Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Meddlesome Moth to host Brooklyn Beer Dinner with Garrett Oliver, November 6

Image courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.

Meddlesome Moth has announced an upcoming beer dinner with award-winning brewmaster Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery of New York on Wednesday, November 6 at 6:30pm.

Oliver, who is the author of The Brewmaster's Table and Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer, was also the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for “Outstanding Beer, Wine, or Spirit Professional" in 2014. He will join Chef Case Crawford of the Moth in leading a guided experience featuring six unique Brooklyn beers paired with five Louisiana-inspired food courses.

Tickets for the event are $125 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and space is limited. For more information and a link to purchase tickets go to www.mothinthe.net

Welcome Beer
Brooklyn Lager (5.2% ABV)

First Course
Fonio Rising Double Pilsner (6.4% ABV)
Deep Fried Crawfish Stuffed Okra with Creole tomato sauce

Second Course
Fonio Rising Pale Ale (5.0% ABV)
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Third Course
Stand on the Word, Belgian Strong Golden Ale (9.0% ABV)
Softshell Crab Salad

Fourth Course
Baked Goods, Whiskey Barrel-Aged Brown Ale (8.3% ABV)
Tenderloin with whiskey peppercorn sauce

Fifth Course
Black Chocolate Stout, Russian Imperial Stout (10.0% ABV)
Beignets with fig jam and lavender honey glaze

Friday, October 18, 2024

Pro Brew Supply expands to larger facility in Fort Worth

Image: Pro Brew Supply.

Pro Brew Supply, the premier supplier of raw ingredients and supplies to professional brewers nationwide, has announced their relocation to a newly-renovated, 40,000+ square foot warehouse at 1734 E. El Paso St. in Fort Worth. The new space sets up near Trinity River Distillery and Wild Acre Restaurant & Beer Garden on the same commercial lot.

Founded by Brenden "Stubby" Stubblefield, the company got its start in 2011 as Texas Brewing Inc. (TBI), a retail homebrew supply shop in Haltom City. The servicing of commercial accounts began in 2016, with the success of this aspect leading to the formation of Pro Brew Supply in 2017. The final evolution came in May 2023, when TBI was closed and the focus was shifted to Pro Brew Supply and enhancing service to the professional brewing community across the entire United States.

A significant expansion over their previous 30,000 square foot facility, the new warehouse is custom-designed to meet the unique needs of the operation. It will enable Pro Brew Supply to increase inventory capacity, improve logistical efficiency, and create even more opportunities for collaboration with commercial breweries. Additionally, with a secondary warehouse located in the Chicagoland area, Pro Brew Supply can ensure faster and more efficient distribution to brewers across the country.

"We're thrilled to take this next step in Pro Brew Supply's journey," says Stubblefield. "This new space is tailored specifically to support professional brewers. The expanded facilities, combined with our strategic warehouse locations, allow us to better serve commercial breweries from coast to coast. Our commitment is to the success of professional brewers, and this facility is a key part of that mission."

Pro Brew Supply is planning to host an open house at the new locale in the coming months. This event will provide the professional brewing community with an opportunity to tour the new facility, meet the team, and learn about the exciting developments Pro Brew Supply has in store.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Crafting judgement - inside the GABF evaluation process: a guest post by Collin Zreet

Image: Brewers Association.

With another round of the Great American Beer Festival come and gone, there still seems to be a shroud of mystery around the competition process and what it really means to win one of these illustrious awards.

For 2024, there were 8,836 beers and 233 ciders entered into 109 categories (including 170 subcategories) evaluated by 285 expert beer judges. With the addition of judging ciders, this year also saw changes like the creation of three non-alcoholic beer categories (Pale Non-Alcoholic, Amber/Dark Non-Alcoholic, and Specialty Non-Alcoholic), as opposed to one overall non-alcoholic category last year. The largest categories were not surprisingly IPA related: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (349 entries), West Coast IPA (292 entries), and American-Style India Pale Ale (217 entries), with the latter two categories being in one combined category just two years ago. Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest (210 entries) and German-Style Maerzen (195 entries) were also large categories, likely due to the seasonality of the styles being so close to the competition dates.

Unlike homebrew competitions, professional beer competitions are more about hardware and winning than identifying off-flavors and needed process adjustments (though that doesn't mean professional beers are free from off-flavors or other glaring errors). Brewers want to compare their creations with the best across the country and need unbiased qualified judges to provide that feedback. Judges are not chosen at random, nor do they have a bias towards one region of the country over another, as others have speculated.

