Our roving Cigar Group met at TAPS Fish House and Brewery in Brea this week to take advantage of their cigar-friendly patio while watching the Lakers tank another game.  (Note to TAPS:  Put a second screen out on the patio.)  I’ve been to TAPS on a couple of occasions, but had not yet sampled their beers.  Here are some quick impressions from the sampler I ordered.

Creme Ale – Good, but I won’t be ordering a pint any time soon.

Oscura – Best beer of the bunch.  Supposedly uses a recipe by Austrian brewers who immigrated to Mexico during the 19th century, giving it a Mexican flare.  It is a dark brown lager, with a very nice toasty flavor.

Biere de Garde – Meaning, “beer to keep or to store,” or so they say.  By that, maybe they mean you’ll keep it in the fridge because you won’t want to drink it.  Not a good beer for my tastes.

Belgian White – A tasty unfiltered wheat beer, with strong citrus and a slight banana taste.  Quite good.

Hefeweizen – A good Hefeweizen, but not as good as what Oggi’s offers, and not in the league of In Heat Wheat from Flying Dog Brewery, one of my favorites.

Schwarzbier – A German-style dark lager.  Better than the Dale Bros. California Black Beer I recently reviewed, but still too thin and watery for me.  Someone must like it though, because TAPS says it received an award this year.

Irish Red – My second favorite of the bunch, but again not as good as the red offered by Oggi’s.

California Gold XPA – Not crazy with hops like an IPA, but if you are a hop head you should still be pleased.  I’m not, and I wasn’t.

Another great beer festival at Irvine Lake.  The second annual (hopefully) Orange County Beer Festival was held on May 15 instead of August like the previous year, and that resulted in much cooler weather.

I went with a friend and two designated drivers (always good to have a backup at an event like this in case one succumbs), and we arrived almost an hour early.  Very good plan, since we avoided the traffic and the lines, and had a chance to eat before they opened the booths.  In the pictures below you’ll see the place was really packed, but there was never a significant wait of more than, say, thirty seconds at any of the booths.  On the food front, the organizers did a much better job this year, offering three food vendors serving really outstanding choices.

In a perfect world I would probably take some notes on the beers as I sample them, but there is just too many booths to hit in the three hours.  I settled for picking up literature on the standouts so I could remember them later.  Some of my favorites were from the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery (Long Beach), the Cismontane Brewing Company (Rancho Santa Margarita), Bierbitzch’s always refreshing Golden Pilsner (they always have great merchandise too), Tibet Brewing and their Lhasa Beer, and my favorite of them all, the new Duvel Green.

One major criticism of the beer fest is the traffic leaving the event.  We sat in the traffic leaving the parking lot for 45 minutes and never moved.  I finally had to see what could possibly be going on, and walked to the exit.  The traffic on the road was so crowded, that none of the cars could get an opening to pull out.  I helped stop traffic on the main road to get the traffic flowing out of the parking lot, and then other “civilians” from the festival joined in and we put together an impromptu traffic system, blocking traffic for a minute at a time to let the cars exit.  Had we not done this, everyone would still be sitting in the parking lot.  A special commendation goes to a woman from Bierbitzch (or who may simply have been wearing a Bierbitzch t-shirt) for stepping up and getting really aggressive with the slow-moving drivers.

The point of the story is, the organizers must hire traffic cops for the event.  And get more porta-potties.  Lots of people drinking lots of  beer.  Do the math, then multiply by ten.

I took a complete lap of the festival with my flip camera running. It’s noisy and jerky, but you’ll certainly get a sense of the party atmosphere.

Last year’s Beerfest was held on a very hot August 30, so I’m hoping the new date of May 15, 2010 (that’s a Saturday) will make the experience a little cooler.  There will likely be around 50 breweries represented, all giving unlimited pours (four ounces at a time), so be sure to arrange for transportation so you don’t have to skip any of the samples.  Last year they offered a $15 designated driver ticket price.

