The 6th annual Hard Liver Barleywine Fest took place — as it has for the past four years — at Brouwer’s Cafe at the corner of 35th and Phinney in Seattle, Washington. There were 45 barley wines on tap and the place was packed from the time it opened at eleven until I left around five o’clock. With so many tasty treats, the Hard Liver was certainly hard on your own liver.

The packed crowd at Brouwer’s enjoying barley wines from the second-floor balcony.

Festivals hosts Matt Bonney and Matt Vandenberghe, co-owners of Brouwer’s Cafe.

For many more photos from this year’s Hard Liver Barleywine Fest, visit the photo gallery.
 

Here are the results from the 2008 Hard Liver Barleywine Fest in held at Brouwer’s Cafe in Seattle, Washington:

• 1st Place: Mirror, Mirror ’07; Deschutes Brewing
• 2nd Place: Big Nugget ’06; Alaskan Brewing
• 3rd Place: Bigfoot ’07; Sierra Nevada Brewing

Congratulations to all the winners.
 

Dan Gordon, of Gordon Biersch Brewing in San Jose, California, has just released their newest seasonal beer, an authentic unfiltered Dunkleweizen.

He stopped by the Celebrator offices the afternoon before we scheduled our most recent blind panel tasting for the April/May issue with beer in hand so we could taste the new beer.

It’s an unfiltered authentic Bavarian-style dunkleweizen, delightfully dark and murky. When first poured, it had that wonderful pillowy head that juts out above the top of the glass with a small dimple in the center. It tasted great and makes the case against too much filtering, because so much more of the flavors come through. It would be terrific with hearty dishes, say German cooking. This will be Gordon Biersch’s spring seasonal and will be the first of a program of four seasonal beers per year. It’s one of the best new beers they’ve made in a long time, though Gordon explains it’s been one of his favorites for a number of years. He used to make a draft-only version from time to time before deciding to package as Gordon Biersch transitions to four seasonals per year. It’s easy to see why he loves it. Having spent a little over a week in Bavaria last fall, I enjoyed this style in a variety of circumstances, and oftentimes dunkleweizens are filtered for bottling. That this delicious beer isn’t makes it one of the more exciting new releases in a while.

After our historical walk through Philadelphia, we went to a decidedly more modern destination: Triumph Brewing’s Philadelphia brewpub location. Originally started in Princeton, New Jersey and named for the owner’s triumph over the state’s arcane laws prohibiting brewpubs that allowed them to begin brewing in the first place, their third location is the one we visited.

For more photos from my visit to the Triumph Brewpub in Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery.
 

Day two of my Philly Beer Week trip began with a walking tour of the Old City part of town with beer historian Richard Wagner, who runs the fabulous Pennsylvania Brewery Historians website. He took us around to places with historical significance, both beerwise and otherwise.

The Liberty Bell, with Independence Hall across the street through the window.

The Man Full of Troubles Tavern, built in 1759 and the earliest colonial pub still standing.

For more photos from my historical walking tour of Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery.
 

Lucky number thirteen, the beginning of year two of the Sessions. This time around our host, Chris O’Brien, the Beer Activist, chose a topic near and dear to his heart, organic beer. It’s one I’m fairly familiar with as well. I wrote a feature story on green breweries for All About Beer magazine in January of this year that covered both organic beer and the green ways in which breweries operate. As I’ve been traveling a lot the last few weeks, my session post is a bit of a rehash, let’s call it recycled. That’s more green.

The USDA does not do the certification process directly, but rather they have “deputized” independent certifying agents, which in some cases do include the former state certifying agencies. Currently, there are about sixty such agencies. Among these are the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and the Oregon Tilth. In addition to the actual certifying, they also investigate noncompliance complaints and check records, monitor label usage, etc. There are now essentially four levels of organic labeling: “100% organic,” “organic,“ “made with organic materials,” and “some organic ingredients.” The differences in these four are listed in the table below:

Organic Labeling Differences
 

While this is undoubtedly a good step, the fact that there are four of these and they sound so similar it seems to me this is still confusing for consumers, especially the casual consumer who is not likely to be familiar with the precise differences. The “made with organic ingredients” designation, for example — which only requires 70% of its ingredients to actually be organic — seems to convey a false impression of how organic the product really is, at least in my opinion. A company could use 30% of complete crap and still make a consumer believe their purchase is organically sound. This undermines the very idea of organic products. It seems to me products should either be organic or not. This slippery slope of degrees is bound to cause nothing but confusion and perhaps even ill will. The FDA has approved some sixty plus chemicals for use in the manufacture of beer. Are they all bad? Certainly not, and even craft brewers use some of them on occasion. But health and beer is all about perception. A brewery could theoreticaly use many of them and so long as it’s less than 30% of the total ingredients say their concoction is “made with organic ingredients.”

