New Beer Friday, Independence Day Edition (July 4)

General. Founding Father. Homebrewer?

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

Everyone with even a scant knowledge of American history knows the story of a group of Massachusetts patriots dumping crates of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the unfair taxes that the British government had been levying on the American colonies. The Boston Tea Party was the culmination of the colonists’ fight against the issue of “no taxation without representation” and was the tipping point that would eventually culminate in the American Revolution.

But let’s rewrite history for a moment. What if there had never been a Seven Years’ War and the corresponding depletion of the British treasury? What if George Grenville, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had not decided that taxes gleaned from the American colonies would be a good source of treasury increasing revenue? What if cooler heads had prevailed on both side of the Atlantic and a political solution was hammered out to solve the issue of non-representation taxation? Perhaps there never would have been an American Revolution.

If the American Revolution had never occurred, an amateur poet named Francis Scott Keyes would never had been inspired to write the lyrics of the “Star Spangled Banner” and perhaps we would be singing “My Country Tis of Thee” or “God Save the Queen” before sporting events. If there had been no Revolution, George Washington would most likely have remained an obscure, beer loving country gentleman and Samuel Adams wouldn’t have the distinction of being known today as a patriot brewer. And if there never had been an American Revolution, July 4th would be just another day.

But of course the Revolution did occur, Washington and Adams are not obscure names and the Fourth of July is definitely a special day. During your celebrations this weekend, join me in raising a glass to the extraordinary and courageous men and women who played a role in the birth of a great nation.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.

New and Returning Beer

• Griffin Claw Norm's Gateway IPA, $1.39/12oz - "The session IPA is light, fermented with a lower ABV of 4 percent, making it easy to drink all day long. Drinkers won’t be missing out on flavor, either. Gateway features a big hops profile, combined with the citrus and grapefruit flavors found in Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA" (source).
• Black Rocks Honey Lav, $1.79/12oz - "An American wheat ale with Michigan honey and lavender flowers" (source).
• OddSide Ales Grapefruit Wheat, $1.99/12oz - "Wheat beer with grapefruit added" (source).
• Great Lakes Spacewalker American Belgo, $3.29/12oz - "Spacewalker American Belgo is named for the surprising number of astronauts who have called Ohio home. Brewed with Belgian yeast and American hops, including the experimental ADHA 881 hop, Spacewalker is bold yet balanced with spicy, fruity flavors" (source).
• Innis and Gunn Toasted Oak IPA, $2.79/12oz - "Its fervent hoppy character hails from the unique addition of large quantities of hops at three separate points during brewing. The result is a beer that’s rounded yet refreshing, with delicate floral notes and oodles of zesty freshness" (source).
• Abita Seersucker Summer Pils, $1.69/12oz - "This brew will be made with pilsner and carapils malts and hopped with German Tradition and German Spalt hops. It is a straw-colored pilsner beer with a traditional full-bodied malt flavor and hop bitterness" (source).
• Finch's Wet Hot American Wheat, $2.89/16oz - "Wet Hot American Wheat is named for it’s particularly “wet” mash and “hot” initial fermentation temperature. It is brewed and dry hopped with Centennial and Columbus hops and utilizes two different kinds of wheat malt, White wheat and Torrified wheat. This beer has an initial sweetness that is balanced by hop additions late in the boil" (source).
• Crazy Mountain Amber, $1.79/12oz - "This delightfully floral American style Amber Ale displays a wonderful balance while still maintaining a profound hoppy goodness. We load this beer with a ridiculous and obscene amount of West Coast hops that are added late in the boil resulting in a hoppy beer without any bitterness" (source).
• Crazy Mountain Mountain Livin Pale, $1.79/12oz - "We utilize two types of American hops in such a way that we put the flavor of these hops center stage and let their bitterness fade into the background. The hop-forward character of this Pale Ale shines through in the unique, tropical fruit flavor of two American hop varieties. Enjoy this offering with a fresh approach to how a Pale Ale expresses its inner hoppiness" (source).
• Crazy Mountain Lava Lake Wit, $1.79/12oz - "This Ale is our take on a classic Belgian Wit Beer. To make this beer unique, we add un-malted wheat, rolled oats, two varieties of classic European hops, chamomile, curacao orange peel, coriander, grains of paradise, and a rare yeast strain from the Old Country. This is a beer that can be enjoyed year round" (source).
• Destihl Hoperation Overload, $2.99/12oz - "An Our mission for this Imperial or ’Double’ India Pale Ale is to overload the beer with hops for an intense hop bitterness, flavor and aroma while still being balanced by a big malt profile, resulting in a hoppy beer with more dimension. This beer is light copper in color with some hop haze from overloading with dry hops as well" (source).
• Destihl Abbey's Single, $1.99/12oz - "A Belgian-style abbey ale crafted like those that Trappist monks brew for their own session beer. It is light bodied, light in color and relatively lower in alcohol with spicy phenolics and complex fruity esters of cherries, nectarines, peaches and bubblegum with a characteristic slightly tart and dry finish from the Belgian yeast" (source).
• 961 Porter, $2.69/12oz - "The 961 Porter is a take on the traditional Engish beer that originates from the pubs of London. The Porter is brewed in the classical manner, using dark roasted malts with a rich addition of Crystal malts, and is hopped with English varieties. This beer, with 5.6% ABV, has complex aromatic notes of caramel, coffee, raisins, chocolate, nut and toast" (source).
• 961 Red Ale, $2.69/12oz - "961 Red Ale is our version of the classic English Amber or Red Ale. This beer has a 5.5% ABV, is densely malty and reddish in colour. Smooth, round and full bodied it has an intensely fruity and aromatic flavour. The use of Amarillo hops adds a spicy note to the beer and gives it a slighty sweet and creamy finish" (source).
• 961 Lager, $2.69/12oz - "The use of bottom fermenting yeast at lower temperatures makes for pronounced bitterness & a mild floral aroma that comes from the use of North American Cascade Hops" (source).
• 961 Lebanese Pale Ale, $2.69/12oz - "Our Lebanese Pale Ale is based on an English IPA, and has 6.3% ABV. We used Lebanese herbs, such as za'atar (wild thyme), sumac, chamomile, sage, anise and mint in the brewing process. This gave the beer its distinctly Lebanese flavor and fragrance" (source).
• 961 Witbier, $2.69/12oz - "Inspired from Belgian Witbier, 961 Witbier has a 5.3% ABV. The added coriander and orange peel add a sweet and spicy aroma. The light acidity and low bitterness of this unfiltered beer makes it perfect for those who prefer a light and sweet beer. This beer is bottle conditioned and has natural yeast sediment in the bottle" (source).

Picture of the Week | Osgood Brewing

Osgood Brewing: Great place for a pint on the SW side of town.

Cheers!