A Free State Collaboration: Dragon Dog's Frederick Rye Whiskey

Frederick Maryland is at the crossroads of many family road trips,  those leading north on Route 15 towards Thurmont and Pennsylvania or those leading west towards Cumberland, Seven Springs, and beyond.  It also explains the high frequency of Civil War battles fought in the city or surrounding land including the battles of Antietam and to some extent Gettysburg.  Today, Frederick city and county is a craft beverage destination with a plethora of wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries. 

Two of these are Maryland's largest brewery, Flying Dog Brewery, and Dragon Distillery. Flying Dog beers are widely distributed, of excellent quality, and are known for the Hunter S. Thompson inspired labels drawn by artist Ralph Steadman. Dragon Distillery is a small operation whose Frederick county roots dates to the mid-1700s.  Some of their products are inspired by the Founder's great-grandfather Bad Bill Tutt and long-held family recipes. 

A newer recipe is a collaboration between Flying Dog and Dragon called Dragon Dog's Frederick Rye Whiskey ($42, 48%) and is marketing as "Frederick's first Rye Whiskey". Flying Dog prepares a mash using a proprietary blend of nine specialty rye grains which is then fermented and aged at the distillery. Over ice, the spirit provides a spicy wet stone aroma, with the spice and rye packing cinnamon and other dry baking spices. The heat is noticeable upfront but quickly backs off during the tail. 

And as a BevFluence contributor, we are still beating the Negroni drum via recipes from Negroni, More than 30 classic and modern recipes for Italy's iconic cocktail ($12) by David T. Smith and  Keli Rivers available by Ryland, Peters, & Small.  An offshoot of the Boulevardier is the Old Pal which replaces the bourbon with rye whiskey and calls for equal parts rye, Campari, and Cochi Americano or red vermouth.  My version of the Old Pal uses the Mt. Defiance Distillery Sweet Vermouth ($19, 350ml) (pre-mixed with Campari) and with the Dragon Dog provides a very dry and chalky version of this cocktail where it feels like the glass has been rimmed with cinnamon powder.  

TasteCamp Maryland 2017: The Beer

TasteCamp Maryland's agenda incorporated a couple breweries and why not as the Frederick area hosts over a dozen craft breweries. The first was actually an informal stop at the Old Line State's biggest craft brewer, Flying Dog Brewery.  This was my first visit to the tasting room since our MyJoogTV episode and since then they added an outdoor patio and food trucks. Even thought a majority of their beers are well distributed, the tasting room provides an expanded lineup such as the Raging Bitch on cask, suggestions for combining beers as in a Black & Tan, and limited release beers like their heat series.  See The Passionate Foodie's take on the "Heat Series" Shishito Rice Ale.

Smoketown Brewing Station is located about 10 miles southwest of Frederick in the historical railroad town on Brunswick -- once a major hub for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The town is much quieter these days, more a destination for those biking the C&O Canal or kayaking on the Potomac.  Smoketown now provides these visitors with local craft beer brewed from their premises in the former Volunteer Fire Department. Make sure you ask about Walter, the resident ghost and former fireman, who is the namesake for the delicious Walter's Spirit. This high ABV Porter is aged 4 months in A. Smith Bowman Distillery barrels. Another nice high alcohol offering is the Wicked Threesome Belgian Tripel. Their lighter beers were also excellent and would hit the spot during a bike ride so try the Light Rail Lager, German Crossing Hefe, or Ashcat Pale Ale.

The final brewery stop was to Attaboy Beer, a new operation located just off Carroll Creek in historic Frederick. Think casual at this spot as Carly and Brian Ogden provide a kid friendly environment, a legal change that they requested as the Frederick County Board of License Commissioners used to outlaw minors at breweries.  The horror of such a possibility. Minors still have to leave by 9PM, but not before their parents can sample an interesting portfolio of ales and saisons. Don't leave without trying a version of Creek Life Pale Ale - this is one solid beer. 

And as always, theCompass Craft Beverage Finder can guide you to all these destinations. Cheers.

Montes & Steadman Create Attractive Chilean Wine

Last week's #WineChat was sponsored by Chilean winery Montes Wines and Aurelio Montes Jr., who featured two entry level wines: the Montes Cherub and Montes Twins. I have written favorably about the winery in the past year and these wines were not an exception. Like the reminder of their portfolio the grapes were harvested from dry farmed vineyards from one of the winery's three estates in the Colchagua Valley. Not only were the wines themselves attractive, but check out the labels. These two were designed by famed artist Ralph Steadman, who many know from his Flying Dog Brewery labels. And actually every Montes wine includes an angel on the label as co-founder Douglas Murray believed angels protected him.

Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah 2015, Colchagua Valley Chile ($15, 13.5%) - The grapes were harvested from El Archangel Estate, Marchigue vineyard located 25 km (15.5 miles) from the Pacific Ocean coastline. The cool climate and gentle pressing provides a sense of freshness.  The wine features a candied apple color which makes the dry strawberry flavors, cracked pepper and a refreshing acidity finish a very pleasant surprise. The label refers to a young angel (cherub) named Alfredo, named in honor of founding partner Alfredo Vidaurre.

Montes Twins Red Wine 2013, Colchagua Valley Chile ($15, 14%), Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested from the Apalta and Marchigüe vineyards. The former estate is located just north of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley.  This is an excellent entry level red wine with it's baking spices aroma; juicy plum flavors; and slight pepper on the easy finish.

Montgomery County's First Farm Brewery: Waredaca Brewing Company

In December Waredaca Brewing Company (Laytonsville) opened becoming Montgomery County's First Farm Brewery - that is, they utilize some crops from the property in their beer production. In Waredaca's case they use Cascade hops, honey, lemon verbena, and well water for that purpose. The brewery is an extension of Waredaca Farm which was once called Camp Waredaca (WAshington REceational DAy CAmp) when it was a residential camp. Today the farm is an equestrian center and is one of only 20 horse farms in Maryland to receive Maryland Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) certification.

The Butts family decided to open the brewery in order to utilize an unused building on the farm. Keith Kohr is a partner\brewer with brewing experience gained through working four years at Flying Dog Brewery. Their 10-barrel system has been operating in over drive in order to produce the six beers currently available.  These beers were quite good, all hitting the style except the Little Dam Honey Wheat which had a higher hop profile than expected. The Cabin 3 Berliner Weiss was only slightly tart and fortunately coffee didn't overwhelm the Reveille Coffee Stout. These were my two favorites followed by the Bunkhouse Saison, Darkhorse Saison, and Beecher IPA. The later had a large lemon citrus profile with the addition of lemon verbena in the mash. Waredaca also offers 32 ounce crowlers so you don't need to worry about rushing to finish a growler. Singles are priced at $10 but they provide a 3 for $25 special. That was our choice. As a working equestrian center there are plenty of horses to admire while sipping a beer. And live music starts this coming Saturday night. Cheers to that and check out theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App for directions.

Time for Some Irish Red Ale on St. Patrick's Day

Remember the day when Killian's was the only "Irish" Red Ale option if Smithwick's Ale wasn't available or you tire of Guiness? Well these days there are plenty of Irish red's around. This style normally is a bit sweet with toasted malt on the front leading to a medium hoppy dying finish. And don't expect a strong hop aroma. Some breweries attempt to pass off caramel colored lagers as Red Ales (i.e. Killian's); so read the label.

The History Behind George Killian's Irish Red According to Wikipedia

George Killian's Irish Red is a beer with an Irish heritage, based on a recipe created at Lett's Brewery in Enniscorthy, Ireland, in 1864. The beer is named after George Killian Lett, the great-grandson of George Henry Lett, who founded the brewery in Enniscorthy. George Killian Lett died at the age of 84 in Enniscorthy, Ireland in December of 2010. It was originally an Irish red ale called "Enniscorthy Ruby Ale," and brewed from 1864 to 1956, when the brewery closed and it was discontinued. It is no longer sold in Ireland. The brand name "George Killian's" was purchased by the Pelforth Brewery in France. In the mid 1980s Coors bought the rights to use the brand name "George Killian's Irish Red" in America.

This weekend I tasted a few American versions that were available in the DC market and have some recommendations:

• Tongue Buckler - Ballast Point Brewing Company; San Diego, California (imperial red ale; plenty of hops (aromatics too) balance big malty flavor)
• Reilly's Red Ale - Devils Backbone Brewing Company; Virginia (subtle sweetness, tea flavors, more hops than normal)
• Conway's Irish Ale - Great Lakes Brewing Company; Cleveland, Ohio (slightly toasted, decent hop finish)
• Lucky Slob Irish Red Ale - Flying Dog Brewery; Frederick, Maryland (caramel, bready, lower hop profile)
• Irish Ale - Boulevard Brewing Company; Kansas City, Missouri (big roasted caramel flavor)
• Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale – Boston Beer Company; Boston, Massachusetts (sweeter, dying hop finish)
• Red Banshee - Fort Collins Brewery; Fort Collins, Colorado (interesting interplay between malt and hops with malt outpacing the hops to the finish)

Blood Orange Gose - Are You Serious Anderson Valley Brewing?

