In the spirit of Tap ‘n’ Run; running and chugging

With the Jacksonville Tap ‘n’ Run coming up this weekend (article at:http://tinyurl.com/cnlppfu), I thought that this article from January 2102 might be of interest to local Tap ‘n’ Runners. Or, at least it might give them something to aspire to. By the way, if you still have not purchased your tickets to the Tap ‘n’ Run taking place Saturday, April 13, you can get them at a discount by using the code “FRIENDOFBEER” when you check out at: http://www.tapnrun.com/Jacksonville/Register.php.

Running and Chugging

Frequently I search the Internet for interesting beer news to relay here on the Springfield Brew Crew Blog. Today, as I searched and aimlessly followed a labyrinth of links into the bowels of the web I came across something that caught my eye. And then, in conjunction with that item, I found another. I’ll detail my second discovery later, but today I am going to tell you about an odd alliance between running and beer.

It has long been known that beer is an excellent source of carbohydrates and many athletes will drink a pint after their event to replenish lost energy. Some will even drink before to carbo-load their muscles with energy. But, until today, I had never heard of drinking beer while running a mile. Not only is this an established sport, there are a surprising number of events known as Beer Miles going on all over the country and the world.

The origination of the beer mile is shrouded in mystery, but it is generally accepted that the sport began right here in Florida on a college campus. Which college campus is not mentioned, but I think we can all figure that one out on our own. The first set of rules emerged from a group of milers in Kingston, Canada. In the U.K, Australia, and New Zealand, the event is called the Chunder Mile. The rules vary slightly in that an Imperial pint – or 20 ounces – of beer must be consumed from any drinking vessel the runner desires. But, in North America, the Kinston Rules have gone on to be adopted by most beer-milers with few modifications.

Website beermile.com publishes an extensive FAQ on the sport along with the more-or-less accepted rules for North America. The idea of the sport is to run a mile while consuming four beers in a specific order – beer, run a quarter-mile, beer, run again, beer, run some more, beer, stumble to the finish line. A runner must drink the first beer before he or she begins to run and must complete each subsequent beer before continuing the run. Should a runner not be able to hold their beer down, they must complete a fifth penalty lap. Beer must be consumed from a standard 12 ounce beer can with no alterations or “Easy Pour” mouths – meaning that “shot-gunning” a beer is strictly prohibited. Beer must be no less than 5% ABV to qualify as a suitable beer for completion. The entire competition is timed and the winner is lauded at the end.

To date, the fastest officially-recorded beer mile was completed in 5:09.0; a seemingly miraculous feat that may never be beaten.

 

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Healthy beer? You bet!

A Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch beer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Generally speaking, beer and health aren’t necessarily equated with one another in most people’s minds; even though there’s lots of recent scientific and medical research that show beer drinking (responsibly) is good for you. Most beer lovers don’t pause to read the nutrition label before cracking the top on a fresh brew. However, there are some beers out there that are better for you than others. Which brews make the top of the list in terms of “healthiness” and why should you care? Let’s take a closer look at your options.

What Makes a Healthy Beer?

Before we delve into which beers are not bad for you and which ones are actually good for your body, it would be a good idea to go over just what makes one beer “healthier” than another. It basically boils down to two things really – calories and alcohol content. Choosing a beer with lower calories is a no brainer for those watching their waistlines of course, but choosing a lower alcohol brew flies in the face of some emerging craft brew trends, specifically the trend of stronger and stronger “novelty” beers.

Then there is the question of special ingredients included in the brew. A wide range of different ingredients can be added to the basic four that make up the average brew, many of which can offer some distinct health advantages. Let’s cover a few of those before we move on:

Wheat: Wheat beers have been shown to provide significant benefits, particularly for runners and other endurance athletes. The benefit here is that wheat seems to offer relief from inflammation in muscle tissues and joints, and can also help to combat problems with the respiratory system. Of course, for those with gluten intolerance problems, wheat beers are off the table.

