October meeting for Rogue Valley Homebrewers!

This month's RVHB meeting will be in a location that has me very excited. We'll be meeting at Bear Creek Beers. I had not heard of this store until just recently and haven't even been able to stop in yet, but here is why I am excited. Its a specialty beer store that looks like it doesn't lack specialty beers! There are one or two other bottle shops in the area but they don't really stock anything special, not like Johns Marketplace in Portland does. But this store, this store looks like they stock a lot of hard to find beers, and even the glassware to drink it with!

Flying Dog...where is the love?

Oh Flying Dog, you breaker of hearts! I remember when I first met you, oh so many months ago. I was on the traditional quick sweep down the beer isle and there I saw you. A new brand of beer, interesting bottle art, decent price. I bought you that night and took you home, I drank you and enjoyed it. The next day I wrote to you and told you I was going to blog about you. Much to my surprise you wrote back and offered me your support for this little blog. A few weeks later I was again surprised to find a package from you in the mail. A letter and more support for my blog. But in the months since I haven't heard a word from you. Have you forgotten about me, all the way out here in Oregon? Have you moved on to other fellows and other blogs? I still see you in the store, I still buy your bottles with artistic labels. But why don't you send me support any more. Why do you not write to me any more? Oh well, Fuck Cancer!

National Teach a Friend to Home Brew Day (Nov 1st)

Rogue Valley Home Brewers will be hosting a learn to brew session at Grains Beans and Things (new homebrew store on Crater Lake Ave. in Medford) on National Teach a Friend to Home Brew Day (Nov 1st). The club is really excited about this because we not only get to share our love of homebrewing, but we also are going to get a lot of exposure out of it. Grains Beans and Things will be taking out newpaper and radio ads for about a week before hand. Also the store has been collecting a lot of names from people interested in checking out the club. Hopefully at least a handful of the 20 or so folks will fully join us. We need a slightly bigger group in the club before we can start doing some of the really cool stuff, like brewing compitions, tasting panels with brewers, etc.

Sam Adam's

Well since Chris seems to be slacking on his research into beer, I'll post my latest forays.
after listening to a broadcast of the Sunday Session where they talked with Jim Koch of Boston Brewing, I started paying attention to the beer I'm buying. specifically the "drink before" dates labeled on these things. Sam Adams has their dates listed on the sides of the bottle as well as printed on the top of the 12 packs. this was a surprise to me to find out that the Haggen down the street from me is selling out of date Beer. I picked up a 12 pack of the Boston Lager for the dirt cheap price of $10.30, only to find out the beer had turned on me. Not too much mind you, but the flavors were definitely different from the fresher beer I've had before from the company. The malt flavor that is so prominent in Boston Lager had definitely gone south. I also could not detect any hop aroma or flavor at all, and the commercials for the Boston Brewing company proclaim loudly how the hops should be big and bold in their brews. Even saving a few dollars for the 12 pack I found it was not worth it. much better to buy the fresh beer at the retail price then try and save a dollar or two on old beer. Jim Koch of Boston Brewing even says they will buy back the out of date beer from retailers just to avoid this kind of taste happening. So make sure you check the dates before deciding a beer is "bad." it's not the brewers fault that the retailers don't check their stock. Boston Lager is a great beer, and the freshness does make a difference.
As for the Octoberfest beer they were selling, that was a very good beer, lots of malts and dark colors to enjoy. the mouthfeel was silky, and the carbonation was just right for a dark beer, as it did not interfere with the taste at all. Even after four or five in the night I could still enjoy the brew as it was not a palate killer as most darker beers tend to be.

Back From O.B.F.

The Oregon Brewer's Festival is officially over and boy did I have fun! I'll be posting over the next few days as soon as I decompress a little. 4 days of great beer, awesome people and beautiful weather can really take it out of you.

Everyone say hi to Anheuser-Busch InBev

Just finished my first cup of coffee and was a little surprised by this. It looks like Anheuser-Busch and InBev have released a joint press release stating that they have come to terms on a merger. The New York Times article is pretty through and does a good job at giving you an idea of the complexity of this deal. Basically the main reason that I am even posting about this is that InBev has nearly ruined several of the smaller brands it has acquired in the past, but lucky for me my favorites (at least my InBev favorites) were saved from ruin at the last minute, specificlly Hoeegarden, which was bought by InBev who then moved the brewery. Long story short, you can't move a brewery that has been a single towns most prominent source of income for decades and expect for things to be ok.

That being said InBev has promised to not move or change A-B's beers, breweries, or production plants...we'll see.

Oregon Brewers Festival here I come!

Here at Everyday Drinking, I am getting ready to visit the Oregon Brewers Festival. Its just over three weeks away. This will be my first festival and I am very excited! I hope to get a lot of good photos to share along with drinking some great beers. I think what is most exciting is that there will be a small posse of home brewers attending the festival with me so I'll be able to talk beer without needing to watch out for the glazed eyes of non-interest. I also plan to attend a homebrew session with the Oregon Brew Crew on Saturday just outside the festival grounds.

The Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) runs from July 24th to July 27th, and this will be the 21st year of the OBF. With 72 craft breweries from 18 different states and a special 73rd beer that is a collaboration between the Oregon Brew Crew and Widmer you know there will be great beer there. The OBF gets 60,000 visitors from around the world each year. There will be exhibits from hop growers and home brewers, live music, food, collectibles, and much much more.

I also plan to visit a few of the really exciting pubs and breweries while in town as well as a short stop at John's Market and Liquid Solutions for a few bottles to bring home. That is going to be one very beery week!