Old World Brewery: Off To The Races!

At the risk of appearing to fall into a predictable pattern, I’m going to follow up one Old World Brewing post with another, simply because last Friday my camera refused to cooperate during a visit to OWB’s new location on 25th Avenue. I dropped by again today after work, met my nephew for a pint and snapped a few admittedly mediocre photos of the new place. (I’m not a photographer. My nephew’s a photographer, check out his WEBSITE.)

Today we ambled into the taproom to find three fellow blue-collar working stiffs quaffing the foamy suds and that’s a good sign. Seems folks are finding OWB despite the move. I was happy to see brewer Matt working away at something in the back along with Patrick. In short order we had pints of Red in front of us and the conversation drifted easily between topics.

Despite what one would hope are the typical difficulties associated with such an endeavor, the crew at OWB continues to forge ahead, putting out dependable, tasty product (brewed in Flagstaff for the moment) while they fit and fashion and fine-tune all the aspects of the new brewery setup. Just writing about it is exhausting.

We got another quick tour, this time with my camera functioning properly, and I shot a nifty couple of images of the old walk-in safe that once served admirably back when this building was a United States Post Office. Now, Patrick operates an office in the safe and today he took a moment to check out the line up for the upcoming Strong Beer Festival. As always we were made to feel welcome and only the prospect of getting pulled over by an officer of the law prevented us from staying for more than one pint, but as we exchanged farewells in the parking lot my nephew and I discussed the plan to one day have a taxi cab on standby so that we could stay for some real fun!

Old World Breaking into the NASCAR Scene? Yup!

My two or three repeat customers here at Beer Rant will remember that I blogged about a craft beer sponsorship in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series a good while back. (See that post here.) At that time I was tickled witless at the prospect of the craft brewing community stepping into the NASCAR arena even if the brewer was an out of state concern. Well, I’m happy to report that Old World Brewery will be running its logo on a NASCAR truck in the upcoming race at Phoenix International Raceway this year! Here’s a link to the website for Turn One Racing. Details of the arrangement seem to be up in the air just yet, but if you’re the sort that likes to follow NASCAR, and especially the truck series, keep an eye out for truck #60 and it’s new driver Cole Whitt because reportedly, somewhere on that truck will be an Old World Brewery logo! (I plan to attend a couple of NASCAR events at Phoenix International Raceway that week, including the truck race, so perhaps I can carry some OWB product down to the track and enjoy it like I did when Lagunita’s sponsored a truck in 2009.)

Finally, if you’re in the vicinity of 25th Avenue, just north of Van Buren (behind the Pep Boys building there, just across the street from Werner’s Welding), you owe it to yourself to stop in to Old World Brewery. You won’t see a sign on the front of the building so you’ll just have to trust your instincts, friends.

See you at the race!

Be Safe!

Old World, New Digs

First post of 2011; it’s been too long, I know. Enough said.

The Cool Shit You See When Your Camera Battery is Dead!

Old World Brewery has resumed operations in a new facility near 25th Avenue and Van Buren here in Phoenix and I’ve been meaning to drop by for a visit for several weeks. I drove by a couple times to check for activity late last year but didn’t find anyone around, but yesterday was a different story. After work I met a co-worker there – we’ll call him Vernon Bannister - and we ambled in to find Patrick Fields jamming at the drum set with his son.

Patrick graciously showed us around Old World’s new place, which was once a United States Post office back in the day. I asked about any special characteristics of the building, like safes and so forth and Patrick said, “speaking of safes…” and showed us to the brewery’s new office, located in an honest to God walk in safe. Cool. The brewery equipment isn’t quite up and running yet – the current Old World product is reportedly coming from Mogollon Brewing in Flagstaff for the moment (you’ve got to love the cooperative spirit of local brewing, right?).

My camera’s battery was dead, so I’ve got a built in excuse for a follow up visit this coming week. The new brewery building also includes an exhibit space for local artists to show and sell their work. Auctions of artwork are planned, as is a beer festival of some sort in the near future, perhaps in conjunction with a larger statewide beer celebration.