Fruit: Fruit has been used to flavor beer since time immemorial. Today, a wide range of fruit types can be found in beer, from oranges to strawberries, lemons to raspberries and even more exotic options. However, craft beer brewed with fresh fruit (or high-quality fruit extract) can offer some health benefits, particularly when that fruit is high in vitamin C. For instance, raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps to boost the immune system.

Another important fruit here is pomegranate. Called a “superfood,” pomegranate offers some very impressive health benefits, from boosting your immune system to helping with blood pressure problems and more.

Green Tea: Fusing beer with other types of beverages has become more popular recently in the craft brew world. Some brewers are going the route of combining their brews with tea (particularly green tea). This offers a world of health benefits due to the high antioxidant content in green tea. Antioxidants can help fight a wide range of issues, from cancer to the aging process.

Ginger: Ginger has been used as a cure-all for thousands of years. The Chinese, Romans, Greeks and numerous other ancient cultures extolled the virtues of this root. You’ll find ginger included in quite a few new beers on the market. While the FDA might be silent on the health benefits of ginger, it’s hard to argue with a tradition that dates back thousands of years.

Hemp: No, you won’t find beer laced with THC on the market (at least not openly, at any rate). Hemp seeds are used to add flavor to different brews. You’ll also find that they offer some important heart health benefits, too. Studies have shown that hemp seeds can also help to lower high blood pressure in those suffering from hypertension.

Spruce: Spruce is a species of evergreen tree and most people don’t really equate spruce needles with food or drink. However, spruce needles can impart some interesting flavors, but they also offer help for those with joint pain, poor blood circulation in the body and can even help lower stress (or that might just be the alcohol).

Oysters: Eating oysters while drinking a cold beer is nothing new. However, you’ll now find the oysters added directly to the brew. While that might sound like a rather odd combination, it does have its benefits. Most importantly, at least as far as health is concerned, oysters are high in protein and a variety of essential minerals.

Now, that’s a pretty long list of healthy additives, even though some of them might sound a little farfetched. The truth of the matter is that you’ll find craft beers available from breweries around the world that include these healthy ingredients and many others too.

The Healthiest Beers on Offer

So, what are the healthiest beers that you’ll find on offer? Interestingly, Sam Adams Light comes in pretty high on the list (at the top of the list, according to some). The beer doesn’t have any special ingredients, but it is very low in calories, has a modest alcohol content and doesn’t stint on flavor, body or mouth feel.

Surprisingly, Guinness is also among the healthiest beers out there. Again, there is no special ingredient that helps push it ahead of other beers. However, it is very low in calories, and the alcohol content is well below the 5.0 ABV average cited by authorities (the CDC, for example) as the typical alcohol content for beer.

If you’d like to break out of the box and go for some healthier beers that you won’t find sitting on the shelves of most grocery stores (appealing to the hunter in you), then you might consider some of these brews:

• He’Brew Rejewvenator ’10 (Schmaltz Brewing Co.)
• Gumballhead (Three Floyds)
• Good Juju (Left Hand)
• Black Hemp Black Ale (O’Fallon)
• Major Tom’s Pomegranate Wheat (Fort Collins Brewery)

Of course, there are numerous other options out there and chances are good that you’ll find a craft brewery or two in your local area serving up healthful, refreshing brews with unique ingredients. Keep an eye out for fresh fruit and all-natural ingredients, but also bear in mind the calorie count and ABV rating for any beer you choose if you’re concerned about the health benefits (or adverse effects).

Poto Cervesia, Dustin Canestorp

 

Terrapin releases collaboration with Swiss BFM

Sitting around a table at Kickback’s in the King Street Beer District talking about beer is not an unusual occurrence for me. I can often be found prowling the establishments along that storied street from Lola’s to Bold City Brewing, looking for good beer and great conversation. But, last Friday, Oct. 26, it was the guests at the table and the reason for the gathering that made all the difference.

Surrounded by several beer bloggers, John Cochran and Brian “Spike” Buckowski, owners of Terrapin Beer Co., spoke about their newest release; Jérôme and Spike’s 2011 Barley Ryne. The brew, a collaboration with Swiss brewery BFM, is a hearty barleywine made with about 20% rye malt. The gathering was put together by Team Hopheads to introduce the new brew to the Jacksonville market.

