I hate to play favorites in the blogosphere. I would love to use the analogy of “Mama Wench” and say that picking a favorite blogger is like picking a favorite child — I love each and every one of them in their own special ways. But that just sounds creepy. Especially since 1. I am younger than the majority of other bloggers and 2. I have an aversion to children and 3. I have been known to try to trade my uterus for a spare liver.

But I digress. The point is this: every beer blogger has his or her own craft beer personality and style of advocating craft beer. Each has their own goals and aspirations for their site. And whereas I respect and appreciate all my fellow bloggers, the human side of me cannot help but pick favorites, here and there, despite my wish to remain as neutral as possible.

Case and point: New Brew Thursday. These guys are more than just hilarious and entertaining video beer bloggers. They are some of the biggest craft beer evangelists that I know and, more importantly, they are some of the best friends I have ever had. And we are talking about true friends, not the kind that you party a lot with and then know nothing about — the kind that open their homes and hearts to you when you need it the most, even if it is the most inopportune moment for them.

Photo credit: John Holzer

A few weeks ago, New Brew Thursday hosted me at their studio, where we enjoyed lots of really amazing craft beers, amazing chicken curry, lots of laughs and talked about the awesomeness of Kern River Brewing and the Just Outstanding IPA. If you haven’t seen the video, it is definitely worth checking out. If you have seen the video, it is definitely worth watching again. And again. And again.

Special thanks to New Brew Thursday for being amazing friends, amazing craft beer advocates and amazing video professionals. I love you all You are soooooooo GOOGLE!

June 17 : Just Outstanding IPA : Kern River Brewing with Special Guest The Beer Wench from New Brew Thursday on Vimeo.

This week everyone’s favorite Mutineer, The Beer Wench ( a.k.a Ashley Routson ), pays the studio a visit and it gets GOOGLE! We crack open a couple of bottles Kern River Brewing Companies Just Outstanding IPA and it lives up to the name. We also enjoy some mighty fine spicy Indian food made by our lovely producer Yvonne.

We crack wise about craft beer, tell a few inside jokes, and have a round about good time. You also get to see Stephen with a partial beard, no beard, and a full beard. Ahh the magic of video.

This weeks master pairing find Stephen back in Dr. Bill’s Kitchen for a lesson on lemons, and a delicious breakfast pairing.

Also this week, our craft beer advocate offers to buy you a beer!

Friends, prepare yourselves for the most epic party of the year.

On Sunday May 23rd, Mutineer Magazine is hosting its 2nd Annual Red Carpet Tasting Event at Falcon Hollywood in Los Angeles. The guest lists consists of a star-studded roundup of over 350 fine beverage VIPs: including industry celebrities, winemakers, brewers, beverage bloggers, and more.

And have no fear, kids. If you cannot make the actual event, you can follow the debauchery LIVE on the New Brew Thursday UStream. And if that wasn’t cool enough, guess who is co-hosting the Live Show? Yep, that’s right. The Beer Wench. Game on. RSVP for the Ustream HERE.

The Official Twitter hashtage for the Event and the Live Stream is #MutineerLive. Follow all of the updates and buzz surrounding the event on the hagtag stream = #MutineerLive.

The All-Star Mutineer Team on Twitter = @mutineermag + @alankropf + @jdorenbush @beermutineer + @odiedog52 @thebeerwench

Beverage Bloggers who will also be in attendance = @newbrewthursday + @johnholzer + @darthweef + @masterpairings + @thebeerchicks + @beerchicks+ @alexpdavis + @beachbumchris + @estarLA + @HipsterEnology

ABOUT THE EVENT

Mutineer Magazine’s 2nd Annual Red Carpet Tasting Presented by Amarula Cream brings together people, culture, and fine beverage at the renowned Falcon Hollywood for a memorable night of beverage tasting. The event follows up on the success of Mutineer’s first major affair celebrating its national launch last May 2009. A selective sampling of 40+ fine beverage companies from around the world will be sharing the fruits of their labor for attendees to explore. The red carpet event will also raise money and awareness for A Child’s Right, a charitable organization that implements water relief programs for impoverished children in undeveloped countries around the world.

A wide variety of wines, craft beer, spirits, liqueurs, and non-alcoholic libations will be poured as beverage connoisseurs, F&B insiders, journalists, and celebrities experience some of the most sought after beverages that are waiting to be discovered. In addition, the magazine will premiere the “Art of the Mutineer, Volume No. 1” photography exhibition highlighting Mutineer Director of Photography Ian Andreae’s inspiring and stunning photographs that have graced the covers and pages of the publication since its inception.

When:
Sunday, May 23, 2010
7 – 11 PM

Where:
Falcon Hollywood (Map)
7213 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, California 90046

Who:
Hosted by Mutineer Editor-in-Chief Alan Kropf and Actor/Comedian Ben Morrison.

