#beerclub Year in Review

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been doing #beerclub for a year now. When I started this little thing, I had no idea what it would become, and it’s grown in ways I never could have imagined. I’ve met friends, expanded my beer horizons, been to new bars and breweries, and had a lot of fun doing it.

The idea of #beerclub stemmed from public radio host John Moe’s now defunct #candyclub. They met once a week, ate candy and talked about it on twitter. I had participated in #candyclub a few times when inspiration struck me to create a #beerclub. If they could do it with candy bars, why couldn’t we do it with beers? I approached the guys at Blatz Liquor with the idea and they were on board. A week or two later, we were drinking and tweeting.

The first night of #beerclub we drank Point Brewery’s 2012 Black Ale. There weren’t many of us drinking that night, but I could tell that this was going to be something special. Over the next months we grew, slowly gaining attention from across the internet. As of today we’ve had almost 100 participants from all around the country, and sampled some great (and not so great) beers.

As the group got to know each other, we decided that we should meet in person. The first #beerclubfieldtrip happened in June of last year. We had sampled Lakefront Brewery’s Fixed Gear on one of the #beerclub nights and the discussion turned to the fact that several participants had never been to Lakefront for the tour. As an avid Lakefront tour fan, I knew that we had to do the tour as a group. The first field trip was such a huge success, we all knew we had to do it again.

Since that first tour, we’ve had several field trips. We’ve done the tours at Lakefront Brewery, Sprecher Brewery and Milwaukee Brewing. We’ve also met for drinks at the Glendale Oktoberfest, Roman’s Pub, and Sugar Maple. In 2011 we’ve made a point to have one field trip each month. Plans for future field trips range from big day long voyages to Chicago or Madison to gathering at local pubs. Be sure to follow this blog space for details of the future trips. There has even been talk of field trips especially for the South Central Wisconsin drinkers.

Since the demise of Blatz Liquor, I’ve been lucky enough to team up with Joel from The Wine Cellar of Wisconsin to help with selecting beers. Since they are primarily a wine shop we haven’t been able to source every beer we’ve sampled from them, but he has been very helpful in picking beers, and stocking the BOTW when possible. We even have some ideas that we’re kicking around for a future field trip to the shop. With the increased focus on beer at his store Joel has conscripted Dan to start a new BeerCellarofWI account on twitter. Stay tuned to this account for more #beerclub related news.

One of the things I want to emphasize is that #beerclub is more than just me. Without the active participation of you, the members of the club, this would be nothing more than me drinking beer on Monday nights at my house. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I’m no more responsible for the success of #beerclub than you are. Because of that, I am very open to suggestions for how we can improve the club. Be it a beer of the week suggestion, a field trip you’d like to take, a blog post you’d like to write, or a even format change for Monday nights. #beerclub is what we all make of it, so please don’t hesitate to make your suggestion, ask me a question, or heck, just go out and make the changes yourself.

As we enter into the second year of #beerclub, I have some ideas to spur conversations, grow the club, and make it more educational. I don’t want to turn the club into Beer 101 class or take the fun out of drinking, but I do want to see more conversation, more active participation and more experimentation as we go forward. I’ll be posting some of those ideas here on this blog for feedback in the weeks to come. Again, if you have suggestions, or ideas please don’t hesitate to approach me.

I appreciate everyone who has ever joined us on a Monday night, or at a field trip, but I do feel I need to make a special mention of Genevieve and Craig who have been with the club since the very first meeting. Genevieve in particular has the honor of actually managing to make it to more #beerclub meetings than I have (I missed once due to family obligations, and another due to a wicked hangover). Thank you both for helping mold #beerclub into what it has become.

With that, I’ll simply say Cheers! and here’s to many more years of drinking beers with good friends!

Mitch

PS: don’t forget to join our Flickr group, our Facebook group, and to RSVP for the next #beerclubfieldtrip

Happy Anniversary!

I am not even going to pretend that I remember how this all came about. This is what I know to be true. I saw Joe from Blatz liquor tweeting about a beer club.  I schlepped the kids into the now deceased Blatz Liquor store (pour some out for our homie) to buy beer including the beer of the week. I followed Mitch on twitter and attended the very first #beerclub.  Anything else I remember probably isn’t true.

I have been present at each and every beer club since – whether the kids or I were sick, whether I was at home or not and I think once I didn’t even have the beer of the week but still participated. By (not my) popular demand, the beer club time was changed and since then it has been a challenge for me to be present, but I always try to at least stop in and say hi.

This is what else I know to be true.  I have had great conversations, learned a thing or two, and made life-long friends through #beerclub. I am so grateful for this group that gathers on twitter every Monday night and shares a beer.  I look forward to it every week and I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for us.  I imagine some more great (and not so great) beer, more friends and more field trips!

I am hoping we have a great turn out of old friends (@vasser40 I am looking at you) and new friends to celebrate the one year anniversary of #beerclub! See you at 8pm this Monday night!

A special shout out thank you to Mitch! Without you, none of this would have happened and I so appreciate you!

