Lhasa Beer

I'm always on the lookout for beers that come from exotic corners of the globe. So when I was reading my September 2009 issue of All About Beer magazine a few months ago, I noticed an ad for a new imported beer from Tibet, called Lhasa Beer. I immediately looked around Reno for the beer, mostly in the Asian markets and at Whole Foods, but I came up empty-handed. Flash-forward to Christmas, when I was visiting family members in Austin, Texas. My wife and I went to the main Whole Foods store there, and while I was looking around, I found that they sold this beer. I had to snag it and bring it back to Reno.

It is important to note that the Lhasa Beer that Americans receive in this country is different than the Lhasa Beer that Tibetans drink. Both are brewed by the Tibet Lhasa Brewery, founded in 1989 in Lhasa, Tibet, as a joint venture between two corporations; half is owned by the Danish Carlsberg Group and a Danish government development fund, and half is owned by a domestic corporation that is traded on the Shen Zhen stock exchange. However, the beer we get is specially designed for the US market, an all-malt Dortmunder lager with up to 30% Tibetan barley (with the remainder coming from Australia) and Saaz hops. The Lhasa Beer consumed in Tibet is a rice beer brewed with a lot of other adjuncts in it, and it is this beer, and others brewed by Tibet Lhasa (which, by the way, is the highest brewery in the world), that accounts for 70% of all beer consumed in Tibet. (Lhasa Beer, Ingredients, Brewery)

What's really cool about this beer is that its U.S. importer, Dzambuling Imports LLC, likes to make a point that 10% of their net profits are reinvested back into "direct philanthropic intervention in Tibet," calling it "good karma." While some people may think that this is just a marketing gimmick, I actually had the privilege of speaking to people in management at Dzambuling who assured me otherwise. They told me that the brewery employs 250 full-time workers, 3/4 of whom are Tibetan, and one worker's salary is sufficient to support one family. Each one also gets full benefits, health care, and a retirement program, and upper management at the brewery even gets housing. The brewery has working conditions that are on a par with a modern well-run American brewery (a photo of the bottling line is below). Finally, even though they aren't yet profitable, they are currently making contributions in support of educating children in Tibet. Good karma, indeed. (Brewery, Interview with Management)


Here come the stats:

Lhasa Beer
BREWERY: Tibet Lhasa Brewery Company Ltd., Lhasa, Tibet*
US IMPORTER: Dzambuling Imports LLC, El Cerrito, CA
STYLE: Dortmunder lager
FIRST BREWED: 2009
CALORIES/SERVING: Never tested
BITTERNESS: ~20 IBU
ABV: 4.6%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 11.3° Plato (1045.62)
MALTS: Up to 30% Tibetan 2-row barley, 70% or more Australian 2-row barley
HOPS: Aroma: Saaz; Bittering: (some variety)
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS: 2009 WBC Silver Medal (Dortmunder Lager)

*I count Tibet as its own country, even though China technically has administrative control over the region. I would count Taiwan similarly. It's not so much a political thing as it is an "exotic" thing.

Information on the first-brewed, malts and hops came from the Ingredients page, the ABV comes from the Beer page, and the award information comes from the Beverage Tasting Institute's review. The remainder of the information came from an interview with management at Dzambuling Imports LLC.

The first thing that hit me was this beer's strong pilsneresque aroma as it hit the glass. A deeper smell reveals a hoppy floral bouquet. The beer poured a yellow-golden color with a bright white head. The taste was carbonated and a bit hoppy for a 20 IBU beer. The finish was very crisp and light, leaving no trace of the hoppiness it originally had.

Lhasa Beer makes for a drinking experience that you can feel good about, both taste- and karma-wise. Pick one up wherever they distribute it, which will also include Reno and Las Vegas in the near future.

ཉེཔོནང (Nyepo nang)!

Famosa (Gallo)

This is a beer that recently was distributed to the Reno area, or at least to my favorite beer store, Booze Bros. I was in the mood for a Latin American lager, I saw the bottle, I saw the country of origin as another I can check off my list (Guatemala, by the way), I purchased.