The tasting event offers an impressive sampling selection of fine beverages including:
Spirits: Amarula Cream Liqueur, Bluecoat Gin, Combier Rouge Cherry Liqueur, BenRiach Scotch, Briottet Liqueurs, Chinaco Tequila, Don Roberto Tequila served with new cocktail mix “120 Mix”, English Harbour Rum, Kalani Coconut Liqueur, Luxardo Liqueur, Obsello Absinthe, Xtabentun Honey Liqueur

Wine: Brazin Wines, Chatom Vineyards, Continuum Estate, Jordan Winery, King Estate Winery, La Jota Vineyards, Murphy-Goode Winery, Newsome-Harlow Winery, Tanner Vineyards, Twisted Oak Winery, Two Oceans Wines, Wente Vineyards, Zucca Mountain Vineyards

Beer: Artisanal Imports, Ballast Point Brewery, Chimay, Coronado Brewing Co., Deschutes, Fireman’s Brew,Firestone Walker, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Lost Coast Brewery, San Diego Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages: Dragon Pearl Tea, Hot Lips Soda, SanTasti, Waiwera Artesian Water

Cheese provided by Barrie Lynn – The Cheese Impresario.

Ustream Broadcast by New Brew Thursday.

Music by Seattle Musician Hunter Lea.

Limited tickets available here.

DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

Welcome to the second of three beer blogger interviews in a series featuring the brilliant (and ultra sexy) minds behind one of the hottest internet beer-themed video podcasts: New Brew Thursday.

Each and every Thursday, the boys from New Brew Thursday take their thirsty viewers on an adventure through beer geekdom. Some how, the boys seem to get their hands on some pretty rare and unique cult beers — and we are all forced to live vicariously through their video podcast tastings. Expect to see The Wench on a few of their shows in the very near future!

INTRODUCING: JOHN HOLZER

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: John Holzer Jr
Twitter handle: @johnholzer
Name of blog: New Brew Thursday @ newbrewthursday.com
Current location: Moreno Valley, CA

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Grew up mostly in Fontana, CA, but I was born in San Dimas, CA, which is home to the AWESOME store, Lone Hill Liquor. Spent a majority of my life in the good ol’ Inland Empire.

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

I was never really into sports as a kid, and I’m not really all that into sports now. Sometimes I wish I were more into sports, or at least watching them. Looks like a lot of fun to be so involved with your favorite teams. But, whatever…

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

I was 16 years old.

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

I don’t even remember what kind of beer it was–something cheap. Probably Budweiser or PBR. My friend and I got to have the beers left over after a Christmas party that his parent had as reward for cleaning up after the party. The beer sucked. It was a mystery to me why anyone would drink beer. My feelings have obviously changed over time…

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

I didn’t go to college. I wasn’t a bad student or anything. I graduated High school with High Honors and never missed a day of school. College just wasn’t for me. I fix and upgrade elevators now and play in a punk rock band called “Better Luck Next Time”. We’ve toured around the world and have a lot of fun. I don’t regret not pursuing higher education.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

I remember it clearly: I was at The Grove in Anaheim, California to see Carrot Top [don't hate--you know you all laughed at his comedy at least once in your life. Plus now, he could kick your ass... ].

I went with a few friends of mine, all of which drank Bud Light and Coors Light and such. One friend that was there, Jeremy, asked if I had ever tried New Castle. I said no and he ordered me a pint from the bar. The show was a dinner show, so we were served dinner during the performance.

We were eating barbecue chicken. When I tried the beer, I couldn’t believe how good it was and much it was NOT Bud Light. I was also impressed by how well it went with the food I was eating. Before then, I always kind of looked at craft brew at the time as something weird and outlandish. Only weirdos and alcoholics drank that stuff. I was 21 at the time and really had no idea why I thought the way i did about Craft beer.

Call it ignorance. Needless to say from that moment on, I would never look at Craft beer the same.

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

I got stuck in a rut for a long time of drinking very, very light and fizzy beers. Mostly because of the calories. I would drink the occasional New Castle here and there, but when I was with my friends–who to this day don’t understand why I love craft brew–Bud Light was the beer of choice.

I woke up one morning after a night of drinking and felt horrible. I don’t usually get hangovers, and this morning was no exception. I had a splitting headache that did not go away until later that night. Nothing else, just a bad headache. After a few more weekends of the reoccurring headache, I had a feeling it was the type of beer I was drinking. I wasn’t even drinking a lot. The smallest amount of Bud Light seemed to just trigger something. So from that day on, I stopped drinking Bud Light and switch to my now all time favorite beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

After consistently drinking good quality Craft brew, I noticed that I was spend a lot more time tasting the beer instead of just drinking it. That’s probably because there was something there to actually taste instead of the watery fizzy liquid that would give me a buzz. I haven’t had a Bud Light since, but that doesn’t mean I never will. There’s a time and place for everything. I just don’t see a time or place anytime soon that would facilitate me drinking a Bud Light…

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been involved with New Brew Thursday?

Well, I just recent joined New Brew Thursday about two months ago. So, two months, I suppose.

