Enjoy seeing the lead up to spontaneous fermentation . . .

And away we go . . .

• Getting the story with the weakest tie to the craft beer world out of the way first, I have to give a shout out to my new favorite (though former) flight attendant.  It is at least somewhat fascinating that he grabbed a few beers on the way out and I am wondering what they were.  Surely we can narrow it down to a few options.
• Each week I find multiple stories based on the debate over the exact definition of craft beer.  I think this one is a very good read on just that topic.  Though I have not put nearly as much thought into as many others seem to (from what I read), I do tend to lean on the flavor and quality side of the argument.
• Creating lists is a tough thing to tackle, even when the list is actually compiled by the votes of the people.  That is what the Alström brothers are dealing with as they tweak their top beer lists.  As subjective as the enjoyment of beer is, I do not see why people take the time to get upset about the shuffling.  Just relax and enjoy your favorite beer!
• Already knowing why I have not tried to brew a pilsner at home, it is nice to read that my reasons are much the same as many of the craft brewers out there.  I am mostly speaking of the cost and the light profile revealing flaws parts.
• After looking at this list I realize that truly extreme brewing ingredients have yet to even enter my mind.  It is nice to know that the possibilities are really endless.  I would not at all mind pairing a hotdog with the mustard seed beer and I really would like to see what the salt water beer tastes like.
• To close the day is another list and probably the most unique of the bunch.  The basis of the list is actually the unique part and certainly offers different perspective.  I enjoyed finding out a bit more info about the bigger meaning behind those beer names.

Ninkasi Tricerahops (via http://www.wired.com/)

Cheers!

As always, with FAT Monday posts there are pictures and plenty of them.  Now on we go . . .

Ignoring our late return time the night before and the many beers enjoyed at the wedding, we were up quite early the following morning to get ourselves up to Vancouver, BC for the day.  Before doing so, coffee was a must and where there is coffee there should be donuts.  In our case that meant a dozen from Mighty-O Donuts for the road.  There was going to be a lot of walking once we reached our destination, so we needed to prepare ourselves properly during the drive.

A nice sampler platter.

First border crossing went smoothly

The only plans made for the day were actually to get to Vancouver in the morning and return home at a decent time.  What happened in between was to be figured out along the way as a sort of choose your own adventure scenario.  Once we parked our car under the library in the center of downtown (and used the facilities there) we simply started walking (downhill at first).

Pretty easy to notice this building

In search of bathrooms.

Then we walked some more, found a place for lunch, and then walked some more.  After raining most of the drive up, the weather broke perfectly for us.  We walked from one side of the city to the other and meandered through the areas between.

The Wife and me.

Great views are abundant.

Water and mountains everywhere.

We left time at the end of the day to stop by Granville Island on our way back to Seattle to check out a little of this . . .

We always stop at the market

No idea what these are

And we could not leave town without having some of this . . .

It was good to be there.

A comfortable space

After taking a seat in the tasting room at Granville Island Brewing we order samples of everything that they had, not wanting to miss out on anything.  Though the beer certainly went down quite easily after walking around all day, I did not leave the place craving another sample of anything.  Everything was good, with the Gastown Amber tasting the best to me that afternoon, but none really stood out to me as better than average.  If I ever get back to Vancouver I will stop by again to see if my opinions remain the same.

Why choose only four?

When yo ucan try them all.

We enjoyed the remaining donuts on the return drive to Seattle and eagerly opened a few brews upon our arrival after enduring close to an hour at the border crossing.  Ending a day with good beer and good friends is never a bad thing in my book.

The lawn is well kept at the border

Until the next day . . .

Here we go . . .

• Staring off easy I will give a few links that are not as much news as they are interesting uses for beer cans.  This first group seems pretty reasonable for an individual to drink enough beer to create while I am hoping that this guy did not have to drink all of the Bud necessary for his sculpture.
• I suppose plans for brewery expansion change when people catch on to  how great your beer is and fortunately this Colorado brewery is being responsible about the whole process while adding capacity very fast.  Even bars in Colorado are adjusting to keep up with the growing desire for craft beer.
• Apparently we now know what the new television craze is going to be after all of those damn cake and cupcake shows fade away.  After the announcement of Sam Calagione’s show in June, it seems that other networks are jumping in with beer shows as well.  I am just sorry I missed my shot at being one of the hosts.
• Surely this acquisition will only further the already heated discussion of what this means as far as the true definition of craft beer.  I know they all have to do what they have to do, but I hope that the merger bug does not infect the entire craft beer community going forward.
• Knowing that Dogfish Head used this method to create one of their brews, it is interesting to see playing with hot rocks catch on a bit.
• As one of my favorite beer styles that is not actually a recognized style, the Black IPA is certainly gaining momentum everywhere.  More and more breweries are coming out with examples and the article gives some very good options of brews to try if you haven’t yet tried one.
• Lastly is a shout out to a great brewery here in (nearby) Tampa.  I just hope they don’t get too popular right away as it is already difficult to get your hands on their brews sometimes.  Fortunately there is always going straight to the source as an option for me.

West End Tavern in Boulder (via http://www.dailycamera.com)

Cheers!

Bummer, huh?  Hey, it all balances out though as I received a few positive emails yesterday as well and at least I had an excuse to pick up (and then enjoy) a six pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for the occasion.  Though he did a good job on camera, the first bottle was emptied pretty soon after the final frame on the shot sheet was crossed off.  Making movies is hard work, you know!

The video was again good practice for what I can possibly do in the future for actual brewery visits, beer events, and so on.  Hopefully my (continuing) video and picture editing apprenticeship under the tutelage of The Wife will give me the skills to do even more and more using that medium going forward.

Since I did not make the final cut I think that it is well within my rights to embed the video here.  First it will get a final showcase within this post and then it will find a permanent home on the “Videos” page above.

Enjoy . . .

Finally, I have two questions to close the post with today:

• What type of videos or video topics would you most like to see in the future on this site?
• What breweries are on your short list (say top five) of ones you would most like to visit during your lifetime?