The Craft Beer Exchange

Volume 1 Issue 4 June 30, 2011 Note from the editor: Have we been away for a while? Yeah. Did we come back with a Vengeance? You bet @Grifo79s sweet ass we did. Since the last time we visited brewers, Goose Island was bought by AB InBev, The CBE got its own account on the Twitter, I tried every beer I could get my hands on in Portland, Seattle, and Chicago, and the Blue Route Taco Truck opened up a roof somewhere. The entire Spring Season passed the CBE, but we jumped right into summer beers. Garnering some classic selections, and some great standbys. This newsletter is going to be filled with some great stories. Stories about the poor residents of Michigan and our Flying Dog selection. Stories about the true identity of Lagunitas Censored Ale, and what the original name of said brew may have been. Stories about other stuff, like twitter, Whole Foods, and tailgating at McMenamins. Stories about the possibility of a long lost Volume 1 Issue 3 newsletter. Lots of stories. So without further pedantic babble, @TheCBEOfficial brings to you the long awaited Newsletter, Vol 1 Issue 4. Yours truly, The Editor.

Selections: Although I was not able to make the actual CBE Fantasy Draft, when I was made privy to a picture depicting all of the brews, I was very excited. This first one especially as I had not had a chance to try it previously. The Lagunitas Censored, Rich Copper Ale. Hmm, interesting. Google, what was the original name of this beer?

Google: Almost too easy. The unsubstantiated story about this beers name that floats around is that the original name was inspired by the resinous hop aroma of the beer, which reminded the brewers of a certain smokable herb. The name didnt fly with government regulators, and thus, Censored. While that is helpful Google, it doesnt actually contain what the name of the beer was, which was the original question I asked [dick.] So I asked another search engine and have put together that they originally tried to call it KRONIK; maybe. That would have been awesome, and we probably would have purchased this beer three CBEs ago, but since the name was changed to Censored, it took us this long to find it. Either way, its an easy drinking malty Copper Ale, and I have it in my glass right now, and I have to agree. Great pick. On a side note, apparently many people have difficulty with the name of this brewery. Some labels and the website spell it phonetically as LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUSS. And I think its funny, because instead of Lagunitas, Ive been saying LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUSS in my head, Sloth Style from Goonies. And on we go

ever need a fix. But they did not have it in the entire state of Michigan; at least until a few days ago. http://adage.com/article/adages/bitch-michigan/228523/ Interesting stuff Now were going to get into some of our more Summery selections. All familiar with Victory out of Downingtown, and also how to pronounce their name, its tough to make witty comments about Sunrise Weissbier.

Seriously, this is awesome. Ive had this one before, and it reminded me of an IPA mixed with Grand Marnier, and Im very excited to get in a few more. Great label, great name, great beer. The Flying Dog website is Flash however, and I couldnt drag a pic over from the site, so I had to do a Google Image Search. And I should have done one for Flying Dog Raging Bitch, but instead I just did one for raging bitch. It was funny because a picture of Ann Coulter came up. Hah. Per the website Raging Bitch was brewed in commemoration of our 20th anniversary. It quickly became one of the hottest craft beers of 2010. And once you let a Bitch out of its cage, theres no controlling it. Pretty obvious that with a name like Raging Bitch and beer as good as this one is, that it would make it into Flying Dogs semi-regular lineup. They have it at Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting if you

And yes Microsoft Word, Weissbier is a word, because Im reading it right off of the label of the picture that I just posted in this awesome newsletter. Im pretty sure Ive had some of this at their pub, but its been a while, and Im looking forward to enjoying these out on the porch when the temps hit 95 later this week. From the Website: As invigorating as the morning rays of the summer sun, Sunrise Weissbier satisfies when the heat is on, too. This unfiltered, Bavarian style ale is true to its origins with all ingredients except for the water having been imported from Germany. It remains unfiltered to feature the tangy, fruity flavors of its unique yeast. The imported German malt contributes greatly to add a crisp, citric snap that makes this beer a superb summertime refresher. Sounds good to me Franziskaner is pretty old school. Their website is quite frankly out of hand for a brewery that just brews two beers (they also make a Hefe-Weisse Dunkel/Dark Wheat,) but I guess if the beer youve been making dates back to 1363, you can make your website as difficult to navigate through as you want. My opinion; youre not going to find a more true example of a Hefe-Wessbier. Go to the website and check out the pouring instructions. All the gunk on the bottom is supposed to end up in the glass. Not with all beers, but

definitely this style. Check out their website here: http://www.franziskaner.com/