All beer is in effect natural, especially those that use only the four basic ingredients. This begs the question of how much better is organic beer vs. a typical craft beer? I’d say in the end it has to do with how it makes the customer feel on an emotional level. I think that’s true of almost all organic products. People buy them because it makes them feel good, like they’re doing something good, both for themselves, the environment and perhaps even society as a whole. They feel like they’re helping out small farmers. This is why the labeling is so important. And not just the organic designation but also the truthiness of the entire package. A customer should be able to feel good about what they’re buying, but if details are left out — no matter how legal it is to do so — then this damages the emotional response that is so central to buying organic.

This is the very reason big companies hide behind dba’s and buy up health food companies. Colgate recently bought Tom’s of Maine. Will that make Tom’s a bad product now? Probably not, unless Colgate takes over production and relaxes standards. But some people will likely still think twice about buying Tom’s knowing it’s just another product line in Colgate’s massive portfolio. It’s all a matter of what perception will be created in the mind of the consumer based on that new information and what the change of ownership means to them. Some may not care at all, of course. But what happens if this information is not disclosed on Tom’s packaging? At that point it goes beyond simple ignorance and becomes a calculated lie-by-omission.

There will almost certainly continue to be a market for organic and healthier products that maintain a small niche within the wider market. What will allow it to grow is directly proportional to the confidence that the market has for the products within the niche market. That’s the exact reason the labeling standards are so important. But doing the minimum required for purely business reasons in order to sell a product is just not enough. Common sense standards will also have to be adhered to as well in order to gain customer confidence. This will vary from company to company but makes sense in relation to the product. For example, an organic farmer who refrains from using pesticides but hires slave labor would not be adhering to a common sense standard, in my opinion.

By and large, I think the majority of organic beers available today do adhere to a good set of standards, both the mandated ones and the common sense ones. But as larger companies begin to compete for these niche markets, the line becomes blurred. Some will leave the smaller companies they’ve purchased alone and some will swallow them whole. New ones created within larger companies will suffer the same problems. And then who knows what will happen to common sense standards.

There’s a great series of charts on Michigan State’s website showing how many organic products of all stripes are currently owned by large corporations hedging their bets and trying to appear socially conscious.

Until very recently, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ingredients that organic companies were claiming weren’t available organically and, therefore, a non-organic substitute could be used. But there’s a difference between allowable and acceptable, and consumers supporting organic products precisely because they were better for the environment began complaining that the distinction was being blurred. By allowing goods to be called “organic” that contained non-organic ingredients it was creating confusion as to exactly what was being offered for sale. This consumer backlash forced the USDA to change their policy and limit the number of items that could be substituted and still be called organic. After a public debate, the number of ingredients that could be substituted was fixed at 38, with hops still on the list.

So when it comes to organic beer, hops have become the crux of the debate. There was a time when the only available organic malts were pale and crystal malts, but today almost any common malt is available organically. Organic hops, on the other hand, remain more elusive. Hops are a fragile crop, susceptible to many pests, fungi and mildew problems. Today virtually all hops are grown in just three states: Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Pesticides and fertilizers have greatly enhanced yields, and hop growers have developed varieties with better yields and that are disease resistant. Many of these varieties have become an integral part of beer’s wide array of styles. Certain hop varieties have become associated with specific styles, making it all but impossible to use a substitute and get the desired results. You may be able to make a pilsner without Saaz hops or an American pale ale without Cascades, but they won’t taste quite right.

Of the roughly fifty common hop varieties, only about one-fifth have shown the potential to be viable organic crops. Stephen Carpenter, great-great-grandson of the Yakima Valley’s first hop grower, tried unsuccessfully to grow the very popular Cascade hops organically. For many years, organic hops were available primarily from New Zealand, with as much as 80% of all organic hops grown by a single farmer, the Oldham family, on 25 acres.

