Summer is upon us, even here in the rainy Northwest, and it’s got us dreaming of beers on the beach. As we got to talking, everyone had their own idea of which craft beers make the best beach beers. So here’s a short list of the brews we’ll be drinking in the sand. And toward the bottom, check out the video on how to chill beers on the beach!

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Technically this is a Berliner Weisse style craft brew, but we found it to be more reminiscent of a lambic or sour beer. Regardless, even Dogfish says on its website that this beer is great for sweaty summer months! Refreshing and clocking in under 5% ABV – perfect beach beer!

Allagash White

Another Belgian styled craft beer – a beach favorite because of its refreshing citrus and fruity qualities. Light and crispy, with an ABV of 5%, this is a great hot-weather brew.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Lagers are great for hot weather – crisp, dry and easy to drink. Normally we wouldn’t put this on our drinking list, but when it’s hot out it’s great to have a beer that’s light ….

Bell’s Oarsman Ale

German-style ale with just 4% ABV, this is a serious thirst quencher. Citrus and wheat shine in this refreshingly tart summer ale.

Anderson Valley Brewing Summer Solstice

Nicknamed “cream soda for adults,” this craft beer is full of caramel flavors and unique spice flavors. Despite a mild sweetness, still wonderfully drinkable on a hot summer day.

Lagunitas IPA

Perfect summer beer for hopheads (brewed with 43 different hops).  Lagunitas calls this brew homicidally hoppy, so if the sharks don’t get you, the ale will!

How to Chill Beer at the Beach

Feel free to drop a comment below and let us know what you like to take to the beach!

What American doesn’t associated St. Patrick with drinking beer? Alas, nothing could be further from the truth!

The Myth: St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Beer Drinkers

Not true. But there are several other saints who are considered protectors of beer drinkers and brewers (this might have something to do with the fact that they loved to drink beer themselves!).

Let’s start with St. Arnold of Soissons. This man got the church brewing beer, handed out beer to church goers (talk about PR!). In the photo below he holds a mashing rake. And FYI, St. Arnold’s holiday is on July 8.

Them there’s Saint Benedict who, in the 1st Century, got monks brewing beer in their monasteries, partly to make them more self-sufficient.

Legend has it that beer-loving St. Brigit of Kildare, in Ireland, was able to produce vast amounts of ale from a single barrel and change bath water into ale.

Augustine of Hippo started out as a tippler and womanizer, but reportedly had a transformation (or rather, he was converted) mid-life and became a moderate drinker and patron of brewers.

There are more saints than we’ve listed here – some more debatable and dubious than others. But whichever suits your fancy, hoist a beer and wish them good cheer.

The season for beer festivals is upon us and at LetsPour we await it as eagerly as the chirping birds and yellow daffodils that herald the return of warmer weather. From March through June, you’ll find more beer festivals that we could ever manage to put in a list (for a comprehensive list, check out a website called Beer Festival Calendar here).  These events are not just a chance to taste and discover craft beer, they are a great opportunity to get out of the house, hear some live music, play frisbee and catch up with friends. Feel free to highlight any beer fests we didn’t mention in our comments section!

Sprung! Spring Beer Festival

When: March 9, 2013

Where: Florida (Peacock Park, Coconut Grove)

Event Website

What: Florida’s answer to Oktoberfest in the Spring, this beer festival is by the people and for the people. Sample 150 beers while soaking up live music or playing interactive games. Event director Tony Albelo says, “We’re going to continue focusing on our mission of expanding craft beer in South Florida, while adding seasonal beers and sprinkling a little more fun into the mix.”

Spring Swing Beer Festival

When: March 9, 2013

Where: Arizona (Mesa)

Event Website

What: Beer + Baseball = Happiness. Arizona’s largest indoor beer festival, featuring live music and televised spring training baseball. For an additional fee, subscribers can ride a mechanical bull, take a few cuts in the batting cage or toss a few fastballs in the radar pitch machine.