Patrick Fields was as gracious as ever, as focused as ever and seems more determined than ever to push Old World Brewery to the forefront of local brewing prowess. God knows they’ve got a brewing space worthy of the challenge. It should be fun to see where things go from here.

Vernon Bannister and I each departed with a growler of Irish Red and a pint glass sporting the new Old World logo. Perhaps Vernon is a convert as well, now; I think he is. (The picture here was taken later, when I got my growler home and my camera battery charged.)

As for the Irish Red – you know their porter would have been my choice had it been an option – the Red may be better than I remembered from the Lone Cactus facility and even a day later was holding up nicely in the growler. Thanks Patrick! Thanks Old World. (Patrick tells me that the porter will be one of their first batches when the 25th Avenue facility starts production. Awesome.) I tipped a glass of the Red in honor of my nephew's birthday as well. All in all, a great evening.

Look for Old World on Facebook, too.

Grimm Realities and Some Photos

I see that I’ve only posted about two new posts a month for the past few months. Here’s to consistency, I guess. Guess I’ll ramble on and post some pictures that I’ve had in the hopper for some time.

I’ve sampled plenty of new beers and probably some duplicates (I need to set up a spreadsheet to track what I’m trying) but nothing really jumps out at the moment. Perhaps the big news isn’t what’s in the glass so much as where it’s coming from.

Recall that I got word, third or fourth-hand, that Old World Brewery was out of their location on Lone Cactus and moving into new quarters (much) further south. Well, perhaps it’s karma or just dumb luck, but as events would have it, the new location is within a mile or two of where I ply my trade as a low-level government functionary.

I’ve never sampled beer in Mogadishu or Kabul but I’ve had a few in a now-famous hell hole called Juarez and I was served beer by a one-eyed gal at the Pine Knot Saloon near Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico, so I’ll venture that by outward appearances, the “new” Old World venue is not far off the mark, friends. The concertina wire on top of the fences in the neighborhood ought to be enough of an indicator but add a sign on the fence across the street that informs potential trespassers (and lost drunks) that the guard dog is trained to attack and, well, I rest my case. (Thank God I’m too old to be out late partying these days.) Still not convinced? Okay, how’s this: The place has bars on the friggin’ windows, people!

Still, I wish them the best in their move and I’ll drop by again (in the daylight) to see if any of the old gang is around for a tour of the new digs.

While I was in Colorado recently, my nephew raved about a new brewery opening up in Loveland, Colorado. I’ve not sampled any of their offerings but I’ve visited their website
HERE and find it’s very nice! Besides, my nephew knows his beer, so if you’re within the distribution region of Grimm Brother’s Brewery, give them a try and post me a comment here so I’ll know I haven’t been led astray.

Enjoy some pictures…..

Bell's Two Hearted Ale has got to be one of the best beer's I've tried in the last year. I frequently balk at paying $10 or more for a sixpack of beer, but not when I'm buying Two Hearted. I know it's not a "western beer" but I don't mind jumping the fence now and then when the beer his so damned good!

I first tried Blue Moon in cans during a rare visit to a local golf course. Since then, I've purchased a few of them for home consumption and I figured the first one out of the chute ought to be special so I opened the can with an old school opener and set up an ensemble pour. I'm not one for gimmicky packaging tricks but I really do think they need to develop a can opening that better replicates a bottle pour if they plan to stick with this whole can fad.

This time of year I really begin to start thinking about fall and its promise of cooler weather and shorter days. This line of though invariably leads to thoughts of Oktoberfest and Winter seasonal's and then, especially to what I think might be one of the better beer labels out there: New Belgium's Two Below. That's cold! Now, don't get me started on New Belgium's newer line of labels as exemplified by their Ranger IPA - "cheap and uninspired" are words that come to mind and if people pass up the beer because the label is lame, it won't matter how great the beer is. For the record, I've tried the Ranger (may even have done a write up here, I forget) and it's darn fine stuff, the label's just lame.

