a consistent and equal balance between spices and meat. And every year Dogfish Head delivers. Another beer I crave during the Fall is the Epic Brewing Company - DC Brau Brewing collaboration -- Fermentation Without Representation Imperial Pumpkin Porter. This is another balanced composition of coffee, chocolate, pumpkin, and spices blended to form a perfect morning brew. The newest surprise was the Uinta Brewing Punk'n, a beer that displays very little spicy character, but instead a strong and tasty pumpkin flavor. There is no doubt I could consume many of these in our sitting. Finally, the one beverage that breaks my profile generalization is the Ace Cider Hard Pumpkin Cider. This is a sweeter cider with plenty of spices and it does taste exactly like apple pumpkin pie. Treat it like a slice of pie - I could only consume one pint at a time, but those with a sweater tooth - go for it.

Football & Beer at Fire Station 1 Brewing Company

This weekend I met my parents at their Silver Spring office and we decided to watch a few football games at a new brewpub that opened down the street: Fire Station 1 Brewing Company.  The operation is the work of retired firefighter Jeremy Gruber, who incidentally started his career at Fire Station 1, then purchased the old firehouse when the department moved across Georgia Avenue. As you would expect, there are plenty of historical information about the Silver Spring fire department as well as fresh Maryland brewed beer.

On this day there were two Fire Station 1 brews on tap, the Daily Crisis IPA and Something Red. Neither of these were flashy or extraordinary; the IPA was paler than most and contrarily the amber ale could have used a little more hops. (My Father had no problems with either - so maybe my beer geekiness is showing.) But supplemented with a few beers from Baltimore's Heavy Seas Brewing Company there was more than enough local beers for me - plus plenty of television sets to watch every football game - sort of like being in Vegas. The photo on the right show's their page on theCompass. Cheers to Gruber and Fire Station 1.

What are the Best Wine, Beer, & Distillery Mobile Applications?

While designing theCompass Alcohol Locator, we downloaded several other similar Android mobile apps to research the strengths and deficiencies of the current market. These mobile apps can be divided into two categories; (1) those that function as cellar inventories and tasting notes repositories and (2) those that are a compendium of wineries, breweries, or attempt to locate wine or beer in a specific area or establishment.

Some applications attempt to provide functionality within both categories, but often fail to provide adequate service in both. For instance, I utilize Untapped, an application that does well in letting users review beers but suffers in locating craft beers in your area. This is a result of utilizing crowd sourcing, where their data is populated by users and not the establishments. The crowd sourcing option is easy to implement on the application side, but for the user the result is incomplete or outdated information. On the other hand, establishment applications, such as Lost Dog Cafe or World of Beer provide real time tapped information.

Many of the best locator applications are specific to a region or establishment - such as the two listed above. Many states, regions, and enterprising companies have created applications designed for a specific geographic area that provide comprehensive information on their wineries or breweries. Two examples are Virginia Wine In My Pocket and Finger Lakes Wine Country. For me, the deficiencies in these applications are the result of their greatest strength -> they focus on one region, so if you plan on traveling to multiple regions, you must install multiple applications on your device. The one comprehensive wine application that we found was the America's Wine Trail app that provides excellent information by state, but not by geo-location. Thus if you are visiting Washington D.C., the application will provide information separately for Maryland and Virginia but not a combined view.  Our video on traveling to Bristol Virginia\Tennessee for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion illustrates this concept.

And finally, these applications are segregated by industry - there are wine apps and there are beer apps. But do any combine wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries into a single app? Hence, theCompass. As we keep developing and improving theCompass we hope that it alleviates the deficiencies found in the mobile application wine and beer locator market. Cheers

Here's a few to checkout:

Beer

• Untappd
• Lost Dog Cafe
• Bootlegger Nation
• Beerby
• Brewery and Craft Beer Locator

Wine

• Vivino
• Delectable
• Hello Vino
• Vinowine
• Virginia Wine In My Pocket
• Finger Lakes Wine Country
• Visit Monterey Wine Country
• America's Wine Trail

Cleveland's Beer Culture Rocks

This past weekend we traveled to Cleveland to watch the Nationals play the Indians and to experience the Cleveland beer scene via theCompass app. And let me tell you, the beers in Cleveland rock.  Each bar we visited had at lease one local brewery on tap and many had more. Then we traveled to the Ohio City neighborhood to experience the epicenter of Cleveland's craft beer world. Why, because within two blocks, three breweries are operating including the mighty Great Lakes Brewing Company.  We started our visit to Ohio City quite smaller, at the Nano Brew Cleveland, which serves a long list of beer some made in house, some made at their sister brewery, Market Garden Brewery, and others from across the U.S. Since we walked to the area, I cooled down with a light Kolsch - refreshing with just a hint of hops. I then moved deeper with the Market Garden Citramax - and IPA loaded with organic Citra hops. This was another clean and refreshing beer - even with the higher IPU - easy to drink. The crew at Nano Brew also enjoy biking and even provide a tune-up station inside the pub. We need one of these in NOVA.