The judge selection process requires candidates to detail their qualifications in either sensory/QA, professional brewing, extensive beer judging, and/or raw material expertise. Upper-level qualifications from the Cicerone Certification Program and Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) help, but are not necessarily required. On top of those qualifications, judges also submit three letters of recommendation from colleagues that are familiar with their judging qualifications. Once all criteria are submitted, there is typically a two to three year waiting period and invitations are usually sent out a few months before the actual judging occurs. Judges are from all over the country and range from brewers to sensory analysts, yeast lab specialists, hop growers, and even non-commercial high ranking BJCP homebrew judges. There are typically 10% new judges each year, though this year there were 33% new judges, likely from bringing in specialized judges for the newly created cider categories.

But how does a beer progress from a competition entry to bringing home some hardware? Once a brewery decides which beers they want to enter into the competition, they have to declare which category they want to submit their beer into and pay a $180 per beer fee to register it. Choosing a category isn’t as simple as one might think. With so many categories, some beers might actually fit in a few different categories and breweries need to decide which is the “best” category to enter into. This might not even be the category the beer is marketed as (see Houston-based Saint Arnold Brewing Co.'s silver medal winning Scottish-style ale, Saint Arnold Oktoberfest). Being able to discern where a beer truly fits is a winning strategy within itself.

After a beer has been registered and then brewed, it then needs to be sent to the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colorado, where it will be held in refrigeration until it is judged. The Texas Craft Brewers Guild has collection points across the state that allow member breweries to have their beer driven via refrigerated truck all the way to allow for the beers to be in the best condition upon arrival. This does lend a slight advantage for Colorado breweries, as they are able to send fresher beer without the worry of longer travel times than other breweries.

The first session of judging typically happens a few weeks before the actual festival in Denver, with a second session occurring just days before the festival. All judging is done double-blind, so judges are not aware of what specific beer or what brewery’s beer they are judging, and they are not even aware after the festival unless they won a medal. There’s a dedicated team of non-judge volunteers pouring beer and another team running beers to the judging tables to avoid any kind of bias. Judges are also not allowed to judge their own beers.

A typical beer flight is between eight and twelve two-ounce samples and may have several rounds of judging based on the size of the category. Each table has six judges, and each pod of three will evaluate the same flight of beers. The first round is the only round that requires judges to provide written feedback to breweries. No longer are there quantitative scores for each beer, but more open-ended qualitative feedback is provided. The first round is mostly to eliminate beers with off-flavors and large stylistic errors, though sometimes good beers do not advance from this round in favor of other better beers. Of each round, only three move on to the following round. Beyond the first round, all other assessments are between the judges and not recorded. These rounds are typically twelve beers each and are served similarly, passing on three to the following round as well. 

The final round is the same, except all six judges at the table are then deciding between the twelve samples set in front of them. This is where the nitpicking really occurs. Imagine out of all the commercial beers in the U.S. for a certain category, you have the best twelve in front of you and not only have to decide the best three, but which receive gold, silver, and bronze medals. Usually no one agrees at first, and you have to systematically discuss each beer and argue against five other highly accredited beer judges why you think ones should or should not stay on the table for medal consideration. The margins are so small between them and sometimes reasoning even gets philosophical on why one aspect of one beer is more stylistically accurate over another. It gets even more complicated when you consider categories like Experimental Beer, Non-Alcoholic Beer, or Wood-Aged Beer when you are also judging across several different base styles that don’t all have the same criteria.

If you look at some of the larger categories that had three rounds of judging, it typically means that each beer that makes it to the final table has been assessed by twelve different judges, and the category itself has been assessed by 126 different judges in total. Even smaller two round categories have beers assessed by nine judges. For any beer to even make it that far, much less even medal, is a wonderful achievement. Participating breweries are only notified if their beer made it out of the first round and if they medaled. So, even the margin between medaling and not medaling (3rd and 4th place) could be the slimmest of margins, but no one would even know the difference, not even the judges. 

On a typical day, judges assess five to six flights per day across three or four days (depending on session). While it might seem like all fun and games to drink beer in Colorado for a few days (and for sure it is at times), the process and end goal is to objectively assess all of the beers (even the bad ones) and determine the best beers in the U.S., which is taken very seriously by all of the judges.

Congratulations to all of the D-FW local and Texas breweries that participated this year and even brought home some hardware. It is a difficult task to even make it out of the first round, much less progress any further. Please continue to support those local breweries that you love. It is still very difficult for all of them out there, and they all could use your support.



Collin Zreet is a former brewery owner (Funky Picnic Brewery & Café) and one of only eight Advanced Cicerones in the State of Texas. Throughout his experiences in the craft beer industry, he has specialized in sensory and beer quality, judging several professional beer competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival, and being an instrumental part of setting the styles and guidelines for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s annual state-wide Texas Craft Brewers Cup. He also specializes in beer and food pairing, creating and leading over 25 beer dinners across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Monday, October 14, 2024

An evolving experience at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival

Photo courtesy of Brewers Association.