Night of the Barrels – Extreme Beer Fest

When: March 15, 2013

Where: Massachusetts (Boston)

Event Website

What: Not for the faint-of-heart, this is a beer festival dedicated to tasting 60+ wood- and barrel-aged beers.  ”Be it fresh or toasted oak, American or French, bourbon or wine soaked, aged for weeks or months, or totally infected with funk, there’s just something mysterious and magical about introducing beer to a wooden barrel and hoping for the best.”

photo via “getting dark beer blog“

Breckenridge Spring Beer Festival

When: April 6, 2013

Where: Colorado (Breckenridge)

Event Website

What: Mountains + Craft Beer + Music  = Spring Fever!

East Atlanta Beer Fest

When: May 18, 2013

Where: Georgia (Atlanta)

Event Website

What: An impressive 220+ list of beers, delectable food, live music and great pubbing makes this a brew fest you need to put on your calendar!

Thirsty Orange Brew Extravaganza

When: April 13, 2013

Where: Tennessee (Johnson City)

Event Website

What: We’re not sure what to make of the beer gulping orange mascot, but with over 100 beers being serve this brew fest gets a big thumbs up here. The event website says you’ll get to try beers you’ll never find anywhere else – and with beers like Peanut Butter & Jelly Brew, we believe it!

]]> http://blog.letspour.com/beer/spring-beer-festival-guide/feed/ 1 http://blog.letspour.com/food-and-drink/nutella-banana-bourbon-crepes/ http://blog.letspour.com/food-and-drink/nutella-banana-bourbon-crepes/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 16:05:22 +0000 LetsPour (via Knob Creek) http://blog.letspour.com/?p=2598

From beer snobbery to how beer saved the world to craft beer trivia, we raise our glasses to these infographics about beer.

1) 22 Toastable Facts About Craft Beer

by LetsPour

2) 10 Signs You Might be a Beer Snob

by Beer and Whiskey Bros.

3) Prohibition Did What?

Source Unknown

4) Beer Map

by Michael Wentz

5) How Beer Saved the World

Source Unknown

There’s nothing more romantic than a wedding inspired by Napa Valley’s vineyards, wineries and romance. For most of us, a wedding in wine country is just a dream. But that doesn’t mean your wedding can’t have the spirit of Napa Valley. This inspiration board, paired with your favorite Napa Cab, will get you going on some ideas for pulling of a vineyard / wine country themed wedding.

1. Wine Cork Place Card Holders

If you can get your hands on enough wine corks, you can actually make these simple place card holders yourself (but be careful, you don’t want stitches on your ring finger!). These cork place card holders are from from Recycled Bride

2. Grape Hyacinth Bridal Bouquet

The next best thing to walking down the aisle with a bunch of grapes (and, honestly, more elegant) is a bouquet of grape hyacinth flowers. The lovely bridal bouquet pictured here was created Paula Cosgrove.

3. Wine Bottle Vases

There are quite a few ways to use wine bottles as vases and centerpieces. These lovely wine bottle vases only need one big “statement” flower to pull off the look. Via Sparkle & Hay.

4. Wine Bottle Menu

Jamie Lee, who writes the blog Starting Out Savvy, didn’t want to print up traditional menus for her wedding. And since her caterer was insisting menus, Jamie came up with a brilliant idea that kept her tables looking very pretty. She printed the menus on labels and adhered them to empty wine bottles. Photo via Starting Out Savvy.

5. Wine Bottle Guest Book

Wedding planner Lora suggests skipping the traditional guest book and putting out a magnum size bottle of wine that all your guests can sign. It’s a great keepsake. Cellar it and open on a future anniversary. Via A Day to Remember.

 6. Wine Country-Themed Wedding Invitations

This clever invitation and many more customizable ones are available from Etsy merchants. The one we’ve shown is available here.

7. Cork Napkin Rings

Another great DIY project for your wedding decor or you can order it from a number of Etsy merchants.

8. Wine Glass Wedding Candles

This is such a clever way to showcase you wine theme at a very low cost (and DIY). This idea come to us via Bridal Snob.