Seems like brewing with blood oranges is a favorable new fad in the Maryland beer scene with at least Flying Dog Brewery (Bloodline Blood Orange IPA) and DuClaw Brewing Company (Hop Continuum No. 1 - Blood Orange Gypsy IPA) brewing an IPA version. I'm really digging this flavor profile, the subtle citrus tartness from the oranges provide a distinct difference to the heavier IBU side of the beer. I've also become interested in Gose styled beers after our recent #VABreweryChallenge visit to Manassas and  Badwolf Brewing Company. Gose styled beer originated in Germany (Goslar) and is an unfiltered wheat beer brewed with ground coriander seeds and salt. It receives its sourness through inoculation with lactic acid bacteria. The Badwolf version was both sweet and a tad sour with a noticeable salt concentration at the finish.

Today, I joyously discovered the Boonville, California's Anderson Valley Brewing Company Highway 128 Blood Orange Gose combining my two new beer obsessions.  The brewery's Highway 128 Series is a set of funky session beers with the Blood Orange Gose weighing in at a measly 4.2% ABV. The blood oranges are added during fermentation and according to Director of Brewing Operations Andy Hooper, the Gose part of the beer is a major challenge.

"Traditionally, this beer was made by allowing yeast and bacteria to ferment wort at the same time.  It was packaged unfiltered and still contained loads of yeast and bacteria.  Putting Lactobacillus bacteria into our cellar equipment and packaging lines would be a potentially huge problem and might contaminate other non-sour beers.  To solve this problem, the lactobacillus is added in the brewhouse – specifically in the kettle.  The bacteria are allowed to sour the wort and create the acidity needed for the tart flavor and funky aromas.  After the bacteria do their job, the wort is boiled and sterilized.  Now that all the bacteria are dead and gone, it’s safe for us to ferment, filter, and package the beer in the cellar without the risk of contaminating other beers.  After fermentation is complete, a small amount of sea salt is added to enhance the body and soften the edge of the sourness."

The Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose is more sour than the Badwolf (a plus for me), but less salt on the tail - which resides mostly on the tongue (another plus). The beer starts with an orange citrus aroma and the blood orange refuse to leave the stage until the final, final act. There's a little effervescence which provides a refreshing finale - along with the salty finish. Overall this is a great beer. Good enough to have a blog post devoted to it. Care for a music pairing? Easily the funky soul and blues of JJ Grey & Mofro. Cheers.

Update: Just had the Anderson Valley Holy Gose. Sour and refreshing. I also just tasted the Angry Chair Brewing Company Gose which was one of my favorites in our Florida Beer Tour. Michael Kaiser of WineAmerica recommends the Almanac Beer Co. Golden Gate Gose. 

Ballparks & Brews: PNC Park - Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh is home to several micro-breweries so we were expecting a large selection when visiting the Pirates home stadium at PNC Park.  The bars and stadium featured dozens of Iron City Light posters and signs so the former Pittsburgh Brewing Company icon, now brewed in Latrobe, seemed to be the beer of choice. And inside the stadium, both Iron City and IC Light were prominent - particularly with the Pirate branding. I'd rather drink this than an InBev product, yet was surprised to see so many Miller Lite drinkers. Even over Yuengling bombers.

While walking around the stadium I saw a familiar sign, Rivertowne Brewing was all over the Hall of Fame restaurant. Several of their beers are available at Seven Springs Mountain Resort - with the Babbling Blonde, Grateful White Belgian Wit, and Old Wylie's IPA India Pale Ale being very drinkable beers. They also producing a very unique Hala Kahiki Pineapple Ale that I can handle a few sips - then just a little too sweet. And all of these beers are usually available in the Hall of Fame club. I also had my first Church Brew Works, the Pittsburgh brewery located in the historical former St. John the Baptist Church. This was their popular Pious Monk Dunkel; a very mellow dark beer - very drinkable - which should be an everyday beer for locals.