Admission is $40, and you can buy tickets here.  If you wait until a little closer to the event date, you can probably pick up some discount tickets for $25.  Just don’t wait too long, because it will probably sell out.

Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented (in Germany they have to be by law).  The flavor of wheat beers varies considerably, depending upon the specific style.

“Hefe” is the German word for yeast, and “weizen” means wheat.  Put them together and you get the very imperfect translation, yeast-wheat, but the real translation refers to beer with the yeast still present – wheat beer in its traditional, unfiltered form. If the wheat beer is filtered, it then becomes “kristallweizen” (crystal wheat), or “kristall weiss” (crystal white beer).  Filtering removes the yeast from suspension, as well as the wheat proteins that give hefeweizen its cloudy appearance.  Alternate terms for hefeweizen include: hefeweissbier, weissbier, hefeweisse, dunkelweizen, weizenbock, or weizenstarkbier. A weizenbock is not necessarily considered a hefeweizen unless it is left unfiltered.

The hefeweizen style is particularly noted for its low hop bitterness (about 15 IBUs) and relatively high carbonation (approaching four volumes), considered important to balance the beer’s relatively malty sweetness.  A seasoned beer drinker can appreciate the complexity and varied taste of a good wheat beer, and at the same time it is a great way to win over those who eschew beer for its bitterness.  The style of the ale yeast used in wheat beer throws off flavors not often found in other beers, and is responsible for the banana and vanilla tastes often found in these beers.

Wheat beer (“weissbier”) is available in a number of other stronger forms including dunkelweizen (dark wheat) and weizenstarkbier (strong wheat beer); the latter is often referred to as weizenbock.  The dark wheat varieties typically have a much higher alcohol content than their lighter cousins. 

I really like the hefeweizen beers offered at a couple of my favorite haunts, but I don’t have a favorite bottled variety.  Thus came the idea for a hefeweizen shoot-out.  I grabbed a selection of eight hefeweizens from my local Total Wine & More, and recruited my wife and two friends to help with the tasting.

I poured all the beer into 32 glasses (4 tasters x 8 beers), so we could taste them all at once and move back and forth between them to pick our favorites.  I told everyone to keep their comments to themselves initially, so no one would be influenced by the opinions of others.  Since hefeweizens are normally served with a lemon slice, we tried each beer first without lemon, then with a slight squeeze of lemon.  Ultimately, that did not make any difference in the rankings.

I had a slight concern going into this shoot-out that there might not be enough distinction between the beers to find a clear winner; that our conclusions would be all over the board.  To my surprise, the four of us reached very similar conclusions on both ends of the spectrum, with just some slight variations in between.  Here are our conclusions, from best to worst.

1.  In Heat Wheat, Flying Dog Brewery – Frederick, MD

This was my number two selection, but my three compatriots all rated it number one. Despite the silly label and name, this beer is a champion hefeweizen.  Very creamy mouthfeel and zero bitterness.  If you like hefeweizen, get your hands on this beer.

2.  Octoberfest Weizen – Weissbrau, Germany

This beer has what I found to be a very pleasant bitter follow through, and that caused some dissension in the ranks.  It was my number one selection specifically because of the slight bitterness I expect in a German beer, but that same bitterness relegated it to number two, three and seven among the others.  Admittedly, the In Heat Wheat and the Octoberfest Weizen were both so good that the distinction is minor, but I thought the Octoberfest had a little more character.  Another great selection, but as you can see from the results, the In Heat Wheat is far more likely to be a crowd pleaser.

3.  Santa Cruz Ale Works – Santa Cruz, CA

This was the first of the beers we tasted, and it was so good that I initially felt it would be the winner before even tasting the rest.  The others had similar thoughts, and all four of us gave this beer the third place prize.  Don’t be put off by the third place finish; this was also a very good beer.  Indeed, I’ll probably pick up another one of these when I go to stock up on the In Heat Wheat.  Continued research is important.