9. Wine from Napa Valley

This isn’t officially on the inspiration board, but if you’re having  a wine country wedding, you definitely want to pour some top notch juice. LetsPour’s wine experts can help you match red and white wines (as well as Champagne) to your wedding menu and theme, and at unbeatable bulk pricing. Drop me a line to get a personalized wedding wine quote!

Walla Walla Winemaker Richard Funk – Success in Spades

When we hear wine enthusiasts gushing over a new find, we perk up and listen. That’s how we discovered “The Jack” Riesling, a new Riesling from Walla Walla’s Saviah Cellars and winemaker Rich Funk. When we tasted it, it was one of those rare moments when the perfect balance of sweet and tart create Riesling nirvana. No wonder it cleaned up at last year’s 30th Annual Washington Wine Competition, taking home a truck load of awards. And if this wine is “The Jack,” then we wanted to find out more about Rich Funk and the ace he’s got up his sleeve.

A Pioneer in Walla Walla

Rich says he feels like a pioneer – Saviah was the 21st winery in the Walla Walla Valley (today there are more than 100). Vineyards have exploded, growing from 50 acres to nearly 2,000 acres. And while Walla Walla is garnering national attention for some of its wines, Rich feels the valley still has a long way to go. Saviah certainly is doing its part to showcase what this AVA is capable of producing.

This understated microbiologist with an interest in fermenting anything and everything, initially started out brewing beer. But moving from Montana to Walla Walla would change everything. While working as a county environmental health specialist in the 90s, Rich helped some of Walla Walla’s first wineries with their water quality management. Caught up by the energy and excitement of this budding wine industry, Rich’s interest suddenly shifted from beer to wine. He and his wife Anita started sourcing grapes and making wines. The wines were a hit and in 2006 Rich quit his “day job,” and the rest is history. Today Rich and Anita produce close to 10,000 cases of award-winning red and white wines at Saviah’s winery, which borders the Walla Walla River and has scenic views of the Blue Mountains.

The Winemaker’s Ace

It’s no accident that many of Saviah’s red wines have a distinct Rhône quality to them. Rich has a strong appreciation for Rhône varietals and, in 2006, he and Anita began cultivating  Grenache, Syrah and Viognier grapes in an estate vineyard near the winery on 10 acres of whay he calls “incredibly rock land.” Rich says he expects some amazing wines to come from this rocky terroir in the southern tip of the Walla Walla Valley appellation. We can’t wait!

Rich’s interest in – and knowledge of – terroir really is the ace up his sleeve. All that studying chemistry and microbiology in his younger days is paying off and his background in science complements his winemaking style. Over the past 16 years, he has analyzed the soils of the Walla Walla Valley extensively, and as a result, Saviah’s wines always reflect the land from which they originated.

When He’s Not Making Wine…

It probably not a big surprise that a Montana boy loves spending his free time in the great outdoors. In the spring you may find him searching the Blue Mountains near Walla Walla for the elusive morel mushroom and in the fall he traverses the backcountry of Oregon and Montana in search of the equally elusive wapiti (a really big subspecies of elk…I had to look that up).

Our Favorite Rich Funk Wine

Definitely loving Saviah’s 2010 The Jack Riesling. Wine Enthusiast rated it 91 points and a best buy. It won best overall wine in the 30th Annual Washington Wine Competition (along with a bunch of other accolades). We put this is the top ten American Rieslings. It’s a dazzling Columbia Valley Riesling – clean, achingly crisp, aromatic, satiny, a touch sweet, and totally delicious. The Jack is sourced from the same vineyard that produces America’s popular Riesling, Ste. Michelle/Dr. Loosen’s immortal “Eroica,” as well as Charles Smith’s epic “Kung Fu Girl.”

