Cans are in Vogue in the Craft Beer World

From Bottles to Cans

Since the conception of this blog in early September I have had the opportunity to savor many a'good brews. Some of the craft beers I've enjoyed were poured from draught at local breweries and bars. Many others were bottled beers and ales bought from Happy's Wine and Spirits and HyVee. Thursday evening marked the occasion of the first canned craft beer I've purchased.

Cans are on the rise in the beer industry especially in smaller craft beer businesses. Cans vs. bottles has been a debate for years. In the past consumers viewed cans as containers for cheap generic beer and that bottles held the higher end craft beers. And in the past this made sense. Before canned technology reached the point it's at today bottles were better at preserving the integrity of the beer's flavor. There was also a perception of sophistication that came with drinking out of a bottle. The heftiness and solidity of the bottle in your hand made you feel what you were drinking was good quality. However the only thing in this world that is consistent is change and the beer industry is no exception. Cans are now made with better quality than in the past and are superior than bottles at preserving the flavor of the beer.

Perks of a can

Cans protect the beer from sunlight and air, both of which can damage the integrity of the beer's flavor. Nothing is worse than drinking a bottle of skunky beer after it's been sitting in the sun too long. Cans also have the advantage of being lightweight, don't break as easily, and are easier to stock than bottles. You can take cans with you to places bottles would be less ideal for such as hiking, biking, golfing, etc.

Canning beer is not only better for the consumers but also for the producers. Cans are cheaper to produce than bottled beer. Being more lightweight also means fewer trips for beer companies to make during distribution. For a business, if it makes money it makes sense.

Jumping on the Canned-wagon

Image from Mike on Flickr

Samuel Adams has even jumped on the 'canned-wagon'. Sam Adams designed a new can over the past two years and spent over a million dollars doing so. The one million dollar can has new features to enhance the drinking experience. You can read about the Sam Can on their blog.

1. a wider lid provides more airflow resulting in a slightly smoother taste
2. the opening is slightly further from the edge of the lid, making the opening closer to your nose and allowing more of the beer aroma to reach your nose
3. an extending lip places beer at the front of your palate
4. an hourglass ridge creates turbulence which pushes flavor out of the beer 

Beer Review

The Big Wood Bark Bite was a wonderful IPA purchased from Happy's Wine and Spirits. I didn't pour it into a glass to see how it looked, but the flavor said it all. The Bark Bite had a magnificent piney hop flavor with a fresh citrus undernote. At a refrigerated temperature the IPA was smooth and refreshing and left a lingering citrus flavor on the tongue with each sip. A great beer for you hop lovers. And my consensus on canned beer is that it is just as good, and dare I say better than bottled beer. Though I will miss the bottle tops and the weight and feel of the bottle in my hand.  

Microbrews at Broad St. Brewery in Reinbeck, IA

After weeks of trying to find the time and a ride out to Reinbeck, I finally succeeded. Every Sunday morning my close friend, Jon, and I meet for coffee and chess (and other occasional strategy games). This particular Sunday I requested that we visit the Broad St. Brewery in Reinbeck instead of our usual coffee shop. It would be a refreshing change from our predictable Sunday plans. Jon agreed with enthusiasm and we made the 26 minute trek from Cedar Falls to Reinbeck.

Ignore the first 2 steps as they pertain to my specific address. (now that my address is revealed, please no stalkers or paparazzi.)

Broad St. is a small brewery that adds character to the small town of Reinbeck. The moment you step through the door you feel a sense of coziness and community. Three sets of tables and wooden benches line the  right side of the wall. A handful of bar stools stand neatly at the bar counter, and behind the counter hangs the board naming all the current brews on tap. The last brew on tap, the Sticky Wicket, happens to be a guest brew at Singlespeed at the moment, so if you're interested in trying a taste of Broad St.'s microbrews you can head down to the Cedar Falls' Main St. and try a glass. The Sticky Wicket is a smooth light flavored IPA with a good balance of hoppiness and an ABV of 6.5% if my memory serves me right. 

Jon and I sat at the middle table and set up our chess board and bought a paddle to sample each microbrew. Billy Joel songs played in the background from the record player up at the bar counter. A few other men from town came in as well and sat up at the bar chatting among them-selves. The sense of community in the brewery was strong, especially when one of the men at the bar asked Jon and I if we'd like to try some of his homemade fried green tomato slices he brought in. In a bigger city no one would would have talked to us let alone offer us homemade food. (The fried tomatoes were still hot and quite delicious.) 

