The Ale Runner

Founders Brewing recently launched a new fall seasonal, PC Pils. The brewery was kind enough to send me a couple cans to sample, and sample I did. Here’s what Founders says about PC Pils:

Pleasantly crisp, perfectly clean and profoundly crushable, PC Pils is our take on the classic Pilsner style. While Noble hops have been the preferred choice of Pilsner brewers around the world, we went with some of our favorite American varieties. Piney Chinook, pleasantly citrus Cascade and punchy Centennial make this an easy-drinker with floral hop characteristics. Pretty cool, if you ask us.

I poured the can of PC Pils into my Founders can-shaped glass. Unfortunately, the glass went from a cool room onto my patio on a hot and humid evening, so the beer itself doesn’t appear as clear as it should in the below picture due to condensation. It pours a clear straw color with a small head that’s white as a bone. The aroma is distinctly hoppy, with floral and pine notes. PC Pils certainly doesn’t have a traditional pilsner flavor, as the American hops shine. I get the citrus and pine flavors up front, along with a bit of cracker from the pilsner malt. The finish is crisp, but there’s a bit of bitterness that lets you know this is no ordinary pilsner. Overall, it’s an enjoyable beer for me. I like Founders’ spin on the style, mainly because I’m not a huge pilsner guy in the first place. Their interpretation brings it into my territory of hop forward flavors. This would be a great lawnmower or tailgate beer, as it’s refreshing and crushable at a mere 5.5% ABV.

Founders PC Pils

Check it out when you get a chance, as it’s both bottled and canned, in addition to being on draft.

Back in August, I took a vacation with the family to Orange Beach, AL. Of course, I had to make a beer run, and one of the first things I noticed was a SweetWater fall variety pack with cans of 4 different beers. We get SweetWater beers over here in Louisiana (but only 420 pale ale in cans…come on Mockler, give us more cans!), so I didn’t purchase any while over there. But lo and behold, I got home from vacation to beer mail from SweetWater (thanks Tucker!). I got a can each of the Hash Session IPA and Hash Brown IPA.

Hash Brown was released last fall, and it’s back again this year. I reviewed it last year, and really enjoyed it, especially as the weather cooled off (which apparently is not going to happen any time soon in these parts).

Hash Session was released this spring as a seasonal, but its success led it to become a year round beer rather quickly. This is what SweetWater has to say about Hash Session:

Cooling out on the dock, jamming tunes and popping tops, waiting for da rod to bend. Gist of the grist is mellow at 4.20% ABV, laying down the base to showcase the blazin’ Amarillo hop hash sunset.

The star of the show here is the hops, specifically the hop hash! We kept the malt bill light to allow the hops to shine through.

We dosed this sucker with a boatload of Amarillo Hop Hash. Pungent with floral, tropical citrus fruit flavors and the hop hash gives it that one of a kind chewy, gooey, resiny mouthfeel. As the chase, we are giving it a hefty dry hop to enhance the potent aromas. Ahtanum gives it orange and grapefruit tones, Crystal for a little kick of spiciness, and El Dorado bringing some pear and watermelon characteristics.

Grains: Maris Otter, Pilsner, Wheat, Midnight Wheat
Hops:Bravo, Amarillo Hash, Ahtanum, El Dorado, Crystal
ABV: 4.20% IBU’s: 55

Hash Session pours a light golden straw color with a light head that sticks around for a bit. The aroma is great, with tropical fruit and floral notes abundantly clear on the nose. It’s packed with hop flavor as well, with a nice pungent hop bite to it, yet with a clean finish. The most impressive thing to me is that Hash Session never seems watered down or too thin bodied, especially given that it’s only 4.20% ABV. It’s super crushable and the hops shine (as they should). It’s a really well done session IPA.

SweetWater Hash Session IPA

In light of the historical flooding that took place in south Louisiana over the last 5 days, many local breweries are making sure they help with the relief efforts. I was one of the lucky ones in the Baton Rouge area who has not been affected, but many friends, acquaintances and co-workers were not so fortunate. The devastation is, quite honestly, unimaginable. This truly was a 1,000 year flood.

Parish Brewing owner, Andrew Godley, personally rescued dozens of people in the Youngsville area on Friday and Saturday by boat. He’s one of the many heroes of the so called “Cajun Navy” that helped people escape rising flood waters. 
Here’s a list of local breweries and their efforts to collect donations and give back to the community. Thanks to all of them. If I missed anyone, let me know and I’ll make sure to add them to the list.

