Book Review - Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher

I recently finished Randy Mosher's invaluable resource for the aspiring beer connoisseur, Tasting Beer, 2nd edition, Kindle version.  Since I have made beer tasting into a hobby, I thought this book would be a must-read for me.  Indeed it has expanded my knowledge and horizons and given me a much deeper appreciation of both beer making and tasting.  The most enjoyable parts are the history of beer, which is as old as civilization itself. Discussions on the history of beer styles were fun as well.  Fun fact, even the ancient Sumerians had a light beer, named eb-la, literally "lessens the waist."

Mosher is nothing if not passionate about his subject.  It also helps that he is well connected with craft brewers and with the beer judging community.  He attempts to leave no style undocumented and no nuance of flavor undescribed.  The book gives the beer taster a vocabulary and the necessary tools to develop his or her own skills at tasting beer.  I have to admit that the technical discussion of taste and smell was a challenge.  Since I don't aspire to professional taster or judger status, perhaps I wasn't as motivated for those parts.  But, if you are so interested, this is a perfect companion to the Cicerone Beer Tasting certification program. However, if you just want to have a handy reference and style guide, Tasting Beer is a resource that no serious beer drinker should be without.

I think this book would be better as hardcover or softcover, because it is such a great reference. Hosting a dessert party, and want to know what chocolates pair with what beers?  Chapter 7 has your answer.  Can't remember if Bière de Garde is a lager or an ale? Beer styles from around the world are explained. (Bière de Garde is the only significant native French style.)  Need help describing the flavor of your favorite nut brown, Chapter 3 explains the vocabulary of beer tasting.

I highly recommend Tasting Beer in your library if you are at all serious about beer.

32 North – Journey AND Destination

For my December review, I journeyed to 32 North Brewing, 8655 Production Ave, in the Miramar area.  Owner Steve Peterson has had quite the journey since he opened his doors three years ago, going through changes in head brewers and focus before finding his stride with his current line up.  Peterson told me that he had started out thinking that 32 North would be a head brewer driven brewery, analogous to a “chef-driven restaurant”, with frequent new beer offerings.  While still offering one or two new specialty beers per month, Peterson now has a core lineup of accessible beers to draw in the average beer drinker.  The specialty line up does not impinge on keeping the core lineup in rotation.  The core beers are cleaner styles: pilsner, lager, amber, pale ale, blonde ale, and an IPA in order to maintain broad appeal.  I ask Peterson if he had any difficulties brewing a pilsner. He said that it is a challenging style even though we think of it as a mass beer style (Bud and Coors).  Brewing pilsner (or any lager style) takes longer than ale, and the hops are more expensive.  Finally, because of its very clean style, imperfections are easier to notice. 32 North has done a good job with their Pilsner the Conqueror flagship beer.  In addition the tasting room, 32 North beers are available in restaurants throughout southern California, and is just starting to be available in Arizona.

32 North is also a wedding destination, just not by design.  When the brewery operations were getting started, a friend of Peterson’s asked if they could use the facility for their wedding.  The open layout of the facility and the rows of wood casks make for a picturesque venue. Pictures of weddings have become a highly ranked item on internet search engines when you enter “32 North.” Peterson’s desire to help keep the cost of weddings reasonable has led to the continued popularity of the brewery as a wedding destination.

The tasting room is wide open, with football projected on one wall when I visited.  There is a huge polished wood table that looks perfect for board meetings.  A couple of classic pinball machines along with bean bag games and board games are available for additional entertainment.  As you enter the brewery, all facets of operations are visible including gorgeous wood casks holding aging ale.  32 North has a very friendly atmosphere, which allows dogs, and is definitely a comfortable to place to hang out.  On Fridays and Saturdays, food trucks supplement the snacks offered at the bar.  I visited during San Diego Beer Week; Death of a Brewer, a stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels was on tap and in bottles for the occasion. 

I sampled five of the six core beers.  Pilsner the Conqueror is hop forward with a grassy hoppiness and delicious bready malt backing.  Peterson said it is the flagship beer, a worthy selection.  Pennant Pale Ale is light and refreshing, citrus and tropical hop flavors predominate, but there is enough of malt to balance.  Best Coast IPA is interesting, it has both citrus and piney hopping, but the pine lingers, and the malt middle stays subtle. Magnum Hops give Considerate Gentleman Lager more bitter flavor than I expected, with Glacier hops adding a spicy background.  I tried a taster from a just tapped keg that was well carbonated. Anchor Down Amber has an endearing caramel sweetness that made it very easy to drink.