John and Spike met as brewers at an Atlanta microbrewery and quickly began to piece together a plan for a new brewery in Athens, Ga. Terrapin had humble beginnings as a contract brewer, but in 2002 released the first beer of their own. That beer, Terrapin Rye Pale Ale went on to win a gold medal at that year’s Great American Beer Festival in Colo. Since then the brewery has won many medals at beer competitions world-wide. Along with the accolades, the brewery has grown from producing just 162 barrels of beer in 2002 to an expected 24,000 in 2012.

The inspiration of Jérôme and Spike’s came from a chance meeting of Jérôme Rebetez, brewer at Swiss brewery Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes (BFM). Jérôme was in Athens visiting and decided to tour the Terrapin brewery. He and Spike quickly became friends and started talking about doing a collaboration brew. A style and recipe was hammered out through email and the result was Jérôme and Spike’s 2011 Barley Ryne.

The brew is unique in that it was brewed at both breweries using the same ingredients except for one; the yeast.  Each brewery used their own strains and the brews came out very different. The U.S. version is a smooth, rich, and warm brew that was aged in American oak bourbon barrels for 11 months. It has enticing notes of dark fruits, oak, and alcohol on the nose that carry through to the flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla. The Swiss version tracks closer to a Flanders sour than a barleywine with aromas of red wine, brown sugar, and rum. The flavor reveals a complex brew that hints of caramel and toffee among tart cherries and grapes.

For those interested in the particulars of the brew, it was made with the following ingredients:

Malt: 2-Row, Rye, Munich, Carapils, CaraAroma, Caramunich III, Melanoidin

Hops: Bravo, Columbus, U.S. Golding, Amarillo

And, of course, each brewery’s yeast.

The finished product weighs in at 10.03% ABV.

Look for Jérôme and Spike’s 2011 Barley Ryne at your local beer seller now. But, hurry as it is in very limited supply.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

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European Street taps new Lagunitas brew

Beer drinking and storytelling are two activities that go hand-in-hand. Barstools are full of storytellers that spin fantastic yarns over cold brews on a daily basis. But, a beer new to the Jacksonville area and now tapped at the Park St., San Marco, and Jacksonville Beach locations of European Street has the story to tell this time. And Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Co. has quite a story to tell.

The label on the bottle of the beer hints that the story is not one that sits well with Tony Magee, the owner and brewmaster at Lagunitas. In tiny type on the edge of the label his diatribe says, “From the first day of the first congress at the moment of the passage of the first law, we became weaker.

The extra-large B. Franklin said it well that you can tell the strength of a society by the paucity of the pages in its book of laws – Tax laws, civil law, criminal law, Statutes and Bills. Laws that make large and small criminals of us all.”

The label refers to the 2005 investigation and subsequent shut-down of the brewery for 20 days the next January that resulted from complaints of parties on breweries premises. The parties were said to include food, beer, loud music, and – perhaps most damning – marijuana usage.  The investigation took place over two-months with investigators going to the weekly parties undercover to see for themselves what was going on.

According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control public information officer John Carr, officers attended parties over an eight-week period to determine whether partygoers were dealing in drugs. During a St. Patrick’s Day party at the brewery the officers revealed their investigation by showing their badges and arresting one employee and patron.

Punishment came to the brewery in the form of a 20-day shut-down in January of 2006, which Magee used to install a planned new bottling line.

Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale is called “especially bitter ale” to commemorate the bust and shut-down of the brewery. Later Magee, not none for his quiet demeanor, said, “This beer, I wanted it to be a knuckle sandwich. It’s big, it’s bitter and it’s angry. It’s unrepentant, and it’s unforgiving.”

And Magee, is right in those characterizations. The brew weighs in with 10.1% ABV and 74 IBUs. Popular beer rating website Beer Advocate gives the brew an 89 out of 100 points. One reviewer on the site left comments referring to the beer as, “Barleywine-like strength with well-kilned grains and citrus hops.” Another said, “Interesting. Both the hops and toasted malt appear upfront, then the bitterness hits on the finish.”

