They're Vertically Delicious!

If you didn't make it to Waldo last night, you really missed out... As you may have read, Gary from Schlafly brought a keg of the 2009 Imperial Stout to Waldo Pizza along with bottles of the 08, 07 and 06 vintages. All you needed to do to take part in the vertical tasting was order a pint of the 2009 and you got the three tasters for free. The 09 Imperial Stout alone was worth the trip to 75th & Wornall, the other vintages were just icing on the cake. Sweet, chocolatey, caramelly, bourbony icing...

The 09 and 08 Imperial Stouts were quite similar. At 10.5% alcohol the Imperial Stout holds up quite well, the 08 had a little more oaky spice and alcohol flavor but was otherwise nearly identical to the 09. The 07 was the black sheep of this tasting, it's flavor seemed to be in flux between the 08 and 06... and I don't mean that in the best way. The 07 tasted a little too much like cola to make me want to go back for more. The 2006 Imperial Stout was a real surprise after tasting the 07. I was expecting this vintage to be more super sweet and even more like cola than it's younger brother. The 06 actually turned out to be my favorite of the bottles. It was extremely smooth, so much so that I expect an older bottle would have been considerably thinner bodied and less enjoyable. The 06 had loads of caramel flavor and milder bourbon character. The 06 definitely tasted like the elder of the bunch, a beer that you could get away with charging a premium for in some circles.

As much as I liked the sweet and incredibly smooth 2006, the 2009 was my overall favorite. Nothing really compares to fresh beer and the same goes for stouts. Even though this beer is probably six or eight months old by the time it hits the tap, it was noticeably "fresher" than the others. Having a glass from the keg rather than a 750ml bottle certainly helps. I'm looking forward to picking up a bottle of the 09 soon while the 06, 07 and 08 are still fresh on my mind.

Here are a few extra notes I gleaned from Gary the Schlafly guy:

2006 was the first year for the Imperial Stout, so if you can find another tasting like this and you want to say you've had every Imperial Stout Schlafly has ever produced, you'd better act fast.

The 2009 bottles should already be on the shelves in Missouri, but Kansans probably won't see them for a bit (I heard Kansans just don't buy as many big bottles).

Schlafly's collaboration with New Albanian and O'Fallon will be coming to the Flying Saucer next week, but you probably already knew that.

All in all I had a great time at Waldo Pizza. The restaurant was much nicer than I was expecting and the pizza was awesome. The regular beer selection wasn't too bad either. The Imperial Stouts kept me occupied most of the evening but I did see Founder's Breakfast Stout on tap. This is a place I'd go back to again, especially if they do more events like this one.

If I were the kind of guy that gave shout outs this is where I'd mention KC Wort Hog and Jeremy from Boulevard who were both nice enough to take time out of their evening to say hi to me. I hope to once again drink beer in the same room as them in the future.

Three Breweries, One Pint Glass

While stopping by the Flying Saucer yesterday to enjoy their new lunch special and stare longingly at plate #72, I noticed one of the boards referenced a Schlafly/O'Fallon collaboration that I was completely clueless on. KC is still recovering from collaboration fever after the Boulevard/Orval launch last week, a night that found me way too intoxicated to give an honest opinion on how I think their collaboration tastes.

While I have never been a big Schlafly supporter, I enjoy following their progress and revisit their offerings as my tastes continue to evolve. As for O'Fallon, I generally blame it's presence in my beer fridge on my wife, but I really can't get enough Wheach. It's probably my favorite beer to enjoy on a nice summer day, and the O'Fallon Pumpkin offering is the only beer I routinely buy at least a case of every year. So O'Fallon's involvement with Schlafly on a beer is definitely something I'm interested in putting in my mouth.

A brief internet search takes you to the Potable Curmudgeon, who has all the juicy details. Apparently this beer has a third partner in the form of New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany, IN. The details of the brew are as follows:

We're calling it the C-Series for short so this is C-1. It will be a Oak Aged Dry Hopped Smoked Rye Pale Ale, 6.5% and 35 IBU.

Paul A. Ner took to saying this brew sounds "too busy." Being the poet I am, the term "gang bang in a glass" came to mind. I can't even imagine what something like this would taste like. Hopefully good since I will be in attendance to get my glass next Thursday, February 4.

Schlafly Imperial Stout Tapping and Vertical Tasting at Waldo Pizza

You've probably seen Schlafly's Imperial Stout at the liquor store before. It comes in a 750ml bottle packaged in a brown box labeled "Schlafly Reserve." If that's as close as you've ever come to having the Imperial Stout then you're definitely missing out. I won't drop any spoilers, but it's over ten percent alcohol and was aged in bourbon barrels.

It's been about a year since I've had my first bottle of this Imperial Stout, so I got really excited when I heard Schlafly's Gary Briggs is bringing a keg of it to Waldo Pizza tomorrow night. That's not all though, as if a keg of bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout isn't enough to get you down to Waldo, consider this - they're doing a vertical tasting of the '06, '07 and '08 Imperial Stouts as well... Still not convinced it'll be worth the price of admission? What if I told you there was no cover, no tickets, and no reservations necessary? Maybe it's just me, but this sounds like a like a great way to guarantee a Thursday morning hangover.

Sure, it's a Wednesday night and it's Waldo... but it's not often you have a genuinely good excuse to drink this much Stout in one place.

The Starting 5

The comments section has been popping lately with discussions of top 10 breweries and Boulevard's place inside and outside of that top 10. But I don't know how one would even judge a top 10. Do you get judged higher for having one great beer and the rest of your offerings are just okay? What if you all of your beers are good and enjoyable but you're not sporting a best in class amongst them? What if you make a super great beer but it costs $20 and you only make 100 cases of it? Does that count the same as pumping out 100,000 barrels of quality session beers? I don't know.