#beerclub BOTW: New Glarus Brewery Cabin Fever

We’ve been cooped up indoors waiting for winter to pass for months now. Cabin Fever has set in and we’re ready to get back outdoors. Unfortunately Mother Nature isn’t cooperating and it’s still cold and snowy outside. This is when we need a special beer to break the monotony and help us make it till spring.

Thankfully, New Glarus Brewing is all too familiar with this feeling and they created Cabin Fever for this very reason. A honey bock, this beer promises to be sweet and delicious and just what we need on a cold February night.

From their website:

Cool days draw us close to the warmth of home fires. This is the season to sip away the chill and embrace quiet evenings with friends and family.

You hold a Wisconsin Style Honey Bock, easy going and more approachable than its traditional dark German cousin. Bock beers have existed in Wisconsin for over 150 years. This pale bock is brewed with an exclusive blend of Wisconsin two row barley that balances seamlessly with our special European hops. Naturally sweet Clover Honey was added in the kettle accenting warm flavor notes on your tongue.

Whether you reminisce the passing summer sun or thrill to squeaky steps through drifting snow one thing is certain about winter in Wisconsin, this too shall pass.

Style Pale Wisconsin Honey Bock
Flavor Naturally sweet Clover Honey was added in the kettle accenting warm flavor notes on your tongue.
Alcohol 5.50% by volume
Pairings Foods:BratsLambCurryGraham CrackersHamPorkBBQ saucesCheeses:Dunbarton Blue (Cheddar from Roelli Cheese)
Available in 6 packs, Cases, 1/2 Barrels and 1/4 Barrels

Join the #beerclub as we drink New Glarus Brewing Cabin Fever. Monday February 21st. 8PM Central. Don’t forget, we’re doing the February #beerclubfieldtrip this Saturday at Sugar Maple. Details and RSVP on the twitvite.

#beerclub BOTW: Bell’s Hopslam

Bell's Hopslam

Bell’s Hopslam

It’s that time of year again, Bell’s Hopslam is on shelves. This is the third highest rated Double IPA on Beeradvocate.com, and another of the more highly anticipated beer releases of the season.

What makes it so special? It’s a 10% ABV beer with generous amounts of hops that maintains a balanced flavor thanks in part to the addition of honey to the brew.

From the Bell’s Brewery Site:

Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell’s Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s repetoire. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style.

Alcohol by Volume: 10.0%
Original Gravity: 1.087
Shelf Life: 6 months
Dates Available: Winter seasonal
Available Packages: Bottle, draft, and 5 liter (1.32 gal.) mini-keg

Join us Monday night February 7th 8PM Central as the #beerclub drinks Bell’s Hopslam.

#beerclub BOTW: Hinterland Winterland

Hinterland Winterland

Hinterland Winterland

We’re not out of winter just yet, and there are several winter themed beers that we can sample from. Hinterland Brewing is one of the newer breweries to release their product into the retail market, and they’ve been making a splash with their beers. Last summer #beerclub drank their Cherry Wheat beer and it was generally well received. It’s time to revisit their brews and this time we’re sampling their Winterland porter.

 

WINTERLAND
Opaque, deep brown to black color. Rich roasted malt flavor. Generous hop bitterness and aroma. Reminiscent of a porter or stout with a surprising juniper berry finish.

Join the #beerclub as we drink this Wisconsin Porter, Monday Jan 31st at 8:00 PM central.

#beerclubfieldtrip Recap and Announcement

Last night we met up at Romans’ Pub for the first #beerclubfieldtrip of 2011, and the fourth field trip overall. We drank great beer, had a good time with old friends, and met some new ones. Romans’ has a wide variety of taps and there was a beer there to meet everyone’s taste. In all we had 12(?) #beerclub members at the bar, and I’m sure everyone had a good time.

This is exactly what #beerclub is all about, and that’s why I’m happy to announce that we’re doing it again (and again, and again). I’m hoping to make the #beerclubfieldtrip a monthly event on the third Saturday of the month. We’ll be going to bars and breweries around the Milwaukee area, but we also have plans to head to the beer bars of Chicago and Madison in the near future.

Mark Your Calendars:

For February’s outing we’re heading over to The Sugar Maple. Meet up with fellow beer lovers and have a brew with us. February 19th, 7:00 PM at the Sugar Maple. RSVP and more information on the event’s twtvite.

#beerclub BOTW: Victory Beer Prima Pils

I didn’t post about last week’s BOTW. We had Lakefront Brewery Rendezvous. It was delicious. This week we’re drinking one of the classic styles of beer. Pilsner, the first lager beer, and a standard in any beer lovers arsenal. We last attempted a Pilsner this summer when we drank the Lagunitas Pils. That was a very well received beer, and now we’re ready to try another pilsner.

#beerclub also has a history with Victory Brewing. In the summer of 2010 we drank the Victory V12, and it made @Einley’s list of her favorite #beerclub beers. Victory Prima Pils is well known as one of the best examples of pilsner made by an American craft brewery. We will be putting this reputation to the test next Monday as #beerclub tackles Victory Prima Pils.