2. What inspired you to join New Brew Thursday?

I loved watching New Brew Thursday before I was a member of the show. I thought it was so cool that I had some type of guideline to follow for finding and tasting new beer. I looked forward to the show every week and was excited to come home from work, pick up the new brew for that show and try it. Now that I’m on the show, I’m thrilled to know that others are having the same experience I had back then and am still having now on the show.

3. Why did you chose the name of your blog?

New Brew Thursday. Does it need an explanation? Stephen is the man to ask about the history behind New Brew Thursday.

What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

I think Stephen and Brad would both agree with me when I say that I think our ultimate goal is to inform as many people as possible about great, quality Craft beer, and to spread the idea of drinking what YOU like, not what others tell you to like. It’s all very punk rock.

4. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

Shooting episodes on location at craft beer bars and breweries is awesome. I think so far, shooting at Stone Brewing Co. with Dr. Bill Sysak was the best.

5. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

beeradvocate.com
hop-cast.com
drinkwiththewench.com

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

Ale, Strong Ale, Stout.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Stone Brewing Company. Still searching for my third…

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

I don’t think I have any aspirations to work at a brewery. However, I would love to learn how to make some great home brew and just learn the techniques behind brewing beer. So, to answer the question, I think I’d want to learn from a local brewery in the I.E. [Inland Empire] called Inland Empire Brewing Co.. They make stellar beers, they’re awesome people, and are very brand new to the beer scene. Since they are so small and so passionate about beer, I think they would be the best people to get me on the right track to brewing great beer.

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

Not a Home Brewer, but I would like to be someday.

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

Not a one. But I can see myself pursuing some kind of certification in the future.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

To date, my favorite beer and food pairing is The Lost Abbey’s Angel’s Share Ale with caramel cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. It’s freaking heaven in my mouth.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

I build, repair and modernize elevators. I also play in a punk rock band known as Better Luck Next Time.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

I think if I wanted to do anything full time, it would something involving art and computers. This could be graphic arts, video and film making, web design, or anything along those lines. I was not exposed to things like Photoshop until I was well out of school. So if I did go to college, I would pursue something in the arts. I’m a big Photoshop fan.

3. Are you married? Children?

Not married. No Kids. I have a steady girlfriend of 6 years. She’s rad. Her name is Yvonne.

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Like I’ve said before, I’m in a band so I love playing music. I’m really into New Brew Thursday too–not only for the show, but because I get to do a lot of the back-end production stuff. I’m no expert, but it’s fun and lets me play with my toys and gadgets.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be an why?

I would be an Pale Ale. I get along pretty well with anyone, and I’m not too scary… unlike some of those Stouts out there…

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

Stone Brewing Co. Double Bastard Ale. Probably the most delicious beer ever. It would also help a lot in numbing any pain I might feel while I’m being executed.

3. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Superman. Hands down. Everything he does, i want to do. Flying is probably at the top of that list.

4. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

This might not be very crazy, but playing a festival called Punkspring in Japan in front of 10,000 people with some of the biggest punk rock bands of all time was EPIC for me. I drank so much free booze that night that it’s a wonder I lived to tell about it…

5 What are your thoughts on bacon?

It’s the other white meat, and goes surprisingly well with chocolate.

SPECIAL THANKS TO JOHN FOR HIS AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!

DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

Welcome to the first of three beer blogger interviews in a series featuring the brilliant (and ultra sexy) minds behind one of the hottest internet beer-themed video podcasts: New Brew Thursday.

Each and every Thursday, the boys from New Brew Thursday take their thirsty viewers on an adventure through beer geekdom. Some how, the boys seem to get their hands on some pretty rare and unique cult beers — and we are all forced to live vicariously through their video podcast tastings. Expect to see The Wench on a few of their shows in the very near future!

INTRODUCING: STEPHEN JOHNSON

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Stephen Johnson
Internet nickname: “darthweef”
Twitter handle: @newbrewthursday
Name of blog: New Brew Thursday
Current location: Moreno Valley, Ca

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Cerritos, Ca

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

I played peewee soccer, but sucked. Then in Jr High played Football.

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

9

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

Um.. Awkward. LOL I was 9 when I had my first beer, and I hated it. It was a Budweiser product of some sort. I swiped from my parent’s fridge and hid it in a snow boot in my closet (called moon boots back then) where it was forgotten for about 2 weeks. When I did find it, I basically drank a can of warm, old Budweiser.

Looking back on it, I think later in life that incident curbed me away from the crap massed produced beer & I have never really been a macro beer drinker.

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, and sports did you partake in during college?

I attended SCTC in Mankato, MN for Computer Programming. I also attended MSU to handle general stuff.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

I have always bee considered a “beer snob” by my friends since I refused the Coors and Bud products and would drink Newcastle or Guinness. My craft beer epiphany came from a Home Brew festival I attended a few years back.

I was trying a home brewed porter and talking to the brewer and I started complaining that good beers could be found at the Home brewer festival. The Brewer asked me what I normally drank and I told him Newcastle or Guinness (notably proud of myself) and he chuckled, took me aside and from his cooler, introduced me to about 4 different craft beers from Sierra Nevada, of course, Stone brewing company, and a couple of others that I don’t remember.