The Church Brew Works Celestial Gold (a great lighter beer alternative) was also available at the only beer stand that was committed to craft beer. This Allegheny Beverage stand can be found between sections 116 and 117 and also includes several nationally distributed craft beers like Flying Dog Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Anchor Brewing Company, 21st Amendment, Breckenridge Brewery and more. The lines are long, but no wonder - that is literally your only choice for craft beer in the grandstand.  Cheers.

Update: In the comments, Dustin mentions that I failed to notice two major sources of craft beer at the stadium. Around section 130 look for Pops Plaza that hosts Pub 375, where you can find Victory Brewing Company, Rivertowne Brewing, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Bell's Brewery, and a few others. And on the opposite side of the park around section 103, there's Beers of the Burgh, with craft beers  from Church Brew Works, East End Brewing Company, Penn Brewery, and others. 

Update II (7/27/2015): After visiting the stadium again, found a great beer stand at the entrance to the left field bleachers. There's  Church Brew Works, Bell's Brewery, Flying Dog Brewery and many more.

Brews at Zoos: National Zoo

My son wants to be a biologist\zoo keeper so me take very frequent trips to the National Zoo.  Seeing the same exhibits over and over again have become much more palatable once the zoo started serving craft beer. Yes, it's expensive, $7 a beer, but one or two makes the stroll more enjoyable. On our latest trip, Yuengling Lager, Sam Adams Summer Ale, and Starr Hill Brewing Northern Lights were available in the Panda Market and the first two were also available in the Mane Grill. The Sam Adams Summer Ale and Heavy Seas Brewing Company Loose Cannon were also available at the Hot Dog stand across from the small mammal house. At this same stand on a previous trip, they were pouring the Flying Dog Brewery Pale Ale - so local beer is a presence.  If all else fails, I usually find myself at the Zoo Bar Cafe - across from the Zoo entrance on Connecticut avenue. Not a great selection, but a few of the heavy players are available. Cheers.

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.

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.

Great American Beer Festival - The Medal Winners

Another year, another missed opportunity to attend the greatest beer fetival on the planet: the Great American Beer Festival. Held each year in Denver, the festival sports continuous beer sampling as well as the GABF competition. The winners are listed in this pdf; but here are some of the highlights and results for the #dcbrew. Congrats to PBR - and to the several MyJoogTV participants that are bringing home medals: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, and Devils Backbone Brewing Company.

-------------------------------------- Brewer of the Year
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA: Will Kemper

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company
Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles, CA: Matthew Brynildson

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company, Woodridge, IL: Bob Newman

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA: Yiga Miyashiro

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA: Pizza Port Brew Guys

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group
TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA: Victor Novak

--------------------------------------

Category: 15 Indigenous Beer - 31 Entries
Silver: Monticello Reserve Ale, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 17 American-Belgo-Style Ale - 43 Entries
Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

Category: 25 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier - 48 Entries
Gold: Kolsch Kellerbier, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA

Category: 26 Smoke Beer - 43 Entries
Silver: Smoke Out, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 31 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - 20 Entries
Silver: Tommy Two Fists, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Category: 34 Vienna-Style Lager - 32 Entries
Gold: Jomo Lager, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 45 English-Style Summer Ale - 33 Entries
Gold: Summer Lovin’, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company English Summer Ale, Mad Fox Brewing Co.,
Falls Church, VA

Category: 64 German-Style Sour Ale - 13 Entries
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Goze, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Rockville, MD)

Category: 83 Barley Wine-Style Ale - 42 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Barleywine, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Wit Beer - A Toast to Pierre Celis

Ever since Port City Brewing Company opened this year we have become converts to their flagship beer, the Belgium wheat beer Optimal Wit, and have been sampling versions from craft breweries throughout the U.S. At the same time, we have been constant evangelists spreading the word on the virtues of this beer style. Sadly, at the time of our conversion, the modern day "founder" of Wit beer, Pierre Celis, passed away. And it seems, many Wit beer drinkers are unfamiliar with the roll Celis played in reviving this style.

We recommend reading the entire article by Roger Protz, Pierre Celis, Maestro of White Beer.

It was Pierre who saved and revived a noble beer style: the spiced wheat or "white" beers of East Brabant. The region has rich, dark soil ideal for growing barley, oats and wheat. Brewing in the area has been traced back to 1318, when it was in the hands of farmers and monks. By the 1500s Hoegaarden had a brewers' guild and in the 19th century there were some 30 breweries in the small town. Right: Pierre and his wife, Juliette.