4.  Einhorn Beer Co. – El Monte, CA

The Einhorn was the last of the hefeweizens that I found acceptable out of this group of eight.  John and I rated it as number four, with Suzanne rating it fifth and JoAnn rating it sixth.  We all commented on an unidentifiable aftertaste, and the beer was just too sweet for my taste, with a taste of honey.  Still, it was enjoyable enough, but not something I would buy again.

5.  Sierra Nevada Kellerweis – Chico, CA

This beer brought another unanimous verdict, with all ranking it number five out of eight.  No one genuinely hated it, and no one could point to any particular problem, but it just wasn’t in the same league as numbers one through three.  There was just no there there.

6.  Widmer – Portland, OR

Great minds also thought alike on the Widmer, with all four of us ranking it in 6th place.  Widmer is the hefeweizen that you are most likely to find at a bar; sort of the Budweiser of hefeweizens.  I intentionally added it to the mix as a kind of control sample.  I have rated Widmer here before, and was not very impressed.  I was hoping that there would be better wheat beers available, and this test certainly proved that there are.

7.  The Firehouse Brewing Co. – San Diego, CA

JoAnn really did not like the Octoberfest Weizen because of the bitterness, and moved it all the way down here to number seven.  However, the rest of us reserved this spot for the hefeweizen produced by The Firehouse Brewing Co.  I was sad to see this, because I met people from the company at the recent Septemberfest at Paramount Studios.  They were a good bunch of people, but fair is fair and this was a really bad beer.  If it’s any solace, I liked whatever it was I sampled at Septemberfest, but with the hefeweizen they really missed the mark.  Watery and tasteless.

8.  Sudwerk – Davis, CA

As bad as the prior beer was, it was nothing compared to Sudwerk.  To say this beer tastes like bath water would be an insult to bath water.  But that is an apt comparison because it truly tasted soapy.  John coined the phrase, “Sudz is a Dudz.”  Not only should you not buy this beer, but you should try to conceal it as you pass it in the store to keep others from buying it.  Are you getting my gist?

Weeks ago I signed up to go to the OC Beer Fest at Irvine Lake, to be held on Sunday, August 30, 2009.  I think it was a first time thing, because I didn’t see anything about past events on line.  But it involved beer, so I was in.  Admission was $40 for all the plebs, but being an influential member of the beer press I got me and my St. Pauli Girl both in for $25 per (using a coupon I found on line).

The experience started on a down note.  All the aforesaid plebs were waiting in the will call lines, but I expected to be waived in — “Right this way Mr. Morris, your VIP table is waiting.” (Plus, I had actual tickets.)  So I walked past the lines, waived my tickets, and was told by a large security person that I had to get in the line, adding the unnecessary remark, “Why do you think EVERYONE ELSE is standing in line?”  To which I responded, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe they’re all standing in those lines with the big WILL CALL signs to pick up their tickets; I’m guessing you don’t get a lot of calls from NASA seeking a consultation?” thereby almost being ejected before I was ever in.  (And I’ll bet my St. Pauli Girl would have gone in anyway – that’s just the way she is.)

So anyway, they hand us two small plastic beer mugs, probably five ounce size, and we head into the festivities.  OMG, it was like Christmas in August for a beer drinker.  There were probably more than 50 breweries represented there, all of them pouring multiple beer types as fast as you could drink them.  I’ve been to food tastings like this, but in those cases there is a line at every station, and the sample they provide is a mere morsel.  At the OC Beer Fest, they filled the mug.  Indeed, many people were asking for half portions just to pace themselves.  And no real lines to speak of.  At most I would wait perhaps two minutes to get a sample at any given station.  It was a particularly hot day for Southern California, so the only real lines were at the stations that were in the shade.