Broad St. Brewery is a nice little get away from the cities and offers a unique selection of microbrews. From the sample paddle I noticed that most of the beers had a sweetness to them. Not something I'm entirely accustomed to, but an interesting change of pace. The Black Porter and Sticky Wicket were my favorites on the paddle, but also of notice was their Oktoberfest, and the wheat beer though it's name eludes me. 

For you beer enthusiasts out there who like to go brewery hopping I want to encourage you not to miss this brewery. It may be in a small town but the beers have big flavor. 

Happy's Wine and Spirit's Has it All

My first encounter with the name Happy's Wine and Spirits was a "coming soon" sign with their name on it located on University Ave in Cedar Falls. If I remember correctly I was driving at the time which means I saw their sign last spring. (The story of why I'm not driving now might be presented in a future blog post.) I remember thinking it was interesting that they were opening just across the parking lot from HyVee Wine and Spirits. Though as a business major I know that's a good tactic. Being close to your competitor allows you both to benefit from the increased customer traffic that comes to the area for their weekend drinks.

This fall I finally traveled past Happy's and saw they were open for business. If I had my own car I probably would have stopped in earlier this fall to check it out. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that the next impression I received was a tweet Happy's posted about the Riding the Lion ale from Clown Shoes. I remember seeing the picture of that beer and reading the description and wanting it so badly. Unfortunately it wasn't until two weeks later that I finally procured a ride from a friend to take me out there to buy this outstanding looking beer. I fancy myself as an entertainer and artist and instantly was drawn to the brand name Clown Shoes and the fantastic bottle art that wrapped around it. The description of Riding the Lion goes as such;

Descended from a notorious clan of Scottish lore, head brewer Dan Lipke Channeled the Tartan tapestry encoded in his DNA to create a formidable Wee Heavy. The beer has been aged one hundred percent in fresh bourbon barrels. Ask yourself, "Who needs a reason to ride the lion?"   

A wonderful sounding beer if you ask me. I can't review the flavor yet because I'm waiting for the right moment to savor such a beauty. The first thing that struck me as I walked into Happy's Wine and Spirits was the vast and eclectic selection of drinks. They had the best selection of craft beer I've yet seen in Cedar Falls (sorry HyVee). Plus much more besides, though I didn't get the chance to wander the entire store so I can't be too specific as to their wares. You'll just have to visit and see for yourself.

For my first visit I scooped up a 6 pack of Stone Pale Ale, Ride the Lion, and Prairie's Pirate Bomb. The Pirate Bomb, at 14% alcohol by volume, I'm expecting to pack quite the punch. A cannon blast in a bottle. The Stone Pale Ale is on the smoother more conservative side of the IPA flavor spectrum but with a solid hoppy note. Though the craft beers ran a premium price, I can't say I've been much happier as far as purchasing decisions. If you're looking to buy a great tasting beer to enjoy back at home, I think Happy's Wine and Spirits will have what you're looking for.

Drinking Means Responsibility

Before this weekend approaches, I want to take this time to write about the responsibilities of drinking. For most college students the weekend is a time to cut loose and let off some steam after a hard stressful week of lectures and homework. Every weekend Cedar Falls Main St. and College Hill are packed with young adults looking to have a good time. As much fun as having a few drinks with your friends can be, a good night can quickly turn into a nightmare. There are certain ways to minimize the risks of going out and drinking.

• Have a designated driver
  If you and you're friends are driving somewhere to drink it is always a good idea to have a designated driver to get everyone home safely. I know some people think it's not cool to be sober while their friends seem to be having such a fun time drinking, but one night of sacrifice and staying sober is better than the consequences of drinking and driving. Besides, sometimes it's more fun to stay sober and watch the stupid shit your friends do while they're drunk. 
• Give up your keys
  If you go out to drink at a friends house, give your keys to a friend you trust. A fun night at a friends house can go from a night of revelry to a night in jail if you decide to drive home afterwards. And its a good idea to give up your keys right away because you might forget later after the alcohol has already impaired your judgement. 
• Have a taxi cab's business card in your wallet or purse
  Already had a couple drinks and you don't have a sober friend who can drive? Having a business card of a taxi service will solve any of those issues. 
• Keep a 1:1 ratio of alcoholic drinks to glasses of water
  This ratio won't prevent you from having a good time, and will make you feel so much better waking up the next morning. 