My birthday was last week and a sweet, dear friend gave me three bottles of Baltika beers from her native Russia, along with a sweet Baltika glass. Naturally I had the Porter first, but now they're all history. Here's a head shop of one of the Baltika's she gave me in year's past. I'll post a picture of the cool glass some time soon.

Catching Up: Eddies: The Documentary and Other Business

Sorry I Took So Long Ed (and Michael)
I watched Eddies: The Documentary about a week ago with my son-in-law. We lounged around his place leisurely swigging some Session Black Lager. It’s really a terrific piece of work and I hope to do a more detailed write up at a later date but except for the fact that filmmaker Michael Peterson doesn’t delve much into the history of Big Rock Brewery, I can’t find anything not to like about the work. Beer drinkers and fans of the filmmaking craft – especially amateur filmmakers – will find a lot to like here!

One noteworthy aspect of the film is the fact that it covers contestants who manage to deliver entries of varying quality and even some who completely fail to come through, so at the end there is no suspicious feeling that Peterson has tweaked the content to provide a better filmic outcome. (Winning entries are evidently not actually aired on television and I thought the sequence near the end where Eddie himself considers running one of the entries in a television spot is especially humorous and a revealing look into the mindset of corporate folks at all levels.)

You need to go to the website Eddies Documentary and have a look at the synopsis and what other folks have had to say. One commentator states that by the end of the film you’ll want to make a film and you’ll want a beer. I’d echo that sentiment and will admit that I’ve already given thought to how I might acquire bottles of Big Rock product in order to conduct a film shoot here in Arizona, USA…but how, I don’t know. I’m pretty good at laying my hands on beer, but not a filmmaker.

Last of the Colorado Notes…For Now
I covered my nice visit to Breckenridge Brewery in Denver and in that post briefly mentioned a nice visit to Tommyknocker Brewery in Idaho Springs (where I grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s). Well I stopped there on July 20th on the way back to Denver after a day in Clear Creek County. I ate a plate of their outstanding onion rings and had a pint of their Hop Strike Black Rye IPA (Cascadia Ale to some, perhaps. See my previous musings on this style here and here.) Tommyknocker’s version of this emerging style tips the scales at 7% abv, presents an opaque brown and smells vaguely (and rightly) of grapefruit. The taste is strangely nutty and hoppy at the same time and it’s one of the better examples of this new style that I’ve tried. The waitress told me it’s only been out a month or so.

To round out the meal I enjoyed a Pick Axe Pale Ale (which I’ve had in the past and which I would enjoy again later in the Colorado trip during a lunch with my nephew and his son in Georgetown - that's when the picture was taken). Finally, to put an exclamation point on the visit, I bought a six pack of their TundraBeary to carry back down the hill to Denver. (I enjoyed that immensely, bottle by bottle over the next few days.)

Old World. New Digs?
So I’m sitting here at BeerRant HQ, checking activity on my new Facebook page (which I’ve only had a week or so) and I see a note from one of my nephew’s who says something about Old World Brewery closing down and moving. WTF?

I go to the Old World Brewery website and it’s about as nondescript as ever, so (heh, heh, heh, I’m an insider now) I click on their Facebook link and find a string of comments intimating that they’ve closed down their operation on Lone Cactus and are relocating (much) further south to the area around 25th Avenue and Van Buren.

I’m bothered by this for reasons I can’t explain. Perhaps it’s simply that I no longer have a “local” brewpub in close proximity to my house. It’s sad.

Evidently the “New” Old World will open some time in October. Eh. End of an era.

Last of the 2009 Jubelale and Goodbye to a Great Man

Drank my last bottle of the 2009 Jubelale this evening and will have done so in honor of my Uncle Buff Rutherford who passed away yesterday - gone to be with my mom (his little sister) who went on ahead just this past May 29th. Buff was a man's man, a working man and by the work, you'd know the worker: rock solid and trustworthy. The world's a little less well off today for his loss.