The special character of the white beers of Brabant was due to the use not only of wheat and oats alongside barley malt but also exotic spices and fruits brought to the Low Countries by Dutch and Flemish traders. Spiced white beers from Hoegaarden were widely distributed throughout Brabant and the neighbouring province of Liege.

But in the 20th century the breweries started to close, unable to compete with the mass-marketed Pilsner lagers produced in the city of Leuven, home of Stella Artois.

The last brewery in Hoegaarden, Tomsin, pulled down the shutters in the late 1950s. It was mourned by many in the town, including Pierre Celis, who had done some part-time work there as a schoolboy.

Pierre's father ran a dairy and Pierre delivered milk. He was drinking in a bar with some friends one evening and they began to reminisce about the much-missed beers of Hoegaarden. Encouraged by his friends, who jokingly said he should move from one cloudy white drink to another, Pierre said he would attempt to brew some beer. He made a batch in his wife's copper in the family home alongside the dairy. There was no written-down recipe from Tomsin's, but Pierre remembered the ingredients from his work there. Grain and hops were easily available and he added milled coriander seeds and Curacao orange peel.

His beer was so well received that he decided to make it commercially. In 1966, he bought a small 25-hectolitre plant from a brewery in Limburg and installed it in the stables next to the house. The kit is still there today, but the success of the beer forced him to move to a derelict lemonade factory in the town to cope with demand.

The cloudy, unfiltered beer had taken Leuven by storm, where university students considered it to be more natural than lager. Pierre broke into the important Antwerp market and then into the Netherlands and France. The beer's fortunes were aided by the unique eight-sided glass: by chance, Pierre had found the Italian prototype in a local shop (shown below, right).

Production grew rapidly to 300,000 hectos a year by 1985. Pierre had just started to export to the United States when fire devastated the brewery. He was seriously under-insured.

"I needed 280 million Belgian francs to rebuild but I only got 40 million from the insurers," he says. "The banks wouldn't help but then Stella Artois offered to invest in return for 45 per cent of the shares."

At first the relationship with Stella was a good one. But things changed dramatically in 1988 when Stella merged with Piedboeuf of Jupille near Liege.

Interbrew was born and, according to Pierre, "the bankers took over". The fact that they were French-speaking bankers probably didn't help.

"People came from Jupille, looked around the brewery and told me how to make my beer cheaper. They said they used high-gravity brewing at Jupille to reduce costs and I should do the same," he says.

Pierre refused. High-gravity brewing means making one strong wort and watering it down to make different beers. Pierre, who had added to the range at Hoegaarden, said it would give his beers different aromas and flavours. He declared he would stick to his old recipes and ways of brewing.

As the pressure mounted, and Interbrew began to close breweries in Belgium to concentrate production at Leuven and Jupille, Pierre decided to retire at 65, selling the company to the Belgian giant.

But that wasn't the end of the story. American interest in Hoegaarden prompted him to build a brewery in Austin, Texas. Celis White was an overnight success and sales boomed. But Pierre found that his American backers wanted a quick return on their investment and, in order to buy them out, he signed another Faustian pact, this time with Miller, America's second-biggest brewer.

"I'd been brewing 22,000 barrels a year," he says, "but that rapidly fell to 15,000 barrels when Miller arrived. They spent a fortune on administration and we lost money and production. They cheapened the beer and cut out imported Czech hops."

Pierre sold his share of the company and came home to the family house in Hoegaarden with his wife Juliette. Miller eventually closed the Austin brewery and now Pierre finds that InBev, the successor to Interbrew and the world's biggest brewer, plans to close the Hoegaarden plant in October.

Now for the rest of the story....

• In 1995, the Coors Brewing Company launched a Belgium Wit called Blue Moon.
• In 2002, Miller Brewing sold the recipe and naming rights for the Celis brand to the Michigan Brewing Company.
• In 2007, Miller Brewing reunited with a Wit brand when the company merged with Coors.
• In 2009, InBev, the successor to Interbrew merged with Anheuser-Busch opening the U.S. market to Hoegaarden beer.

Yes, the two leading mass produced beer companies in the U.S. now offer a Wit from their global portfolio.

