Supplication and Russian River

I walked into my local beer store the other day and I was surprised to see that Supplication was still left. I was hesitant to buy it when it was released because of the high price tag and my lack of knowledge of this beer. I know Russian River makes amazing beers but, I wasn't ready to splurge $15 on a beer I wasn't familiar with. After talking to a few people about it, I regretted I didn't buy it when I had the chance. When I saw it at the beer store I was excited and immediately took it to the counter and bought it.

When I poured it into my tulip glass the active carbonation danced and propped up a frothy head. I expected the added cherries would have the overly sweetened bar cherry flavor. This is not the case. The cherries taste just as natural as if I had picked them from the tree myself, and the wood from the oak barrel aging adds a layer of complexity to the flavor that's just right. What is most interesting about this beer, and what I enjoyed the most was the sourness of it. When you finish your sip the tartness begs you to take another and leaves your mouth watering for more.

As I finish this amazingly complex beer I'd like to talk about Vinnie Cilurzo and his brewery Russian River that made this beer and some other extraordinary beers. This is what craft brewing is all about! Aging beers in ways you wouldn't normally try. Adding flavors and layers of complexity to beers that begs you to come back again and again to find explore every nook and cranny the complexity these beers have to offer. Craft beer is an art. and Vinnie is an artist. His Pliny the Elder was my favorite IPA. I thought I could never find anything that came close to the deliciousness that bottle had, but when I had Pliny the Younger, also made by Vinnie, it blew the Elder out of the water. Vinnie has a talent and I suggest you pick up anything that says "Russian River Brewing Company" on it.

Hidden Gems

Hello All,

I am starting this blog to educate and inform the people that want to drink great beer, but have been misled and taken down the wrong route by the macro brewing companies that sell sub-par beer at premium prices. Sure we all have our guilty pleasures, whether they be Stella, Newcastle, or Heineken, but in the end it is more of the same, and if you pay a premium price you should get a premium product.

In my first post I would like to focus on a beer that may get lost in the fields of rice, adjuncts and vicious marketing tactics by the macro brewers. Tonight I was at a local downtown bar. I did not expect much from this bar because it was a hot spot among the new of-age drinkers that frequent this establishment. When I saw Stone IPA I was shocked to say the least. Stone makes incredible beers. Stone, by far, is my favorite brewery and to see a beer that actually tastes great, stays to the style it is representing, and having a character of its own at an establishment that screams A-B (Anheuser-Busch) from the top of it's lungs is surprising. Now the Back Alley in Fullerton is not the only place that I have experienced this. The Cheesecake Factory carries beers that you wouldn't expect them to. I had a Firestone Double Barrel Ale there, and it may not be the rarest beer ever made it sure is tastier than fizzy yellow Miller Light.

Keep an eye out for the beers that don't have a familiar name. These are the ones that probably taste the best! Having a little curiosity will take you down a path that you never knew existed! The complexity of beer can be compared to the complexity of wine and some may say that beer is more complex than wine (www.beeradvocate.com). Great beer is just a restaurant, grocery store, or specialty retailer away. Exploration is half the fun. The other half is the higher ABV you will probably get from this beer!