West Virginia beer laws severely limit the availability of most of the world’s greatest beers for Mountain State consumers. In fact, out of The Beeradvocate Top 100 Beers of the World, I count only one (Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter) that is available in West Virginia! 1 out of 100! This should be reason enough for all of us to show up on the steps of the capitol with torches and pitchforks in hand to demand a change.

Here are five of my favorites that I have purchased out of state in the past.

Trappist Rochefort 10 – Belgium 11.3% ABV: This is as close as it gets to heaven on earth for me and it fits into such a small bottle! I wish I could get a case of this stuff and just hand out samples at the next legislative session. Our laws would change that afternoon! (Brewed at Abbey Rochefort)

Trappist Orval – Belgium 6.9% ABV: I know… another Trappist beer. But it’s really yummy! Out of the six Trappist breweries, Orval is the most unique in flavor. It tastes more like specialty pale ale than typical rich, malty trappist ale. It is the only Trappist beer that is fermented with brettanomyces yeast, giving it a sourish finish. It comes in one size; a cute little 33cl bowling pin shaped bottle. (Brewed at Abbey Orval) (more…)

My wife and I stopped by The Vault (227 Hale St.) for a drink and to check out the place. We were greeted at the door by two “football player sized” bouncers in bespoke suits. I guess since there wasn’t a clamoring crowd behind a velvet rope we were allowed to enter without having to be “chosen.” Once inside we were very impressed with how “Metro” the place felt. There were candlelit sitting areas and an array various types of contemporary track lighting fixtures, all tastefully illuminating very intimate seating areas. It was like something right out of New York, London or Toronto.

We made our way to the bar, which had a spacious back-bar area and a very cool custom-made bar top. We quickly noticed that the acoustics in the place make it difficult to carry on a conversation without being annoyed by an ambient “boominess” due to the lack of any softening of the hard surfaces in the room. If they ever decide to host live music, this place will be a noisy mess. (more…)

Fortunately, we beer geeks have more than one place that qualifies as “Beer Mecca.” The Franconian region of Germany (Bavaria) ranks at the top, maybe even at the level of “Beer Nirvana”. The city of Bamberg in particular has been named a World Beer Heritage City by the European Beer Consumers Union. Bamberg boasts nine Breweries all within walking distance in the city limits, along with a world famous malting company and one of the oldest brewing equipment manufacturers in the world.

I have just returned from a short pilgrimage to the region and am really glad I made the detour on a recent business trip to get there. Like most beer aficionados, I went to Bamberg to drink freshly brewed Franconian beers; namely “ungespundetes” (unfiltered lager) beer and of course rauchbier (smoked lager). As I fully expected, I was bowled over by the complexity and fresh flavor of the beer right from the brewery tap. What I didn’t expect is how I would come to enjoy the beer culture as much, or more than the beer itself. (more…)

Carlsberg- “Probably the Best Beer in the World…”

Wow! Leave it to the Danes to come up with such a hard hitting ad campaign. I would have loved to been a “fly on the wall” at those selection meetings- “Okay Gunnar, how about “Carlsberg, It’s OK if you drink it” or “It’s pretty good beer”? (These were the Vikings??)

Every time I read their slogan, I have to chuckle. It just reflects so much of what is going on in the world, especially in Europe where political correctness is being taken to new levels. Why are the Danes so afraid to act like “Amerikins” and just say what they really think. Who are they afraid of offending? Bud? SAB-Miller? Maybe the European beer consumer would be turned-off by a slight “swagger of overconfidence”? Come on People, this is only a beer advertisement, not a U.N. resolution!

Here’s one that they are free to use even though I never drink the stuff-

Carlsberg, “The Best damn Beer in the World!”

I hope this doesn’t happen to you as much as it does me…

Mr. Patron: “Excuse me bartender, I have never heard of Poindexter’s Pin-Head ale, can you describe it?”
Bartender: “Yeah, it’s kind of dark…..

Okay, Mr. Patron now knows that Pinhead ale is “kind of dark.” Does that mean dark as in coffee? Or dark as in “darker than Budweiser”? Color is a very relative thing. What’s amber to me could be dark for someone used to drinking American lagers. Besides, the color of a beer does little to describe the flavor of beer. For example, the next time you drive by Dunbar, stop at Aldi’s and pick-up a six-pack of Wernesgruner Pils from Germany. This beer is nearly as light and yellow as Miller or Bud, but boy does it pack a refreshingly bitter punch and is a great example of Northern German Pilsner. Amber Bock is in fact amber beer, but it tastes nothing like Anchor Steam, which is also Amber in color. (more…)

Out in the open
young adults appreciate
and learn to respect

By Captain Hops
(from www.beerhaikudaily.com)

Rich’s Commentary: Not to get too political, but our current law (drinking age at 21) has increased binge-drinking. It has also forced young adults to drink in uncontrolled environments such as holding a keg party in the woods instead of going to a bar and learning to respect beer in public. (By the way, there is research supporting my argument)

An 18-year-old can marry, hold a job, carry a mortgage, go to prison, face capital punishment, fight or die for his/her country…But God forbid if they drink a beer!