Ground Rules
In this post I'm going to opine that the best judge of a brewery's excellence is its starting 5 session beers. Every brewery has something they call their flagship, it's usually their most popular or iconic brew; it's the brew that finances the brewery, the marketable star, the Kobe Bryant, Lebron James or Dwayne Wade of the team. For this game we're going to go 5 deep. But, the 5 beers have to come come in sixer or 4 pack form (4 packs can't be more than $15 and must be the dominant packaging form of the brewery or the we won't count Goose Island Bourbon County Stout as a starting 5 beer), bombers and tap only beers will not count. If a brewery doesn't have 5 beers that count, they can't be considered as part of this exercise, you don't see too many teams running 4 players deep in the NBA playoffs. The last rule is the beers have to be available in the KC metro area. In rare cases, a seasonal beer has been added to the starting 5 to get a brewery to qualify.

I choose these rules for 2 reasons. The first, if you say a brewery is great and I can't find one of their beers in my local liquor store, you sound like a pretentious schmuck. There's nothing I hate more than saying I like a really great beer, say the Saint Bridgets Porter I'm drinking right now, and having some jerk say that I have to try the porter they make in a remote village in Borneo where Nick Nolte was once king. If I drank that porter I wouldn't even think Saint Bridgets Porter was any good. Now, really, how does that make anyone feel good? Second, you want a brewery to be accessible to a beer drinker looking to expand his horizons a little bit. Some people don't like certain styles of beer, so limiting the list to a brewer that only makes one or two styles of beer, makes this list less accessible for a more novice drinker. Also, if a brewer has a strong starting 5, you're going to trust anything that they brew enough to give it a shot. For a novice beer drinker, trusting what you're going to drink is key.

Extending the Metaphor

Since I'm comparing the starting lineup to a basketball team, it's necessary to give each beer a position. So each position is based on the style of beer. Typically, in this system, pale ales, wheats and lagers are guards, IPA's and ambers are small forwards and porters and stouts are power forwards and centers. Since each lineup is so different, some modifcations are needed and lineups without stouts and porters will be considered undersized and/or athletic and lineups stocked with darker/heavier/hoppier beers will be considered oversized. Without this (and perhaps with this) the starting 5 ranking system makes no sense.

The Brewery Power Rankings

Can't Field a Team Division

Lagunitas - Doesn't have 5

Strong competitor, they just don't distribute 5 six packs in the KC region. I think they'd be ranked in the middle of the pack because their seasonals are big beers and they wouldn't measure well in this system.

He'Brew - Doesn't have 5

Another good competitor but just doesn't have the breadth of selection needed to score well in this system. Would do well in a 3 on 3 game.

Southampton - Doesn't have 5

I really like their Altbier, but Southamption would definitely be in the lower tier if they had enough beers. Plus, they don't really have a bench of big beers to be considered very highly.

Caldera - Doesn't have 5

Caldera has some fine, somewhat expensive beers in a can. It should be noted that if someone would have bought me sixers of Caldera IPA , the Royals wouldn't have had such a horrible year last year.

Can't Stay on the Floor Division

31. Weston - O'Malley's Cream Ale, O'Malley's SunRye's Ale, O'Malley's Emerald Lager, O'Malley's ISB, O'Malley's Festival Ale

Let's start out making some enemies, something's wrong with Weston brewery. Not one of their beers is drinkable. None of them match up well with any other beers listed here. The Cream Ale is the flagship of the brand and it's just not that easy to drink. I don't even give them a chance anymore, they're the Washington Generals of the KC beer scene.

30. Saranac - Pale Ale, Adirondack Lager, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Black and Tan

Saranac has always struck me as a brewery that just threw together beers to get in on the craft brewing craze. Saranac is the Pittsburgh Pythons without Moses Guthrie and the astrologist.

29. Anheuser Busch - Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Busch, American Ale

When your advertising stresses the fact that you're product is drinkable it doesn't really set the bar too high. Their beers are drinkable in the same way that water is drinkable, tasteless and offers you nothing in return. Sometimes that's not a bad thing, but I like a little flavor with my beer. Their offer of drinkable is similar to the UMKC Kangaroos saying you should come to their basketball games because "It's basketball". They may be able to compete with beers of a similar style, but that's not very big competition.

28. Miller - Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller High Life, MGD 64, Miller Chill

Miller Lite can dominate a game on its own, its really the best of the macro American lager division, but the rest of the team is so weak, it's not really a strong competitor. Miller is like an Israeli league team with an NBA star like Shane Battier on it. Battier is a nice player but he doesn't really do much of anything to wow the fans and the rest of the team can only aspire to be as good as him.

There May be Something Worthwhile, But Mostly Not Division

27. Coors - Coors, Coors Light, Keystone Light, Blue Moon, Killian's Irish Red

Blue Moon is a legitimately good beer can play with many of the beers in KC. Coors and Coors Light are less than impressive but can do a couple of things pretty well. Killian's Irish Red is pretty bad example of a not that great style, like having a 5'11" rebounder. Coors just can't run with many of the breweries sold in KC and will be a perennial loser.

26. Tallgrass - Ale, IPA, Kold, Buffalo Sweat, Wheat

All of the beers in the lineup are similar to the successful breweries, but each one has significant flaws. Tallgrass is trying to do the right things and maybe someday they'll figure it out. They're just not there yet and they're going to get pushed around by the competition.

25. Leinenkugel - Sunset Wheat, Original, Classic Amber, Creamy Dark, Red Lager

Sunset Wheat is a nice undersized guard that can match up well with bigger, stronger guards. No one else on the team does anything special. Under the right circumstances, Sunset Wheat can take over and lead Leinenkugel to victory.

24. Flying Dog - Doggie Style Pale Ale, In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen, Old Scratch Amber, Road Dog Porter, Tire Bite Golden Ale

Flying Dog is the first brewery we've come to with a malcontent jailbird type player in Doggie Style Pale Ale. Doggie Style is an embarassment to the team especially the class of the team, Road Dog Porter. In Heat Wheat and Tire Bite are decent beers but definitely not the best in the league at their position. Ultimately Flying Dog will lose to most of the competition because Doggie Style is going to get posterized constantly.