Prima Pils

Victory Prima Pils

Heaps of hops give this pale lager a bracing, herbal bite over layers of soft and smooth malt flavor. This refreshing combination of tastes makes Prima a classy quencher in the tradition of the great pilsners of Europe.

COMPOSITION

Malts: 2 row German pilsner malt
Hops:German and Czech whole flowers
Alcohol by volume: 5.3%

Join us on Monday January 24th at 8:00 PM central, as we drink Victory Prima Pils.

#beerclub Favorites

I am grateful for every beer that the twitter #beerclub has introduced me to. Even the gross ones (hey! that could be another blog post!). I am partial to an IPA, but I really enjoy tasting all kinds of beer.  Here is a list of my favorite beers that we have done so far in the #beerclub- in no particular order. So I’m not numbering them. (And I am sure I am leaving some out).

Ale Asylum Bedlam IPA

Ale Asylum Bedlam

Ale Asylum Bedlam

From their website:

“ALE ASYLUM is unfiltered and all natural. We use no additives, preservatives, fruit, horse hooves, fish guts, or extracts. Our ingredient list: water, malt, hops, and yeast. This is what we mean when we say our beer is FERMENTED IN SANITY. You know who makes it, you know what it’s made with. You know after having one you’ll want another.”

So, in other words, this brewery in Madison, Wisconsin kicks ass. I am a lover of (almost) all IPAs and this beer is described as a Belgian style IPA. It is a seasonal beer and was perfect for the season we drank it in- Spring.  It was fruity, hoppy, delicious.

Victory V-12

Victory V 12

Victory V 12

Admittedly, I don’t remember the exact taste of this beer that well. But I know it tasted really good.  This is called a strong ale and I was told that if I enjoyed an IPA, I would enjoy this. And I did. Very much. This beer has a very high alcohol content, 12%, and the alcohol content was cleverly disguised by a great tasting beer. Resulting in me drinking enough of it not to remember exactly how it tasted. I know it had a hoppiness I enjoyed and it came in a really cool corked bottle.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

An IPA (go figure) made with 18% rye malt. This gold medal winning beer has the super hoppy flavor that I just cannot get enough of. It was the first time I had tried a rye malt beer and I am glad I did! This brewery also produces another favorite IPA of mine, Racer 5- which was not a beer club pick, but has become a staple in my refrigerator.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Here is a shocker- this one is not an IPA! It is actually a wheat beer, and I have to say, I do not enjoy many wheat beers.  But this is a wheat beer that has made a permanent home in my refrigerator. It is not an easy beer to describe, but it is an extremely easy and enjoyable beer to drink, with big flavor. This brewery also makes another favorite of mine that was not a beer club pick, and is also not an IPA- Alpha King is a pale ale and it is awesome.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Honorable mentions:

Left Hand Brewing Chainsaw Ale a “connoisseur version of our award winning Sawtooth Ale” Yum

Sprecher Belgian Dubbel a 25th anniversary brew and a classic. Brewed locally here in Wisconsin!

Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard Ale A strong ale and very enjoyable

Thank you Mitch for letting me use your photos! It should be noted that Mitch is classy and drinks out of fancy glasses. I drink from the bottle.

#beerclub BOTW: Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

Yellow Snow IPA

The holidays are behind us, and we’re into the heart of the winter months. It’s time to drink a seasonal beer that’s not your typical winter beer. Why not a seasonal IPA with an unconventional name. Rogue Brewery offers up Yellow Snow IPA which fits this bill perfectly.

HISTORY

Yellow Snow IPA was originally introduced for the 2000 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Yellow Snow is Rogue’s tribute to winter sports everywhere—downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country, ice hockey, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and even curling.

It will be available November 1st in select states where mountains and snow can be found.

Tasting Notes:

Pale golden in color with a hoppy fruity aroma. Big hop flavor up front complemented by medium body and hoppyness mid-pallet. Finishes with a characteristic lingering bitterness.

8 Ingredients:Cara Foam, Melanoiden & Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare™ & Risk™ Malts; Amarillo & Rogue Micro Hopyard Revolution Hops, Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast.
Specs:15º PLATO

70 IBU

76 AA

14º Lovibond

Join us this Monday night January 10th at 8:00 PM Central time. Follow the twitter hashtag #beerclub for more details and to drink along.

#beerclub Beer of the Week: Bells Winter White

Bells Winter White Ale

Bell's Winter White Ale

Winter is in full effect and 2011 is on the door step. For our first #beerclub of 2011 we need to drink a special beer. This is where Bells Brewery Winter White Ale comes in. A Belgian style white ale, Winter White is not your typical heavy winter beer.

Taking its cues from Belgian-style white ales, Bell’s Winter White Ale offers a lighter yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers. Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, this blend of barley & wheat malts yields a mixture of clove and fruity aromas, all without the use of any spices. Deliberately brewed to retain a cloudy appearance, Bell’s Winter White Ale is a beer for embracing winter.

Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Original Gravity: 1.052
Shelf Life: 6 months
Dates Available: Winter Seasonal
Available Packages: Bottle, draft, and 5 liter (1.32 gal.) mini-keg

Join us on Monday Night January 3rd for Bell’s Winter White.