Old World Beers Out in the Big World!

I neglected to mention that during our recent foray to the Scottsdale Whole Foods Market a few weeks back, I espied bottles of Old World Brewing product on the shelf.

Hmmm. What do I see on that shelf, cozied up next to the likes of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rogue's Dead Guy, and Sonoran Victory IPA, Corona and Bud Light Lime? Why it's Old World's Irish Red Ale, Nitro Blonde Ale, Old World Wit and Dark Knight Porter. Literally a style to suit any taste.

I guess that little brewery just off the airstrip at Deer Valley is really coming into its own. Reminds me, it's been a month or more since I stopped in for a glass of something cold. That's too long. But if I continue to see their beers on more store shelves around town, will I drop into the tap room as frequently if I can just buy bombers at the store? No worry there. Seems like the best of both worlds.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BREWER!

Fun (and beer) At Old World Brewery

Dropped by Old World Brewery after work yesterday and managed to keep to my one beer promise and get back to Beer Rant HQ before sundown, which is nice. I didn’t try the anniversary ale, though I’d planned to originally, I just can’t keep away from that Dark Knight Porter of theirs and dang if I ain’t glad I did this time.

The current batch of porter is evidently the one they intend to submit for a major competition and I believe it’s one of the better Dark Knight Porter’s I’ve sampled there, but that’s just the tip of the tap room iceberg really.

After every visit to Old World I scratch my head and marvel at my good fortune for having a micro/craft brewery so close to the homestead. In the short hour I was there I was able to chat in the back brewing area with one of the owners about beer and bands, knock back a pleasant pint of porter chatting with the brewer and a buddy from work, peruse a recent issue of Beer Advocate magazine that I pulled from a stack of brewing related publications on the bar, sample the latest tapping of the Old World Wit (It was great but I got the stink eye from Matt when I called it an upscale Blue Moon) and share in the sampling from a bomber of Dark Knight Porter that had spent the previous week or so rolling around in the bed of the owner’s truck. To finish, I bought a bomber of Porter for myself (presumably not one that was a truck bed experiment) and a special First Anniversary Edition pint glass.

Now where the hell can you get that sort of fun along with a pint of beer, anywhere?

The Old World crew are off to the Arizona Strong Ale Festival tomorrow and I wish them all the very best. Me, I’ll be sofa shopping with Mrs. Beer Rant. Evidently, the couch we got as a wedding gift oh these many years ago is no longer up to speed. On the bright side, we’ll be in close proximity to Total Wine and Gordon Biersch...and the grandkids!

Incidentally, the issue of Beer Advocate that I was scanning had a page devoted to the top misunderstood beers or some such and you know they actually included an entry for that vile, nasty Chili Beer from Arizona (I think it's brewed in Mexico, but labeled as an Arizona beer to give me one more thing to be proud of, I guess.) If you doubt for one second that I abhor and detest this vile travesty of a beer, see my POST from May of 2008.

In the Tank: Kona Pipeline Porter (Probably the last one this year, folks.)

On the Desk: Boulder Brewing Sundance Amber Ale (eh, it's okay.)

Happy 1st Birthday Old World Brewery!

I’m going to toss this out there, even though I’m not even sure this beer is still available. (Last week [or so] I dropped Matt an email and he said they still had some left, so….)

I guess I average about two visits a month to Old World Brewery, just up the road from Beer Rant HQ and that’s paltry little and a pathetically poor performance given that I could damned near walk to the place for crap’s sake!

Scotland, The Brave
In any event, the most recent offering from the crew at Old World is a delightful anniversary ale called Highlander Scotch Ale. Weighing in at an inspired 8% abv, this highlander may not arrive with half its face painted blue, but after knocking back a couple, you may find yourself waking up with bruises and face paint.