23. Abita - Turbodog, Purple Haze, Jockamo IPA, Amber, Golden

When your lineup sports an Amber and a Golden not much can be expected of you. It's like having a couple of Division II players in your starting lineup. Purple Haze is a dazzling guard who can't really do anything of value but dribble through his legs and make spectacular no look passes. Jockamo and Turbodog just aren't good enough on their own to make up for the flawed lineup structure.

Solid But Without a Star

22. O'Fallon - 5 Day IPA, Gold, Smoked Porter, Wheat, Goat's Breath Bock

O'Fallon is an innovative team, they're willing to try some things other breweries aren't doing. Smoked Porter is an example of O'Fallon doing things a different way and they're a tough matchup for a vanilla team like Abita. Where they fall short is depth and quality in the IPA and Wheat positions. The IPA and Wheat are fine players, just unspectacular and ultimately beatable.

21. St. Peter's - India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, English Ale, Old Style Porter, Organic Ale

St. Peter's is a collection of overpriced talent. They have every skill covered that a brewery needs to cover but the talent is just too expensive and not quite good enough. Think the New York Knicks, they're an attractive package but overpaid and ultimately leave you wanting more.

20. Fort Collins - Retro Red, Kidd Lager, Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat, Z Smoked Lager, IPA

Fort Collins is another brewery trying to play the game a different way. They create matchup problems for a lot of breweries, but they just don't have enough talent to compete. None of the beers are bad, but none are stars and ultimately Fort Collins has a little trouble selling tickets.

19. Bridgeport - IPA, ESB, Porter, Haymaker Extra Pale, Beertown Brown

Bridgeport is a solid brewery that plays without a star. All of their beers leave you happy and refreshed but with no beer really possessing any big skills. No stars, just a solid team playing the game the right way.

18. Shiner - Bock, Blonde, Hefeweizen, Black Lager, Frost

With the Bock, Shiner has a good, marketable star. It's a good small forward, but teams rarely win big with good small forwards, they need either a great big man or good guards. Shiner has adequate guards in the Blonde and Hefeweizen but down low Black Lager and Frost get dominated.

17. Avery - India Pale Ale, White Rascal, Ellie's Brown Ale, Out of Bounds Stout, Redpoint Ale

Avery's bench is the real star of this team. Since they're not eligible in this system, Avery ends up as just an adequate team. No real star here, White Rascal, Ellie's Brown and Out of Bounds make a good guard, PF and Center combination that can certainly dominate. India Pale and Redpoint hold their own against most competitors but can be beaten by good competition.

16. North Coast - Red Seal Ale, Blue Star Wheat, Acme California Pale Ale, Acme California IPA, Scrimshaw Pilsner

Like Avery, North Coast has their best player, Old Rasputin, on the bench, ineligible for the starting lineup. The starting lineup is pretty weak without Raspy. Scrimshaw Pilsner is a nice player as well as Red Seal Ale. But, ultimately, North Coast gets dominated by better beers in everyone else's lineups.

15. Lakefront - Cream City Pale Ale, Riverwest Stein Beer, Klisch Pilsner, New Grist Beer, Fuel Cafe

Lakefront doesn't have a bad player in the bunch and they're playing a fun up tempo style. Fuel Cafe can really run the floor well for a big man and Riverwest and Klisch's guard play can dominate many a night. Nothing fancy here, just solid play night in, night out. They might be a little undersized at forward with New Grist and Cream City playing out of position.

Star Driven

14. Boulder - Hazed and Infused, Singletrack Copper Ale, Planet Porter, Pass Time Pale Ale, Mojo IPA

Hazed and Infused dominates virtually every other guard in the league, but his teammates aren't quite up to that talent level. Hazed is a point guard who can shoot and run the offense. Mojo IPA is a nice shooting guard but ultimately unneeded when paired with Hazed and Infused. If they could, a nice trade would be Mojo IPA for a solid big man, like Kalamazoo Stout. Boulder is undersized with a bunch of guard type players at forward and Planet Porter holding down the Center position. They get dominated by bigget teams, but run the floor well and are quite competitive.

13. Breckenridge - Avalanche, Agave Wheat, Vanilla Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Lucky U IPA

Avalanche is a guilty pleasure, the best player of an unheralded style. Vanilla Porter is a great power forward who can dominate and Oatmeal Stout is a nice Center who does a couple of things well. Agave Wheat is a fine point guard and Lucky U IPA is a star small forward in the making. Breckenridge does many things well, but Avalanche, an Amber, ultimately makes the team weaker.

12. Founders - Dirty Bastard, Centennial IPA, Red's Rye PA, Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Porter

Founders is a technically solid team, they just don't make mistakes. But, they just don't have enough talent to make it big in this league. Red's Rye and Centennial are solid players, some would say stars. Dirty Bastard brings bad baggage and ultimately creates weakness in the team.

No Weaknesses

11. Sam Adams - Boston Lager, Boston Ale, Hefeweizen, Black Lager, Blackberry Witbier

What can be said about Sam Adams? Boston Lager is an exceptional guard that can take over any game. His brother Boston Ale, while being just the opposite, is equally dominant. The problem is no big men. They play the game well, strong fundamentals and have a virtually unlimited bench they use to run teams to death.

10. New Belgium - Fat Tire, Sunshine Wheat, 1554, Mothership Wit, Abbey

New Belgium has a very recognizable superstar in Fat Tire, unfortunately for New Belgium, Fat Tire isn't very good, just popular. Sunshine Wheat is one of the best wheat beers in mass production and is an excellent guard.

9. Schlafly - No. 15, Pale Ale, Dry-Hopped APA, Hefeweizen, Stout

Schlafly has an underrated, quiet superstar in No. 15. Depending on when I'm asked and my mood, I've been known to say that No. 15 is my favorite beer (usually when asked, I don't consider more exotic beers otherwise I may answer Maharaja or Saison-Brett). The rest of the starting 5 is average to good. Dry-Hopped APA is a pleasant rebounder with great hops. The Hefeweizen is a nice change of pace guard and Stout mans the middle with authority. Schlafly also has a deep bench of varying quality.

