30 January 2013

Friday BeerBuzz - 1 Feb 2013 The Teaser

WILKFridayBerbuzz15Last week we celebrated the 150th WILK Friday BeerBuzz show.  I can tell you just under three years ago when we started, I was never sure how long this fun ride would last, so I was excited to celebrate 150-shows with the Friday BeerBuzz Team and with some wonderful Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine.  This is a great beer and if you haven’t tried it yet, get out there and find a reason to celebrate for yourself and try it.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we’re celebrating a real Victory for the show with a really special guest! 

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com)

25 January 2013

WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 25 Jan 2013 Avery Hog Heaven (Video)

WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 25 Jan 2013 Avery Hog Heaven

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It’s not often that we get a chance to enjoy a beer with JUST the WILK Friday BeerBuzz crew, but since today was our 150th show, I decided we should just have fun.  I also decided that we needed to choose a beer worthy of One Hundred and Fifty Shows…so I did.  We’ve features quite a few different breweries on the Friday BeerBuzz, but never one of my favorites from Boulder Colorado.  With that in mind, I decided to feature our first ever beer from Avery Brewing.

Avery Brewing got it’s start when Adam Avery took his homebrewing experimentation (and obsession) to the next level in 1993.  He began with a 7bbl brewing system, and as time progressed he gradually bumped up until they had doubled their capacity and building size by 1997.  Things moved forward for Avery Brewing with their original Out of Bounds Stout and Ellies Brown Ale, but two events started their rapid growth to the brewery we know today.

In 1994 their Out of Bounds Stout won GABF gold, and while this launched the reputation Avery Brewing, their big break came with our featured beer of the day, Hog Heaven Barleywine.  In 1997 Adam Avery was approached by Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey/Port Brewing and Greg Koch from Stone requesting their Hog Heaven to be part of their San Diego Strong Ale festival. This in turn launched distribution of Avery beers into California and the rest, as they say, is brewing-history.
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Hog Heaven is an American-style barleywine that is aggressively hopped to hold true to Avery’s motto.  You see there were troubling financial times for Avery, and at some point Adam and his father decided to go big and brew the beers they loved or fail trying.  This idea is best characterized on their web page with the statement that, “we brew what we like with utter disregard for what the market demands”…and of course they do.

Hog Heaven marches through your front door with 9.2% ABV but then slaps you in the back of the head with big 104 IBU of hops on board.  And while the bottle labels it a Barleywine, it actually competes in the Imperial Red Ale Category where it took home GABF silver medals in 2004 and 2007.

Try this one for yourself and you’ll see how to balance a malt flavor big enough to get the high ABV of a Barleywine, with the piney and resinous punch of Columbus hops.  This beer is almost candy-like until the hops enter the room, and then the finish is hoppy & satisfying.

T

hank you to Nancy, John & Joe for yet another

fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
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23 January 2013

Friday BeerBuzz - 25 Jan 2013 The Teaser

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We had a great time sampling last week with our pal Mark Braunwarth from Marley’s.  Mark brought us a variety of traditional and non-traditional beers to try and we had a blast pushing the boundaries of brewing styles.  It was fun to see everyone’s eyes opened wide as they heard the name Pack Dog Peanut Butter Ale, and even more fun to see them really enjoy it.  My favorite was certainly Mark’s Dirty Dog Dubbel w/sour cherries but I really enjoyed the Pack Dog too.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we’re bringing in a beer that will make you really happy, AND it’s a beer that is named one style but competes in another. 

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com)

18 January 2013

Friday BeerBuzz - 18 Jan 2013 Marley’s Pack Dog Peanut Butter Ale w/Mark Braunwarth

WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 18 Jan 2013 Marley’s Pack Dog Peanut Butter Ale w/Mark Braunwarth

WILKFridayBerbuzz15The Friday BeerBuzz team took a few weeks to recover from the holidays, and we’ve enjoyed some really good beers; but with the new year upon us, it was time to bring back a local guest and sample some local beer.