Last year, Anheuser-Busch entered the organic market with two brands, Wild Hop Lager and Stone Mill Pale Ale. During the public debate on labeling, they were strongly criticized for not using 100% organic hops by misguided consumer groups who believed that if you are big enough and have enough money then it should be easy enough for you to get whatever you want, including organic hops. But the hops business doesn’t work like that. Hop growers are just beginning to come out of a decade-long down cycle that has seen many leave the business just as demand for hops is on the rise. By every account, there is a worldwide hop shortage that has no easy solutions. Unfortunately, A-B bowed to public pressure and announced their organic beers would be made with 100% organic hops. Even they’re unsure where a steady supply of hops is likely to come from. Thanks to A-B’s having been forced into this decision by consumer groups, small craft brewers who make organic beer may very well have a much tougher time finding organic hops and even staying in business because what hops may be available will be at least twice as expensive as conventionally grown varieties. According to Morgan Wolaver, founder of Wolaver’s Organic Ales, this is perhaps organic beer’s biggest challenge. “We need to find an answer to these crop issues, because the controversy will not simply go away. If a beer is made with 100% of the more expensive organic hops, will consumers be willing to spend another dollar per six-pack?”

So that’s my recycled three cents on organic beer, most of it written before today but in one place for the first time, so that should count for something.

 
Below is a list of many of the organic beers and beer producers available today.

Some Organic Beer Producers
 

Domestic Organic Breweries

• Bison Brewing; Berkeley, California
• Blackfoot River Brewing; Helena, Montana
• Butte Creek Brewing; Chico, California
• Eel River Brewing; Fortuna, California
• Elliott Bay Brewing; Seattle, Washington
• Fish Brewing; Olympia, Washington
• Laurelwood Brewing; Portland, Oregon
• North Coast Brewing; Fort Bragg, California
• Peak Organic Brewing; Burlington, Massachusetts
• Pisgah Brewing; Black Mountain, North Carolina
• Roots Organic Brewery; Portland, Oregon
• Wolaver’s Certified Organic Ales; Middlebury, Vermont
• Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing; Santa Cruz, California
• Ukiah Brewing; Ukiah, California

Domestic Organic Beers

• Big “O” Organic, Snake River Brewing; Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Biologique Dupont Beers (5), Brasserie Dupont; Tourpes, Belgium
• Kaya Organic Pale, Fitger’s Brewhouse; Duluth, Minnesota
• Kraftbräu Summer Moon Organic Ale, Kraftbräu Brewery; Kalamazoo, Michigan
• Mothership Wit, New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins, Colorado
• OGA (Organic Golden Ale), Lucky Labrador; Portland, Oregon
• Organic Amber, Bluegrass Brewing; Louisville, Kentucky
• Organic Bock, Big Horse Brewpub; Hood River, Oregon
• Organic ESB, Lakefront Brewery; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Organic Porter, Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn, New York
• Tree Hugger Organic IPA, Redfish New Orleans Brewhouse; Boulder, Colorado

Organic Breweries Abroad

• Arkell’s; Swindon, England
• Black Isle Brewery; Munlochy, Scotland
• Brauerei Pinkus Mueller; Munster, Germany
• Crannog Ales; Sorrento, BC, Canada
• Clarke’s Organic Brewery; Dewsbury, England
• Founders Organic Brewery; Nelson New Zealand
• Marble Beers; Manchester, England
• Mongozo Exotic Beers; Venray, Netherlands
• O’Hanlon’s Brewing; Devon, England
• Pacific Western Brewing; Burnaby, BC, Canada
• Pitfields Organic Brewery; London, England
• The 4 Elements; Richelbach, Germany
• Thisted Bryghus; Thisted, Denmark
• Waedenswiler Bierwelt; Wädenswil, Switzerland
• Wild Rose Brewery; Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Organic Beers Abroad

• Border Gold & Angel Lager, Broughtan Ales; Broughtan, Scotland
• Brakspear Organic Beer, Brakspear Brewery, Witney, England
• Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic-Bio, Brasserie Cantillon, Brussels, Belgium
• Duchy Originals Organic, Wychwood Brewery; Witney, England
• Eisenbahn Natural, Eisenbahn; Brazil
• Emerson’s Organic Pilsner, Emerson’s Brewery; Dunedin, New Zealand
• Golden Promise Organic, Caldonian Brewery; Edinburgh, Scotland
• Mill Street Original Organic Lager, Mill Street Brewery; Toronto, Canada
• Organic Ale, Brasserie Rancho El Paso; Hokkaido, Japan
• Organic Ale & Best Bitter, St. Peter’s Brewery; Suffolk, England
• Organic Beer Shinshu Sansan, Yo-Ho Brewing; Japan
• Organic Honeydew, Fuller’s; London, England
• Samuel Smith Organic Ale & Lager, Old Brewery at Tadcaster; Yorkshire, England
• Yella Bella Organic Ale, Batemans Brewery; Wainfleet, England

Philly Beer Week begins today, and I got in last night along with several other beer writers. We began the evening at a beer dinner, courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, put on for us at Monk’s Cafe, before setting out for several other Philadelphia beer destinations.

