What you said about Red Hook/InBud makes sense. I guess it’s just another example of quantity not always being better than quality.

Speaking of Moon, it isn’t that I dislike him. I obviously don’t even know him. He is a very insightful writer and I like his style. I just didn’t care much for his commments about the Mountain State and it’s people. I may try to find a copy of “Blue Highways” and re-read it, though. I read it when it first came out, so it’s been quite a while. I’m sure that when he wrote it he was still pissed over losing his teaching position and his packing up and leaving, and that will leave a bitter taste in one’s mouth for while. Been there, done that, and even though I was the one who wanted the divorce, it still sucks and takes some time to get over. Again, to be fair, I’ll try to re-read it and be more objective.

Yes, the Blue Highways WV parts always irked me too.

As for Red Hook, the way I had it explained to me years ago was the distribution deal with InBud necessitated them increasing production beyond the point where they could maintain the original quality level. I don’t know if that’s true, just what I heard. It still makes good beer, I’ve just grown out of it. Still, I’ll stand up for the Black Hook as my favorite of theirs. Of course, nothing beats the E.Fitz. - best porter in America, closely followed by Sierra Nevada, Rogue, and Anchor. Shame you didn’t get some Anchor porters from Mo’town as well. Tasty stuff.

As for other InBud/craft distribution deals, it’s seemed to work out for Goose Island but not so well for Old Dominion. Well, it may be working out for OD too, but it’s hurt a number of other Virginia craft brewers. OD has dropped all of it’s contract brewing and as a result, a couple of really good beers are not being made - Tupper’s Hop Pocket, for example. That well and truly sucks.

Speaking of Anchor, I have to give a nod of thanks and appreciation here to my step-daughter, Sara, for bringing me some Steam and some Liberty Ale fron Morgantown when she came home for Christmas. (She knows of my love of them and the fact that we can’t seem to get them here in the Kanawha Valley these days.)

I haven’t tried Blonde and haven’t even seen their IPA. The ESB on tap was better the bottled version, but I still like ESB, though not as well as Great Lakes Moon Dog ESB.

It’s my understanding the Red Hook/AB realtionship is for distribution only. Do you know something more about it?

William Least Heat Moon–I haven’t read anything by him since “Blue Highways-A Journey Into America.” His views of WV and his descriptions of the good citizens of Sutton pissed me off mightily. I’ll google that piece and read it, though.

I appreciate your comments. Thanks!

@Mike: Red Hook used to be one of my favorites. Back in the dark ages of 1990-91 it was about as crafty as beer got in the 304. It was also prominently featured in the classic William Least-Heat Moon feature “A Glass of Handmade” which ran in the Atlantic Monthly in 1986 or so (Google it; it’s well worth a read today.)

Today I find Red Hook’s products a bit bland but that’s likely more a function of my tastes expanding and not anything the brewery did, them getting into bed with A-B notwithstanding. (See also Goose Island and Old Dominion for craft/A-B partnerships). Unlike you, I find the Black Hook to be their best, the IPA decent, and the Blonde and ESBs to be merely okay. That sour aftertaste you mentioned can be a problem, especially if the bottle is old. Thankfully, Red Hook prominently embosses its best-by date on each. Get some that aren’t stale and give it another try.

She got one at a WV Power game last summer, took a couple of sips, and went back for an Amberbock. Still not the best, but at least it has a little bit of taste.

Rich–have you tried Red Hook ESB? I had never heard of it until this past summer. I had it (draft) in North Carolina and it was pretty good. A couple of weeks later I found it in bottles at Kroger. If you haven’t tried it, give it a shot. It’s pretty decent. (I don’t care much for RH’s Black Hook Porter, though. It has, to me anyway, a very sour aftertaste.)

Keep up the great work!

As for the article in Men’s Health, I dont think most of those writers would recognize a good beer if it was standing behind them in the mirror at the gym…

By using that logical progession, Mich Ultra is even better, but water is the only thing you should really be drinking.

Not everything we do has to make sense, healthwise or any other. If that were the case, ice cream would have never been invented. There is a “right time” and place for every beer in the world, just as there is a time for pushing yourself away from the dinner table or going to the gym to workout or pose, whatever turns you on.

On a related note, my wife recently pointed out to me an online article from Men’s Health that named the nation’s ten un-healthiest drinks. Good ‘ol SN Pale Ale was named the unhealthies beer (calories). The article went on to say that one should instead have a Guiness, due to the fact as rich as it tastes, it has about the same claorie count as some macro light beer and therefore is healthier for you.

Don’t get me wrong–Guiness has it’s place. But, when I want a SNPA, Guiness just doesn’t cut it!

The Sierra Anniversary was probably the best in ‘08. It’s a damn shame we can’t get the barely over the limit SN Celebration (6.2% this year), but having the Anniversary kinda makes up for it. Kinda.