A few years ago when I first headed off for college, my dad gave me his advice about drinking.

1. it's better to go to a party than to host a party
2. if you host a party, lock up the power tools
3. don't let drunk people sleep in your bed. (you don't want anyone puking on it)

So with this advice in mind, go out and have a good time but remember to drink responsibly. 

Is Craft Beer Just a Perception?

Recent years has seen a cultural shift from mass produced generic beer to craft beers. Millennials have gravitated towards products that are labeled as "authentic", "craft", and "local". This cultural shift can be seen in the beer industry as well as coffee and other various consumer products. And since this rising trend started, large corporations have attempted to jump on the bandwagon and penetrate this growing market. Passionate consumers are in a rage that large corporations are taking words like "bespoke", "craft", and "artisan" and slapping them on their products in an attempt to appeal to this new wave of consumers. This is damn near sacrilege to most consumers looking for a true authentic product. How dare corporate giants claim to be "artisan" when they clearly do not put personal care into each individual batch of products using only the highest ingredients. How many words are going to be bastardized and mutilated by corporations just to earn a quick profit? Hamilton Nolan's article makes a good point on the marketing extortion of the word "bespoke".

But why can corporations get away with this? In all honesty I believe it's because of the hazy definitions of these words. Or at the very least companies can make an argument that their products fall into these "artisan" and "craft" categories because of their new unusual flavors or extra ingredients not added to past products.

flickr image by Mike

So how does this affect the beer industry and how is a beer defined as a "craft beer"? According to the Brewers Association craft beer is defined by 3 attributions; small, independent, and traditional.

Small
Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorship.

Independent 
Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional
A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

But are these requirements really necessary to be a craft brew, or have we deviated from the traditional meaning of the word craft? The word craft is of Germanic origin and means "an activity involving skill in making things by hand", among other definitions. How do we judge how much skill is necessary during the beer making process to brand the beer as craft? No one can really say because it's so subjective. But I'd say the entire beer making process takes skill and knowledge. I wouldn't be able to read a book about the brewing process go home that night and make a good batch of beer.

Certain advertised craft beers such as Blue Moon and Shock Top are not actually craft as defined by the Brewers Association because their parent companies, MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch respectively, are too large to fulfill the small size requirement. But the size of the company doesn't detract from the quality their beer. Tom Long, the CEO of MillerCoors, stated in an opinion piece to CNN "We respect the fact that some of our fellow brewers would want to differentiate themselves, but we're convinced that the ultimate assessment of our beers will not come from an industry organization, but instead from America's beer drinkers." I agree and believe that the size of the company shouldn't dictate if a beer is craft.

So what about being independent? Every beer is produced to have a specific quality to it whether it's a light beer, dark beer, ale, porter or IPA. The process of brewing is a craft in and of itself, so I believe that anyone who brews regardless of being independent can produce craft beers. So with all these requirements thrown out the window and by the definition of craft every beer is technically a craft beer. But what makes certain beers more special? PERCEPTION. "Craft beer" is a perception held in the mind of consumers and nothing more.

A List of Iowa Breweries

Gov. Chet Culver passed a law in 2010 allowing Iowa breweries to brew beers with a limit of up to 12% alcohol by weight (15.2% alcohol by volume). Before the passing of this law, the maximum limit was only 6%ABW. The old law stifled creativity and growth in the brewing industry and put Iowa at a disadvantage. Since 2010 and the amending of this law the number of Iowa breweries has more than doubled and more keep popping up across the state. And not only are more beers being brewed, but Iowa is receiving national attention for it's quality beers.

Award winning home-brewer and certified beer judge, J. Wilson, traveled across Iowa visiting every brewery and upcoming brewery and compiled a comprehensive list in his book aptly named Iowa Pints. This book contains a map of Iowa showing all the locations of the breweries, their addresses, and a couple page description of every brewery. There is also a section on the basics of brewing to help educate readers about the brewing process, which I found to be very helpful. So for anyone planning on taking a trip across Iowa, brewery hopping, or just interested in beer, this is a must buy book.