Needless to say, I was blown away! I couldn’t believe that commercial beer could have that much complexity, flavor and intensity. I was sold. From then on, I searched everywhere to find a place that I could find “Craft beer” which at that point I thought was a California thing. LOL

Since then, I have learned much, but am still beer child wandering through a Willie Wonka like land of Craft beer, each one making me happier then the last.

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

The only other unique event was when I was first able to help someone else find the thrill of Craft Beer. I had a close friend who was a Coors light fiend. He agreed to expand his horizons, once a week, as long as I paid for the beer. So once a week we would get together and try out a new beer that neither of us had ever had. He converted, and even introduced me to a wider range of craft beers.

Beer Blog & Video Podcast Background

1. How long have you been working on New Brew Thursday?

I tend to forget that New Brew Thursday is also a blog, since we focus pretty solely on the video show. But New Brew Thursday actually started out as a twitter / flickr project where we would post the new beer that we were drinking each week and what we thought of it. We discovered that people were actually paying attention to both, and following along, so we started taking our obligation to post more seriously, and it evolved to the blog then to the show. The official site went up in May of 2009, but we were doing the twitter / flickr thing for about a year before that.

2. What inspired you to start New Brew Thursday?

I kind of answered that above, but to add, the inspiration came from a single tweet on a Thursday night, later, that asked why we hadn’t posted a beer for the night. When I realized that I could reach a larger group of people, and help them to see the wonderful world of beer for what is truly, rather then what the In-Bev and Coors-Miller want you to think it is, I knew I had an obligation.

3. Why did you chose the name New Brew Thursday?

The name came from the fact that every Thursday night me and my buddies would get together and try a “new brew” … so New Brew Thursday.

4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

My immediate goal, is to help one person each show find the beer that will be the beer that creates their own craft beer epiphany. I feel like if I can convert at least one person each time I put out a show (or at least on average), then all the time and money is worthwhile.

Ultimately, I love to see the audience grow, and have the show turn into something more mainstream, allowing me the opportunity to be more involved in the craft beer industry.

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

I have three, so bear with me.

• I got recognized at GABF. Which sounds vain, but what that person doesn’t know is that they saved the show. NBT was on hiatus, and I was without cast members to start it back up, so I was actually considering dropping the show all together and just going back to twitter / flickr thing. When he came up, and acted like he was meeting a celebrity, he told me how much he loved the show and how he shows it to his friends and they are getting more into Craft Beer, it really validated my need to do the show, and I left GABF more enthused to do the show then ever.
• I got to film an episode at the Stone World Gardens and Bistro, with Dr. Bill Sysak. There is nothing quite like kicking back with the beer Dr. himself drinking Double Bastard and eating food that he paired with it. EPIC!
• I have met some of the most amazing people in the world, like the Beer Wench, over the last couple of months, thanks to the show. That has been the best part of the show.

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Drink with the Wench (honestly, this is not just a suck up.
Confessions of a Beer Geek
Draft Magazines blogs

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

This is a tough question for me, since it changes a lot. Right now…
Porters (this never changes)
Bourbon barrel aged beer
Barleywine

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Stone Brewing Company
The Lost Abbey
Dogfish Head

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

I think I would like to work for Dogfish Head. They are still on the extreme edge, while producing great beers. I love that. Although I will never leave SoCal, so they would have to move here.

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

Technically, yes. I am home brewer. So far none of my brews have been good enough to even call beer. So I am on a learning journey with that.

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

I am working towards my Cicerone certification, and to be a Beer Judge. But right now, still working towards it.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

The Lost Abbey’s Bourbon Angel’s Share with Dulce De Leche Caramel Cheescake.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

I own a software development company called “The Lone Coder LLC”.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

I would want NBT to be my career. I initially thought I would answer Brewer to this question, but ultimately, my passion comes from helping people see how wonderful craft beer is, not from making my own.

3. Are you married? Children?

I am married with three furry kids (dogs) .

4. Outside of beer, video podcasting and Twitter, what are some of your other hobbies?

Is there anything else..

I play disc golf, love photography and want to get back into Mountain Bike riding and Motocycling.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why?

I would be a Baltic porter. I come from harsh beginnings but I finish sweet and love to be paired with dark cholocate.

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

I would choose a Coors Light..   Since death is not as bad as Coors Light, it would give me something to look forward to when the beer was done.

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

It would be a DIPA, and I might consider Dry-Hopping it.

It would punch your taste buds in the face and then smile at you, and you would love every minute of it.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

I want to be able to read peoples minds.

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

When I was 11 I spent the night in a customs jail when my “ride” was caught smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants into the country.

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

Bacon is the universes way of telling you that no matter how bad things get, it will always be ok in the end.

SPECIAL THANKS TO STEPHEN FOR HOSTING AN AMAZING BEER PODCAST AND ENTERTAINING ME ALL OVER THE INTERNET!

CHEERS!