8. Odells - Easy Street Wheat, 90 Shilling, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, Cutthroat Porter, Levity Amber

Odells runs the floor with a dominant Center, Cutthroat. Easy Street Wheat and 90 Shilling provide a nice guard tandem that can eat up a poor defensive team. 5 Barrel Pale Ale is a nice, though undersized, power forward and Levity is fine as a small forward but lacks any style since it's an Amber.

7. Boulevard - Pale Ale, Wheat, Bully! Porter, Dry Stout, Single Wide IPA

The hometown brewery has 5 quality offerings with Wheat and Pale Ale the popular guard tandem. Boulevard Pale Ale is a dominant guard that dominates most others. Wheat is a flashy 3 point bomber that is a crowd favorite. Bully! Porter is also a great power forward that makes up for Dry Stout's less than dominant play in the middle. Single Wide IPA is also a crowd favorite at the small forward position. When Dry Stout is your weakest player, and he's certainly better than most Centers, you have a pretty good shot at winning a lot of games.

6. Sierra Nevada - Pale Ale, Porter, Stout, Kellerweiss, Torpedo

Sierra Nevada is very nearly the equal of Boulevard. Pale Ale is better and, for my money, is the best pale ale available in KC. Porter and Stout are inferior big men to Boulevard's. Kellerweiss is a bit surly to gain widespread recognition as a great shooter, but is actually better than the crowd favorite Boulevard Wheat. Torpedo and Single Wide bring different things to the table, but are pretty equal overall. The best of Sierra Nevada is at the guards, with good perimeter shooting, they can beat Boulevard.

5. Left Hand - Milk Stout, Haystack Wheat, Polestar Pilsner, Sawtooth Ale, Jackman American Pale Ale

Milk Stout is a dominant center which makes up for the rest of the undersized lineup. All the players are extremely athletic and Left Hand will run most teams off the floor, which is necessary when you have an American Pale Ale playing Power Forward. Left Hand will go for 130 a game, unfortunately they'll give up 120 with most of the points given up in the paint.

4. Goose Island - Honker Ale, Nut Brown Ale, 312 Wheat, India Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout

Goose Island has a couple of dominant big men in the Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout. With Honker Ale shooting the lights out, Goose Island can dominate most teams. 312 Wheat is a perfectly adequate point guard and India Pale Ale is an unheralded star at small forward. Goose Island has no weaknesses and has a strong bench to boot.

Superstars

3. Samuel Smith - Nut Brown Ale, Taddy Porter, India Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Old Brewery Pale Ale

No one admits to it, but most breweries are trying to better Samuel Smith. It's an established team, a champion for many years, but may be declining just a bit as its stars mature. No team can score inside with the forwards and center of Samuel Smith able to shut down anyone's low post game. Samuel Smith isn't a fresh team, they're old classics and well worth drinking at any given time.

2. Bell's - Two Hearted Ale, Kalamazoo Stout, Pale Ale, Porter, Third Coast
Two Hearted Ale is the Kobe Bryant of the KC beer scene and Kalamazoo is Shaquille O'Neal. The other 3 of the starting 5 are just average, but Two Hearted and Kalamazoo make up for it in much the same way the early 00's Lakers were dominant. Pale Ale, Porter and Third Coast are valuable role players and Bell's has a dominant bench capable of taking over any game.

1. Great Divide - Titan IPA, Saint Bridgets Porter, Denver Pale Ale, Hoss Rye Lager, Samurai Rice Ale
I can't make a case for any of the starting 5 to be the best at any position, but Great Divide is reinventing the way the game is played in the KC beer scene. Hoss Rye Lager and Samurai Rice Ale are unlike any other guard tandem in the league. Hoss is like Magic Johnson at the point, an extremely large point guard that can pass, drive and shoot better than most guards in the league. Samurai is a smooth, super athletic, small shooting guard that can hit from anywhere on the court. Titan IPA is an undersized Power Forward that plays at least 8 inches taller than he actually is, he's the Charles Barkley of KC beers. Saint Bridgets Porter is a small 6'9" Center that covers the floor better than any other Center in the league creating serious matchup problems for every other team. The 5 of these beers together are greater than the sum of their parts. A better starting 5 can't be found and Great Divide has a dominant bench as well.

Irish Style

Today the Shlafly Extra Stout will hit some Missouri liquor stores (listed below) and is well worth picking up so you can do some damage Irish Style. I already have plans for my sixer tonight.

I'm going to boil some cabbage to go with my first bottle. Irish Style!

With the second bottle I'm going to find some English soccer players and throw darts at them. Irish Style!

With the third bottle I'm going to find some punks and pummel them. Irish Style!

With the fourth bottle I'm going to do some dancing to The Elders. Irish Style!

On the fifth bottle I'm going to sit down to watch the Conan O'Brien Wake on NBC. Irish Style!

After the sixth bottle I'm going to puke in the gutter. Irish Style!

Schlafly Irish Style Extra Stout will only be available today at Bubbles in Gladstone, Red X, Gomer's Parkville, Gomer's Lee's Summit, Gomer's Midtown and Hy-Vee Englewood. It will be available in other Missouri stores next week. Kansas stores won't have it for a couple more weeks. It's well worth it when you find it, even if you don't drink it Irish Style.

Year of the Pilsner

It sure does seem like I'm writing a lot about pilsners these days. Sam Adams has added a pilsner to their seasonal lineup replacing the White Ale. The Noble Pils promises to be a hoppy pilsner using 5 types of Noble hops. I like the fact that the Noble Pils escaped the unoriginality of their seasonal names by being named for neither a season nor a month (Summer Ale, Winter Lager and Octoberfest are the other seasonals). The White Ale, the previous spring seasonal, will be continued but only available in the winter styles variety pack.

Now my question is this. Are craft breweries brewing pilsners to increase market share and appeal to more novice beer drinkers? Or are craft brewers trying to add flavor to a more bland style for the craft beer drinker? Or some combination of the 2? I guess I'll have to try the Sam Adams Noble Pils to find out. I wonder if the Budweiser drinkers of the world will be as curious.

