beers of conviction

A Bell’s beer by any other name is probably still a Bell’s beer, right?

That’s why there’s excitement in Chicago that Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Mich., plans to start selling three brands of Kalamazoo beer in Illinois.

Rumors that this would happen have appeared on several Internet discussion boards (I first read it in the Beer Mapping Project forums) but a story in Crain’s makes it quite official.

The basics:

– Bell’s left Illinois last year after a dispute with National Wine & Spirits Inc., a distributor.

– Brewery founder Larry Bells says he is finalizing contracts with two distributors to bring beer branded as “Kalamazoo” to a few bars and restaurants. Each bottle will have a label reading: “Brewed especially for the people of the great state of Illinois.” And just to be clear, the labels state the beer is brewed at Bell’s Brewery, which used to be known at Kalamazoo Brewing.

– Bells says officials NWS have told him they will sue to stop the sale of Kalamazoo beers in Chicago.

“I think it will be a very interesting court case,” Bell told Crain’s.

My guess is that if Bell succeeds you’ll be able to walk into a bar, order “Two Hearted Ale” and get a classic American IPA without a bartender even asking “Did you mean Kalamazoo IPA?”

Hey, I think this barrel-aged beer thing has some traction. Festivals earlier this month in Chicago and the Bay Area and judging that accompanied them give us a shopping list . . . of sorts. Looking for these beers, many of which are sold only on draft and all of which are packaged in small amounts, feels a little like chasing ghosts.

You’ll find the results of the 5th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer here. And West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Festival here.

The Chicago festival attracted 80 beers from 29 different breweries, representing 10 states.

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Chicago won BOS for the second straight year (and third time in five years) with Clare’s Thirsty Ale, an Imperial Stout aged nine months on raspberries in a bourbon barrel. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery won runner-up BOS again. This time with Wooden Hell, an English-style barley wine aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel.

New Belgium Brewing swept the wild ales category, with La Foile capturing the gold. La Foile also won gold in California.

Old Woody Barleywine from Schooner’s Brewery won BOS in California, followed by two beers from Lost Abbey. “It was so tough, I don’t think we’ll have judging next year, just a people’s choice,” Bistro owner Vic Kralj said told Bill Brand.

Firestone Walker Fine Ales won the People’s Award with Parabola Imperial Oatmeal Stout, one of the components in Firestone 10 released last year and in the soon-to-be-released Firestone 11.

Two other beers brewed for blending &#151 called Rufus and Bravo; isn’t it a little strange they come up with cool names for the parts and rather plain ones for the final beers? &#151 won medals in Chicago. I think those two will also be part of Firestone 11.

Details about that soon. I promise.

The easiest way to understand how malt and barley proved over several millennia that they are the best grains for brewing is to drink a gluten-free beer (no barley, wheat or rye).

That sounds harsh, but it’s hard to imagine choosing to drink a beer brewed for the gluten intolerant, most often celiacs, unless you have to. Maybe our brains must register the flavors of barley or wheat before they can think “hmmm . . . beer.”

But what if you grew up in sub-Saharan Africa, where sorghum and millet are more commonly used in brewing? Then you might feel the same way about what we consider traditional beers.

That’s why I really don’t understand seeing these beers “scored” against our standards at the beer rating sites. Part of the reason, of course, is that more smaller breweries are offering them, and therefore they get classified as “craft” and that means they are supposed to be judged to a special flavor profile.

Instead consider them an acquired taste. The slightly astringent, sometimes cidery, thumbprint of sorghum becomes part of their flavor profile. And despite how unappetizing that may sound brewers are finding different ways to produce an alternative for those who are gluten intolerant, want to drink alcoholic products and don’t want to drink wine.

(Just to be clear, being gluten intolerant is not like finding yourself a little stuffed up because you are mildly allergic to yeast. Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that causes stomach cramps and digestive problems and can lead to other serious health risks.)

Now a few examples:

– The easiest to find and the easiest to drink is Anheuser-Busch Redbridge, introduced not quite a year ago. It won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the new gluten-free category and deserved it. It knocks the rough edges off the sorghum profile better than any other beer, with some toasty sweet character.

– Merchant du Vin began importing three of the various gluten-free beers that Green’s in the UK has commissioned. All three of these are brewed at DeProef in Belgium, with Quest called a tripel and Endeavor a dubbel. Both have the bright esters you’d expect from the styles, a bit of perfume and certainly candy sweetness. (In the case of Quest, which is 8.5% abv, the alcohol is also pretty apparent.) Quest is spicier, while Endeavor has more fruit and caramel. Both exhibit what a beer judge friend of my calls “extract tang” that’s more noticeable at the start than after a few sips.

– Sprecher Brewing in Milwaukee has taken another approach with Shakparo Ale and Mbege Ale. They were first brewed for Milwaukee’s African World Festival and thus styled to be African. Mbege is made with bananas as well as sorghum and millet. I haven’t had it. Sprecher brought Shakparo, made with sorghum and millet to the GABF, where it won a bronze medal. It’s fruity, with some cider characteristics that seem more integrated than in other sorghum beers.

Depending on whose numbers you look at, there are between one and three million celiacs in the United States. Breweries aren’t making these beers as a public service, but it feels more like serving a community than exploiting one. According to Information Resources Inc., A-B sold about 21,000 cases in supermarkets in the first half of 2007, less than Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus and not even 5% of Miller Chill sales.

That’s why I would call these “beers of conviction.” A few months ago I began using that term and even created a category to file posts under. Perhaps I should further define what that means, but for now I know one when I see one. And these beers brewed for those who can’t enjoy barley or wheat qualify.

Apologies, because I really don’t plan to make this site all Southampton-Pabst all the time. But since the question was asked and I obviously did not make it clear before . . .

Strategic alliance means just that. Pabst did not buy Southampton Brewing or an portion of the company. Southampton owner Donald Sullivan explained via e-mail:

“Pabst has not bought any percentage of SHB. Southampton stays independent. The strategic alignment is affording SHB a well established distribution network with full sales and marketing and marketing support while allowing PBC to begin to offer it’s distributors a specialty brand that has legitimacy in terms of quality and reputation.

“SHB receives economies of scale with market penetration equal to most or all of regional/national competitors while PBC is able to access and offer the myriad of styles available through the SHB license agreement.”

Tomorrow will focus on actual beer, not business. Hope that’s not an empty promise (because I don’t have a clue what it might be about).