Famosa (Spanish for "famous") is the export name for a beer Guatemalans call Gallo (Spanish for "Rooster"), explaining the black stylized rooster on the bottle. Why there's a stylized rooster on the bottle, I wasn't sure, so I had it explained to me by a brewery spokesperson. I originally thought that the rooster was in fact a Resplendent Quetzal, Guatemala's national bird, whose image adorns the flag, coat of arms, and currency (which is also named the Quetzal), but I was wrong. In 1896, one of the family members of the brewery owners (not mentioned, but I assume it's the Castillo family; read on) decided to put a rooster on the bottle of their "Lager-Bier", I imagine as a sort of trademark. Ten years later, people started asking for a beer "with the Rooster on the bottle," eventually being shortened to "The Rooster," and thus, the name El Gallo was born. (E-mail to Central Beers)

The brewery itself was established in 1881 by Mariano and Rafael Castillo Córdova as Castillo Hermanos, with German brewmasters Herr Stiller and William Spitz arriving in 1895. The beer now known as Gallo in Guatemala and Famosa elsewhere was first brewed in 1896, and it has won numerous awards since. According to the Famosa spokesperson, the brewery is now owned by the 4th and 5th generations of family members, and it is one of only two independent breweries in Latin America. (Gallo beer information; I did my best with the translation, but if anyone can assist, I would be grateful)

Here come the stats:

Famosa (Gallo)
BREWERY: Cervecería Centro Americana, S.A., Guatemala City, Guatemala
US IMPORTER: Central Beer Import and Export, Inc., Miami, FL, USA
STYLE: Lager
FIRST BREWED: 1896
CALORIES/SERVING: 145 per 12 oz. bottle (135-155 on average)
BITTERNESS: 20 IBUs (18-22 on average)
ABV: 5%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 11.5° Plato (1046.47)
MALTS: Malts from Denmark, Sweden, and Germany
HOPS: Hops from Yakima Valley, Washington
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 32-41 °F (0-5 °C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Guatemalan food, but also "sea food, Italian pasta or steak" among other things
AWARDS: 25 Monde Selection awards since 1967, including 21 gold medals (which itself includes 10 straight golds), 1 Great Gold medal in 1992, and the Crystal Prestige Award; 1914 gold medal at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition

All information, except for the OG, malts, hops, and serving temp, came from Central Beer's Famosa website; the rest came from an e-mail to the importer, Central Beer Import and Export.

The beer itself poured a clear light golden color that bubbled up into a nice clean white head. The scent of the beer reminded me of many a pilsner and Latin American lager I have drank, which makes sense considering this is your basic Latin American lager. The beer itself tasted of carbonation and a slight hoppiness with just a hint of malt. The good news is that the aftertaste was not overly bitter or metallic, a problem that befalls many beers from this part of the world (my theory is that it has to do with the water). It was a light hoppy aftertaste that lingered for a little while.

Overall, not a bad beer, but I imagine that the entire experience would be greatly improved served alongside some tamales or chile rellenos or other Guatemalan food (and yes, apparently most Guatemalan food is also Mexican food). Certainly far from the worst Central American lager I've had. Your favorite Guatemalan restaurant or Latin American grocer probably has this beer, so pick one up.

¡Salud!

Widmer W'08 Crimson Wheat

With this post, the Beerocrat will celebrate its Golden (50th) Beeriversary, so drink up! I know I will!

Today's beer, the 50th I've reviewed so far, is Widmer Brother Brewing's 2008 Brewmasters' Release, called W'08 Crimson Wheat. This is the fourth release in their "W" series of beers, available from January to July of this year, but there may still be some 6-packs floating around somewhere. While other Widmer W releases, save for their W'05, have never been re-released as a regular bottled beer (they may have been served at their Gasthaus Pub), this one may have a decent shot for re-branding, as it has already won a silver at 2007's Great American Beer Festival, under the cryptic name "Brewmaster Reserve." A promising start, indeed. (Widmer W'08 homepage, GABF 2007 award list [alternative if GABF link goes stale])


Here come the stats:

Widmer W'08 Crimson Wheat
BREWERY: Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR, USA
STYLE: American-Style Ale
FIRST BREWED: 2007
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS: 20 IBU
ABV: 4.9%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13.75° Plato (1056.07)
MALTS: Two Row Pale, Dark Wheat, Caramel Wheat, Red Wheat, Caramel 10 L, Rye, Chocolate
HOPS: Bittering: Alchemy, Aroma: Sterling
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: A variety of entrées including hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches, and seafood
AWARDS: 2007 GABF Silver Medal Award Winner (American-Style Wheat Beer category, as "Brewmaster Reserve")

Most of this information came from Widmer's own W'08 homepage, with help from the GABF 2007 award list (and it's alternative link).

