Daily Loaf

This Friday, July 10th, celebrate 13 years of beer with Dunedin Brewery. In honor of its anniversary, the brewery will release a limited edition beer brewed especially for the occasion. This 5.2% ABV Bohemian Pilsner — nicknamed “Lucky” — has been lagering for about 45 days, in line with the traditional Bavarian technique of storing bottom-fermenting brews at colder temperatures following an initial fermentation, allowing the beer to smooth out and become clear.

German malt imparts a golden straw hue, with bold floral aromas from the German and American hops varieties. Taste is crisp and drinkable, somewhere between pilsners typical of eastern Germany and western Czech Republic with a little Dunedin thrown in at the right places — namely the hops assortment.

Festivities are not limited to consuming rare brew delights. The brewery opens at noon, serving lunch and great local beer. Yappy Hour runs from 5-8 pm, drawing throngs of local dogs and their owners – or vice versa. Taking over at 9pm, special musical guests The Heavy Pets.

Scrimshaw, North Coast Brewing, California
Pilsner, 4.4%

Those who know me as a beer drinker know, first and foremost, that I’m a dark beer girl. It’s nut browns at baseball games and schwarzbiers on the beach for me, please. I also require a healthy dose of hops here and there, along with the terrible brettanomyces funkiness of sour ales.

Although I gravitate toward big, bold, deep, dark, extreme beer, there are certain occasions when a girl needs the refreshing goodness of a clean pilsner. In those times I turn away from my muddy brew fixation, yet I am not afraid. North Coast Scrimshaw fulfills the need for a light bodied, European-style pilsner without leaving me wanting for flavor.

Scrimshaw pours into a tapered pilsner glass with exuberant and rapid carbonation. Yet, after half a minute, the bubbling brew has subsided and the two inch crown of head has reduced to a thin white ring.

A brilliant orange body gives off earthy aromas of fresh cut grass with the slightest traces of baking bread. The initial flavors are fresh and unaltered, like healthy organic cereal. Read the rest of this entry »

Left Hand Rye Bock
Rye Doppelbock, 7.6%
Left Hand Brewing, Colorado

Left Hand beer rules. Seriously, everything that emerges from this Colorado brewery’s vats is pure gold. One offering from Left Hand’s seasonal Big Mo’ Series is Rye Bock Lager. It’s a doppelbock, which is a fancy word for a strong beer that uses bottom fermenting yeast and dark malts to create a lager with the appearance and flavor characteristics of an ale.

Facilitating this masquerade, the recipe for Rye Bock combines malted rye with roasted munich and carafa malt. These hearty grains are balanced by the bitter spiciness of northern brewer and perle hops. Translation: this range of ingredients suggests an epic flavor adventure is about to transpire. Read the rest of this entry »