Saviah Cellars Facts:

Phone: 509-522-2181

Address: 1979 JB George Road, Walla Walla, WA 99362

Website: www.saviahcellars.com

Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
and by appointment

Tasting Fee: No

Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Merlot, Red Blends, White Blends, Chardonnay, Riesling, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc

It won’t be your grandmother’s Easter buffet.  Next to the piping leg of lamb, the scalloped potatoes and the creamed peas, is the centerpiece: several bottles of your favorite artisan beers. 

This year, we challenge you to step it up a bit and start a “hoppy” new tradition by serving some interesting craft beers. By offering a few terrific choices that your guests will love, the Easter Bunny may find that he has some stiff competition. We’ll help you kick off your shopping list with five excellent beers that will pair well with a traditional Easter feast.

Ryan and the Beaster Bunny

Experience the dark side of Easter with Evil Twin Brewing’s ‘Ryan and the Beaster Bunny.”  The beer is very real, but the makers are akin to the Gorillaz and the Tom Tom Club…it’s a phantom brewery in Denmark. The brewmasters describe it as “a fluffy and precious seasonal  beer brewed on the beautiful island of Fanø on the west coast of Denmark. It may sound like a true fairytale, but don’t be fooled by it’s cute appearance.”  I’d love to hear from anyone who has sampled this brew. From what I understand it’s available PA, NY and GA.

Image via Charleston City Paper (one of the few cities you can get this beer)

Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) Organic IPA

This 100-point beer (as rated by Beer Advocate) is straight from the beer capital of the U.S. – Portland, Oregon. Here’s what our LetsPour beer reviewer had to say about this IPA: Mellow, smoky malts underpin a torrent of Amarillo, Cascade, and Centennial hops in this headliner of Hopworks’ two pubs. Toasted biscuits, lemon rind, and caramel marry with creamy grains, sweet florals, and a hint of almond butter. An impossibly smooooth texture fans out on the palate and brilliantly presents these floral/herbal hops.

Image by Ryan, via LetsPour

Smuttynose Maibock

Smuttynose Brewing in New Hampshire has its own creative take on Germany’s traditional Spring  beer, the Maibock. Bocks tend to be darker, stronger variations of lager beer, but Maibocks, released in Spring, are lighter in color and medium- to full-bodied bodied and usually feature German “noble” hop varieties. The brewery says this Maibock hugely malty & subtly finished with a variety of continental hops. Really a perfect Easter beer that will pair nicely with dinner. And if the label is any indication, you’ll be a little frisky after enjoying it.

Image via The Beer Sessions

Celebrator Doppelbock

This one’s got Easter written all over it (see the photo from the brewery’s website, below). Crafted by Ayinger in Germany, this is a hearty, bottom-fermented, dark doppelbock that could actually replace Easter dinner.  Austrian Conrad Seidl, the self-proclaimed “Pope of Beers,” describes Celebrator as: “Almost black with a very slight red tone, a sensational, festive foam and truly extraordinary fragrance that at first summons up visions of greaves lard. The first taste is of mild fullness with an accompanying coffee tone, which becomes more dominant with the aftertaste. There is very little of the sweetness that is frequently to be tasted with doppelbock beer.”

 Image via Ayinger

Founders Dirty Bastard

Grandma might not be too happy to see this on the buffet, but for us, this Scottish ale would be made to feel right at home with our roast leg of lamb. This world-class beer from Founders is dark mahogany in color soaked in rich flavors of dark fruits.  This is a full-bodied, yet very drinkable ale is “so good it’s almost wrong.” Sorry Grandma.

 Image via Founders Brewing

Dogfather Imperial Stout

The LetsPour beer reviewer, Steve Body, labeled this stout from Laughing Dog “a dark you can’t refuse.” It’s definitely muscular, exploding on the tongue with one of the most unique flavor profiles of any American Stout; a veritable steak dinner in a bottle! Not for the faint of heart, this ol’ dog! Brewed in Idaho.

Image by Ryan, via LetsPour

So these are just a few of our favorites.  While the choices are endless, it’s nice to know that artisan beers are a welcome addition to any holiday meal. Who knows, maybe even Grandma is tired of sipping the sherry and is ready to embark on a whole new Easter adventure.