Monk’s co-owner Tom Peters showing off his limited edition bottles of Cantillon Gueuze, with Stasha Ackerman, at a beer dinner last night.

For many more photos from the night before Philly Beer Week, visit the photo gallery.
 

The first beer dinner of spring in the Bay Area will feature Chuck Silva’s beers from Green Flash Brewing Co.. It will be a four-course dinner and well worth the $75 price of admission. It will be held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel on Friday, March 21, 2008, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Call 415.674.3406 for reservations by March 18. I’ll see you there.

The Menu:

Reception: 7:00 PM

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre

Beer: Extra Pale Ale

Dinner: 7:30 PM

First Course

Roasted Corn Coulis with Dungeness Crab, Avocado and Cilantro Cream

Beer: West Coast IPA

Second Course:

Crispy Pork Belly with Willey Farms Bloomsdale Spinach, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Relish of Poached Pear

Beer: Trippel

Third Course:

Ravioli of Osso Buco with Laughing Bird Shrimp, Baby Artichoke and Citrus Beurre Blanc

Beer: Le Freak

Fourth Course:

Guittard Chocolate Cake with Sichuan Peppercorn Ice Cream and California Raisin Syrup

Beer: Grand Cru

Green Flash brewer Chuck Silva at last year’s Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza.

 
3.21

Dinner with the Brewmaster: Green Flash Brewery

Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
415.674.3406 [ website ]
 

A few months back I got an e-mail from a Canadian beer salesman, Dave Gardner, who works for Yukon Brewing in Whitehorse. He got my name from Don “Joe Sixpack” Russell, who suggested to him that I might like the new Hawaiian shirt he designed with his friend, and partner, Steve Lozar, who owns the Montana Brewing Heritage Museum. I currently have about thirty beer-themed Hawaiian shirts, enough that it’s become difficult to find new ones that are significantly different the the ones I already have in my wardrobe.

Gardner wanted to find a cool beer shirt to wear on sales calls and at beer events, but wasn’t able to find just the right look for what he wanted. So instead he made his own. His wife Erin did the art and they had the fabric made, which is being used to make several hundred shirts, most of which are already spoken for.

It’s a beautiful design in my opinion, and not at all gaudy (which some aloha shirts can be). It’s just a simple black background with a gray abstract hop flower and wheat or barley stalk. On top of that are green hop plants and tan wheat or barley designs. You’d only know for certain that it’s a beer shirt if you know the ingredients. For most of us it’s quite obvious, but for many non-beer people I imagine it just looks like nondescript tropical plants. I particularly like that aspect of the design, its relative subtlety.

There are apparently a few shirts left in most sizes, including larger sizes, available for a mere $30 plus shipping from Montana. If you’d like one of your own, call Total Screen Design in Montana at 406.883.9218 or Dave Gardner in Canada at 780.446.4856.

Me wearing my newest beer shirt at the Celebrator 20th Anniversary Party on February 17.

On the off chance that there’s someone in the universe who hasn’t discovered the wonderfully useful Beer Mapping Project, I’m picking it as my Website of the Month for March. And it’s not just because I’m an honorary Captain in the BMP Army (I keep wondering when my sword will arrive) nor is because the General, Jonathan Surratt, and his lovely wife Robin, are two of the nicest people I’ve met (yes, I’m coming to Great Taste of the Midwest … soon).

It’s really because Jonathan has taken what’s essentially a simple idea and done just a terrific job of making it incredibly useful. The Beer Mapping Project has taken Google’s offer of allowing free not-for-profit use of their Mapping API and created maps to beer destinations. I remember when he was just getting started and little by little new cities were being added, seemingly daily. Today there are maps in eleven countries around the world, all fifty U.S. states and dozens of cities, including our own San Francisco map. Each map includes breweries, brewpubs, beer bars, beer stores and homebrew shops. There are also reviews, a forum, a way to create your own beer trips, and much, much more. The Beer Mapping Project is without a doubt one of the killer apps of the online beer community.

This is my second pick for “Website of the Month,” which I started featuring on the right sidebar last month, because I get so many link requests, and because I have so many in my blogroll, I wanted to highlight the best ones I come across.