I must apologize for leaving you all hanging on the San Diego beer week updates. I’ve recently been plagued with a series of unfortunate events and have fallen off of the Internet map.

So where were we?

I last left off with the score: San Diego = 1. The Wench = 0. Truth be told, San Diego kicked my butt on my first day of beer week. The combination of going to sleep at 7:30AM and drinking high-gravity beer for 16 hours straight did me in.

After about 4 hours of sleep, I was awakened by the smell of bacon and sound of voices coming from the kitchen. Never one to to down bacon (or pork products for that matter), I dragged my tired, hungry & dehydrated body into the kitchen. Much to my delight, another Twitter obsessed beer geek friend of ours had just arrived from the L.A. area. Unfortunate for him, his first real life impression of The Wench was a bit ugly.

But, even a massive hangover could not hold me back from San Diego beer week. And so we rounded up our ever-growing crew of Twitter beer geeks for some more beer adventures. After filling myself up on bacon, eggs and buttery biscuits from my big sis Taylor and chugging down some Duck Duck Gooze compliments of Alex, The Wench was almost ready to put the “game face” back on.

This time, we were smart about it and chartered a shuttle van. Which was actually relatively cheap and easy to do. The Beer Van’s first stop was, yes you guessed it, Stone Brewing Co. Although Firestone Walker was set to “officially” launch their latest cult beer — the 13th Anniversary Ale — on November 14th, the magical Dr. Bill used his Don Juan skills to persuade them to tap it a night early at Stone. It made more sense anyways tapping the Firestone Walker 13th on Friday the 13th.

Word of the special release spread like wild fire and Stone had a tremendous beer geek turnout for the event. Firestone Walker stepped up to the challenge and not only tapped its 13th Anniversary, but also tapped its 12th Anniversary side by side. A lucky few also got to sample the bottle conditioned 11th.

Before anyone was allowed to taste the 12th and 13th, we were first primed with the original beers that were blended to create the 13th. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. In order to understand the beer, you need to know more about Firestone first.

Since its birth in 1996, Firestone Walker has been specializing in the “rare” art of brewing beer in oak barrels. On it’s 10th birthday, Firestone Walker created the first of its Anniversary series — The 10. For the special release they created a Barrel Aging and Blending Program, which they refer to as “Quercus Alba” (which means White Oak, FYI).

THE VISION BEHIND QUERCUS ALBA

• The GOAL: To create complexity centering on oak, in a multitude of forms, by brewing high gravity beers in complementary styles, aging them in different barrel formats and then blending them together to achieve harmonious new flavors.
• The PUZZLE: To blend these various components (or lots) to create a synergistic whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is done with the help of a few neighboring Paso Robles winemakers who are practicing experts in the art of blending.
• The INSPIRATION: Firestone Walker’s oak brewing tradition and connection to winemaking. Of course until the advent of stainless steel, brewing was intimately linked to wood barrels and vessels. Brewing has a deeply rooted history in the alchemy of blending.
• The BARRELS: The individual lots were aged in oak barrels, many of which were hand selected from premium Kentucky spirits producers by Tom Griffin, who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about bourbon barrels and beer. Each barrel lents its own influence to the final blend.

So shall we talk about the beer?

THE COMPONENTS OF FIRESTONE 13th:

• 39% of final blend = PARABOLA (13% abv) — Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged in bourbon barrels
• 15% of final blend = VELVET MERKIN (6% abv) — Traditional Oatmeal Stout aged in bourbon barrels
• 6% of final blend = RUFUS (11% abv) — Continental Imperial Amber Ale aged in rye barrels
• 4% of final blend = SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (9%abv) — Belgian Strong Ale aged in bourbon barrels
• 24% of final blend = BRAVO (11% abv) — Imperial Brown Ale aged in 50% bourbon barrels and 50% in brandy barrels
• 6 % of final blend = OPAL (11% abv) Wheat Wine aged in rye barrels
• 6 % of the final blend = DOUBLE DOUBLE BARREL ALE (10.9%) — Double English Pale Ale aged in 100% in retired FW union barrels

Most of us started the night out with Parabola, which made it hard to move onto anything else. After all, it was definitely the biggest and boldest of all the beers on tap that night. Parabola was thick, rich & viscous with lots of hints of vanilla, oak, toast & bourbon. It was a very warming beer, without the alcohol being too potent.

While we waited for the special tapping of the 13th Anniversary, the group of us chowed down on several of the items from the Stone World Bistro & Gardens menu. The highlight was, hands down, the beer mac & cheese — tender macaroni, Stone Porter Cheese, sun dried tomatoes, basil, Stone Smoked Porter Sausage  topped off with some baked bread crumbs. In one word -orgasmic.

As I mentioned earlier, the event had a tremendous turnout. There were many “celebrity” beer and twitter personalities in the “house” that night. These included: Greg Koch (CEO of Stone), Dr. Bill of Stone Brewing Co., several members of the Firestone Walker team, Stephen Johnson of New Brew Thursday (and his wife), my big sister Taylor Shaw, PJ Hoberman of Starting a Brewery, Kristen & Marin Emde of GoBeering.com, adorable homebrewers Renee & Jordan Rounds, beer connoisseur Alex P. Davis, talented photographer Declan, JJ Bagley of Mutineer Magazine, Chris Richards of Six Palms Entertainment and many others I cannot recall at this moment.