Here are my notes from the first sampling back on January 13th:
There is no alcohol bite up front. Smells like a bit like porter. Smooth taste with a definite warming effect. Definitely roasted in the taste and malty dark. Slightly amber, not opaque. Robust head when agitated with medium to light lacing.

The literature says it’s “complex” but it seems straightforward to me. There’s a definite buzz to this right off the bat. Served in a 10-ounce snifter for $5 with growler’s going for $17 and growler refills for $10.

Ten ounces may seem like a short snort, but be patient and work your way slowly to the bottom of the snifter and you’ll be rewarded.

My beer notebook shows that three days after this initial sampling, I was back to have a growler filled. What better endorsement can there be than a repeat purchase?

Postscript:
I’d imagine the Highlander Scotch Ale is just about gone and I’m not saying that to incite rancor among the beer folk – it’s just a statement of fact. In the interest of full, detailed and honest research, I’ll endeavor to make a stop at Old World later this week to see what’s flowing from the taps. Geez, the lengths to which I’ll go to fill this space with beer drivel.

Coming Up:

“The Super Bowl’s over, think I’ll shoot myself.” Or “Something on Hunter S. Thompson…. I just don’t know what.”

Arizona Beer for the New Year!

I’ve always been an Arizona Booster, even when I wasn't actually in Arizona!

I read somewhere to “beware of thoughts that come in the middle of the night.” I had a flash of brilliance last night, thinking that perhaps it would be nice to pick up growlers of Arizona beer to enjoy while ringing in the New Year. Good plan, right?

So I sanitized my Old World Brewery and Brewer’s Den growlers and all day long contemplated the thrill of having the jugs filled after work. I swung by the Sun Up/Brewer’s Den location on Camelback Road and plunked down 10 bucks for a growler of what will likely be some of their last Nut Before Christmas Nut Brown Ale, then I hopped on 7th Street and tootled north to Old World Brewery where I plunked down 8 bucks for a growler of their Dark Knight Porter. But at Old World, I got something more.

First, the commentary, then the background, I guess.

Sun Up Brewing’s Nut Before Christmas Nut Brown Ale is, sadly, uninspiring. I tried their Vanilla Porter earlier this year and liked it very much, but this limited edition is best left alone. There is no discernible flavor up front and just a tiny hint of sweet nuttiness in the finish. I’ve been left wishing I’d gotten a jug of their IPA instead.

On the up side, the Sun Up brew pub/restaurant was hopping when I dropped in around 1:00 PM to get the growler topped off. There was easy, casual banter going on between the wait staff and the clientele seated at the bar and the bar tendress indicated they were nearly out of the Nut Before Christmas Nut Brown, so I can only gather that business is good. Will I be back? Hell yes, I’ll be back! Who wouldn’t buy beer from a brewer named Uwe? (I went to high school with a dude named Uwe. You think? Nah.) Listen; if I was looking for Big Mac consistency, I’d be buying the Miller/Coors/Bud products more often. You buy a seasonal beer from a craft brewer and you take your chance, right?

The Old World Dark Knight Porter is another deal altogether. Some time ago I stole a line from Edward Abbey when describing this dark devil. Dark Knight Porter “is faithful and never disappoints.” Is this to say every glass of Dark Knight has been a winner for me? Nope. (See my comment about Big Mac consistency.) But tonight, if there were to be a head to head comparison, the Old World Porter would easily trump the Sun Up Nut Brown Ale. The Dark Knight Porter poured coffee dark and opaque with a thin head. It smelled sweet and vaguely of caramel. The taste was initially a bit sour with a distinct smoky component. Certainly, the Dark Knight Porter is more flavorful than the Nut Before Christmas.