Tin Roof Brewing is collecting items for the relief effort as well as donating 20% of taproom sales tonight (Wednesday) to flood relief.

Urban South Brewery will collect supplies and donate 30% of sales to flood relief on Friday August 19th.

Gnarly Barley Brewing will donate 50% of all proceeds to flood relief on Saturday, starting at noon. They’ll also accept donations of food, water, baby items, etc. to contribute to the relief efforts.

Chafunkta Brewing will collect donated items at their Free Tour Friday at the brewery. Additionally, 100% of the profits on merchandise sales and 100% of the tip jar will be donated to flood relief.

NOLA Brewing will donate $1 for every pint given out at Free Tour Friday, and is suggesting patrons contribute at least $1 for every pint enjoyed during the tour. They are also hosting a raffle to help support the relief efforts. More details can be found here.

Old Rail Brewing is collecting non-perishable food items and customers can get 50 cents off their bill for each item they donate, up to 10 items per bill.

Mudbug Brewery is collecting donations for the relief efforts and will donate $1 from every pint and flight sold in their taproom all weekend long to flood victims.

Crying Eagle Brewing will donate 30% of taproom sales on Thursday to flood relief, in addition to collecting items for donation.

Southern Craft Brewing will donate ALL of their taproom proceeds Friday night to the BRAF Flood Relief Fund. 

Natchez Brewing will host a benefit event on Saturday August 27th. $25 tickets get you a souvenir glass with six 6oz pours, a plate of food from Roux 61, a tour and live music. Thanks to Mississippi for supporting the food victims here!
Also, Oskar Blues Austin brewery packaged drinking water in cans today which will be headed to flood victims here in Louisiana. 

It may be 3 weeks until LSU football kicks off against Wisconsin, but Gameday is here now. Gameday IPA, from Tin Roof Brewing, that is. 

Gameday Session IPA makes its return beginning Friday at the brewery with a release party featuring food from City Pork. Try it on tap, and grab a six pack or two to go, while at the brewery’s taproom starting at 4 pm. They will also have a single keg of Game Daze, Gameday dry hopped with Lemondrop and El Dorado hops. 

You may remember that I had an issue with the first batch last year, but I’m happy to report that the new team of brewers at Tin Roof got it right from the get go on this year’s initial release. I get notes of mango, apricot, melon and pine, with a clean finish. There’s no trace of the breadiness or muddled hop flavor in last year’s release. This one has a nice hoppy aroma and full flavor, while still being easy to drink. 

Cans will be shipping to retailers soon, so look for it to hit the shelves at your favorite stores beginning next week. 

Tin Roof Gameday IPA

By now you should know that Tin Roof Brewing is partnering with LSU to release an officially licensed LSU beer. I was fortunate enough to be asked to be a part of the tasting panel, and the style that was eventually chosen was in my top 2. It will be an American lager, and the test batch had a nice lemony aroma and was an easy drinker with a clean finish that will surely make it a popular tailgate beer for this fall’s football season.

The can artwork was just approved today, and thanks to Audra Gaiziunas, CEO of Tin Roof, I’m one of the first to share it. When released, Bayou Bengal Lager will be sold in these beautiful cans, both as 6-packs and in 12-packs. The cans really did turn out great, and they should look great on local store shelves. Check out the design below.

Tin Roof Bayou Bengal Lager can design

Tin Roof Bayou Bengal Lager will be sold in both 6-packs and the pictured 12-packs

As for the obvious question of when you’ll be able to buy these? Well, that’s still up in the air. The first batch was brewed last week. However, since lagers take longer to finish up than ales, we’re still more than a month away from the official release as of this posting. It’s expected that Bayou Bengal Lager will be available in time for the first LSU football game, and perhaps sooner. Beer releases are always a fluid situation (see what I did there?), so when I find out something more definite, I’ll be sure to post an update.

Hey there fellow ale runners, it’s been a while.

I figured it’s time for a beer review, and I’m geauxing local with this one. Tin Roof Brewing released their one off batch, Gose With The Flow, over the weekend, and I’ve gotten to try it a few times now. I’ve really been on a gose kick of late, given the really hot summer we’ve been having here in Baton Rouge so far. The style is very refreshing, and drinks easy, but also chock full of flavor while typically coming in at a sessionable ABV. Here’s what Tin Roof says about their new gose:

This is our take on an old German beer that was almost extinct. We used a mix of wheat and barley, spiced it up with Coriander and Himalayan Pink Salt and finally fermented with both yeast and lactic bacteria. The result is a smooth flavor with almost no bitterness and a slight sour spiciness, followed by citrusy zest. The finish is crisp and dry with a mouth puckering sensation. Enjoy this very refreshing brew after mowing the yard or a day at the beach.

