Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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GABF 2006: The Awards

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This year, 450 breweries entered 2402 in the competition for one of 207 possible medals in 69 categories. The average number of beers entered in each category was 35, with American-style IPAs again having the most with 94 submitted. The award ceremony is always an exciting time, the rough equivalent of the Oscars for the beer industry. Though it’s undoubtedly with much better beer and without the bother of having to wear a tuxedo or ball gown.

Rich Norgrove and Team Bear Republic from Healdsburg, California won four awards and the big award for Small Brewery Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year.

With Vinnie’s parents, Vince and Audre in attendance for the first time, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo frm Russian River Brewing won three medals, including a Gold Medal for Pliny the Elder.

Owner Brendan Moylan, brewer Shane, and head brewer Arne Johnson of Marin Brewing (one of my local haunts) in Larkspur, California took home another medal this year.
 

For many, many more photos from the GABF awards, visit the photo gallery.

Yakima Hop Warehouse Catches Fire

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On Monday, fire broke out in a warehouse storing baled hops owned by the S.S. Steiner company of Germany. The entire 40,000 square foot warehouse was engulfed in flames and its cause is not yet known. The impact of the fire, if any, on the global hop market is already being discussed among industry leaders.

According to the AP Story:

The United States produces 24 percent of the world’s hops, which are used to brew beer. The vast majority are grown in the Pacific Northwest, in particular central Washington’s Yakima Valley.

Steiner is one of the larger growers in the valley, said Ann George, administrator of the Washington Hops Commission, an industry marketing group funded by member fees.

“They handle a large volume of the crop, but they have multiple warehouses,” George said. “Depending on what variety or varieties were involved in this incident, if it was a variety that was already in short supply, that could have an impact on price and availability.”

UPDATE: CNN has done a follow-up to this story and it seems the hops destroyed in the Yakima fire represent 4% of the total U.S. supply, or about 2 million pounds of hops. The Yakima Herald-Republic has a more in-depth article, along with additional photos, too. According to the Yakima article, “[t]he 10,000 bales weighing about 200 pounds each, were probably worth between $1.75 and $2 per pound, based on average prices this year. That puts the fire’s monetary damage between $3.5 million and $4 million.”

GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic

Rolling Rock Sale Finalized

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While I was in Denver for GABF, the proposed sale between City Brewing of LaCrosse, Wisconsin was been finalized between them and InBev for the purchase of the Latrobe Brewery in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Over 150 union workers ratified a two-year contract. All that remains is an issue about increasing the amount of water available for the brewery and for dealing with the wastewater so that City Brewery can increase Latrobe’s capacity to two-million barrels annually. But the deal is done, and neither side is revealing the pricetag for the Latrobe Brewery. The brewery should re-open shortly, probably in the next few weeks, assuming the water issues are resolved quickly.

GABF: Saturday Night at Falling Rock

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Saturday was our last night to let loose, so naturally the only place to go was the Falling Rock for a last chance to see friends, hang out and drink some great beer.

Brendon Dobbel, of Thirsty Bear in San Francisco, California, and I wait patiently in line for another beer.

Nico Freccia, co-owner of 21st Amendment in San Francisco, California, and Mark Cabrera, with Firestone Walker Brewing in Paso Robles, California.

Dr. Bill hosted another of his magnificent private tastings downstairs at the Falling Rock.

While upstairs, a fantastic guitar player rocked the house.

And got Dave Buhler and his sister Sebbie out on the dance floor.

Me and Sebbie Buhler, who’s with Rogue Ales.

Out front at the end of the evening. From left: Josh Miner, Noah Regnery and Jeff Bagby, of Pizza Port – Carlsbad, Tomme Arthur, from The Lost Abbey, and Garrett Oliver, from Brooklyn Brewery.

My booth, with Tom Dalldorf, Celebrator publisher and Chris Black, co-owner of the Falling Rock across from me, with Stephen Beaumont out of sight to their left.

While next to me Michael Jackson and Carolyn Smagalski toasted with some rare beers Chris pulled out his cellar.

And Michael and I discussed films and books well into the night. Now I need to add the works of A.J. Liebling to my ever-growing reading list.

GABF 2006: Saturday Night

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Saturday night was another sold-out crowd for the fourth and final session of the 25th Great American Beer Festival.

From left: Ralph Olson, from HopUnion, Dave Keene, fom the Toronado in San Francisco, California, Natalie’s cousin Inga, Natalie Cilruzo, from Russian River Brewing, Chris Black, from the Falling Rock in Denver, Colorado, and Ralph Woodall, also from HopUnion.

Michael Jackson and fellow beer writer Carolyn Smagalski, who writes on BellaOnline.

Tom Peters, from Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Rob Tod, from Allagash in Portland, Maine.

For many more photos from Saturday Night at GABF, visit the photo gallery.