Photo of Renee Rounds & Taylor Shaw -- By: Declan

Declan did an excellent job of capturing the party on his camera. According to Greg Koch, I totally rocked the camera in this pic:

Photo of The Beer Wench -- By: Declan

However, I think that the best photo in the bunch is the one of Alex P. Davis and I rocking the “too cool for school” Top Gun look. Rock. Stars.

Photo of Alex Davis & The Wench -- By: Declan

I also had the honor of meeting more of of my Twitter friends at the Firestone Walker 13th event at Stone Brewing Company — including (but not limited to) @BrewBud, @IPABev and @BeerMark.

Ultimately, the Firestone 13th and 12th were tapped. A line of beer lovers desiring to be among the first to taste the 13th wrapped around the bar area. Being the lazy line hater that I am, I procrastinated getting on line. But when I realized that the line was not going to die down anytime soon, I bit the bullet and joined PJ in line — with some “line” beers in hand, of course.

The verdict? Both the 13th and 12th are extremely complex beers with multiple levels of flavor. At the time, I preferred the 12th. But this does not mean the 13th was bad, by any means. In fact, it rocked. With a little bit age, the 13th can only get better. By the looks of it, I think Stephen (New Brew Thursday) enjoyed both of his Firestone Anniversary beers …

Photo of Stephen Johnson -- By: Declan

The original plan was to follow the Firestone Walker 13th event up with a Stone Brewing Co. dinner at Kitchen 1540 at the L’Auberge resort in Del Mar. Unfortunately, unforeseeable and very understandable circumstances (including sickness) prevented Chef Paul McCabe from being available for the dinner — and the event was cancelled. I was bummed that I did not have the chance to meet Chef McCabe, but then I completely understand his situation and agree whole heartedly with the decision. And who knows, maybe Chef McCabe was lucky not to have met me — as I have a reputation for being a predator and “groupie” of extremely talented chefs.

Chef Paul McCabe (adorable, no?)

A big group of us were planning on attending the Kitchen 1540 dinner and, in lieu of completely forfeiting the event, I approached Greg Koch about organizing a substitution dinner. Greg was able to track down a substitute option — a 3 course Stone pairing menu at Suite & Tender in downtown San Diego. Lucky for us, Suite & Tender was willing to accommodate a last minute reservation for 17.

After a fantastic time at the FireStone Walker event. The Beer Van headed back downtown for a private beer dinner with Greg Koch. The pairing menu was pretty impressive. We were given two choices on three of the pairings. Being that both choices sounded amazing, it was hard to chose. So instead of choosing, Alex & I decided to order one of each course and split them.

The Menu was as follows:

FIRST COURSE

• Fish Tacos w/ Stone IPA
• Crispy Lump Crab Cakes w/ Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale

SECOND COURSE

• Baby Spinach Salad (BACON, pine nut butter, crispy shallots, crab apple & caramel vinaigrette) w/ Stone Levitation Ale
• Hearts of Romain Salad (parmesan cheese, garlic croutons, anchovies & caesar dressing) w/ Stone Pale Ale

THIRD COURSE

• Filet Mignon (garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal mushrooms) w/ 2009 Stone Old Guardian Barleywine
• Grilled King Salmon (warm potato salad, sweet onion, herb creme) w/ Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

There was one other option, but Alex and I passed on it:

• Pan-roasted Chicken Breast (cornbread stuffing, oyster mushrooms, pan sauce) w/ Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

FOURTH COURSE

• Stone Smoked Porter Pecan Pie & Smoked Porter Fudge swirled ice cream w/ Stone Smoked Porter

The service and presentation of the dinner was slightly unusual yet, despite the last minute notice, it was executed pretty well. The food was extremely tasty — although, it was a group consensus that the beer pairings were a bit off. Not really sure what the method in the madness behind the beer — food pairings was, but at the end of the day I left the dinner stuffed to the brim with great beers and food. So, can’t really complain!

After the dinner, the group dissipated. A few people went back to Taylor’s place for a few beers. I joined Greg for a nightcap before returning to Tay’s pad. By the time I returned, everyone was asleep. Which was probably for the better since we had a big day of beer ahead of us starting the next morning. And so to bed The Wench went, with visions of Green Flash and rare beers in her head.

San Diego = 1 … The Wench = 1

Stay tuned for ROUND 3 of San Diego Beer Week! CHEERS!

For those of you who are lucky enough to follow me on twitter, you are probably acutely aware of my recent voyage to San Diego for beer week. In fact, I’m almost positive that many of you may hate me for the events I attended and the beers I tasted. Heck, I would hate me too

But for those of you who might not have been following my San Diego Beer Week adventures, have no fear, I’ve decided to write up a recap of the whole experience so that you too can hate me. Hey, they don’t call me Wench for no reason.

