The Beers of Summer Beer Run Starts Tomorrow

Summer doesn't technically start until June 21, but The Beers of Summer Beer Run starts June 1, baby!  Most craft breweries (and some macro breweries) put out a summer seasonal beer, meant to be enjoyed on a hot summer day.  And that's exactly what I plan on doing.  For the next 30 days.

Starting tomorrow and for the entire month of June, every day will be a Summer Beer day.  So, what counts as a Summer Beer?

• Any beer with the words Summer, Sun, Sunshine (or some other derivative) in the name or style of the beer,
• Any beer with a picture of the sun on the label,
• And maybe an occasional exception to the first 2 rules, but it will be for a pretty obvious reason.
• BUT, a Summer Seasonal that doesn’t say it’s a Summer Beer on the label does not count, such as Flying Dog Woody Creek White.

And I've already stocked up – as of yesterday, I have stocked my beer fridge and pantry with 30 Summer beers that meet this criteria.  Click the picture below for a sneak peek at the Summer Beer Class of 2011.

Tell ya what – if you’ve got or find any Summer Beers not in my current lineup, bring them to me, and I will double up on my reviews a few days this month.

You know what else I found out?  In the DC area, our "big box" seller of wine and beer is Total Wine, and there's one near my office and another near my house.  They have a couple aisles of single bottles of craft and imported beers, which is where I've found many of the beers for this quest.  BUT, not everything they have in six packs is available on the single bottles shelves.  So I asked Mr. Total Wine Manager Guy if you could purchase single bottles of the other beers, and he said...  YES!  (As long as you don't crack open a sealed box, like a 12 pack.)  Confession:  I had already done this a couple times, but I felt a little guilty about it.

So, my beer choices just opened up quite a bit.  And if you're in the DC area, I encourage you to do a little sampling as well!

We’re also going to liven things up a bit this month.  In addition to a different Summer beer everyday, each day I’ll also give you a mystery link to a different summer song.  The rules on the songs are much looser, and I do take requests.  Summer songs are just songs that remind me (or you) of just kicking back on the deck or patio, hanging with friends, and drinking a cold summer brew.  They could be mellow, rocking, pop, soul, or (gasp) even country.  So what’s on your summer playlist?

Here’s a preview – just click the image to play the song!  Here’s a hint – this song inspired the name of this Beer Run!

Click Me!

  So relax, put up the hammock, and get ready for The Beers of Summer Beer Run!

Day 151, May 31 / Black Cat Ale

Day 151  /  May 31, 2011

Black Cat Ale

Moorhouse Brewery / Burnley, Lancashire, UK

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What am I thinking?  Drinking a thick, chocolately English Ale on a day where the temperature almost hit 100 degrees?  On the last day of May, no less.

I picked up a 16.9 ounce bottle of Moorhouse’s Black Cat Ale at Gilly’s in Rockville, MD, who has a fine selection of English and Europen imports in addition to their selection of US craft beers.  I hadn’t see Moorhouse beers before, so what the hell.

The Moorhouse Brewery dates back to 1865, and they now produce a series of ales with names inspired by the dark arts.  The Black Cat is an English Dark Mild Ale.  It pours a ruby tinged dark brown into the glass with very little head.  The taste is malty with hints of chocolate.  There is no noticeable hop taste to this beer, at least not to me.  Decent beer, not too heavy.

Day 150, May 30 / Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner

Day 150  /  May 30, 2011

Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner

Shmaltz Brewing Company /
San Francisco, CA and Coney Island, NY

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The Coney Island Mermaid Rye Pilsner is a summer seasonal from Shmalz, usually only available in 12-packs, or sometimes in large bottles.  I was able to find a single bottle at Gilly’s Craft Beer & Fine Wine in Rockville, MD. 

I drove up to Gilly’s because I needed to find a few beers I needed for an upcoming Beer Run.  Gilly’s has a very good selections of beers by the six pack and by the bottle, and they also have a small sandwich counter in the store.  Today’s special was free Natty Boh draft with any sandwich.  And yes, I had one.

The Mermaid Rye Pilsner was quite tasty.  It’s made with 2 type of rye and 5 types of hops.  This a very flavorful pilsner with a slight bite of hops.

Day 149, May 29 / Gordon Biersch Shwarzbier

Day 149  /  May 29, 2011

Gordon Biersch Shwarzbier

Gordon Biersch Brewpub / Tyson’s Corner VA

I require sustenance!  Fetch me a Schwarzbier post haste!  And some potstickers, southwestern eggrolls and garlic fries, too.

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I convinced my wife to go see Thor with me last night, and we stopped in at Gordon Biersch in the mall for some apps and a beer before the movie.