They say change is inevitable, and after walking in for the 15th time, it didn't take long to notice the first of a series of changes instituted for the 2024 Great American Beer Festival, presented by the Brewers Association. Why, you ask? Well, the lights were off over the section of the festival floor closest to brewer/media entry door.

This year, the tradition of organizing breweries primarily by region was scrapped. Instead, themed areas were introduced, with brewers given the option of picking where to pitch their proverbial tent. In addition to where the darkness fell upon the Fright (Halloween) and Blast Off (outer space, far out flavors) sections, there were more luminous areas to Chill (live music and games), to check the Score! (televised sports), and to Prost! (German biergarten).

As for other attractions, some we've seen before, like karaoke, silent disco, and the "History of Craft Beer" exhibit. But then, there was live Lucha Libre (a Mexican style of wrestling) and a mechanical bull, new additions that brought a bit of spectacle to the proceedings.

The bull was well-ridden, the wrestling seemed well-received, and while the question of "Who turned out the lights?" was posed a time or ten, most agreed some type of change in presentation was needed to breathe new life into the event. At least during the Thursday night session, the attendance and energy quotients certainly seemed higher compared to last year.

And, the liquid lineup? Beverage options had already expanded in response to the industry trend of diversifying to reach other types of drinkers, though it felt like beer alternatives were even more present this time around. With a plethora of ciders, seltzers, kombucha, hard sodas and teas, and now canned cocktails, one could argue the Great American Beer Festival of the past is more like a Great American Beverage Festival at present.

That said, naturally there was beer and plenty of it. Like last year, IPAs and various types of lagers dominated menus, with specialty styles fewer and far between. For example, there weren't more than two or three options for beer drinkers hoping to sample Belgian dubbels, German dopplebocks and dunkleweizens, English milds, Flanders beers, or old ales.

Locals from North Texas primarily poured standards from their portfolios as well, those in attendance being 903 Brewers of Sherman, False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills, Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth, Odd Muse Brewing Co. of Farmers Branch, Peticolas Brewing Co. of Dallas, and Union Bear Brewing Co. of Denton/Plano.

Among national breweries, the longest lines and some of the most sought-after beers were associated with the likeliest suspects: Russian River Brewing Co. and The Lost Abbey of California, WeldWerks Brewing Co. of Colorado, Dogfish Head Brewery of Delaware, 3 Floyds Brewing of Indiana, and Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. of Iowa.

One single-ounce standout was sourced from those above, thanks to Russian River rolling two lines to offset the craft beer electorate looking to cast a vote for Pliny for President 2024, a triple dry-hopped IPA. I didn't vote myself, choosing instead for the quicker path to the brewery's quadrupel, Mortification.

That beer and other festival favorites are shared here based on the idea readers might be traveling and seeking refreshment in the vicinity of a particular purveyor. This also applies to the taproom trip summaries that follow the requisite coverage of local award winners (both pro and amateur) below.

  • Brew 8000 Barrel-Aged Barleywine from Fremont Brewing of Washington.
  • Charles' Kvass from Burns Family Artisan Ales of Colorado.
  • Chocolate Rye Farm Porter from The Colorado Farm Brewery of Colorado.
  • Decorah Nordic Gruit from Pivo Brewery of Iowa.
  • Double Dunkel from Wibby Brewing of Colorado.
  • Mortification Quadrupel from Russian River Brewing Co. of California.
  • Rip This Joint Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout from Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of California and Side Project Brewing of Missouri.
  • Rode Vogel Flanders Red from Strangebird Beer of New York.

Cheers! 


Professional competition results

Changes also extended to the GABF competition. New categories included one for Italian-Style Pilsner, while cider judging took place for the first time with five categories added covering different varieties.

Most-entered categories again favored IPAs, with Juicy/Hazy IPA, West Coast IPA and American-Style IPA securing the top three spots. Then, in perhaps a bit of a surprise, the Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest and German-Style Maerzen categories supplanted Light Lager and German-Style Pilsner (#3 and #5 in 2023) to round out the top five.

Statistics:

  • 8,836 beers judged based on entries sent in from 1,869 breweries and cideries residing in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
  • 326 total medals awarded across 109 style categories.

As for local winners, four North Texas breweries were honored. Among them, Bankhead Brewing Co. of Rowlett landed its second medal in a row for Hootenanny Bock. The brewpub has now acquired four GABF medals all time (three in the last two years alone), third-most among active brewing operations since 2012.

First time GABF medalists include On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen of Dallas, Odd Muse Brewing Co. of Farmers Branch, and Three Wide Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. Though, it's notable that Three Wide's win for Heart of Glass is a repeat of sorts, since it's based on the recipe and brewed by the same crew behind Rapture Fusion Brown Ale, which won a silver for Rabbit Hole Brewing Co. of Justin in 2015. 

