The Beer Genome Project Podcast

TailGate Beer is based out of San Diego, California but currently brews in Monroe, Wisconsin. The company even once considered Cold Spring, Minnesota as home. Shawn got into a conversation with TailGate Beer's founder Wesley Keegan more than a year ago. Wesley wanted us to try out his current trio of beers: Blacktop Blonde, Hefeweizen, and Session IPA. It's been a long time coming, but we were glad to get the word out on these beers right before the summer season hits. Right before we recorded this episode we reached back out to Wesley and he responded to a few of our questions. Visit the site to see the rest of the interview. TailGate Beer – Twitter and Facebook TailGate Blacktop Blonde, American Blonde Ale, 5.0% ABV – BeerAdvocate TailGate Hefeweizen, American Pale Wheat Ale, 5.0% ABV – BeerAdvocate TailGate IPA, American IPA, 5.0% ABV – BeerAdvocate The TailGate Beer Story TailGate Beer’s Wesley Keegan: Brewing Up Success Land of Amber Waters Beer Dabbler Bullpen at the Saints’ Stadium — MNBeer.com

Porters and peppers. The theme on this week’s show involves breweries kicking up their porters by infusing pepper and vanilla flavors. Chocolate Sombrero from Clown Shoes is a 9% ABV Imperial Stout that was brewed with ancho chile, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Clown Shoes barrel aged Chocolate Sombrero in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels and released it as the 11% ABV Luchador En Fuego for their third anniversary. The second round of beers involves the Smoked Porter by Stone Brewing Company. The brewery went two different directions and created one version of Smoked Porter with chipotle peppers, and a second version with vanilla bean. Each of these two porters hovers at 5.9% ABV. Show Links Clown Shoes: State of The Shoenion 10 – clownshoesbeer.com Clown Shoes Luchador En Fuego, American Imperial Stout, 11% ABV – BeerAdvocate Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero, American Imperial Stout, 9% ABV – BeerAdvocate Review: Peruvian Morning by Central Waters Brewing Company – BeerDorks Stone Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Beans – Laura Ulrich’s Delicious Brainchild Stone Smoked Porter: Now in Vanilla and Chipotle – Stone Brewing Stone Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Bean, American Porter, 5.9% ABV – BeerAdvocate Stone Smoked Porter w/ Chipotle Peppers, American Porter, 5.9% ABV – BeerAdvocate

Inspired by our conversation regarding Fulton Beer’s “War & Peace” from last week, we decided to round up all of Minnesota’s coffee beers for another blind taste testing. At this time of the year, we were able to source six different coffee-infused beers ranging from Brown Ale-styles to Imperial Stouts. The craft brewers of Minnesota have embraced other local coffee companies and roasters to deliver a wide range of coffee influenced ales. In our tasting, we’ll come across Surly Brewing’s Coffee Bender, Fulton Beer’s War & Peace, Flat Earth Brewing’s Black Helicopter Stout, Indeed Brewing’s Burr Grinder, Lift Bridge’s Irish Coffee Stout, and Big Wood Brewery’s Morning Wood. We’ll discuss the differences between beer as breakfast vs. beer with breakfast as we give blind reviews for each of these beers. Stick around to the end to hear how each Minnesota coffee beer ranks against the others. Eating and Drinking with Joe Alton: Beer for Breakfast — The Growler Magazine Surly Brewing Coffee Bender, coffee flavored American Brown Ale, 5.5% ABV — BeerAdvocate The 24 Best Beers in America: Surly Coffee Bender Fulton Beer “War & Peace” Coffee Stout, Russian Imperial Stout, 9.5% ABV — BeerAdvocate Imperial Stout infused with coffee beans? Yes, please. — PeaceCoffee.com Fulton War and Peace Release (Bottles, too!) — mnbeer.com Peace Coffee Guatemalan Dark Roast Flat Earth Brewing Black Helicopter Coffee Stout, Oatmeal Stout, 5.1% ABV — BeerAdvocate Flat Earth Black Helicopter Coffee Stout Release Party — mnbeer.com Coffee Beer: An Expert’s Tour — heavytable.com Indeed Brewing Burr Grinder, American Brown Ale, 5.3 % ABV — BeerAdvocate Indeed Burr Grinder Coffee Ale Release Dogwood Coffee Co. Guatemala Finca Rosma Lift Bridge Irish Coffee Stout, Milk Stout, 8.0% ABV — BeerAdvocate Lift Bridge – Irish Coffee Stout — beersandears.net Review: Lift Bridge Irish Coffee Stout — passionbeer.com Big Wood Brewery Morning Wood, Coffee Stout, 5.5% ABV — BeerAdvocate We’re Getting Morning Wood — vita.mn Morning Wood – Big Wood Brewery — stoutspub.com

