Thank you to those who’ve served
I’d love to buy a craft beer for each of you in my life who has served this country and provided for my freedom, my right to speak freely, my safety and my future. I’d like to sit down with you and talk about your sacrifice and remember with you. I’m talking specifically to my father-in-law, who served in Vietnam, and to my grandfather, who was turned away from service because he had the skills necessary to run a large dairy farm that supplied milk to U.S. soldiers. I’m talking to my friend Sam Redfern who spent time in Iraq and who continues to work for the welfare of soldiers everywhere. I’d like to sit down with you at a taproom somewhere and talk about the lives you saved and the feelings you had when you returned. I’d buy you all a pint or two and discuss your adventures. I know it hasn’t always been easy. I know the country so easily forgets those who return. You might get a hero’s welcome, but the adulation too often fades.
To all those who’ve served, I’d like to buy you a craft beer to say thanks in a meaningful way. More than a parade, I’d like to sit down with each of you and thank you personally. I hope that someone in your life spends some time with you. I hope someone will buy you a craft beer and listen to your stories.
To those who’ve given all for us. I’m tipping a brew in your honor. I’m toasting your lives today and I’m mouthing a silent thank you. I see the white crosses that mark your graves, and I’m humbled by your sacrifice. Thank you for being willing. Thank you for giving everything you had so that we might enjoy a peaceful life.
Prost,
GG
Take a beer and whiskey tour of Scotland with Yuichi Tuba
This is a long one, but the pub scenes and whiskey stores are fun to see.
Prost,
GG
A superb camping beer in a great camping container – Beltian White
Great camping beer
I found a half rack of Harvest Moon Brewing Company’s Beltian White in cans at Worden’s Market the other day, and I figured it would be the perfect camping beer. Beltian White is a nice Belgian-style wit beer with good flavor and light complexion. It’s also a really good food beer with some hints of spice and citrus characteristics.
The fact that it comes in a can makes it a great camping beer worthy of packing a half rack on ice in your cooler. Camping with kids can be an exhausting experience. Cooking food, setting up tents, cleaning up and putting kids to bed can take their toll on parents. And while I like to sip a nice whiskey or bourbon before turning in myself, a nice Beltian White would be an easy way to relax without filling up too much.
Of course, cans are easy to recycle and pack away if you’re backpacking. I haven’t seen any craft beers in a half rack until Kettlehouse Brewing Company started putting out their beers in an 8-pack. The regular 12-oz Beltian White cans come in a traditional 12-pack.
Prost,
GG
Breakfast Beer – Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Ah, the weekend is upon us, and I have your Saturday breakfast beer all lined up for you. This week’s edition is the Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast. I love the name of this beer for the fact that it recognizes that in all of us who love breakfast, a little geek must be found. Some of us are bacon geeks, some of us are egg geeks or toast geeks. My buddy Jon is a coffee geek. And me, I’m a breakfast geek through and through. So this beer is aptly named.
My buddy Jon, the above mentioned coffee geek, shared his bottle of Beer Geek Breakfast with us in an early morning breakfast on Mount Sentinel recently while we were filming our entry to the New Belgium “Clips of Faith” Beer and Film Festival.
Rich coffee, molasses and hints of smoke and spices characterize this beer. At one point, we actually considered pouring a shot of coffee into the beer to see what it would do to the flavor profile. We cooked up some Daily’s Bacon some fresh eggs and some toast, which provided a warm backdrop for the morning-chilled beer. I actually had to warm this bad boy up for a few minutes in cupped hands to release some of the coffee aromas, but once it opened up, it revealed a very nicely balanced beer with bit oat body and that natural acidity in coffee that really adds a new and interesting layer to this and other coffee beers.
I suggest this beer for a hardy English breakfast with sausage and strong meaty flavors.
Prost,
GG
Kettlehouse Myrtle Street Location boasts a makeover of sorts
There has been a little dust down at the Kettlehouse Myrtle Street Location recently. Al Pils’ secret hideaway, known alternatively as his office, is now hidden behind a wall, and the brewery’s guts are now hidden behind a large garage door, giving the place a more hangout appeal, in my opinion. The new lines clean up the inside in a way that makes you feel less like you’re standing inside a working brewery and more like you’re visiting a drinking establishment.
Another change you may or may not have noticed is the lack of a large fermenter right in the front serving area. The back wall is now given over to a huge mural of someone in a kayak. The whole makeover kind of livens the place up a bit. Here’s a few grainy, terrible photos to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
Prost,
GG
The new garage door that seals the brewery off from the taproom.
A bad picture of the mural on the back wall at Kettlehouse South Location.
Whiskey Review – RoughStock Montana Whiskey
Judging whiskey is a difficult thing to do. So I’m going to leave that to the professionals. But writing about whiskey is great fun, as is reviewing a good whiskey now and then. For some time now I’ve been keeping an eye on the Montana distillery scene. There are numerous vodka makers out there, and I’m hearing rumors of gin and Absynthe, but I’ve been waiting to try a good Montana whiskey. I figured it would be a while since the aging process to produce a decent whiskey takes a while. I was pleasently surprised to find RoughStock Montana Whiskey from RoughStock Distillery in Bozeman on the shelves at Grizzly Liquor recently, so I picked up a bottle for sampling purposes.