Silver

  • On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen for Jalapeño Saison - Chile Beer.
  • Odd Muse Brewing Co. for 500 Pesos - International-Style Pilsner.
  • Three Wide Brewing Co. for Heart of Glass - American-Style Brown Ale.
Bronze
  • Bankhead Brewing Co. for Hootenanny - Bock.

Representatives from Odd Muse (top left), Bankhead (top right) and Three Wide (bottom)
accept their awards at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival (Photos: Brewers Association).

Source: Individual research.

National Homebrew Competition results

Another new aspect of this year's GABF event was the announcement of the 2024 National Homebrew Competition winners, the crowning ceremony taking place literally as the festival was going on.

Statistics:

  • 3,593 beers judged based on entries sent in from 1,179 homebrewers in 47 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and 7 international countries.
  • 150 total medals awarded across 50 style categories.

Five locally-made brews garnered recognition, with Jarrett Long and John Bates of the Fort Worth-based club, Horsemen of the Hopocalypse, further winning the Ninkasi Award, a prize given to the homebrewer (or team) accumulating the most points during the final round of competition.

Gold
  • Jarrett Long with John Bates of Horsemen of the Hopocalypse, Fort Worth - Brown British Beer.
Silver
  • Ian Heger of North Texas Homebrewers Association, Dallas - American Wheat & Blond.
  • Jarrett Long with John Bates of Horsemen of the Hopocalypse, Fort Worth - American Porter & Stout.
  • Jarrett Long with John Bates of Horsemen of the Hopocalypse, Fort Worth - Semi-Sweet Mead.
Bronze
  • Fritz Schanz of Denton County Homebrewers Guild, Aubrey - Specialty Beer.

Taproom trips
  • This year, destinations visited in hopes of enjoying brews with a view included Broken Compass Brewing Co. of Breckenridge (the outlet outside of town) and Outer Range Brewing Co. of Frisco. Both delivered on liquids and the lookout point, especially Outer Range with its upstairs patio. The two spots are eight miles apart, with other breweries around if you're looking to make a day of it up in the mountains. Also highly recommended - a lunch of exotic links at Ein Prosit Fine Beer & Sausages in Downtown Frisco.
Tasty beers pair well with mountain views at Outer Range Brewing Co. of Frisco
and Broken Compass Brewing Co. of Breckenridge (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).
  • In recent times, a number of Denver-area breweries have expanded their reach by opening supplemental sites out in the suburbs. One is Prost Brewing Co., now serving its brand of traditional German beer in Denver (the original), Fort Collins, Highlands Ranch and Northglenn. The new HQ in Northglenn is, in a word...huge. The facility combines a 10,000 square foot taproom, with a 60,000 square foot production space, an outdoor biergarten, full kitchen and more. Again...huge.

Prost now operates four locations, including the above HQ in Northglenn, Colorado (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).




Monday, October 7, 2024

Meddlesome Moth to host Meanwhile Pairdiné, October 20

Image credit: Meddlesome Moth.

In celebration of the Austin-based brewery's fourth anniversary, Meddlesome Moth will host a beer dinner with Meanwhile Brewing Co. on Sunday, October 20 at 6 p.m. Special guests include Will Jaquiss, founder and brewmaster at Meanwhile, and Conner Griffillan, the brewery's director of sales and marketing.

They, along with Chef Case Crawford of the Moth, will lead a guided experience featuring seven brews expertly paired with six food courses. And, while Meanwhile has shipped products to the Metroplex in the past, some of the beers will be offered in this market for the first time.

Tickets for the event are $110 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and space is limited.  For more information and a link to purchase tickets go to www.mothinthe.net

Welcome Beer
Meanwhile Pilsner, German-style Lager (4.8% ABV, 27 IBU)

First Course
Texas Blue Corn Lager (4.8% ABV, 12 IBU)
Crispy Stuffed Squash Blossoms with ricotta, thyme, sausage, basil oil

Second Course
Tropical Sour (4.7% ABV, 7 IBU)
Powerpuff Salad with roasted beets, Valencia orange, watercress, toasted almonds, goat cheese, blackberry vinaigrette

Third Course
Edible Colors, West Coast IPA (7.2% ABV, 65 IBU)
Beer Cheese Soup

Fourth Course
Rainbow Paradise, Juicy IPA (6.6% ABV, 44 IBU)
Rabbit Leg Confit with fennel, fig, thyme

Fifth Course
Fourth Anniversary Barrel-aged Stout
Chocolate Moon Pie

Sixth Course
Coffee IPA (a collaboration with Vector Brewing of Dallas)
Baklava