I had this one on tap at the brewery both Saturday and Sunday, then opened a 22 ounce bomber of it Monday evening after some work in the yard. This beer pours a light straw color that’s very clear. The initial pour features a good bit of light spritzy bubbles that fade away very quickly. The aroma is a bit citrusy with a touch of wheatiness. This tastes like a gose should. There’s some tartness, some saltiness and some citrus to it. None of those aspects seems to outweigh the other, and for me, that’s a good thing. Some interpretations of the style are either too sour or too salty, or sometimes both. This one is really refreshing and thirst quenching on a hot summer afternoon.

My one quibble with Gose With The Flow is the packaging. This beer screams to be in a can for the summer. I have no problem drinking a 22 ounce serving of it, but the bomber packaging means a higher price point. It’s a tough pill to swallow to pay $10 for a bomber of this beer when I can grab a 6-pack of Terrapin’s Watermelon Gose cans for $9 or a 12-pack of Sierra Nevada’s Otra Vez gose cans for $17. I want to support the local brewery, especially when they made a solid beer, but sticker shock is a real thing. My fear is that its performance will be judged on bomber sales when it’s got the cards stacked against it.

UPDATE: SINCE THIS PIECE WAS PUBLISHED, TIN ROOF LOWERED THE PRICE TO $7 A BOMBER AT THE BREWERY, AND RETAILERS HAVE FOLLOWED SUIT. WHILE I’D STILL RATHER SEE THIS BEER CANNED, THE PRICE REDUCTION IS IMPORTANT AND I WILL PURCHASE MORE OF IT AT THAT PRICE POINT.

Kudos to Tin Roof for a really well done gose, and I’m hopeful that this one will be canned at some point in the future. It certainly belongs in that kind of packaging to be enjoyed in all the outdoor venues and outside activities we south Louisianians like to partake in during the summer.

Recently, Bell’s Brewery sent me a sweet package of their newest pale ale to go along with their entrance into the state of Louisiana. Bell’s Oatsmobile Pale Ale has the absolute greatest media kit ever. Seriously. Check out what Bell’s sent me.

I got all kinds of cool Oatsmobile branded stuff, in addition to a couple bottles of the beer to sample. But since this is a beer review, let’s talk about that. Here’s what Bell’s has to say about Oatsmobile:

Aromatic. Approachable. Unique. Intriguing. Happy-go-lucky. Full-bodied.And we’re not just talking about the horse.

This hop-forward session Pale Ale uses a blend of classic and modern Pacific Northwest hops, including Mosaic, Equinox and Glacier, for a pungent blend of peach, mango and tropical aromas. The signature ingredient – oats – are what makes Oatsmobile Ale stand apart, and gives it a body that you don’t see in most other session Pale Ales.

I opened a bottle a couple weeks ago, then another bottle last night, just so I could see what the differences were given some time between tastings (I also went on vacation in between, and am just now getting to this review).

So here’s my non-official BJCP score of Bell’s Oatsmobile.

Aroma (7/10) – Biscuity, with a touch of malt. Hops are noticeable, but not on the forefront.

Appearance (2/3) – Golden side of amber (or is it the amber side of golden?) with little head and not much lacing.

Flavor (15/20) – Assertive hop presence balanced by a bigger malt backbone than the description would indicate.Hop bite lingers a bit, but the malt also makes itself known.

Mouthfeel (4/5) – This is a full bodied beer for a “session ale.” The oats really contribute to the fuller mouthfeel, but it’s not cloying in any way.

Overall (7/10) – This is a nicely balanced beer, with the hoppy aroma and flavor being  balanced by a bigger malt backbone than the style would indicate. At 4.3% ABV, this isn’t really a session IPA, but it drinks more like a 5.5% ABV American pale ale. Bold is a great descriptor, even at such a low ABV.

I wouldn’t be mad if Bell’s decided to can this, but honestly, it falls in kind of a no man’s land for me. I gave it a score of 35/50, which is solid, but it’s hard for me to say I’d buy it on a regular basis. There are beers of a similar ABV that have more hop presence, which is what I like, and that are in cans, which is what I really want from a beer of this ABV. However, it’s a solid beer, and I would be happy to drink it again.