Our latest episode is a bit of a Minnesota blowout! We start off with Size 7, an IPA from Steel Toe Brewing. We kick into high gear with Silhouette, an Imperial Stout from Lift Bridge. We continue discussions by side-stepping into War and Peace, a coffee stout based on Fulton’s Imperial stout, The Worthy Adversary. The final beer, Surly Brewing's Pentagram, fuels talk for Minnesota’s resurgence in craft beer and how each brewery is stepping into the spotlight. BEERS « Steel Toe Brewing | Saint Louis Park, Minnesota Steel Toe Brewing Size 7 – Beer Advocate Xtra normal video on beer traders After much ado, ‘Elevated’ opens in Longfellow Silhouette™ Release Party Lift Bridge Silhouette Fulton’s ‘War & Peace’ Coffee Stout Fulton War and Peace Release (Bottles, too!) Fulton Sweet Child of Vine Pentagram (Unblended) – Surly Brewing Company Pentagram Release Party

Sunday beer sales are a no-go in Minnesota. This forced Gretchen across the river to Wisconsin in search of some new beers to review in this week's show. She came back with a a Belgian-style Saison from Nebraska that was brewed with Apricot puree and then aged for six months in French Oak Chardonnay barrels. The second bottle she returned with was part of The Bruery's Reserve Series of releases. We were a little surprised Smoking Wood was available to us, and ultimately very receptive of the release. Smoking Wood is an imperial smoked porter, brewed with rye malts. There is follow up discussion related to beer sales on Sunday in Minnesota. Apricot Au Poivre Saison – Nebraska Brewing Company, 6.80% ABV, Saison / Farmhouse Ale on BeerAdvocate Nebraska Apricot au Poivre Saison returns to Reserve Series on BeerPulse Smoking Wood – The Bruery, 13.00% ABV, Smoked Beer on BeerAdvocate The Bruery: Beers – Special Collection The Bruery Preservation, Reserve, and Hoarders Societies A Perspective on Sunday Sales. by The Four Firkins Save the (Minnesota) Growler on savethegrowler.org

We return this week with another three-way blind taste test of Farmhouse Style Ales made with Brettanomyces. We like the surprise reveal at the end, and try to avoid letting the marketing of the bottles truly sway our experience. The three beers we try are the Epic Elder Brett Saison Brett Golden Ale, a 2011 Boulevard Brewing Saison Brett, and the New Belgium Biere de Mars. Each of these beers was spiked with Brettanomyces at some stage during creation. Brettanomyces, often shortened to "Brett", is a wild yeast that can impart a funk of sorts in each of these beers. Show Links Brettanomyces, a Funky Yeast, Makes Flavorful Beers on The New York Times Epic Elder Brett Saison Brett Golden Ale Boulevard Brewing Saison Brett 2011 New Belgium Biere de Mars