Bull's Choice

The events last night were like Sophie's choice for me; either go get some cask Hopslam at one of my favorite places, The Flying Saucer, or drive to the worst college town in all of America to talk with my pal Steven Pauwels and Jean-Marie Rock while swigging as much free Collaboration #1 as I could. I should call it Bull's Choice. I went with Hopslam for 2 reasons. I can't get cask Hopslam any other time and I didn't want to go to Lawrence.

I arranged for Chimpotle to come and pick me up in exchange for oral considerations. When you're going to drink a 10% ABV beer, I believe it's best to not leave stupid decisions to chance and I didn't want an automobile I could drive anywhere near me. A little oral is a small price to pay for safety. And Chimpo loves to give it, it's a win win situation.

We got to the Saucer a little after 5 and staked our claim on one of the big six seater booths. It's a good thing we got there when we did because by 6:15 there wasn't a table to be had. We each had a beer before we had a regular draft Hopslam, I had a Lagunitas IPA and Chimpo had a Schwarzbier (cementing in my mind the reason I don't do the UFO club anymore, I don't like being forced to try a beer I don't really want to get one more beer down the line, though it would be good to have a plate hanging up). Our waitress was monstrously busy and between the time I ordered and actually got the beer, I forgot what I ordered. And I forgot a couple of times while I was drinking which was a shame because Lagunitas IPA is a solid IPA.

Draft Hopslam

Finally it was time to try a regular draft Hopslam. It was just as wonderful as I remembered. Chimpo and I discussed whether Maharaja is better than Hopslam and it is close, but if I had to make a decision based only on taste, I would go with Hopslam, but with price added to the equation I think I would go with Maharaja. We also discussed whether the Hopslam lives up to the hype and it gets quite a lot of hype. It's a little like Derek Jeter, he gets a lot of hype. He's a great player, he's good looking and he bangs hot chicks regularly yet people want to say he's overrated all the time. But, the Yankees are pretty happy to shell out $20m/year to keep him because, at the end of the day, he's one of the greatest shortstops of all time. Whether he's underrated or overrated, I'd love to have him on my team. Hopslam is the same way, no matter how many stupid sonnets or odes to Hopslam you read, when you're drinking it, you've got to be pretty happy you are. It's a great beer, thousands of beer geeks can't be wrong.

This firkin was blessed

Weston, Chambord and a couple of other friends, Yeti and Longhorn arrived and helped us fill out our six person booth. When the time came to tap the firkin, everyone formed a line snaking through the restaurant to be the first to get some Hopslam. Weston, Yeti and I each sent our women to wait in the line and bring us our firkin Hopslam. Chimpotle, Chambord and Longhorn apparently had a good time in line as they were giggling, no doubt gossiping about the latest Kardashian dustup or newest developments on "General Hospital". After a 10 minute wait, the girls finally brought us our firkin Hopslam.

Cask Hopslam

I love me some cask ales and this one was no different. I would say it was 20% from the cask. The warmer temperature and less carbonation really brought out the hop flavor even more. I don't know that a double IPA could be better.

After we finished the Hopslam, the grand scheme started. Weston and Yeti decided they wanted to go to the Collaboration party after all. Everyone was in but me. I had a ride home and again didn't really want to go to Lawrence. It seemed at the time like the trip might end up a little like Trent and Mikey's trip to Vegas at the beginning of Swingers. Chambord and Longhorn felt a little bad about leaving me alone, but I knew some people in the bar I could sit with. But first, I wanted to find Brother Bean who Twittered that he was sitting at the bar in grey Adidas. We were checking out everyone's shoes and I'm sure I alarmed more than one feller when I whispered in their ear "Are you the one they call Brother Bean". We never found Brother Bean, but we sure did disturb a number of people.

Overall, we had a good time drinking great beer in a great bar. I don't think an evening could have lived up to expectations any better. I think I made the right choice.

Both Hopslam and Collaboration #1 are hitting store shelves today. As you find them, call it out in comments so we can all find some before the weekend.

An Evening with Steven and Jean-Marie: Part Deux

While everyone was busy standing in line for Hopslam at the Flying Saucer tonight, I was in Lawrence shmoozing it up with (what I'm told is) a who's who of the KC beer distribution scene. The occasion was the grand release of Boulevard's first collaboration beer. You've probably heard all there is to hear about about the Boulevard/Orval Imperial Pilsner so I'll do my best not to repeat anything that's already been said. Personally though, I was impressed...

There's a definite Pilsner flavor here, this beer is pale and crisp but it does have a pleasant sweetness and fantastic balance that makes it so much more than just a plain Pilsner. I enjoyed the five or six glasses of Imperial Pilsner I had tonight and I look forward to picking up a bottle of my own to give it a formal review. Considering I had such low expectations for this Imperial Pilsner, I'm pretty happy about the outcome. Your mileage may vary, but I think it's totally worth the price of admission ($12 per 750ml) to drink a part of brewing history. Seriously you guys, Jean-Marie Rock came to Kansas City and made a beer with Boulevard, how are you NOT going to try a bottle of this?

But back to the release party... The event was held at the Oread, a new hotel right next to the KU campus in Lawrence. "Lawrence?" you might ask, "but isn't Boulevard a Kansas City brewery?" Well, yes and yes... but John McDonald is a KU alum and, like all Jayhawks, feels some sort of weird affinity for mediocre Lawrence and it's lame university. Despite having the drive to Lawrence in the densest of the century, I was looking forward to spending some time with some Boulevard insiders and industry "professionals." I say that because there were a number of other bloggers there as well as folks who run liquor stores. Not exactly the group I was expecting to elbow through to on my way to get a glass of Imperial Pilsner... but that made it all the more fun. Some of these guys didn't seem to care that Steven Pauwels and Jean-Marie Rock were there, while the others were absolutely oozing with geeky excitement.