We overstayed our visit and had to rush a couple blocks to meet our Great Lakes tour - a tour I've been anticipating ever since the brewery expanded into the DC market. Their Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is a fixture in our refrigerator. Plus, the brewery is celebrating their 25th anniversary - opening September 6, 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway. The main fact that we took away from the tour is expect the beer to be fresh. They don't pasteurize their beer, nor leave much in the warehouse - so once the beer is bottled or kegged - it moves quickly into distribution channels. And if you want to enjoy the freshest beer, hit the brewpub where they offer rotating pub exclusive brews like the Wit's End, Milk Stout, or the Glockenspiel. The brewery is a logistical achievement considering that trucks filled with grain arrive every two days to fill the silos as they brew 125,000 barrels annually. That's impressive. We look forward to toasting the brewery on their birthday in September.

Despite getting closer to game time, we had to continue on to Market Garden Brewery and Distillery and found the first disappointment. Even though distillery is part of their name, and in planning, they have not yet received the proper legal permission to commence distilling. However, in addition to their many beers, they also offer several micro-spirits from Ohioan producers - such as Apple Jack from Tomsfoolery and bourbon from Woodstone Creek. But this visit was all about the Urban Garden Saison - where they really nailed this farmhouse ale - and Wallace Tavern Scotch Ale. The latter is malty - but not sweet - and another nailed style. And as a bonus suggestion - pair this with the Scottish Egg.

Our Cleveland brew experience did not end in Ohio City. Progressive Stadium carries the complete Great Lakes year long collection, with one stand dispensing from the bottom up. Just don't be careless and accidentally release the magnet. Cheers to Cleveland.

American Craft Beer Week® 2013: Toasts the Red, White and Brew

Now that Savor has moved to NYC, American Craft Beer Week® is my favorite time to celebrate craft beer.And now that I'm a member of the Brewer's Association I need to spread the gospel. So make plans for May 13-19, I may be heading to Frederick, Maryland for the Brewers Association of MD "Maryland Craft Beer Festival".

Celebrations Expected in All 50 States from May 13-19

Boulder, CO • April 25, 2013—From May 13-19, craft beer connoisseurs and beginners alike will come together for the eighth annual celebration of American Craft Beer Week (ACBW). With the tagline “Big Week, Small Breweries,” ACBW is an opportunity to toast the more than 2,400 small and independent American craft brewers who continue to make the U.S. the world’s most diverse brewing destination. Once again, ACBW celebrations are expected to be held across all 50 states.

“The popularity of American Craft Beer Week is indicative of the craft beer renaissance that continues to captivate the U.S.,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director at the Brewers Association. “This week is about uniting for a common cause: support and celebration of our nation’s small and independent brewers and the millions of beer lovers who have helped evolve an industry and put the U.S. on the brewing map.”

New for 2013 is the American Craft Beer Week Coast to Coast Toast. For the first time ever, ACBW will be commemorated by a simultaneous toast. At 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 16, small brewers and craft beer lovers nationwide will raise a glass of their favorite craft brewed beer to toast ACBW and the delicious beer that it celebrates. To find a toast location near you, visit the official American Craft Beer Week events page, hosted by CraftBeer.com.

Untappd, the mobile-based social network that connects breweries with craft beer lovers, is also offering an American Craft Beer Week Badge for users who check-in during ACBW events.

Additionally, craft beer fans from across the country can sign the American Craft Beer Week Manifesto, pledging their support to craft beer and their love for “the artisans who approach their craft with originality, dedication and passion.” From tap takeovers and tasting tours to food pairings and festivals, ACBW will be celebrated in many ways across the U.S. To find a local celebration, event or promotion, visit the above-mentioned ACBW events page.  A selection of scheduled 2013 celebrations includes:

American Craft Beer Week National Toast

Coast to Coast Toast to Craft Beer w/Stone Brewing Co.; Westerly, RI

ACBW Coast to Coast Toast at Iron Horse Taproom; Washington, D.C.