Surprises are afoot as Mike, Jason, and special guest Luke attempt to decipher the differences between various American Imperial Stouts in a three-way blind tasting. We are at the tail-end of the season, but these beers from Bell’s, Founders, and Sierra Nevada stand as defining examples of the winter warmers available throughout the Midwest. Bell’s Expedition Stout, Russian Imperial Stout, 10.5% ABV. BeerAdvocate and RateBeer Founder’s Imperial Stout, Russian Imperial Stout, 10.5% ABV. BeerAdvocate and RateBeer Sierra Nevada Narwhal, Russian Imperial Stout, 10.2% ABV. BeerAdvocate and RateBeer Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken’s Ale Fritz and Ken’s Stout on 999 Beers Goose Island Tasting Glass Surly Darkness Imperial Stout, Russian Imperial Stout, 10.3% ABV. BeerAdvocate and RateBeer Music – When It Stings by Pictures of Then

John, Gretchen, Shawn, and Mike discuss the line of John Henry ales from Cold Spring Brewery of Minnesota - John Henry Colonial Cream Brown Ale, John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale, and John Henry West Indies Pale Ale. These three beers are part of a newer series of craft beer entries from the largest brewery in Minnesota In mid-2012, Cold Spring Brewery opened their new $12 million Third Street Brewhouse. Cold Spring Brewery of Minnesota Cold Spring Brewery John Henry Recipes John Henry Colonial Cream Brown Ale, BeerAdvocate John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale, BeerAdvocate Gluek goes for the geeks with John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale at Beerpulse John Henry West Indies Pale Ale, BeerAdvocate Cold Spring Brewing getting new brewhouse, new beers on PioneerPress

Jason and Mike take the hype head-on with the fresh release of Bell's Hopslam Ale. Hopslam is a Double India Pale ale brewed with honey. "Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle and culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops..." At 10% ABV, this isn't a starter beer, but it's one to be enjoyed year after year. Bell’s Hopslam Ale, Double IPA, 10.0% ABV Stone Enjoy By IPA, Double IPA, 9.4% ABV Steel Toe Size 11 Double IPA, Double IPA, 11% ABV Founder’s All Day IPA, American IPA, 4.7% ABV Deschutes Brewery Hoping to Come to Iowa via Twitter

Wisconsin is the home to New Glarus Brewing and their 100,000 barrel capacity Hilltop Brewery. Wisconsin Belgian Red was a game-changer for project members as it was one of the first locally-produced fruit beers that we came across. Available in 750ml bottles, Belgian Red was brewed with Wisconsin wheat, barley, and Montmorency cherries. The past year wasn’t favorable to the Wisconsin cherry crop, however, due to drought. New Glarus was forced to retire Belgian Red and instead created Serendipity – an oak-aged sour ale made with apples, cranberries and cherries. This week, John, Gretchen, Mike, and Shawn share a bottle of each – Belgian Red and Serendipity. New Glarus Brewing Company Opens the Doors to their New Hilltop Brewery! New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red, Fruit Ale, 4% ABV – BeerAdvocate New Glarus Serendipity, Sour Ale, 4% ABV – BeerAdvocate New Glarus Cran-bic Upland Brewing Company – Kiwi Lambic – BeerAdvocate

Toppling Goliath is growing in Iowa and will soon be moving to a 30 barrel brew system. With the coming expansion, the beer is now available across Iowa as well as Wisconsin. Jason and Mike take to their growlers to review a couple fresh pints of Toppling Goliath's Golden Nugget IPA. Golden Nugget is a 7.2% ABV American IPA at 56 IBUs. Show Links Toppling Goliath expansion to include new brewhouse, bottling line, barrel-aging room via Beerpulse Toppling Goliath – Growing for Iowa on YouTube Summit Saga IPA PREVIEW: Summit Brewing’s Sága IPA on The Beer Genome Project For The Love of Hops by Stan Hieronymus on Amazon The Ginger Man of Austin Cicerone Certification Program The Keg Stand of West Des Moines on Cityview August Schell Brewing to BA in response to “Craft vs. Crafty” via Beerpulse