We’ve followed along as rumors turned to reality and Marley’s Brewpub opened it’s doors in Bloomsburg, PA, and in Feb 2012 we welcomed their brewmaster Mark Braunwarth into the studio to sample some great beers.  Mark featured his Tire Chaser IPA and we all had a great time talking and sampling with Mark.

Jump forward to 2013 and a lot is going on at Marley’s.  The brewpub has bumped up to 10 taps and the food menu has grown.  Marley’s has seen an increase in traffic and they have grown to be one of the premier pubs in Bloomsburg.  Of course it helps that their variety, quantity and quality of beer has grown too, so today was a perfect day to check back in with Mark & sample some of his new brews.
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Mark was nice enough to being in his new Pack Dog Peanut Butter Ale today, and before you start thinking that peanut butter and beer don’t belong in the same sentence together, try this beer.  Don’t let the ingredients fool you.  This is a beer loaded with flavor and complexity and yes the peanut butter is there.  I’ve always liked how Thai food mixes peanuts and spiced food, and while this beer isn’t spicy, the blend and balance of bitter to peanut butter is spot on.

Mark also brought in what is perhaps one of my all-time favorite Marley’s beers…Dirty Dog Dubbel w/Sour Cherries.  If you love beers that use Belgian yeast then this beer is a classic Dubbel.  If you love a tart or sour beers, then this beer is for you.  Dirty Dog Dubbel has 60-pounds of sour cherries in each batch and the flavor shines through the sweetness of the Belgian-style dubbel.  This is a wonderful beer, and one I hope becomes a regular at Marley’s.

Be sure to take a ride down the road to 18 W Main St in Bloomsburg and check out these beers for yourself…and while you’re there, be sure to sample some of Mark’s others brews as well.

T

hank you to Mark Braunwarth from Marley’s, Nancy, John & Joe for yet another

fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
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16 January 2013

Friday BeerBuzz - 18 Jan 2013 - The Teaser

WILKFridayBerbuzz15It’s always fun for the WILK Friday BeerBuzz team to “talk beer.”  Last week we sampled two unique fruit beers, and dispelled the rumors that fruit beers are somehow less of a beer.  Samuel Smith Organic Apricot and Cherry were delicious brews.  Call them whatever you like as long as you call them tasty!

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we welcome back a local brewmaster and you won’t believe how diverse the beers & styles we’ll be sampling are.  Even better news is that you too can sample them! 

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com)

11 January 2013

WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 11 Jan 2012 Samuel Smith Organic Apricot & Cherry Ale

WILKFridayBerbuzz8I’m a big fan of throwing curve-balls on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz.  Every so often I like to defy the style of the season and roll out a classic but non-traditional brew.  While mid-January may be screaming dark malty winter seasonal ales, I decided to go another way and roll out just the opposite.

Now I’ll admit that in mid-January I’m aching for some warm weather and perhaps even a few warm weather beers, but most aren’t available year-round.  Fortunately for me I found a great year-round beer that just has summer written all over.  As if that’s not fun enough, I decided to roll out that same ale in not one but two flavors.

The Samuel Smith brewery has operated in Tadcaster since 1758, and everything from the well dating back to 1758 to the barrels used to ferment many of their beers, it’s all original AND all still in use today.  Traditions continue at the old brewery as coopers are on staff to build & repair their barrels and the original “Shire Horses” still live in stables behind the brewery…and yes these horses still make local beer deliveries 5 days a week!

Samuel Smith Organic Fruit beers take the tradition one step further.  These beer start out at the old All Saints Samuel Smith brewery in Stamford where they are milled and brewed using the original hand-operated brewing equipment….so old that the mill & mash rakes are operated by steam power.  Samuel Smith Organic Fruit beers go through primary & secondary fermentation (with 2 different yeast strains) at Stamford before returning to Tadcaster where organic fruit juice is added and the brew is aged.
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Samuel Smith Organic Apricot & Cherry fruit beers are wonderfully complex brews that not only use organic fruit, but also organic barley & wheat malts.  Don’t let the simplicity of these beers fool you, underneath the fruit flavors are a wealth of complex malt and yeast-driven flavors that show up late in the palate.  Also take the time to sample more than one flavor.  While we did Apricot & Cherry on the show today, they also brew Strawberry & Raspberry as well.