My SDBW story actually starts pre-arrival. This was the first time that I had ever flown Virgin Airways and I had no idea what to expect. And let me tell you, my experience was more AMAZING than I can possibly describe. The purple and red themed interior of the plan was extremely calming. The plane itself was very clean, spacious, comfortable and impressively high-tech. But the real kicker was the chain of events that occurred in flight.

The stars must have been aligned for me that morning because 1. Virgin Airways provided 21st Amendment IPA (my favorite craft beer IPA in a can) on flight 2. Virgin Airways provided FREE internet access on flight (hello, The Wench is a known Internet addict) and 3. Virgin Airways provided free satellite cable on flight …

The sequence of events went as follows: I order a delicious and frosty 21st Amendment IPA. Then I open up my laptop and immediately sign into my Tweetdeck. And then — get this — I turned on ESPN classic and, what do you know, the game on TV is the 1990 Ohio State vs. IOWA showdown. Let’s recap: awesome craft beer + free Internet + Ohio State football … throw in some bacon and I would never have gotten off that plane!

I had never been to San Diego prior to this trip. Needless to say, I was super excited to check out one of the top ranked beer cities in the U.S. And let me tell you one thing, San Diego not only lives up to its reputation — its beer scene completely blows all other cities out of the water. (This from someone who travels extensively in the name of beer). DISCLAIMER: I was in San Diego during beer week, which may or may not have biased my previous statement.

The San Diego airport was easy to move through and I was able to get in a cab to downtown in no time flat. My hostess for the weekend was my brilliantly talented and beautiful big sister, Taylor Shaw. (Technically, we were not “born” into sisterhood. Blood or not, she is family and I love her unconditionally as if she was blood.)

Tay has several years of beer connoisseurship on me and I was completely blown away by her collection of craft beers. Her normal refrigerator was loaded to the brim with beers, as were her cupboards, her wine fridge, her storage room etc. And on top of it all, she has more beer stored in a beer locker. I can only aspire to be as kick-ass as Tay one day.

The first stop on our SDBW agenda was the famous Stone World Bistro & Gardens. To come to think of it, I never did get a tour of the Stone Brewery. Oh well, just another excuse to return.

When it comes to describing the Stone World Bistro & Gardens, I cannot even being to start. I’ve never been to Disney World or Land (despite living in Orlando for 8 months). But I’m almost positive Stone World Bistro & Gardens to me is the equivalent of Cinderella’s castle to a young Disney princess obsessed girl.

The big event that we went for was the 10 year vertical tasting of Double Bastard Ale. For those of you unfamiliar with the beer, weighing in at around 10.50% ABV, Double Bastard is considered an American Strong Ale (a catch all category for “uncategorizeable” ales with high alcohol content). Double Bastard boasts a huge malt bill and a belligerent hoppiness. Both it’s hop varietals and IBU level are classified. It is not recommended for the weak of heart.

Double Bastard is most definitely an arrogant son-of-a-wench. The earlier vintages had a savage-like level of hops and insulting level of alcohol, while the older vintages were more smooth and balanced. All vintages attacked my palate with a malty vengeance. The 10 year flight of Double Bastard had me constantly questioning if I was, indeed, worthy.

Lucky for me, I’m The Wench. Double Bastard has nothing on me. I grabbed it by the balls and showed it who was boss.

In addition to tasting an epic vertical of Stone beers and seeing Stone World Bistro & Gardens for the first time, I had the extreme honor of meeting THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE FAMOUSLY  SPECTACULAR & AMAZING Dr. Bill.

Bill Sysak is one of my greatest heroes in the beer industry. I aspire to one day be as knowledgeable as him. He doesn’t know it yet, but we may get married someday.

I have an open invite to come raid Dr. Bill’s collection at his home. Which I plan on doing some time in the VERY very near future. It is sooooo worth the flight down, trust me.

Dr. Bill was not the only beer celebrity I met that day. As fate would have it, the adorable studs of New Brew Thursday filmed an episode with Dr. Bill in the Stone Gardens.

The mayhem at Stone Brewing Co. did not end with the flight of Double Bastard. While there, we ran into the husband and wife team from Kern River Brewing Company – Eric & Rebecca Giddens.

Upon discovering our beer geekness, they offered us some samples the Kern River Brewing Company JUST OUTSTANDING IPA. And naturally, being the mischievous and impatient “Being of Pure ID” that I’m become known to be, I opened up the bottle in the parking lot. Verdict? The name says it all, Kern produces an outstanding IPA!

The first day at Stone was extremely exciting. Not only did I get to rub elbows with Dr. Bill, the boys from New Brew Thursday (Stephen Johnson, Brad Kohlenburg & John Holzer) and the Giddens, I also got to meet SEVERAL of my fellow beer geek twitter buddies: Jordan Rounds, Renee Rounds, Martin Emde, Kristin Emde & Laura Johnson.

And I must admit, we are one fine looking group of geeks.