The other upside for Old World is the actual experience of visiting their shop. I rolled up to the front of the building to find what I thought were construction workers pouring over the place and for a moment I thought that perhaps they’d gone into some sort of remodeling mode (turns out they were just jazzing the place up for a party). A worker promptly pointed me to Patrick Fields who, again, recognized me. (Repeat offenders here will remember that it was Patrick Fields who greeted moviegoers as they exited the premier of the film Beer Wars at Desert Ridge, and it was Patrick Fields who handed out his business card to every swinging Richard and Regina and it was Patrick Fields who remembered yours truly as “the guy with the blog” in the midst of the dozens gathered there that night. Patrick Fields, folks, the hardest working man in Arizona craft brewing.)

Today, I wasn’t in the building more than 30 seconds before I’d been taken round back for a look at the latest operational workings and a sample of their upcoming First Anniversary ale. I got a look at the bottling machine, and the labeling machine and a sample of their new venture in root beer (more on that in a bit). Bottom line: for me it isn’t just about the beer when I visit Old World Brewery.

Flashback:

It’s been just over a year since I first visited Old World and though I didn’t say as much back then, I truly doubted their staying power. Today, nearly a year later, I have to say that my instincts were wrong (as usual). With a bottling and labeling line up and running, and an arrangement for Republic Distributing to proliferate their product, with a deal to sell bombers at places like Fry’s and A.J.’s Fine Foods and an up and coming root beer product, Old World looks to have dug in their heels for the long fight.

When I told Patrick about the recent “gimmick poll” here at Beer Rant and the proposed option of having Beer Rant focus only on beers from the western United States, he quickly quipped: “How about just beers from Arizona?” That’s a thought.

So, what have we got at Old World? The Dark Knight Porter is a staple in Old World’s repertoire of about half a dozen beers that run the gambit from a wit to a red to a porter. Not surprisingly, the lighter beers are the flagship brews for Old World, their Wit being a gateway brew in the same fashion as Blue Moon in the broader beer market. Patrick estimates that they are the first local brewer to have three beers in initial distribution. But there’s experimentation afoot at Old World, too. In a week, maybe two, they plan to have a first anniversary Scotch ale that will tip the scales at about 8% abv. Patrick says some of the Scotch Ale will be cask conditioned and that they’ll be switching from clear growlers to brown glass growlers. Also, there will be first anniversary glasses available. Old World seems to be coming into their own.

Don’t like beer? Fine.
I was surprised to learn that Old World is now producing a root beer line called Cole’s Old West Root Beer and the sample I tried in the taproom was first rate. I took home a growler of Cole’s Old West Root Beer for Mrs. Beer Rant and she gave it a definite thumbs up. According to Patrick, growlers of Cole's Old West are selling faster than growlers of their beer. Hmmm. There’s certainly a broader market for non-alcoholic beverages out there, I’d imagine.

My hope, my plan, at this point is to have at least one posting a month about Old World throughout 2010. That is my hope, that is my plan. Help keep me honest, folks.

In the tank:
Sun Up Brewing Nut Before Christmas Nut Brown Ale
Old World Brewing Dark Knight Porter
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2009

On the desk:
An empty glass, formerly occupied by Nut Before Christmas Nut Brown Ale.

It's time for bed. Happy New Year, folks. God’s blessing for a 2010 full of health and the promise of happiness and prosperity. See you next year!

See you tomorrow 2010!

Think Globally, Drink Locally and Don’t Steal Kegs!

(For those in need of a refresher: I've become especially interested supporting and tracking the progress of a local brewery that recently opened within a mile of Beer Rant HQ. My point in this is to follow through on what I think was a central message of the documentary film Beer Wars. If we want good, fresh locally produced beers, then we'd better damned well be willing to support such efforts when we see them. I figure Old World is worthy of our time and at least a bit of our money.)

I stopped by Old World Brewery today after work to sample some more of their product and happily got more than I’d bargained for. But first, let’s talk keg crisis, shall we folks?