So, where’s the tease you ask?  I was in the middle of a jury trial, and even though it was a Sunday I had to get back to the office to prepare for the next day’s witnesses.  I had to limit myself to little more than an hour and just a few half samples.  Damn.  Driving away in true, clear-headed depression, having sampled less than one-half of one percent of the available beers, I check my voice mail and, just to twist the knife, a friend had left a message saying he and others had arranged for transportation so we could drink with impunity.  Double damn.

Part of me hates to invite participation at the next event because I don’t want to lengthen the lines, but if you promise to keep it to yourself I’ll tell you that if you live within reasonable distance of Irvine (technically Silverado) California (say, anywhere west of Mississippi), you should go to OC Beer Fest 2010.

Some additional coverage:

OC Beerfest: Sweaty, Beery Fun

OC Weekly Slideshow 

According to the person conducting the tasting, the beers are sold only in 750ml bottles. The Bruery does not filter or pasteurize its beers. All of the beers gain carbonation through 100% bottle conditioning, allowing carbonation to naturally occur through a secondary bottle fermentation.

Here are the company’s own descriptions of the beers offered for tasting, with my comments.

Orchard White is an unfiltered, bottle conditioned Belgian-style witbier. This hazy, straw yellow beer is spiced with coriander, citrus peel and lavender added to the boil and whirlpool. A spicy, fruity yeast strain is used to add complexity, and rolled oats are added for a silky texture.

Not my cup of tea. The citrus taste was pleasant enough, but I was put off by an unidentifiable taste; perhaps the coriander? A swing and a miss. A weak 7.4 on the Morris scale.

Black Orchard is an unfiltered, bottle conditioned Belgian-style black wheat beer, or black wit, if you will. This dark but surprisingly light bodied beer is very drinkable while still having character and complexity. Chamomile is added for its floral aroma, while the coriander and citrus peel give the characteristics of a traditional witbier.

Ashton VSG Robusto (5.5 x 50)

Stealing liberally from the Ashton website, the Ashton VSG (Virgin Sun Grown) was rolled for the first time in the late 1990s, and was one of the first cigars to feature a square press. A rich Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper is balanced with filler and binder tobaccos at Chateau de la Fuente. “Extra aging and fermentation allows for a rich and full flavor with a strong body, while maintaining an incredibly smooth character. Ashton VSG is consistently rated very high by industry publications and continues to be among the 10 most rare, sought-after cigars in the world.”

A little hyped in my opinion, and I found it on the mild side, but it was a very good smoke in its own right. It burned a little strange in the middle due to a loose outer wrapper, but it still gets an 8.4 on the Morris Scale.

Calico Amber Ale – Ballast Point Brewing Company

The beer poured a nice dark amber with an off-white head. Aroma of the expected molasses plus a hint of grapefruit. The beer comes from a San Diego brewery, so I wasn’t expecting much. Which is not to dis San Diego breweries, but I’m just not aware of a long brewing legacy out of that town. I was pleasantly surprised. This was a good amber with nice mouth feel and the proper hint of a bitter aftertaste. Good drinkability. An 8.8 on the Morris Scale.

This was my second trip to the 8Eightyeight Diamond Crown Lounge, and I remain suitably impressed. I’ve noticed that many cigar stores tack “cigar lounge” onto the name, but it’s a total joke when you go inside. I recently did an abrupt u-turn when I spotted a previously unseen “Cigar Store and Lounge” in Tustin, California. When I entered, I discovered that the lounge consisted of a couch facing an old television in a corner of the store.

Not so with the Diamond Crown Lounge. From what I see at the website, there are a number of Diamond Crown Cigar Lounges, each with it’s own name. The one I visited in Fullerton is the 8Eightyeight. This is not a store with a lounge, it is a true lounge that just happens to sell cigars. You enter into the reception/store area, pass through a very large cigar display room, and enter a huge bar/lounge. There is a bar that seats perhaps 12 people, and numerous tables around the room. My favorite spot is in one of the reclining theater chairs that face a huge center screen, surrounded by six more large screens – all displaying various sporting events. There is also an additional room, as large as the main area, beyond the bar.