I went to the Oread with pretty modest expectations. I was hoping to get a glass of Imperial Pilsner and maybe shake the hand of either of the men who were responsible for making it a reality. By the end of the night I'd had my picture taken with both Pauwels and Rock, drank the better half of an Imperial Pilsner Smokestack bottle, I got a signed label and spoke at length with both of brewers about the genesis of this beer.

Steven Pauwels mentioned that this beer was first conceived during a trip to Tucson during a chemist convention. It was here that Rock and Pauwels got to talking about brewing a Pilsner, something similar to what Rock remembered having some thirty years earlier. Fast forward to January 2010 and the first, in what I hear is at least a four part series (more on that later...), collaboration beer has hit the market. I had to ask Pauwels what contribution Boulevard had on this beer. While Rock's influence is more obvious, Pauwels said Boulevard's contribution to this beer is in it's balance. I have to agree (it's not like I could argue with Boulevard's head brewer), the mellow pale malt and crispness do not over power your palate and are balanced out with a subtle sweetness that ties it all together.

I asked Pauwels about the big No. 1 on the label of this bottle, asking if there were any other collaborations in the works. He said that he hasn't gotten anyone to commit yet, but he's been genuinely surprised at the response he's gotten from other brewers. It was encouragingly vague news, but I wanted more. I overheard from a bald, skinny man in a white Boulevard button-up shirt that, "There are three or four more collaboration beers in the works for this year." He didn't elaborate any more than that... I'm willing to bet he's full of it but he was asked by a distributor how much a six barrel of Tank 7 was and he quickly rattled off "$76" ...so he may be more in the know than I think. For now though, I'll file it under B.S., feel free to prove otherwise by dropping me a line.

Needless to say, I had a great time. Having the opportunity to meet Pauwels and Rock in a setting like this was fantastic. The beer itself hasn't an epiphany but I enjoyed it much more than I expected and I won't hesitate to pick up a couple bottles when I see it on the shelf at the liquor store.

I'll leave you with this fun fact: Jean-Marie Rock's session beer of choice is Stella Artois. Also, he told me he doesn't like dark beer and hates Guinness. Pauwels had a few choice words for people who buy beers to age them, but I'll save that for another time.

Stand up for beer

There has been some accusations of homer-ism here as of late, and while Boulevard is in the picture, I make this post as a cry for help for all corked beers out there...

DON'T LAY DOWN BOTTLES OF BEER

Shame on you Green Acres

If you've ever bought a bottle of Boulevard Smokestack or any number of other large, corked beers, you may have noticed a note saying to store them upright. Aside from the brewery asking you to store the bottle upright, there are other signs. Take for example the growing number of liquor stores that carry large sections of these beers upright on a shelf. Places like Lukas Liquor could easily setup wine racks to store these bottles like they do with their extensive wine selections, but they don't.

There's an article on Beer Advocate that goes into the possible reasons and advantages for storing beer upright, and how to store beer for aging as a whole. And just because you know how to store your beer, that doesn't mean when you ask your wife to throw that $25 bottle of Odell Woodcut (#3 in stores now!) in the fridge to chill that she will stand it up in the door rather than lay it down on the 2-liter rack. You need to shout this out to the world. Stand up for your beer.

Hop Gentle

Tonight is the night of dreams for hophead beer geeks as they are tapping 2 cask kegs of Hopslam tonight at The Flying Saucer (7 PM sharp). The rest of the week will be spent seeking out Hopslam on taps across town and finally getting the holy grail, a $17/sixer of Hopslam for home drinking. All of this is warranted, Hopslam is an exceptional beer and it doesn't last long on store shelves. But what if you're not willing to go to any effort and you don't get lucky and go to a liquor store that doesn't have any Hopslam or you don't want to spend $17 on a six pack? You still want to get a quality hop bombed double IPA. The following 3 beers can be substituted and you may end up just as happy.

Hop Stoopid

Lagunitas makes this exceptionally cheap ($3.49/22 oz. bottle) double IPA. Lagunitas loves making hoppy beers, even their pale ale is hoppier than a standard pale ale, so you know this one's going to be packed. But at $3.49, you do get what you pay for. It's pretty much hops, hops and more hops without the sweet malt to balance them out. You'll know you're drinking hops, but it's unclear that you're drinking a double IPA because the sweetness normally associated with a double IPA isn't there. It's a good beer and a great value but not quite the accomplishment that Hopslam or the next 2 beers are.

A Little Sumpin Extra! Ale

This one is also made by Lagunitas. It has a little more maltiness and sweetness and a little less hoppy flavor of the Hop Stoopid. It's a little more in line from what I'm looking for in a double IPA. It's also a little more expensive than Hop Stoopid. It is a seasonal so it might be a little harder to find than the Hop Stoopid which is a big seller I think because it is so cheap and has a more gimmicky name. Little Sumpin Extra is aptly named because that little sumpin is a better balance, more alcohol (8.74% ABV) and is just a more pleasurable drinking experience.

Maharaja

I've raved about Avery's Maharaja before and I'll do it again. It's one of my favorite beers and it's the first double IPA I liked (they're usually too sweet for me). Everything about it rings perfect to me. At 10.24% ABV it's also a beer you can't drink all the time giving you that special event feel every time you have it. Again, this one is a little more expensive around $8/bomber but it's a good deal. If you only have one double IPA (available in KC) this year and it's not Hopslam, it better damn sure be Maharaja. I think the Maharaja is pretty close to the equal of Hopslam AND it requires little to no effort to find.

All 3 of these replacement double IPA's can be found in any liquor store that carries bombers and has a decent selection. I'm sure others have a double IPA that they like more than the 3 I've mentioned, but these are the 3 I've tried and liked. Also, as you find Hopslam in stores or on tap shout it out in comments to help out others. You've got yours, why not help others reach a hoppy bliss?

So that's why we always go to Free State...

