I feel a strange sense of loss. Here is a guy that I have only basically mumbled a shy hello to while passing him at “The Great American Beer Festival.” This is the same guy that embarrassed me (and many beer geeks) as he fumbled around, looking half-crocked with his fly undone on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” last year. He was supposed to come across as suave, literate and sophisticated, on behalf of all drinkers of “better beer.” This was always how he presented himself; he was our delegate.

What we all did not know at the time was the Mr. J was battling Parkinson’s Disease and it was getting the best of him, not that he was a drunken fool. Unfortunately, that is not what the world saw that evening. Fortunately, Michael Jackson’s lasting legacy will be made up of a long list of what anyone would call “The Definitive Text Books” of beer culture, many award winning. (more…)

I don’t know about you, but I am feeling pretty good about the recent improvement in local beer selection. Heck! Just compare what was available at the beginning of the summer to what we have today. Was I having an out of body experience the other night when I was sipping on a refreshing Hoegaarden Belgian Witbier at Appalchian Power Park? Was that really a Czechvar that I was sipping at Blues BBQ? If this is all a dream, please don’t wake me up until I finish my pint of Magic Hat Number 9…

Am I over reacting? Have I been so “beer starved” that I’m acting like a state-pen inmate on “Ice Cream” night? No! We have really seen some change in the area and no, I am not experiencing the “beer-geek held hostage” equivalent of Stockholm syndrome when I thank the Budweiser behemoth Central Distributing for the change we are experiencing. The three beers that I mentioned are really available in Charleston and it’s all due to Central Distributing Company’s apparently recent realization and acceptance that selling good quality beer along with the usual macro-swill is a sound business decision.

Many such large distributors must be seeing the growth numbers, and I am sure they want to get in on the success. They now know that they can’t just sit and wait for their “mega brewery” masters to endow them with the right products to sell; it cannot and will not happen. In fact, some of these macro brewers are in craft beer denial. They think this is just a passing fad. What products do they think will capture the palates of the American consumer? How about Miller Chill! You know, the one with the lime and salt already added. That sounds like such a profound product that I am sure its luster will never fade…. Yuk!

Even though this current trend is encouraging, it is far from the sweeping change in WV beer laws that is really needed; but we need to crawl before we walk. It’s up to us now. We need to assure these distributors that their recent change of heart was one that will help their bottom line. These guys know there is potential to make better margins by selling higher priced craft and premium brands, full knowing that their decision doesn’t sit well with their macro-brewery bosses. Our job is to buy good beer and drink it. If we fail to do this, these guys will run back into the arms of the old status-quo and we can kiss this revolution goodbye for many years to come…

While attending “Microfestivus” in Roanoke a few weeks ago, I was approached by a middle-aged guy with a long ponytail, tie-dye shirt and Birkenstocks. He handed me a postcard announcing “The Capitol City Carnival,” with the subtitle “Faire & Brewe.” With my curiosity fully piqued, I started up a conversation which extended over a couple of beers. This kind of stuff really hits home with me, being a kid that grew up and even worked in many of the arcades, freak shows and amusement piers on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. I have never dreamed of such a thing as a beer carnival… Wow! Count me in!

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Forget about what you may hear about bottled water, energy drinks and ultra low carb (i.e. ultra low flavor) beer; the craft beer segment is outpacing all of them. The large breweries are quite aware of this fact, as it has been happening again and again for the last three years. They have seen a loss of market share to these small, creative renegade brewers called craft brewers. Many of the big boys are trying to get in on it, but because a good portion of craft beer consumers tends to be somewhat “anti-establishment,” the door is closed. Even true-blue craft breweries like Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) are being shunned because they appear too large, too widely available. (more…)

A few weeks ago, I followed my own advice and took a vacation day to drive to Athens, OH to attend the 2nd annual Ohio Brew Week. The event reminded me of “FestivALL Charleston” for Ohio beer. There were several beer-oriented events such as brewing demonstrations and beer tastings spread throughout the town, many taking place simultaneously.

It appeared that most of bars in Athens were in the “Brew Week” spirit. Participating bars flew the “Brew Week” flag and dedicated some precious Draft Tap space to feature Ohio craft beer. I really liked the fact that we were able to buy a small 3 oz. taster size of any beer, instead of having to commit to a whole pint. I was able to try many more beers this way without getting “buzzed.”

Some Notable beers were a Kolsch-style beer called Xtra, from Columbus’s Elevator Brewing Co. and “Paw-Paw wheat” from Marietta Brewing. The Paw-Paw beer is something special because as far as anyone knows, it’s an original. Brewer Kelly Sauber was sort of commissioned to brew this beer for the Ohio Paw-Paw festival. The beer was so popular and so many paw-paws are needed, It must be planned well in advance. Kelly tells me that the Paw-Paw is one of the most “sustainable” fruits, yielding minimal environmental impact. I am intrigued by the beer’s story, but its flavor is just a bit sweet and cloying for me. Marietta’s other beers are not so experimental, but are always pretty “spot on”, especially Kelly’s Scotch Ale.

I ran into a few of the event organizers. They were supposed to send me a list of winners from the food competition which was centered on food items that actually contained beer in the recipe. I do remember them commenting that the winner was a chocolate stout ice cream made by an Athens area chef.

All in all, the event was worth the 90-minute drive. On the way home, my friend Charles and I started thinking about ways we could do something similar in Charleston; maybe even during FestivALL! We could highlight West Virginia-made beers in several area pubs. Hey, brewing is an art! So why not?

A few weeks ago, I was taken to the woodshed (or should I say wine cellar) by my friend and fellow blogger, ‘WineBoy’ John Brown. He used his blog to infer I was “smoking something” when I stated that beer offered a wider range of flavor than his beloved wine. I was not at all surprised that he took me to task; after all wine is his passion. Beer is mine. I was also accused of “whining.” I can’t see why stating what I believe to be factual and informative, is labeled as whining.

As a beer writer, part of my role is informing my readers. How many folks know that scientists believe beer can contain upward of over 1000 identifiable flavors? The best tasters can pick-out around 100 (I can only wish). All the while, the other 900 flavors are there waiting to be identified like in one of those police show line-ups. (more…)

The annual Mountain Brewer Open took place last weekend in Huntington. The sanctioned competition is attracting more and more entries from brewers across the U.S. This year there were 187 entries (53 brewers) from 22 states, making it a tough contest.

Brewers are required to submit two unmarked bottles of beer that is to be entered into a specific style category. A mixture of certified and novice judges are chosen to judge each entry per specific Beer Judge Certification Program-style guidelines. There are as many as 20 groupings or ‘flights’ to break up the entries amongst the available judges. The first place winning beers from each flight then are judged against each other for “Best of Show,” the sweetest prize for a brewer. (more…)