The bar is a full bar (not just wine and beer), with four impressive tappers. Look at the photo, and what may appear to be foamy beer flowing from the tappers is actually ice. The tappers are kept so cold that ice forms around them.

The last time I visited this lounge there were just a few people, but on the night of the tasting the place was packed and the cigar smoke was thick. For just twenty bucks I got two good cigars, a taste of four Alaskan beers (not full beers – around five ounces of each) and a raffle ticket for the door prizes (various humidors, ash trays, and an Alaskan Brewing Company golf bag). Quite a deal. Again, from the website, it appears there is one such event every month.

http://www.diamondcrown.com

After my last visit I was hot to join (membership is very reasonable), but Fullerton is a little too far for me to get much use out of a membership. If you happen to be closer, you’d do well to give this place a look.

ST and I were immediately impressed with the ambiance of the place. It has a small, pub-like atmosphere that is a far cry from the enormity of BJ’s Brewhouse. Not all of the locations are breweries, but the Irvine location is. The brewery locations split duties on the various beers instead of trying to brew them all at all locations.

The sampler of six beers costs $6.03, and the samples are four ounces each. We would have preferred some guide that explained what we were drinking.  Here are our impressions of the beers at Backstreet Brewery.

Crossroads Creme Ale

This light colored ale has a citrus taste and good mouthfeel. The finish was very odd, with an unidentifiable taste. Give this one a pass.

AP – 5+
ST – 5

Heritage Hefeweizen

Nice wheaty, citrus nose and taste. Of all the Hefeweizens we sampled on our pub crawls, this was our favorite.

AP – 7+
ST – 7

Jagged Little Pilsner

This German style pilsner had a malty taste with a nice hop nose. ST was impressed at first, but the finish grew to be a little too harsh.

AP – 6
ST – 6+

Hep Kat Pale Ale

A West Coast style American pale ale. This beer has a pleasant malt-citrus taste. Slightly more interesting than the Jagged Little Pilsner. Nice dry aftertaste.

AP – 7+
ST – 6+

Rita Red Ale

This red ale has a nice roasted flavor, but the finish missed the mark. We wouldn’t turn one down, but there are much better reds around town.

AP – 6+
ST – 7

Cal Azul-Mexicano Cerveza Agria

Try ordering that ten times fast.  This is a very different beer, and is ranked by its unusual nature, understanding that this beer would get cloying fast if you push the drinkability.  According to the menu, this beer is “brewed with blue corn and lime leaves.”  Very complex and interesting and worth a visit.

AP – 8
ST – 8.5

In November 1978, Congress passed a bill repealing Federal restrictions on homebrewing of small amounts of beer. When Jimmy Carter signed the bill in February 1979, the way was paved for the States to follow suit and permit home beermaking. With the exception of Alabama, all the states now permit home breweries, most allowing 100 gallons of beer per person over the age of 21 per household, up to a maximum of 200 gallons per year. That won’t get you through a Super Bowl party, but it should cover you to half-time. Of course the government isn’t going to do anything that deprives it of tax revenue, so homebrewers are prohibited from selling any beer they brew.

Many beer historians credit this point in history for all the many craft beers we enjoy today. The home brews showed what real beer could taste like, and educated the palates of those who had been drinking the Budweiser swill. I would add that many of these home brewmeisters no doubt caught the beer making bug and went off to start micro-breweries. By 1995, some 600 craft breweries were producing specialty beers in the United States. If you examine the history of many micro-breweries such as Anchor Brewing Company (Anchor Steam), Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) and Alaskan Brewing Company (Alaskan Ale), they all follow the same approximate time line. They all have claimed roots back to the 1800s, but in reality they all reformulated and retooled in the 1980s to catch the new micro-brewery wave.