This particular bottle is from batch No. 2 and has been aged in barrels for six months. Normally I’d go through and describe the whiskey, but I’m going to follow the general tasting guidelines this time, and I’ll write a little piece at the end to tie it all up.
Bottle: RoughStock Montana Whiskey comes in a great little clear bottle with a stiff cork cap. The label is informative and hand numbered.
Appearance: The whiskey pours a pale straw with barely discernible legs as you swirl it around the glass.
Nose: Served neat, the nose is strong alcohol, wood, resin and new leather. After warming in the glass and adding a few drops of water, the nose is clean vanilla, toasted wood and a tannic, almost Rooibos red tea smell.
Taste: Served neat, the whiskey is initially hot with some astringency on the tongue. As the whiskey sits on the tongue, you pick up some sweet characteristics and a woody spice. After adding a few drops of water, the taste on the tongue includes a hint of citrus and a warm vanilla taste with some nutiness.
Finish: For a younger whiskey, RoughStock is exceptionally smooth. Initially, the heat gives the impression of a harsher taste, though once in the mouth, the heat mellows out and provides some interesting tastes along with the developed flavors. This whiskey finishes fairly dry and clean with little or no astringency.
I’ve had a lot of young whiskey this year, but the common denominator between them was a general greenness on the taste. RoughStock Montana Whiskey was different. Where the other whiskeys were astringent with lots of heat, RoughStock was initially hot with some spice but smooth on the swallow. I detected none of the greenness that I usually encounter in a young whiskey. The color was interesting in that the pale straw almost gave the impression of a bit of cloudiness, though holding it up to a pure light source, I could detect no cloudiness. We sampled this whiskey out of Riedel Scotch-tasting glasses, which provided a nice bright nose in spite of the initial heat. For a cocktail mix, we tried a Whiskey Sour. The bright and hot whiskey stood up well to the fresh-squeezed lemon, even offering up a little more of what I thought were some citrus like notes on the whiskey.
Priced at $52, I felt like this whiskey is a good bet. It’s boutique, and it’s only going to get better from here. Congratulations to the folks over at RoughStock for doing honor to the state by distilling such a great whiskey as the first one in the state since prohibition. I picked up this bottle at Grizzly Liquor.
Prost,
GG
Great-looking label on this whiskey
This pale straw whiskey drinks exceptionally smooth for something so young.
Lady’s Night Sex and the City Party at Quarry Brewing Company June 2
Looks like Quarry Brewing Company is holding a lady’s night party around the opening of the “Sex and the City” movie sequel. They’re advertising karaoke, food, fun, prizes, giveaways and great craft beer. And they’d like you to come dressed as your favorite character.
Prost,
GG
10-best canned beers – What would you add to the list?
Imbibe Magazine released a list of the 10-best canned beers for the holiday weekend. I would contend they left off a few deserving breweries. Anyway, read the list for yourself here, and then tell me which beers you’d like to see added to the list. Remember, canned beers only here.
Prost,
GG
The changing craft beer industry and you
The craft beer industry in Montana has changed immensely in the three years that I have been living here and covering it in the pages of this blog. Breweries have come and gone, remodeled, rebuilt, moved and otherwise been agents of great change.
To you, the beer consumer who buys beer at the store, you might have noticed a lot of your favorite beers showing up in cans for the first time. You probably noticed new beers from your favorite breweries.
If you’re a taproom customer, you probably noticed the fact that some of the beers you can buy are now much higher in alcohol percentage than they used to be.
Many of the faces in the taprooms are different now. Some of my favorites have gone on to other towns or in search of adventure.
Change, for better or worse, is part of everything, including the craft beer industry. For Montana craft brewers, the political fight has been a long one. Every year they scratch and claw for changes that will hopefully make running a brewery in this state an easier proposition. We’ve lost a few breweries in the last few years, and we’ve gained a few more. Hopefully the balance will maintain, but lawmakers need to dismantle the antiquated laws that impact this industry so much.
As much as change can impact you and I, the common citizen minding our own business in a busy life, perspective is a powerful thing to have. So here’s a tiny dose of it.
When you’re in the supermarket and looking for a six-pack of beer for your refrigerator, think about the economic impact your simple decision has. Do you buy glass bottles in a town with no glass recycling? Do you buy canned beers from out of state, because you know you can recycle cans? Do you care?
You might enjoy craft brew once in a while or you might not like it at all. Either way, the local breweries are part of an industry with a lot of potential and one that already gives back to the community. It’s sort of like the folks who don’t vote for school levies once their kids are grown up. Those of us whose kids still are in school need your vote.
Buy local, support breweries that are canning or otherwise making recycling easier, get involved by writing to your congressman and senators about the impact the craft beer industry has on you and your community. Become their fans on Facebook and keep up with the unique events and activities they provide. Otherwise they will not survive.
Prost,
GG
Biere de Mars Montana
Looks like Glacier Brewing Company is popping the cork on an aged Biere de Mars, a French/Belgian farmhouse-style ale traditionally brewed in early winter and served in the spring. If you’re in Polson and coming to Missoula, pick me up a growler.
Biere de Mars Montana
Prost,
GG