beers of conviction

Eric Asimov prepares us: “My column in Wednesday’s paper is on American extreme beers, a topic that I think is fascinating whether you’re a beer drinker or not.”

We’ll find out more tomorrow, including what beers the New York Times panelists liked. (Here’s the link, and you must check out the photo.)

The place for comment then will be Asimov’s blog. As I type there is but one comment, from the constantly entertaining Fredric Koeppel, but this is a topic that should generate scores more.

How many do you think? 50? 100?

I’ll be content to sit back and read. We’ve already talked this to death in the beer blogosphere.

But words from Koeppel, Asimov and Michael Jackson nicely frame what will surely follow tomorrow.

From Koeppel: “In beer, wine and food, the elements of balance, harmony and integrity mean everything.”

From Jackson (in the introduction to Beer-Eyewitness Companions): “Tomorrow’s classics will evolve from a new breed of American brews that are categorized by their admirers as ‘Extreme Beers.’ These are the most intense-tasting beers ever produced anywhere in the world.”

And from Asimov (after all, it is his blog): “Beauty often springs from the creative dynamic between the Old and New Worlds, in which the tension between tradition and liberation holds it all together.”

(The photo at the top is believed to document the first pouring of a pre-Prohibition Double IPA, brewed with twice the flaked maize of a traditional pre-pro beer and four times the amount of Cluster hops.)

A while back I asked why breweries put some of their strongest beers in bigger bottles. Yes, they are nice to share with a friends, but sometimes you don’t want 750ml of a 12% beer.

Additionally, smaller bottles can sell for less (even if the per ounce price goes up because we still have to pay for glass).

Enter Flying Dog’s Canis Major series for 2008, which will be available in two versions. One mixed four-pack features a 12-ounce bottle of each the Canis Major style. The second option is a mixed eight-pack of 7-ounce bottles, two of each style.

Flying Dog is in a unique position to do this because when it acquired the former Frederick Brewing facility in Maryland last year it also picked up a bottling line that can handle 7-ounce bottles. That’s because Frederick was brewing Little Kings — the cream ale in small green bottles familiar to those of us who grew up east of the Mississippi — under contract.

The Canis Major high gravity series includes Gonzo Imperial Porter, Horn Dog Barley Wine, Double Dog Double Pale Ale and a new beer, Cerberus Tripel.

These beers are not outlandishly strong, but each qualifies as a nightcap, when you might prefer to sip from a snifter.

As well as adding the tripel to its lineup in 2008, Flying Dog is making “Garde Dog” Biere de Garde its spring release. When these two are available I’ll try to post drinking notes, perhaps at Brew Like a Monk.

It wasn’t two years ago that Allagash Brewing founder Rob Tod returned from a trip to Belgium with other American brewers and talked about the fermenting beers under the influence of wild yeast:

“I am inspired to maybe try it some time, but these beers really seem like an art that takes years to master. I don’t know if Allagash can afford to focus on them enough to do them justice. We have enough on our plate as it is.”

Sometimes you can’t help yourself. Check out this video at YouTube:

Allagash built a separate coolship (“koolschip”) facility at its Portland, Maine, brewery. Head brewer Jason Perkins supervised the first brew to go into the flat, open fermenter late in November and begin spontaneous fermentation. A film crew was on hand to capture history in progress.

Perkins called it “an epic event.” No kidding.

“A lot of the stuff we are doing today really goes against most modern brewing techniques,” he said.

Miller Brewing plans to test market three “craft-style” beers lower in calories and carbohydrates than beers described as “craft.”

The Miller Lite Brewers Collection, &#151 a blonde ale, an amber and a wheat &#151 will begin testing in February in Baltimore, Charlotte, Minneapolis and San Diego.

Jack Curtin doesn’t think much of the idea.

If you been slowly accepting the delusion that the Biggies had gotten the point, Miller comes through with the evidence to the contrary.

“Craft-style” beer. I love it.

I understand Jack’s point, but I was already wondering why so many beer drinkers assume that “light” and “full flavored” are exclusive. I started thinking about this last weekend when a former Pabst brewer explained to me how, when light beer was pretty new, they came up with a time-consuming process in order to lower calories but maintain the alcohol level (and thus flavor).

Full-calorie beers (Budweiser, Miller High Life, Pabst) have been squeezed what seems to be forever by specialty beers (imports and “craft”) on one side and low-calorie beers on the other. Perhaps strategists at Miller looked at this and thought, “ahha.” Brew Blog explains:

Miller Lite Brewers Collection is aimed at mainstream light beer drinkers and capitalizes on three beer industry trends: the growth of light beer; the growing popularity of craft beer; and consumers’ growing willingness to pay more for products that deliver a unique or better experience.

I understand that you are skeptical about Miller delivering a better experience. I’m reserving judgment myself, but it surely is possible.

Amber? Think of British bitters, less than 4% abv and full of flavor. Of course, they’re best on cask, something more easily done in a brewpub than an airport bar. And better bottle conditioned (unfiltered and unpasteurized), which probably isn’t part of Miller’s plan.

Blonde? Since Miller is spelling it with an “e” consider Chimay Doree from the French speaking part of Belgian. I figure the 4.6% beer brewed for the monks themselves has about 130 calories (just a little more than Samuel Adams light).

Wheat? How about a Berliner Weiss?

Nope, light beer doesn’t have to suck.