The excitement of day one did not end at Stone Brewing. Oh no, it did not not. The insanity had only just begun …

After drinking some pretty intense high gravity ales at Stone Brewing, it was pertinent that my big sister and I scavenger for food. Our grumbling pork-product craving tummies brought us to the Blind Lady Ale House, where we had the pleasure of sitting down at the bar with two of its owners, Lee and Jenniffer Chase. The pair provided lots of great insight into the local San Diego beer industry. It was interesting to here things from and insiders perspective.

That particular evening, BLAH was featuring a special beer/food pairing menu with Green Flash Brewing Co beers. Taylor and I decided to order both of the courses and share them. While we waited for the food to come out, each of us enjoyed a “aperitif” beer.

The first was bacon-wrapped Char stuffed with homemade stuffing on top a bed of micro greens in a creamy dill sauce paired with Green Flash Little Freak.

The second dish was melt in your mouth, fall straight of the bone, lamb shank in a rich gravy served over a bed of root vegetables and new potatoes paired with Green Flash Belgian Brown Ale.

After satisfying our cravings for top notch beer, food & conversation … Taylor and I found ourselves back on the road in search of more beer adventures. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves down in San Diego’s vibrant Gaslamp Quarter at JSix Restaurant, where Lost Abbey hosted a dinner & art show in conjunction with its artist, Sean Dominguez. Sean was there with his adorable son. Usually, I don’t like children. But this kid, this kid was a winner.

For a mere $20 admission, guests enjoyed passed-around hors d’oeuvres and were able to taste all of the following beers while viewing their original label artwork:

• Inferno – Oil on Canvas
• Carnevale – Chalk and Pencil
• Deliverance – Oil on Canvas Beer not yet released
• Devotion – Chalk and Pencil
• Duck Duck Gooze – Oil on Canvas

• Gift of the Magi – Chalk and Pencil
• Cuvee de Tomme – Chalk and Pencil
• Judgment Day – Oil and Canvas
• Lost and Found – Chalk and Pencil
• Angel’s Share – Oil on Canvas

• Red Barn – Oil on Canvas
• Serpent’s Stout – Oil on Canvas
• Avant Garde – Oil on Canvas
• Ten Commandments – Chalk and Pencil
• Witch’s Wit – Oil on Canvas

True to Wench form, I found myself in good company at JSix. My victim? Gordon Gerski, Brewer & Bottling Line Wrangler at Lost Abbey.

Much to Gordie’s dismay, I latched myself onto to him for the majority of the evening. As a result, I received endless pours of my favorite Lost Abbey beer — Duck Duck Gooze — as well as had the opportunity to meet the man behind the magic of Lost Abbey — Mr. Tomme Arthur.

Also present that evening was the illustrious Mr. Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Co.

The evening took a turn for the more awesome when my good friend and fellow beer blogger, Pj Hoberman, showed up at JSix. Unfortunately, PJ arrived towards the end of the event. Nonetheless, Taylor and I did our damnedest to catch him up.

Like all good times, the Lost Abbey art show had to come to an end. But this did not hinder our goals to create mayhem and reek havoc on the city of San Diego. And so the Three Stooges of Debauchery trekked onward to our last stop of the evening: Hamilton’s Tavern for the Liar’s Club Redux event.

By this point, The Wench was feeling good. A little too good because I cannot for the life of me remember what I drank. I do, however, remember eating some kick-ass chicken wings and fries. Nothing like fried food to cap an evening of amazing beer drinking, am I right?

After practically closing down Hamilton’s, it was a group consensus to take the party back to Taylor’s swank pad downtown. Being quite a few beers deep, I decided (like the mature adult that I am) that the bed sounded more lucrative than continuing with the beer drinking festivities. Unfortunately, my lovely friends did not agree with that move. And after 2 attempts to pass out, the crew was able to resurrect my half-dead body.

The night took yet another turn for the awesome when I decided to make nachos. People really need to learn not to feed me past midnight. Think Gremlins, kids. You don’t feed the Gremlins past midnight. You don’t feed the Wench past midnight. Because once you spike my blood sugar, I cannot be responsible for any of my actions.

Needless to say, the blood sugar rush from the nachos sent me into a manic state which then enabled me to drink more beer. Drinking more beer ultimately led to 2 back-to-back screenings of … wait for it … wait for it … The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

What can I say? I’m a freak for Dr. Frankenfurter. Usually, my crazed requests to watch the Rocky Horror Picture show get over-turned by my peers. But not this night. As fate would have it, another member of the twitter beer geek crew, The Mr. Martin Emde, is also a RHPS fiend.

As much as I would love to share the details of the rest of the evening with you all, there are just some things that are meant to be kept private. All I can say is that there was lots of “Time Warp” dancing action combined with shouting out various phrases at the movie. But then, if you’ve ever seen Rocky Horror live, you can probably imagine the madness that ensued.

The sun ended up coming sooner than one would expect. The “night” officially ended at 7:30AM.

The first day, San Diego Beer Week kicked my ass.

San Diego = 1 — Wench = 0

Stay tuned for ROUND 2 … Cheers!

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