American Craft Beer Week Toast at Howells & Hood; Chicago, IL
Coast to Coast Toast to Boulder’s Craft Beer Phenomenon; Boulder, CO

Craft Breweries

Gritty McDuff’s Brewpub 25^th Anniversary Celebration; Portland, ME

Mayflower Brewing Company 4^th Annual Open House; Plymouth, MA

Anaheim Brewery Founder’s Day; Anaheim, CA

5^th Annual Short’s to Short’s Paddle; Bellaire, MI

Meet the Brewers of the San Francisco Brewers Guild; San Francisco, CA

Rahr & Sons Summertime Wheat Glass Night; Dallas, TX
Right Brain Brewery - ACBW Firkin’ Friday; Traverse City, MI

Craft Beer Festivals
3rd Annual Ameri-CAN Canned Craft Beer Festival; Scottsdale, AZ

HopFest Kansas City 2013; Kansas City, MO

Brewers Association of MD "Maryland Craft Beer Festival"; Frederick, MD

2013 Wort Transformation Awards Ceremony; Papillion, NE

Third Annual Brews with Attitude Craft Beer Festival; Tampa, FL
Third EVER Mother’s Day Festival; Springfield, MO
Wheatstock; Lincoln Park, MI

Food and Beer Events
American Craft Beer Week – Spokane Style!; Spokane, WA

4 Course Dinner and Pairing Featuring Uinta Brewing Co.; Salt Lake City, UT
Elevation Beer Co. - Chef vs. Chef; Louisville, COKnee Deep Beer Dinner at 775 Gastropub; Reno, NV
Beer & Cheese Tasting with Teton Valley Creamery and 460 Bread; Victor, ID

Craft Beer Tastings and Tours
Brewery Rickoli American Craft Beer Week Releases; Wheat Ridge, CO
Crow Peak Night at the Ale House; Rapid City, SD
Old Chicago Tap Takeover featuring Odell Brewing Co.; All Colorado Locations
Roughtail Oaked Imperial Black Rye Ale Release at Tapwerks; Oklahoma City, OK
Shmaltz Brewing Media Ribbon Cutting Ceremony; Clifton Park, NY

Portsmouth Brewery – Brewing with Botanicals; Portsmouth, NH

State and Regional Beer Weeks Also Happening During ACBW
Chicago Craft Beer Week

Frederick Beer Week (MD)
Lexington Craft Beer Week (KY)

Long Island Craft Beer Week

San Antonio Beer Week

Santa Ynez Valley Beer Month (CA)

Seattle Beer Week

Session Beer Month

Find an expanded list of U.S. beer weeks and join the conversation on Twitter with #ACBW.

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About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup^®, Great American Beer Festival^®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America^®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week^®. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today's craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA's American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.

What is the best First Communion Beer?

What is the best First Communion Beer? That's the question I posed to myself while exploring Norm's Beer & Wine for beer for Matthew's First Communion after party. Since Lebanese food was dominating the menu, the obvious choice was Almaza Pilsner Beer - Lebanan's best selling beer. Assisted by brewers in Pilsen, the brewery created a Czech styled recipe with a local twist - incorporating maize that gives the beer a smooth and sweet profile. This creates an appealing beer when several types of beer drinkers are present - and a much better option than the mass produced junk.

For the more serious beer drinkers I turned to the Saints, St. George Brewing Company from Hampton Virginia and the esteemed Belgium brewery St. Bernardus. Norm's had just received a shipment of the Abt 12, the top tier in the St. Bernardus brand, high in alcohol 10.5% and full bodied - but extremely smooth. Tons of fruit flavor exude from the nose through the tail. I chose the St. George English IPA knowing I would have a few hop heads in attendance - although at 50 IBU it was mild for many.  The profile is sweet with a balanced somewhat hoppy finish. I was ready to leave, but then noticed the Highland Brewing Company St. Theresa Pale Ale. being very fond of the Asheville, NC - I plucked a six-pack without thinking. For a pale ale, this has the aroma of an IPA, plenty of citrus that transitions to sweet male, and then finishes again with a citrus profile. A very nice ale.

So that was our day - plenty of good beer for a First Communion theme. Cheers.