Don’t be fooled by the fruit involved in today’s brews or the fact that they are organic….these are wonderful beers with a rich brewing tradition from not one, but two historic breweries.  Try them for yourself and see what I mean.

T

hank you to Nancy, John & Joe for yet another

fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.

09 January 2013

Friday BeerBuzz - 11 Jan 2012 The Teaser

WILKFridayBerbuzz8We launched into 2013 on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz last week, and we chose a classic Trappist brew to celebrate the New year.  Orval Trappist ale is a beer that many people overlook, yet it is an official Trappist brew.  Orval follows the brewing history and traditions of some of what are regarded as the worlds best beers, yet the beer is readily available and even affordable in the U.S.  Orval is an uncommon brew (in a good way) so try this one for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we’re trying out a new/old style on the show in not one but two different flavors.

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com)

07 January 2013

WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 4 Jan 2013 Orval Trappist Ale

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We’re taking a deep breath on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz as we launch into 2013.  It’s been a crazy holiday season and we’re ready to think late-winter and spring beer.  Keep in mind we’ve featured 10 different holiday beers in the last 4 weeks so it’s time to make a change.



For the first show of the new year, I wanted to feature a beer that is worthy of that New year’s honor.  I also wanted to start the new year with a really special beer that is readily available, affordable, full of flavor and a historically significant beer as well.  Finally, I simply wanted to switch gears and get away from the traditionally dark and spicy holiday ales.

Each January, to launch the new year, I like to feature a true Trappist beer on the Friday BeerBuzz.  For 2012 we featured Rochefort 10 as a way to support the brewery after the tragic fire just weeks earlier.  For 2013 I decided to keep up our tradition and feature a Trappist beer once again…so today’s beer was Orval Trappist Ale.
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Coming to us from Villers-Devant-Orval in Belgium, Orval is not only a classic Belgian beer, but also a beer brewed by one of 8 certified Trappist breweries around the world.  Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Achel, La Trappe, and Stift Engelszell are among the worlds most sought after beers…however Orval is readily available in the U.S. and one of my favorites.

Orval Abbey dates back to 1132, and while historical accounts say there has been a brewery & hop fields on the site for hundreds of years, the Orval Brewery officially dates to 1931.  The brewery uses a logo featuring a trout with a ring in it’s mouth, and legend has it that Mathilda of Tuscany lost her wedding ring on the site and after praying for it’s return, a trout sprung from the lake with her ring in it’s mouth.  Upon finding the ring Mathilda declared it to be a “Val d’ Or” or Golden Valley from which the Orval name was derived.

Orval makes only one beer and we were excited to sample it on the show.  Orval Trappist Ale is a Belgian Pale Ale that is bottle conditioned and it comes in at an easy drinking 6.2% ABV.  With notes of yeast, fruit & of course hops (thanks in part to their extensive use of dry-hopping) this is a classic Belgian beer.

We’re also lucky enough to be just a few hours from an official Orval Ambassador bar.  With only 5 in the United States, Orval Ambassador bars are certified by Orval and not only include proper serving vessels and methods, but some even feature the famous Orval cheeses to pair with your Orval.  So get your butt down to Monks Café in Philadelphia and try one for yourself.  Or better yet, simply run up to Krugel’s Georgetown Deli and buy a bottle to enjoy at home.

Thank you to Nancy, John & Joe for yet another

fun Friday. 

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
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02 January 2013

Friday BeerBuzz - 4 Jan 2013 The Teaser

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It seems like we’ve been on a whirlwind ride on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz.  With no less than 8 shows and over 10 beers in just a few holiday-filled weeks, it’s no surprise we’re a tad dizzy.  Last week we enjoyed the Swedish Glogg-inspired Southern Tier 2XMAS, and it was the perfect way to end the holiday beer season.

So what will we be sampling this week? Hint: This week we’re kicking off 2013 with a classic beer with one of the 8 most impressive brewing traditions in the world.

Tune in at 8:30AM and see what beer we sample on the Friday BeerBuzz on WILK…bringing good beers and good people together. (103.1FM or wilknewsradio.com)
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