This newsletter is getting so interactive, I can barely stand it Weve had a beer from Terrapin before (Hopsecutioner,) and it went over real well. Without the ability to browse and pick something I hadnt had before, I figured this old

standby of mine would be a good fit for CBE4. I hope you enjoy it. Per stuff on a website:

you cant find Terrapin. This one is also at a local Whole Foods that I heard about once. Im not sure exactly where this place is though. Whats next? Let me hit the fridge and let you know The next selection is another one I was super excited to try out. And as I type this magnificent periodical of beery information, that dream is coming true. Ive had a few 21st Amendment beers, one I loved (Monks Blood,) some I liked (Brew Free or Die IPA, Fireside Chat) one was ok (Bitter American,) and I could have cared less for one (Hell or High Watermelon.) Well, I guess Ive had more like several of their beers. Actually, looking at this website, http://21st-amendment.com/beer it looks to be almost all of the beers they [sips Hops Crisis,] nope its all the beers that they currently can. So there you have it, I may or may not have a problem.

By using an exact amount of rye, a grain seldom found in other micro brewed beers, the Rye Pale Ale acquires its signature taste. Made with five varieties of hops and a generous amount of specialty malts, it offers a complex flavor and aroma that is both aggressive and well balanced a rare find among beers. If you enjoy this one, I highly recommend checking out Dock Streets RyePA. It can usually be found at plenty of local establishments, and is a pretty solid substitution if

You can put this one up there with the ones I like. Its dangerously smooth for 9.7%. This brewery makes great beers, I like that theyre in cans, and the label art is pretty sweet as well. Check out the can for Bitter American if you have a minute. And to return to the story theme I was trying to set up at the beginning of this wonderful newsletter, check out the story on the Monks Blood can as well. Something, something, transition Flying Fish, not the kind from the Super Mario games, can be found pretty much everywhere locally. The Farmhouse Summer is a pretty awesome specimen of local summer ales. From the Website: A tribute to the highly drinkable "every day" beers from French-speaking Belgium. Contains Belgian two-row pale malt and 7% wheat. This beer is lightly filtered with an earthy, spicy hop character from imported Styrian Goldings hops and a beautiful rich creamy head from the wheat. The brewer at Flying Fish, Casey Hughes, recently won Philly Beer Scenes Best Of 2010s Best Brewer. (That is another periodical, thats almost as good as this one, but does come on a much higher quality stock. And there are better pictures.) All of their beers are great, especially the Exit Series. If you get a chance to try them out, you should. I think theres a place locally that usually carries some, but its escaping my mind right now. Its probably Whole Foods.

I was in Vermont once, maybe twice But I never had a chance to get to Long Trail. This last selection is D Goodys Summer Beer of 2011. Long Trail Belgian White.

In summary, I think there are a lot of good beers here, and I hope you enjoy them all. Theres definitely another nice mix of high octane hoppy monsters, and smooth relaxing summer day drinkers. I would suggest not trying to drink two of the Hop Crisis back to back. It wont be good. And in honor of DCs request after the very first newsletter about a must inclusion in the fourth newsletter CBE4 Sex, Rhymes, and Keepin it Real

Description from the Website: Our Belgian White Ale is modeled after original Belgian Witbiers brewed in monasteries during the early 14th century (as a side note, they should have just said Franziskaner.) The soft notes of citrus and spice are topped with a light, fluffy head that finishes clean and crisp. This all natural ale is our latest seasonal brew, perfect for lounging lake-side or celebrating at trails end ENJOY! While I dont know if all the caps at the end were necessary, I can vouch for this beer being pretty damn good.

The Back Pages Questions for the Editor Column: Will there be a Newsletter for the third CBE, and when will that Newsletter be done? Probably. And I dont know, why dont you direct those types of questions to the official CBE Twitter account. How many submissions did you get for editorial pieces? Outside of DCs suggestion to put a Chris Rock photo, none. Why? Probably because Dicky Mo and myself are the only people with enough time to do stuff like this, and he only drinks tequila, and hates this club. Brewery Flying Fish Franziskaner 21 Amendment Long Trail Victory Lagunitas Terrapin Flying Dog
st

Beer Farmhouse Summer Ale Hefe-Weisse Hop Crisis Belgian White Sunrise Weissbier KroniK Rye Pale Ale Raging Bitch

CBE Member @Mitch295_ @gang_greeny DC DG @stavypapa RA @SKJ131W8th @Grifo79

ABV 4.6% 5.0% 9.7% 4.7% 5.7% 5.29% 5.3% 8.3%

Ba Avg Rating BAB+ BB+ B+ B+ A-

Your Score

I hope you enjoyed reading, as much as I enjoyed surfing the internets and fighting with my Apple. Until next time: Enjoy a beer