Thursday, December 15, 2016

MB in PDX? XOXO!

Portland, Oregon is one of those cities you hear people speak wistfully of when they are talking about places they could live. (Portland, Maine, not so much). And it is a cool city, even though everyone moved there and the housing prices went crazy. Still a great place to visit, with a rich beer culture, foodies, hipsters, and galoshes. Lots of galoshes. And umbrellas. So while I'm happy in a sunnier state, I do love Portland. And now a New Mexican staple will be available there: Al Hurricane Jr. will be performing two shows daily at the PDX Hilton! And while you're waiting for the show, take the edge off with some Marble beer. On 12/14, Marble sent off pallets of Red, IPA, Pilsner, and Double White, as well as a few cases of Reserve Ale, as part of an agreement with Portland's Alebriated Distributing. Alebriated is one of the heavy hitters in the area, so expect to find Marble taps and package beer at all those good beer stores like Belmont, Station, Beer Mongers, Tin Bucket, etc. Under the deal, Marble will be sending beer to Portland about every 3 months. We'll see if that Double White lasts to the end of December, though...

Friday, December 9, 2016

Remember the Titan?

And Yeti? And Hercules? If so, you are either someone who was drinking in New Mexico back when Great Divide was available here, or you have made a trip up to Colorado and didn't partake too much in that state's greatest tourist attraction. And now you'll have one less reason to travel to Colorado, as Great Divide has added NM back into its distribution area. As of today, Jubilation has Titan IPA, Colette Farmhouse Ale, and Yeti Imperial Stout. Colette is a 2010 silver medal winner at GABF and uses a blend of four yeast strains to achieve a tart yet fruity finish. $9.99 for a sixer of bottles. Yeti is what I would consider a classic in the Imperial Stout category, and there are a number of variations on the basic Yeti: Velvet Yeti, Oatmeal Yeti, Oak-Aged Yeti, Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti, Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti, Barrel-Aged Yeti.....but we don't have any of these. Yet. Eeeeee. But you can get the original 9.5% Yeti in six-pack CANS for $12.99. Titan IPA, along with Hercules DIPA, were often go-to hoppy beers when Great Divide was last sold here. They have always been malt-forward for IPA/DIPA style beers, and I think the malt in Titan is even more pronounced when compared to some modern IPAs. I tried some Bosque IPA after some Titan and they were completely different animals. And that's fine- I like most animals as long as they aren't trying to eat me. Titan IPA is available in six-pack bottles for $9.99.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Quick Quiz For You...

Question 1 of 1: What has been sold in stores in the states bordering us to the east, west, and north of us for years but never sold here, with trucks dropping off the product in Texas, then driving right on through our state to deliver the product to Arizona? If you said condoms, well, that's funny but wrong. Magnums have been here forever, and I guess they sell other kinds, I don't know. But the correct answer is: Dogfish Head beer. AND WE ARE FINALLY getting beer from Dogfish Head. Yes, the brewery who once sold a malt liquor that came in its own brown paper bag. The brewery that made a beer using ingredients from every continent. The brewery that has made a beer that utilizes lobster. The brewery that has made a beer that utilizes saliva. But the Milton, DE is probably better known for its 60 Minute and 90 Minute IPAs. And 120 Minute IPA. And Chicory Stout. And a bunch of high ABV beers that were extraordinary if only (but not only) for the fact that they were 6+% higher than some of the biggest Barleywines being brewed at the time. And they're on their way to NM. Not sure if Beer Superstar/ Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione will be coming here as well (that's him in the photo, pouring me a glass of My Antonia Pilsner at an event in 2010...What's up brother?...You getting my emails?...I still have the glass you filled for me, never washed!) The news has been around for a bit, but I didn't feel right writing about it until I saw someone had posted it online, so the cat's out of the bag- and probably on its way into a Dogfish Head beer. You'll see their beers hitting the shelves in the weeks to come, but start calling Jubilation five times a day just to ensure you get yours. The Jubilation employees never get tired of people asking if they sell Dogfish Head, and it will be interesting to see if they are able to form and say the word "yes" with their mouths after so many years of replying in the negative.

I'm curious to see how long Dogfish Head sells like crazy before they level out here. Will they live up to the hype/people's memories of the beer? Remember that first 90 Minute that you had years ago on that east coast trip? The one Esquire named "The best beer in America"? The one people lined up for at GABF (that's the Dogfish Head line in the photo, and the closest I am now allowed to get to Sam Calagione). Well, it's still chugging along, though you may find it a bit maltier than the DIPAs you have grown accustomed to in the years since it first opened your eyes to DIPAs. And that's not to say it isn't good; it's a classic beer. But while still Dogfish is still hugely innovative in the beers they are brewing, they aren't necessarily trying to keep up with the latest IPA fad (Though their Indian Brown Ale, formerly referred to as a "well-hopped brown", is now labeled as a "Dark IPA"). Gotta sell those Brown Ales somehow!