This beer poured a deep reddish-orange color, a very different color than what I've seen out of Widmer. The head was small, bubbly, and white, staying for a little while. The nose of the beer had a nice malty-sweetness to it and was very pleasing, not overpowering. This malty-sweetness extended to the taste, mixed in with a faint hoppiness indicative of a beer with only 20 IBUs. The finish was grainy in origin, but it didn't go flat or stale in my mouth, instead fading away gently into oblivion.

This is a nice beer, worthy of their W series. Hopefully it will be rebranded as something else like their Broken Halo in the near future, or at least featured in their Gasthaus Pub. If there are any left in stores, pick some up.

Prost!

P.S. Also, if anyone knows a better file hosting situation (free sign-up and hosting, direct link to file downloads), please do not hesitate to drop a comment. I'd love to switch from Uploading.com early in the game if possible. Thanks.

Redhook Copperhook Spring Ale

Today's entry covers a beer from one of my favorite craft brewers, Woodinville, Washington's own Redhook Brewery; that beer is their Copperhook Spring Ale. Now, I know you're thinking "hey, wait a minute, it's not spring...it's halfway through summer!" I would like to note that I bought it in spring, and it's been relaxing in a cold, dark fridge ever since just waiting to be drank. It gets its chance today. Looking back on previous entries, I'm surprised I've never done a brewery history on Redhook, at least a comprehensive one.

The history of Redhook starts in the Scandinavian working-class Seattle neighborhood of Ballard in May 1981, when Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker founded the brewery. The first batch of their Redhook Ale was poured in 1982. Unfortunately, Seattleites were "maybe a little confus[ed]" about this beer, called the "banana beer" because of its flavor. Less than 1,000 barrels were sold that year; sadly, this beer is no longer available in that initial form. However, their next brews, 1983's Blackhook Porter and 1984's Ballard Bitter (now known as Longhammer IPA) were met with much greater acclaim, and 1987's ESB (Extra Special Bitter) became their flagship ale. To keep up with demand, they moved out of Ballard and into a new brewery in nearby Woodinville in 1994, while expanding their east coast presence with a brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1996. As previously mentioned, Redhook and Portland's Widmer Brothers Brewery merged to form the Craft Brewer's Alliance in 2007, which was finalized in 2008. (Redhook's history link, not direct-linkable; go to Redhook main page → About Redhook → Redhook History)

The history of Copperhook itself is not nearly as long-winded. It began life in 2001 as two different beers: the Chinook Copper Ale, and the Chinook Stock Ale, later renamed Late Harvest Autumn Ale. Chinook Copper Ale was sold year-round, but only in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. It was pulled from the shelf in the summer of 2005 due to a redesign of the bottle and label layout of all Redhook products, combined with Redhook's leasing of the name "Chinook" from Yakima Valley's Chinook Wines. Instead of dealing with all the rights issues associated with continuing to lease the name, Redhook re-christened it as Copperhook Spring Ale, their spring seasonal, in the spring of 2006. It was still temporarily available only on the west coast at that time, with their delicious Nut Brown Ale filling in on the east coast, but as of spring 2007 it is now available nationwide with the exception of Utah and Oklahoma (like all their beers).

On a side note, their Nut Brown is sadly no longer available, but may be due for a glorious comeback soon. One can only hope.

(The above info comes from a combination of recollections of the many Redhook brewery tours I've taken and a phone call to the Redhook Beer Guru on August 7th, 2008 at 2:45 PM PDT. Thanks again, Guru!)

DISCLAIMER: This beer has a soft spot for me, having gotten me through most of my junior year of college. I have tried to be as objective as I can in reviewing this beer.