For a Father's day cookout, I decided to sample several Wit styles which included the Michigan Brewing Company Celis White, the Port City Brewing Company Optimal Wit, the Victory Brewing Whirlwind Wit, and the Flying Dog Brewery Woody Creek White. This wasn't a blind tasting to determine a favorite - just a day to celebrate the style. Yet the Celis White seemed to have the strongest profile of the style - the wheat flavors balanced with coriander and orange peel. The most unexpected result was after 5 or 6 beers, I became fatigued with the style and craved a beer with a hoppier finish. Variety in style does matter - at least for this palette.

But as summer moves along, grab a Wit, and raise a toast to Pierre Celis - a modern day pioneer.

2011 SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience

SAVOR, what an experience. Great beer, food, personalities.... Below is a list of links that will provide photos and commentary on the event, but for a musical odyssey and comments from the brewer's themselves, take a look at the video below. The music is provided by Larry Keel & Natural Bridge. "Bohemian Reel" - dedicated to one of our new favorites: Bohemian Brewery.

WineCompass Photos
DCBeer
CraftBeerRadio
Richmond Beermeister
Road Trips for Beer
Brewbound
Dallas Beer Snobs
DCFüd
On Beer and Brewing

Savor Panel Discussion: "The American Craft Beer Revolution"

"The American Craft Beer Revolution" panel discussion with Paul Gatza (Brewers Association), Tomme Arthur (The Lost Abbey), Jim Caruso (Flying Dog Brewery), Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery), Rick Kempen (Bier & cO), Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada Brewing Company), & J.T. Smith (Flying Dog Brewery). The panel discussion was held the during SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience. The video is available to download for iTunes.

SAVOR Profile: Flying Dog Brewery & Brewer's Art

We continue our brief profiles for SAVOR, the amazing craft beer festival that comes to Washington, D.C. on June 3rd-4th. This really is an amazing event - over 70 craft breweries pouring over two nights at the National Building Museum. Follow Bill, over at DCBeer, who has been regularly publishing profiles of some of these breweries. We have two more breweries we'd like to share from the MyJoogTV catalog. These episodes feature two Maryland breweries participating in SAVOR: Flying Dog Brewery & Brewer's Art. And as usual, watch to the end to view musical performances from Holy Ghost Tent Revival and soihadto, which features bassist Chef Duff Goldman from Charm City Cakes and the Food Network's Ace of Cakes.

MyJoogTV Episode 2: Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Flying Dog Brewery

MyJoogTV Episode 4: soihadto & Brewer's Art

American Craft Beer Week: OnTap Kickoff Party

With the start of American Craft Beer Week, On Tap Magazine hosted a kickoff party at the Arlington Rooftop Bar. Since the day job is located right across the street and that several big name craft brewers were in attendance, this was a no brainer. The best part of functions like this was not only drinking great craft beer, but interacting with representatives of each brewery. Before last night I didn't know that Saranac Brewery (Utica NY) is the second oldest family owned brewery in the United States - easy guess which is the oldest. And the brewery offers a concert series with major national acts: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Michael Franti and Spearhead,Umphrey's McGee, & Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Wow, these are big name musicians. And during the summer, Saranac hosts local artists on Thursday nights.

Speaking of music, Highland Brewing Company (Asheville, NC) just opened a music venue where they will be hosting live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Gaelic Ale and live music; that's a nice pairing. Our friends from Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD) were also in the house and we learned of several new seasonals and partnerships as well as their 25th Anniversary parties planned for this summer. That's parties in that they will be traveling though out the DC Metro area hosting events to celebrate the occasion. We hope to have these events posted on Wine-Compass in early summer.

And finally, we spent some time with Alex from Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY). Over an Ommegang BPA - Belgium Pale Ale - we discussed their live music ventures as well as the specialty release: Gnomegang. This is a blonde ale created by a partnership between Brewery Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe. It is made with five malts, two noble hops, and both of the distinctive Chouffe and Ommegang yeasts. I'll be out this weekend looking for this one.

MyJoogTV Release Day: Thursday, September 9th

Thursday morning, the first two episodes of MyJoogTV will be released. MyJoogTV is a collaboration between Wine-Compass and MyJoog where we pair our favorite musicians with makers of fine wines, brews, spirits, or anything else that is fermented. The first two episodes feature Cadillac Sky at Tarara Vineyard & Winery and Holy Ghost Tent Revival visiting Flying Dog Brewery. The episodes will be available at MyJoogTV.com using the MyJoogTV tag as well as on iTunes. The iTunes podcasts can be downloaded to any ipod or viewed using the iTunes desktop application.