I was out and about yesterday evening with friends, trying to find a suitable place to have dinner and watch the playoffs. I watched the Cardinals and Saints at Barley's in OP with my friend Bartles who drove in from out of town. Bartles is trying to watch each playoff game in a different city this year, something he tried to do last year, but failed by the time the second playoff game kicked off... I couldn't care less where I watch the playoffs but I decided to take part anyways, hoping to drink a beer during each playoff game in a different city. Anyways, after a round of Free State seasonals, a Left Hand Milk Stout, some Tank 7, a pint of Tallgrass and a Dundee Honey Brown we decided to hit the road if we were going to have any hope of reaching Lawrence before the next kickoff.

In order to make it to Lawrence in a legal manner we enlisted the help of my girlfriend, St. Pauli Girl, who had been watching a Bridezilla marathon with another friend of mine, Rod Leviathan. Our goal was to make it to Free State in time for the game and then enjoy some cheddar ale soup, onion rings and beer while the Colts destroy the Ravens.

By our powers combined, we made it to Lawrence with about 20 minutes to spare. After parking at Border's (regardless of where I go in on Mass. street, it seems like I always have to park at Border's...) and walking up to Free State, I was told that there would be a 90 minute wait for a table. I don't mind waiting 20 or 30 minutes for a seat but an hour and a half is a bit ridiculous... On my way out of Free State I called the 23rd Street Brewery to see if they were retarded busy as well, thankfully they only had a 30 minute wait so we headed on over.

I'd never been to the 23rd Street Brewery before. It's not that I have anything against the place - I just enjoy going to Free State for dinner and beers. This seemed like as good a time as any to try out the 23rd Street Brewery so I was pretty jazzed about it. Even though 23rd Street doesn't take call ahead seating requests I didn't really mind waiting for a table. The interior of the brewery was pretty cool, it's one big open space with the brew kettles and tuns in the middle with a bar at the base and seating all around the exterior.

We had more than a few minutes to peruse the beer list while waiting for a table. The first thing I noticed was that half the beers on the list were wheats... It seemed a little odd, even for Kansas. There was Wave the Wheat, Raspberry Wheat, Two Faced Wheat and a Golden Wheat. I also noticed that I was the 2nd oldest person in the joint after Rod Leviathan. It seemed like everyone here was 22 years old and decked out in their best "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" shirt. I started counting all the sideways baseball caps but a table became available so my attention shifted to picking a beer.

I settled on the Two Faced Wheat because I was told it was a darker harvest style wheat beer. It honestly wasn't anything special, tasting like a heartier bodied wheat beer with a very mild flavor. The other beers were a mixed bag... The Bitter Professor IPA was just bitter and tasted like a glass full of hops. The Amber Ale had to be my favorite beer at 23rd Street, it was nicely hopped and had a pleasant warm grain flavor. Admittedly, I didn't try all of the beers at 23rd Street but I think I got the gist of it... Any good will I had toward this place was quickly waning.

The final nail in the coffin was the food. I had my heart set on getting an order of fried pickles as an appetizer but it turned out they were pickle spears, not planks or chips. Everyone knows fried pickles are much better in plank or coin form. Spears are just too meaty... Anyways, I ended up ordering a Southern Fried Chicken Salad. Sounds healthy, right? Don't worry, I passed on the gravy dressing and opted for the light ranch. When I got my entree it looked like a single over-fried chicken tender chopped up and laid on top of a pile of coarse lettuce and stalks. I didn't think too highly of it but the fried food did help the flavorless wheat beer go down easier.

The evening ended after everyone finished their round of beers and got to-go boxes. I think we left about mid way through the 3rd quarter, just about the same time a group of frat bros in short sleeve flannel shirts headed out into parking lot to holler about how awesome the Jayhawks are while pretending they weren't freezing their balls off.

In some ways I'm glad I did go to the 23rd Street Brewery, now I know it's not worth going out of my way to go back... It's also made me realize why no one's ever suggested going there over eating at Free State.

The Hopslam Sonnet

O Hopslam, Hopslam! Wherefore art thou Hopslam?
Deny thy distributor and come forth to me;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll remain hop thirsty
Tis my want of your taste that is my enemy.
Thou shall be free, though thou is not.
Where art thou, Gomer's wait list is a fortnight long
Nor keg won't be at the Saucer until the Monday hence,
A cask at that.
What's in a name? That which we call hoppy
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Hopslam would, were he not Hopslam called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owns.
Without that title. Hopslam, doff thy name;
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself from retail shelves next week.

Collaboration #1, The Unauthorized Biography

The time was 1980, the United States was about to shock the world in Lake Placid, George Brett was smoking heaters and buying beer for underage girls in preparation for a wonderful season of baseball and Jean-Marie Rock was perfecting an imperial pilsner recipe in the Orval abbey. Little did he know that he was caught, the monks found the Saaz hops he had hidden in the warehouse for the pilsner side project.

"We don't use Saaz hops in Orval" the head monk told Rock.

"I was just trying something different" Rock said defending himself.

"We're Belgian monks, we do things one way and one way only, we brew the finest beers in the world, Belgian ales, we don't have to brew inferior pilsners" the head monk explained as he slapped Rock in the face and rapped his knuckles with a ruler.

"It's not inferior, it's just different. If it's done right an imperial pilsner can be just as satisfying as a Belgian ale. This brew is done right, it's a great imperial pilsner. If only everyone could drink it, they would find out how great a pilsner could be" Rock said defiantly.

"If you feel so strongly about it, maybe you should go somewhere else to brew. At Orval we only brew Orval belgian pale ale. You will not brew this pilsner here" with that the head monk walked off.

Rock thought about his options and decided to stay with Orval brewing one of the best beers in the world and he shelved his imperial pilsner recipe.

He spent the next 29 years happy with his decision, but had an inner yearning to share his imperial pilsner with the world. Then last summer his old friend, Steven Pauwels came to Orval abbey to see Rock. They had quite a lot to talk about. Pauwels had brought the American Boulevard Brewery to a respected place amongst American brewers with the Smokestack series and their quality session beer lineup. Pauwels was looking for ideas and Rock had just what he was looking for, the old imperial pilsner. Rock decided to come to the US to work with Pauwels at the Boulevard Brewery rather than risk the wrath of the new head monk (the old monk went Hollywood as a technical advisor on the movies "The Name of the Rose" and "Heaven Help Us").