Got this from Tin Roof Brewing this morning. It appears they are jumping into the officially licensed partnership game with LSU on a new beer. You can help decide what beer it will be, as well. Read on for full details.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE­

TIN ROOF BREWING COMPANY TO RELEASE OFFICIALLY LICENSED LSU BEER

Baton Rouge, LA, May 27, 2016—Tin Roof Brewing Company is excited to announce the release of an officially licensed beer of Louisiana State University that will be available just in time to kick off the 2016 football season.

“We’re really excited about this beer,” William McGehee, co-founder of Tin Roof Brewing Company said.  “We want to make a beer that the LSU community can not only be proud of but also be a part of.”

In an effort to make this beer feel as local as possible, Tin Roof wants the fans of LSU to help them decide what beer to brew.

“We’ve created a slate of 8-10 test batches of various styles to sample in a blind tasting panel,” said McGehee. “Each recipe was designed with the types of activities that LSU fans enjoy, such as tailgating and grilling out. The panel will be made up of these fans and they will determine the winning style that we’ll brew.”

If you are 21 or older and would like to participate in the tasting panel and help Tin Roof choose which beer to brew, you must apply on the survey page through www.TinRoofBeer.com and be available either June 14 or June 18.

They will accept tasting panel applications starting May 27 until June 8; the limited number of chosen applicants will be notified onJune 10th.

Tin Roof also plans to work with LSU by offering internships to students from Food Sciences to work and learn in the brewery and the Manship School of Mass Communication, specifically focusing on Public Relations and Social Media.

“This will be an incredible opportunity for students to be on the ground floor of executing a full brand campaign for an officially licensed product of their university,” said Rivers Hughey, Director of Marketing and Special Events.

“The founders of Tin Roof have shown a great entrepreneurial spirit and this licensing agreement provides an avenue for LSU to be more entrepreneurial as well,” said Charles D’Agostino, executive director of LSU Innovation Park. “We pursued this type of opportunity a few years ago and it didn’t work out at the time, but in today’s economic climate, it was a great partnership to revisit and see go to market.”

If you have any additional questions about taking part in the panel or about the beer, please contact us at info@tinroofbeer.com.

Chosen by you, LSU fans. Brewed by Tin Roof here in Baton Rouge. Geaux Local. Geaux Tigers!

Time for a (sort of) non-beer post.

Today marked 100 days of my run streak. It all started as a way to get back in shape when I decided that I’d run at least a mile every day during Lent. So starting on Ash Wednesday (February 10th), I ran every day. Easter came and went, and here I am still running.

So what happened during those 100 days?

I ran 457 miles.

I worked to change my diet. Portion control has been the biggest change. Gone are soft drinks and energy drinks (actually, I cut out those energy drinks on January 1st). I rarely eat any sweets, and when I do, it’s only to be cordial at a family dinner. I don’t have much desire to eat anything sweet any more.

I still drank lots of beer. Because, beer. I love hops too much. However, I did work hard to stick to the general two beer per day guideline. I didn’t always succeed, but more often than not, I did. I try not to have any beers after 8 p.m. I find that I sleep much better that way. And I wake up way more refreshed. I’ve almost completely lost the desire to drink big beers as well. Those 10% imperial stouts are just not my thing any more. I’d rather drink a session IPA (blasphemy to the beer snobs, I know!).

I lost 21 pounds. That’s right. Twenty-one pounds. I started the run streak at 192 pounds. Today, I’m at 171 pounds. So don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t drink good beer and still lose weight.

I got much faster. I focused most of my running on short to intermediate distances, at a solid clip. In fact, my longest run was a trail half marathon on day 12 of the streak. I finished 3rd, but was hurting. I’d love to see how I’d fare today, nearly 3 months later. I’m in much better shape and much faster.

I feel better. It feels good not to be a fatass. I’m sharper mentally. I sleep better. I wake up more rested. Since most of my runs are done early in the morning, I’ve found it easier to wake up early. Then I feel good the rest of the day.

Will the streak continue? I don’t know. Part of my doesn’t want it to stop. Another says stop on a clean number and take a rest day. I’m not sure what will happen. But I guarantee that I won’t stop running. I need to continue running on a regular basis from both a physical and mental standpoint.

The biggest takeaway is just how important physical activity is to your well being. Please, if you’re reading this, make sure to get your exercise. It doesn’t have to be running, and you don’t have to do it for 100 straight days. But any form of exercise is important. And you need to do it on a regular basis. Work up a sweat. You may hate it at first, but if you keep at it and see the results, you’ll find that you start to enjoy it.

Before pic: Q50 half marathon 12 days into the run streak.

After pic: Girls on the Run 5K with my daughter on day 95 of the streak.