But, drinker beware, a few pints of this brew could lead to a few of your own stories. Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale is available until supplies are exhausted at European Street.

 

Green Room Brewery the New Big Kahuna at Jax Beach

The tap room at Green Room Brewing in Jacksonville Beach has been open for a little while now selection of beers from other Florida breweries like Cigar City in Tampa, Swamp Head in Gainesville, Tequesta near Jupiter, and local brewers Intuition and Bold City. But this past Saturday that all changed with the grand opening of festivities that included the tapping of four great beers brewed entirely on premises by head brewer Eric Luman.

Contrary to its name, the tap room of this brewery is not green at all. Rather it is cheery blue with surfer influences including several surf boards hanging on the walls. It seems green room is a surfer phrase that means the perfect spot inside the curl of a wave. The vibe is laid back and comfortable with high top as well as regular tables and plenty of seats at the white corrugated metal and dark grey concrete bar. The wall behind the tap handles is made of the same white corrugated metal as the bar with series of black boards above the tap handles detailing the available brews with beer name, brewery, style of beer, and ABV.

Among the beers available on Saturday were Intuition Ale Works’ I-10 IPA, Cigar City’s Jai Alai, Swamp Head Wild Night, and Tequesta Gnarly Barley. But the real stars on Saturday were the brand new brews from the Green Room itself.

On tap at the grand opening were four quality brews; Helles Yeah, Clean Ocean Brown Ale, Shaka Oatmeal Stout, and Head High IPA. Of these four the two permanent beers are Helles Yeah and Head High, the other two are part of a rotating seasonal program. Coming up soon according to the black board in the brewery is a White Belgian Ale that is sure to be a pleaser.

Now that the tap room and beers are introduced, a little more information about the beers being produced at Green Room is necessary.

Helles Yeah (pronounced HELLS YEAH!) is not only fun to say, but it is also a fun beer to drink. An Amercanized version of a classic Munich Helles beer, this brew is a refresher perfect for the hot summer days so typical at Jacksonville Beach. Helles is the German word for light, but do not let that fool you, this sparkling golden brew is full flavored with smooth, sweet malts and a slightly bitter hoppiness at the end. At just 4.6% ABV, you can drink several while telling surf stories with your friends without worrying about the wiping out on your next set.

Head High IPA is the other permanent brew currently available at Green Room. This approachable IPA packs plenty of hoppy grapefruit bitterness into each sip, but also tempers the hoppy kick with a balancing malty sweetness. This is an IPA that experienced hop heads will find extremely sessionable, while newcomers to the hop party will enjoy the beer as a gateway to hoppier drafts in the future.

Next up is Clean Ocean Brown Ale. For those who enjoy nutty, malty, sweet brown ales with a hint of hopped bitterness; this is the brew for you. When this deep amber to brown beverage is placed in front of you, the first thing you should do is sniff the loose head swirling at the top of your glass. You will be rewarded with the aromas of sweet malts, mild hops, and delicate nuts. When you take your first sip a wave of smooth caramel malts washes over you followed by a pleasant, mild bitterness that recedes into a rewarding sweetness.

The last ale available on Saturday was the pitch black Shaka Oatmeal Stout. The shaka sign is more commonly known in Florida as the “hang loose” sign. It is used, especially in surfer circles as a universal greeting, a long distance high-five, and an all-around symbol of good will. All of which are appropriate to the smooth stout that bears the symbol’s name. Tiny, creamy bubbles crown the top of this ebon liquid that smells of roasted malts, rich coffee, and mild hops. A sip sends good vibrations washing over you like a well-loved Beach Boys tune revealing rich mouth feel and coffee flavors.

The folks out at The Green Room have truly gotten off to a great start. If the number of people packed into the tap room at the Grand Opening is any indication, this is going to be a favorite spot of area beer connoisseurs as well as traveling beer imbibers who come to visit the First Coasts beaches. The surf is up, head on out to the beach for a few perfect sets!

Until next time,

Long Live the Brewers!

Cheers!

Marc Wisdom