GABF Winners Announced

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The winner were announced for the 2006 Great American Beer Festival earlier today. California won a total of 39 medals, more than any other state. California brewers won 11 gold medals, 15 silver and 13 bronze. Next was Colorado with 28 medals followed by Wisconsin with 18. Oregon came in 4th with 14 medals and Washington was in 6th place with nine medals. The BA has a full list of the winners available.

Healdsburg, California’s Bear Republic Brewing won Brewery & Brewer of the Year in the Small Brewing Company category.

GABF: Sam Adams Media Brunch

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Each year, Boston beer Co. has a brunch for the media Saturday morning before the connoisseur tasting and GABF awards ceremony. Jim Koch certainly knows that if you want to get the media to show up, brunch at a nice restaurant will do the trick as his event is usually very well-attended and this year was no exception. Several years ago, Boston Beer sponsored a contest for homebrewers and then made commercial versions of the winning beers and sold them in six-packs under the brand name “Longshot” for a limited period of time. It was a pretty fun idea and I recall they sold reasonably well, at least at Beverages & more, when I worked there as the beer buyer for the chain.

So this year part of the hoopla of the event was Jim announcing the two winners from the five regional finals whose beer would be commercially made by the Boson Beer Co. The winners were Donald Oliver of Hilmar, California, who brewed an Old Ale, and Bruce Stott of East Harwich, Massachusetts, whose winning entry was a Dortmunder Export. The two grand prize winners will have two bottles each available in a sampler six-pack under the Longshot brand. The rest of the regional winners can be found on the Longshot website.

The third beer in the Longshot six-pack sampler will be a homebrew from a Boston Beer employee and the three finalists’ creations were available at the brunch for us to try and to vote for our favorite. There was a pale ale, a cherry stout and a boysenberry wheat. As aways, this was very enjoyable event.

After stuffing ourselves, clockwise from bottom left: me, Tom Dalldorf, Lew Bryson and Banjo from Real Beer.

Jim Koch fields questions after the winners of the Longshot contest are announced.

Daniel Bradford, of All About Beer, Jim Koch, Amy (also with All About Beer) and drinks writer Rick Lyke.

Jim Koch and me.

GABF 2006: Friday Night

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Friday night was the second of four sessions at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. They added another 40,000 square feet to the hall and sold out every session, which is 13,000 tickets times four or 52,000 vistors to the festival this year.

Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, California, giving me attitude.

Me and Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware along with their new alehouse location in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The girls of 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, California.

Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery and Vinnie Cilruzo of Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, California. Vinnie won a bronze medal for his Aud Blonde in the Golden or Blonde Ale category, which was named for his mother Audre who was in the audience along with his father Vince. Vinnie also won a silver medal for his Beatification in the Belgian-Style Sour Ale category and a gold medal for Pliny the Elder in the Imperial or Double India Pale Ale category.

For many more photos from Friday Night at GABF, visit the photo gallery.

GABF 2006: Thursday Night

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Thursday at 5:30 marked the beginning of the 25th Great American Beer Festival and my 14th festival in 15 years.

The entrance to the hall this year featured five endcaps each with five years worth of photographic memories from the previous 25 years of GABF. The brewers and media entrance was greeted by a bigger-than-life-size photo of me and Greg Koch from Stone Brewing. Apparently we were the face of 1997-2001. It was a little disconcerting seeing myself so large every time I entered the festival and I didn’t know my chins could get that big, but it was also very flattering and pretty cool.

Rich Norgrove of Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg, California. Rich won a bronze medal for Peter Brown Tribute Ale in the Brown Porter category, another Bronze for XP Pale Ale in the American-Style Pale Ale category, a Silver for Racer 5 in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category, another Silver for Apex Ale in the American-Style India Pale Ale category, and most importantly Rich was named Small Brewery Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year, a well-deserved honor. Congratulations, Rich!

For many more photos from Thursday Night at GABF, visit the photo gallery.

GABF: Wednesday Night at Falling Rock

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After the Brewers Reception, everybody adjourned, as usual, to the Falling Rock, unofficial HQ during festival week.

Falling Rock co-owner Chris Black jumped up on the bar to announce the evening’s festivities.

Chris showing off that he’s only having “one” beer all night.

Shaun O’Sullivan (21st Amendment), Judy Ashworth (Publican Emeritus) and Chris Black.

Jeremy Cowan (He’Brew) and Rich Norgrove (Bear Republic)

Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey, Port Brewing), Eric Rose (Santa Barbara Brewing) and Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River)

Self-portrait with Natalie Cilurzo and Judy Ashworth.

Melissa Myers samples Chris Black’s one beer.

Then passes it to me for a sip.

Me with Chris’ big glass (it has its own undertow).

Up against the wall with Stephen Beaumont and Judy Ashworth.

Pierre Celis was there tasting people on his new golden Grottenbier.

Of course, the Rolling Boil Blues Band rocked the house with Tom Dalldorf on guitar and John Harris from Full Sail on washboard.

The RB3 had them dancing on the tables.