My quick movie review of Thor?  I guess it was much more sci-fi / fantasy than I expected.  I like superhero movies, but I prefer my heroes to stay on earth, at least most of the time.  The story was good – I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the Norse God of War landing in a small New Mexico town.  The special effects were great, and I love the way they set up all these Marvel movies for The Avengers movie next year.

Before the movie, I had a nice big Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier, which I assume was brewed at the restaurant.  The Schwarzbier is a dark lager, but it doesn’t have a heavy taste or density.  It’s got a slightly nutty, coffee flavor to it, and I found it to be quite enjoyable.

Day 148, May 28 / Simpler Times Pilsner

Day 148  /  May 28, 2011

Simpler Times Pilsner

Minhas Craft Brewery / Monroe, Wisconsin

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Simpler Times on the Rivah!

With our daughter off in NYC on a school trip, my wife and I went down for a quick overnight trip to a friend’s new place in Deltaville, VA, near the Northern Neck on the Chesapeake Bay.  We had a great, relaxing day, did a little boating, and our Chocolate Lab Bo finally learned how to swim!

I brought some beers down with me (of course), including a six-pack of Simpler Times Pilsner, available (only) at Trader Joe’s for $3.99.  Yeah, you’ve seen the beers at Trader Joe’s that you’ve never seen anywhere else.  That’s because, just like most of their products, Trader Joe’s “private labels” their beers – they contract with an existing brewery to make a beer to their specifications.

While Trader Joe’s doesn’t release the information, it’s known in the beer community that anything under the "Josephsbrau Brewing Co." label is believed to be made by Gordon Biersch brewing, in San Jose, CA, “Mission St.” beers are believed to be made by Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, CA (I will have to try some of those), and “Simpler Times” and “Name Tag” are made by the The Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, WI.

So I guess I went straight to the bottom of the barrel.  Simpler Times and Name Tag are definitely the cheapest of the Trader Joe’s beers.  Up until 2006, the Minhas Craft Brewery was The Joseph Huber Brewing Company, founded in 1845.  And Minhas is owned by the Mountain Crest Brewing Company in Calgary, Canada.  Under both ownership groups, the brewery has pumped out a number of contract brews for the last several years, for both the US and Canadian markets.  In fact, one of the biggest beers (by unit sales) in Canada, Berghoff, is made by Minhas in Wisconsin.

Simpler Times Pilsner pours a light golden color into the glass, and has a light foamy head.  I am not actually sure if it had adjuncts (rice or corn), but it tastes like it might.  It is best served very cold, just to quench a thirst, not particularly to enjoy the flavor.  It’s a litte sweet, and a has just a little bitter bite.  It actually reminds me a little of what I remember my Dad’s Carling Black Label or Schmidt’s tasting like.

Day 147, May 27 / Lucy (Spiced Golden Ale)

Day 147  /  May 27, 2011

Lucy (Spiced Golden Ale)

Starr Hill Brewing Company  / Crozet, VA

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Lucy, I’m home!

Alright, don’t take this the wrong way, but Starr Hill Lucy is the craft beer drinker’s Bud Light Lime.  I guess there’s really no other way to take that, is there?

Taken directly from Starr Hill’s web site, “Lucy is a light English summer ale, spiced with ginger, lime, and coriander. It will remind you of warm summer nights on the beach.”

It reminds me of beer mixed with a little lime Kool-Aid and ginger ale.  It’s actually a little disappointing coming from Starr Hill, who usually put out some pretty good beers.  Maybe they’re positioning this as a “gateway beer,” trying to lure Bud Light Lime drinking sorority girls to the world of craft beers.  If that’s their goal, well then, “Good on ya, mate!”

Day 146, May 26 / Victory Prima Pils

Day 146  /  May 26, 2011

Victory Prima Pils

Victory Brewing Co.  /  Downingtown, PA

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A heaping helping of herbal hops!

Since I’ve started this beer quest, I have occasionally checked out other beer blogs to review their writing styles and comments on some the beers I’ve sampled.  One thing I’ve noticed that many craft beer drinkers and bloggers tend to stay away from lighter beers like lagers and pilsners.

Good – that leaves more for me.  Especially more Prima Pils.  Prima Pils is a pilsner for hopheads, as evidenced by the huge hop bud on the label.  It has a golden color in common with most other pilsners, but that’s where the similarities end.  Prima Pils is actually a bit cloudy in the glass, and has a strong, hoppy and flowering aroma.  The taste may be a bit strong for those expecting a mellower beer, but I like it!  It’s got a crisp, hoppy bite and a lot of character.

I’m sticking my neck out for Prima Pils here, and I’m going to give it the second Outstanding of the year!