The specialty beers were even better, in my opinion. Breakfast Red is rich, smooth, creamy and a bit sweet, but not so heavy that you couldn’t have two. Another rich and creamy ale was Hello, Darkness Oatmeal Stout, which had great balance with a bit of coffee bite. Death of A Brewer, barrel aged, had bourbon and coffee notes with a little boozy caramel; it was worthy of a Beer Week release. Landfall Berliner Weisse was a solid sour, but I am a terrible judge of this style. Oktoberfest Märzen was well carbonated and malty, just what you want this time of year.  Zesty orange citrus lifts the bitter flavor Orange Is the New Black stout.  Finally, S'mores Polar Opposite is a gonzo barrel aged take on the Polar Opposite Golden Stout.  Vanilla, graham crackers, and coffee beans gave this aged ale a lot for my mouth to consider.  I sipped it very slowly to fully enjoy its complex character.  A beer not on offer, which will be aged in rum barrels for release next year is Julia’s Grand Cru.  This beer was first brewed to raise funds for Julia Davidson, a seven year old who has overcome a form of bone cancer.

32 North has both accessible core beers and frequent new additions to appeal to a wide range of beer lovers, worth the trip to Miramar. It’s a great spot for weddings too.

Steve Peterson, owner of 32 North Brewing.

This article was originally published in the Clairemont Times on page 13.

Pure Project – Ingredients Making a Difference

Pure Project Brewing, located at 9030 Kenamar Dr. in San Diego, is an early success of H.G. Fenton’s Brewery Igniter project launched in 2015.  I asked Mat Robar, one of the founders of Pure Project about the direction the brewery is heading and their vision for beer making. Initially Robar and his business partners, Jesse & Agi Pine, intended to set up a brewery in Costa Rica, but the infrastructure in that country didn’t support their plans. They became aware of the Brewery Igniter project and were able to move in and start brewing in just six months, opening their doors in January 2016. This column previously reviewed Amplified Ale Works, next door, another success story from Brewery Igniter.

While they were setting up brewing operations in Costa Rica, the partners came across unique ingredients at the farmers markets and hoped to include them in their beers.  Their desire to use pure, local, and unique local ingredients, which support environmental sustainability, fueled their vision for the brewery.  Additionally, Robar said that Pure Project donates 1% of gross sales to local environmental non-profit organizations, Surfrider, Outdoor Outreach and San Diego Coastkeeper.  He added that a commitment to sustainability involves numerous business decisions.  Those decisions include how ingredients are sourced, how merchandising decisions are made, and other facets of the business. They want to be a part of the local and global community and tell an interesting story about each beer.

Pure Project’s approach to beer making often starts by considering the unique ingredient, such as peaches, strawberries, or honey, and crafting the beer around it. I also talked to head Brewer Winslow Sawyer about his beer making style. Other examples of his approach to beer making are in the use of 100% organic local ingredients in some of the beers.  They have been trying out California grown organic base malt for example. Additionally, they use local water that is filter but not stripped of its character. Some of his yeasts have been cultivated from the local air and fruit. The accumulation of these sourcing decisions is restoring the terroir in beer making, an idea from wine making where the complete natural local environment influences the taste of the product.

The tasting room itself is cozy. Wood paneling lines the walls along with hanging ivy decoration, evoking a sense of the jungle.  Nature films running on the wall to add to the ambience.  This is a clearly a popular destination, there was a full room of customers tasting flights of beers on a Friday afternoon.  The two year anniversary is coming up in January. Sawyer said that there are plans to released some beers that been cellared and some new varieties and a canned beer that is in collaboration. 

Of course, I spent time tasting beer, not just talking about it.  I started with the German Pilsner Rein. The full biscuit flavor of this beer was nicely balanced with extra hop character from the imported noble hops. Delilah, a Belgian Blonde, is slightly sweetened by wild flower honey from Temecula.  Strong clove notes characteristic of this style are balanced by the honey in the background.  La Vie en Rosé is a Saison with a beautiful deep pink pour, and nice carbonation.  It was light, refreshing, and floral with a slightly sour taste balanced again by honey.  Murklands is one of many “murky” or hazy beers on tap, a rye IPA.  Sawyer said that the term murky is intended to distinguish from the New England hazy style, as Pure Project’s IPAs are in the San Diego tradition.  Murklands had a creamy mouth feel and tropical and peach hopping that made me want to drink it in big gulps.  I finished this tasting with a double IPA punctuated by strong coconut and tropical flavors, Pipa Fría. It was less bitter than most IPAs, but the hop oil lingered in aftertaste, which I enjoy.

I came back the next day to try some more because one flight didn’t do justice to their variety.  Crème de la Pêche is a seasonal cream ale using peaches that was light, creamy and very easy to drink.  Sawyer rotates Valencia, Blood Oranges, and strawberries with this ale on a seasonal basis.  The Dry Irish Stout, Milagro, was one of my favorites.  It was very rich and creamy, a little bitter with great coffee flavor. Oatverdose is another murky IPA, made with oats.  It was another refreshing offering, with classic grapefruit notes up front and good carbonation for a full mouth feel. I finished with a big imperial stout, Prime Evils.  It was dark, sweet, and boozy, which hid the subtle pepper notes.  Not for everyone, but one of my favorites.

Pure Project is making a difference with their sustainable approach to beer making and their use of unique ingredients.  They are worth your visit, especially if you are a fan of murky beers.

Mat Robar in front of the robust line up at Pure Project.

This article was originally published in the Clairemont Times on page 13.