Here come the stats:

Redhook Copperhook Spring Ale
BREWERY: Redhook Brewing Co., Woodinville, WA, USA
STYLE: BeerAdvocate calls it an American Pale Ale
FIRST BREWED: 2001
CALORIES/SERVING: 174 per 12 oz. bottle
BITTERNESS: 20 IBU
ABV: 5.7%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13.078° Plato (1053.18)
MALTS: Carapils, Caramel
HOPS: Willamette, Saaz
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 40-50°F (4.4-10°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Barbecue, salads, seafood
AWARDS: (none)

Most of this information comes from Redhook's Copperhook website (not direct-linkable, go to Redhook main page → Our Ales → Copperhook). The rest were answered by Redhook's Beer Guru.

It makes sense that Copperhook pours a copper color into the glass, accompanied by an average-sized soft foamy white head which stuck around a longer than average amount of time. The nose was a grainy texture with accents of subtle sweetness, almost fruity in nature. The taste of the beer itself was hoppy at first, quickly transforming into a malty flavor with carbonation. The aftertaste was a little bit of stale hoppiness, but it didn't stick around; within 30 seconds it had evolved to a slight maltiness that was pleasant on the tongue.

This is a light ale that is perfectly suited for the spring and summer months. It's flavor masks its 5.7% ABV well, making this a higher ABV session beer in my mind. Since Redhook's seasonals for this part of the year are their Sunrye Summer Ale and their newly-nationally-available Late Harvest Autumn Ale, you'll have to wait until mid-January 2009 to pick up a six-pack.

Prost!

Laurelwood Mother Lode Golden Ale

Well, I'm back from my trip to the Northwest. I hung out at the wedding, had an awesome time at a wedding party my parents threw for me, and caught up with old friends. I also brought back a few choice Northwest brews from a couple of stores around the area. I bought a MacTarnahan's Amber Ale, a Hale's Ales Red Menace Amber Ale, a Laurelwood Mother Lode Golden Ale, and a Hair of the Dog "Ruth" All-American Ale. Basically I picked up a bunch of ales, all of which I plan to enjoy. Here's the line-up.



I decided to start off the Northwest Beer review with the first one I got: the Laurelwood Mother Lode Golden Ale. The brewery/brewpub was started in 2001 by Mike and Cathy DeKalb in the Hollywood District of Portland on 40th and Sandy, brewing the Mother Lode as part of their initial line-up. In 2002, two of their beers, the Free Range Red and the Tree Hugger Porter, were certified organic by Oregon Tilth, "a nonprofit research and education membership organization dedicated to biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture," the first Oregon beers to be given this distinction. Their second brewpub opened on NW Kearney St. in Portland, and their new brewery is located at 51st and Sandy in Portland with a brewpub on the way. The original location is going to become the Laurelwood Pizza Co., because as you know, pizza goes very well with beer.



Here are the stats:

Laurelwood Mother Lode Golden Ale
BREWERY: Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR, USA
FIRST BREWED: 2001
CALORIES/SERVING: Never been tested
BITTERNESS: 20 IBUs
ABV: 5.1%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 12° Plato (1048.58)
MALTS: 2-Row, Acidulated
HOPS: Northern Brewer, Cascade
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 40-45°F (4-7°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Bisque, green salad, grilled fish
AWARDS: 2002 World Beer Cup Gold Medal (Golden-Blonde Ale category), 2003 GABF Bronze Medal (Golden or Blonde Ale category), 2004 GABF Silver Medal (Golden or Blonde Ale category)

I procured this information from Laurelwood's Mother Lode page, Laurelwood's Awards page, and responses to a couple of e-mails I sent them. Thanks Chad and Desi!

The beer poured very nicely, giving a nice white head that lingered. The ale had a nice light wheaty scent that wasn't too strong. I have to admit that I felt that the first taste was a little too bitter for my palette, but after the initial, the beer was very enjoyable, with the flavor building upon itself after every sip. It finished clean with a slight wheaty aftertaste that you know I love. Unlike some beers, this one kept its flavor after sitting for awhile, making it a good beer to nurse on or sip occasionally.

Overall, I enjoyed its flavor after that first sip. It's nothing against the beer; I really just don't like bitterness, which is why I favor the lighter beers and don't drink a lot of IPAs. If you enjoy beers with a little bit of bite to them, this is your beer. If you travel through Portland, you can pick one up at Portland International Airport, where I grabbed this one; Laurelwood has a café in Concourses A and E. It'll make your trip that much more enjoyable.

Prost!

Update: I got some information from their website and blog (the latter being more up-to-date).