Pauwels helped making the recipe work for the complex Boulevard brewing equipment and Rock helped Pauwels realize the beauty in simplicity. They decided to call the brew Collaboration #1 under the Boulevard Smokestack label.
As for me, Rock was right 30 years ago. This is a great beer, not great for a pilsner, great for a beer. It has a wonderful malty taste with a crisp hop bite and finishes with a clean pilsner like finish. At 8% ABV, it's a bit dangerous. The alcohol is hidden quite nicely and it would be very easy to pop open a second bottle. This would probably be a mistake if, like me, you were drinking this on a school night. The 3/4 of a bottle I drank made me think the first part of this review was a good idea. $12 a bottle might seem a little steep to pay for this beer but you won't be disappointed by it. It certainly opens my mind to how good a pilsner can be.
It should be noted that Boulevard did give me this bottle of Collaboration #1. I can tell you that that had no influence on my thoughts on the beer, but you can judge for yourself if you decide to give it a try. I did have this with a Gorgonzola walnut pasta that you can see in the picture at the top of this post. I didn't think much of the beer while I was eating the very powerful Gorgonzola cheese. The pilsner didn't quite stand up to the flavor, but once I got away from the pasta, Collaboration really started tasting great.

Collaboration #1 should hit store shelves early next week. If you wish to try to talk to Steven Pauwels or Jean-Marie Rock about the collaboration you should make the trek out to Lawrence Monday night for the kickoff party. It will be the perfect opportunity to give the beer a shot without having to pay for it, just make sure you have a driver to get you back to KC.

The Imperial Pilsner is Nigh

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is Boulevard's first collaboration beer is hitting the shelves next week and you're all invited to the release party! The bad news is you'll have to drive out to Lawrence in the middle of January if you want to participate... The trip will be worth it though as you'll have an opportunity to toast to a new year and a new beer with Brewmasters Steven Pauwels of Boulevard and Jean-Marie Rock of Orval.

If you were at Barley's back in October for the second installment of their Beer School, you know Jean-Marie came all the way to Kansas City to collaborate with Pauwels on an Imperial Pilsner. This is a style of beer Rock had back in Belgium many years ago and wanted to recreate. Why anyone would want to recreate anything resembling a Pilsner is a mystery to me, but since I have yet to find a Smokestack Series beer I haven't liked I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. That, and we're talking about the guy who freaking brews freaking Orval... Are you kidding me?

If you want to start 2010 off with a bang (or a popped cork) head out to the Oread Hotel in Lawrence on Monday the 18th. These two crazy Belgians will be bringing the crunk from 8 to 10pm.

Oread Hotel

1200 Oread Avenue
Lawrence, KS 66044-3142
(785) 841-0099

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The Dark Truth and Other Stories

Just to tie up some loose ends from the past couple of weeks, I thought I could help clear up some questions that have come up.

First off, Dark Truth is a new imperial stout in the Boulevard Smokestack lineup. It is not the same stout that was out last year in the Smokestack series. It is a beer that I and other beer bloggers got a sample of in the Presidential election season. Wes and I liked it quite a bit. I was confused about the imperial stout Boulevard released last year thinking that it was the same as the Big Stout that we drank. But it wasn't. Dark Truth should be out around Valentine's Day and would be the perfect beer to drink with some Valentine's Day chocolates. The alcohol content is sure to make your partner's pants come down just a little easier.

Rye on Rye is certainly slated to become one of my favorite beers because of my love for rye beers. It is going to be a limited edition release, meaning that it will be at priced around $12. It is also aged in Templeton Rye whiskey barrels which will give it a whole 'nother audience for the beer. Templeton Rye has an evergrowing fan club and I'm tempted to make a stop in Iowa soon to pick up a bottle. It might be nice to have a Templeton Rye chaser to go with a bottle of Rye on Rye.

Finally, several commenters have wondered my opinion of this year's BBQ. I like it a lot more than last year's and I really liked last year's. The bourbon flavor is much more muted and it tastes like beer and not bourbon. It's still really sweet, but the alcohol on the back end really makes the sweetness palatable. I wish I had a bottle from year one to taste along with a bottle from this year to see if the age would have muted the bourbon in a similar way, but I don't. The point is, I like this year's better and if you are disappointed in it (I'm looking at you Hophead), I'll take any bottles you would wish to dispose of.

I think that about wraps it up. Collaboration No. 1 should be out in the next week or two. I'm sure we'll make a big deal about it.

Say hello to Smokestacks number 13 and 14

Two new Smokestack labels have been posted online by The Wine and Cheese Place in St. Louis. The first new label is for the Rye-on-Rye beer you've probably heard of already. This is the "RYE" that's been aging in Templeton Rye barrels in the lager room since last March. Needless to say, it's a Rye beer that's been aged in whiskey barrels. It'll be 11% ABV and I'd be surprised if it didn't hit shelves before St. Patty's Day.

The second new Smokestack Series beer is a complete surprise to me. The Dark Truth Stout sounds like it's going to be a coffee-ish stout with some candied fruit and sour yeast. And that's pretty much all we know...

I can't help but wonder if the Dark Truth will replace the Imperial Stout Smokestack this season? I guess only time will tell... or a Boulevard rep could drop me a line, whichever.

Get Your Irish On

It's a bit anti-climactic this year but Boulevard Irish Ale sixers will be at your local liquor store today or tomorrow, depending on when they get a delivery. If you follow me on Twitter you would know that Irish has been in the Boulevard variety packs since before Christmas. I've already had a couple over the Christmas break and they're as fabulous as always. I expect Stella will probably come home with some this afternoon since it is her favorite beer of all. If you live in KCMO, maybe the roads will be cleared off enough for you to get your own this afternoon. I did say maybe.