Jason and Shawn review a series of beers from Firestone Walker Brewing Company of Paso Robles, California. Union Jack is a dry-hopped, west coast IPA available year-round. Double Jack is a double IPA that won bronze medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. Finally, Wookey Jack is an unfiltered, rye malt, American-style black ale that also won gold medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. Show Links Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Twitter Firestone Walker Union Jack, American IPA, 7.5% ABV, 70 IBU. BeerAdvocate Firestone Walker Double Jack, American Imperial IPA, 9.5% ABV, 100 IBU. BeerAdvocate Firestone Walker Wookey Jack, Black Rye IPA, 8.3% ABV, 80 IBU. BeerAdvocate New Belgium Tart Lychee, American Wild Ale, 7.55% ABV, 20 IBU. BeerAdvocate

Shawn, Mike, Gretchen, and John taste two different collaboratively created beers. Conflux No. 1 from Deschutes Brewery and Hair of the Dog Brewing is a blend of Deschutes Brewery’s The Stoic and The Dissident and Hair of The Dog’s Fred and Adam. These four beers were aged for 24 months in a variety of cask barrels, including rye whiskey, cognac, sherry, pinot noir, bourbon, new American Oak, and new Oregon Oak. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Russian River Brewing created BRUX, a “domesticated wild ale”. It was fermented with Belgian yeast and finished by a secondary bottle fermentation with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon. Twitter Hair of the Dog Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon. Twitter Conflux No. 1 (Collage), American Strong Ale, 11.6% ABV on BeerAdvocate COLLAGE: Deschutes, Hair of the Dog collab debuts next week on BeerPulse.com Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California. Twitter Russian River Brewing Company of Santa Rosa, California. Facebook BRUX To Be Released in July! from Russian River Brewing Blog BRUX Domesticated Wild Ale, American Wild Ale, 8.3% ABV on BeerAdvocate Orval – beer story-telling at its best? on BeerSweden

Shawn and Mike are joined by friends Gretchen, John, and Obi. This week's episode was an experiment. We recorded a five-person panel exploring an arrangement of Oyster Stout beers. There is no specific season for oyster stouts, as several of the examples we share in this episode are available year-round.Since we didn't expect any beers to be brewed "to-style", we mixed four bottles of Oyster Stout in with a bottle of Oatmeal Stout, as well as an Imperial Stout. We wanted to know what made an oyster stout stand out from the rest. Oyster stout is a pearl of an idea on San Francisco Chronicle Oyster Stout by HenHouse Brewing Company, 4.9% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Marooned On Hog Island Oyster Stout by 21st Amendment, 7.9% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout by Flying Dog Brewery, 5.5% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Oesterstout by Scheldebrouwerij, 8.5% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Stone Imperial Russian Stout by Stone Brewing Company, 10.5% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Oatmeal Stout by Schlafly, 5.7% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Top Side Oyster Stout by Lift Bridge Brewing Company, 5% ABV, on ratebeer and beeradvocate Summit Oyster Stout Premieres at Oyster Fest on MNBeer.com Oyster stout edges into popularity

Shawn and Mike are joined this week by special guest Corey Shovein, the West Regional Market Manager for Founders Brewing Co. Corey was kind enough to share a bottle of the latest release in the Founders Back Stage Series, Bolt Cutter. Bolt Cutter is a 15% ABV barley wine brewed in celebration of the Founders 15th anniversary. The release for this beer in Minnesota has come and gone, but hopefully you or your friends were able to grab a bottle for sharing. We dive into the history of Founders Brewing and talk about what we can expect to see in the near future from the makers of Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Bolt Cutter by Founders Brewing Co., Barley Wine, ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 15% ABV Corey Shovein, @hopivore on Twitter Founders Brewing: The Story on Vimeo 2,500 whiskey barrels and a little KBS history on BeerPulse Photos of Founders Brewery & KBS Barrel Mine Founders Brewing plows ahead with expansion plans on Grand Rapids Business Journal Founders Brewing Company Imperial Stout for making a Barles Darkley New Bohemia in Northeast Minneapolis – Review REPUBLIC at Calhoun Square – StarTribune