You’ll remember a year or so back the net was abuzz with talk of a worldwide hop shortage. The kind folks at Boston Beer were helping out some of their smaller competitors in the craft beer industry and it was a wonderful time for all, I’m sure. Fact of the matter is, from what I’ve heard, the hop shortage was somewhat overblown but tell that to a guy who’s paying nearly $1,500 for a box of pelletized hops – to say nothing of the fellow who has to pay for whole buds - the real thing. Well now it seems there's a whole new shortage to contend with.

The crew at Old World Brewery still has their work clothes on and they’ve wrangled a distributor to begin making their beers available to a larger audience. That’s great, right? Well, sure, but what do you put that beer in? Short of a canning or bottling system, you’ve got to keg that delicious brew for shipping to the mass market. Problem is, there seems to be a shortage of kegs – “cooperage” to quote Old World principal Perry Parmely. I guess every crack addled ne’er do well in the greater Phoenix area is snagging unguarded kegs and cashing them in at the scrap yards for their value in stainless steel. (About 45 bucks according to Perry.) Remember the days when people stole kegs to make gas tanks for their hot rods? Remember when people stole milk crates to hold their long-playing record albums? Remember when people knew what “LSMFT” meant? Geez, I’m becoming a living relic!

So, we’ve hit upon yet another obstacle that a fledgling brewer must face. Sure, you’ve got the beer all brewed and gently aging in the tanks, but how the hell do you get it down the throats of your adoring public? Not something I’d ever thought about much. Glad I don’t make the stuff. Glad I just drink the stuff.

If you’ve got a local line on a reputable supply of kegs, won’t you please contact the crew at Old World Brewery and let them know you heard about their dilemma here at Beer Rant?

Which brings us to the “more than I’d bargained for” part of today’s discussion. I’ve now officially sampled every beer on the Old World Brewery list AND I’ve sampled some of what will soon be their Voyager IPA, which is at just over the two-week stage.

Today’s pints were:

Peg Leg Pale Ale
I’d asked for this during my first visit a week or so back, but they were out of it at the time. Seems this one must be their most popular product. I got lucky today and it’s telling that Perry remembered that I’d asked for this one originally because he specifically asked me if I wanted to try it (see if that ever happens at a big chain pub or brewery). This pale ale pours with a quick head and very little beading. The taste is both bitter hoppy and sweet, which must hint at some sort of careful balance that my uninitiated palate is incapable of picking up. It’s also vaguely nutty with low carbonation. Bottom line: Peg Leg Pale Ale is a good one and a decent example of the style.

I queried brewer Matt Mercer regarding Peg Leg’s hoppiness, stating that I figured it to be as hoppy as some IPA’s I’ve tried. That’s when Matt gave me some of the dope on the Voyager IPA he’s currently got in the works. He disappeared for a moment and returned with a short but stout sample glass of the pending Voyager IPA. I sampled it gratefully and found it still retains some sweetness that should diminish in a few more days as the sugars work off. It’s cloudy and has a significant bit of yeast sediment still, and while it’s not ready for primetime, it’s getting there. I’ll be curious to see if it is in fact hoppier than the Peg Leg Pale.

Nitro Blonde
Pours a nice orange-gold color with about a finger width of head initially. The taste is grainy –or of grain, but not necessarily corn. It’s hard to place. This one tastes like Bud and Miller wish they tasted like.

I finished my Nitro Blonde, wrapping up my chat with the Old World Brewery crew. Seems to me they’re pretty serious about this whole brewing thing. I don’t imagine it will be too long before they’ve broken into the Phoenix area bar market. I did notice that they still haven’t gotten that sign hung up on front of the building, though Patrick and Perry both assured me that the sign is in fact in the building and waiting for the “sign guy” to install it. So, don’t say I didn’t tell you that Old World Brewery might be a bit hard to find. Guess you’ll have to earn it.

Meantime, here's a picture of the growler I bought at Old World Brewery last week - reportedly the first growler to be sold on premises.

Next time: I plan to give some details of a recent trip through Tucson and a visit to Barrios and Nimbus. Standby!

Old World Brewery: Phoenix, Arizona

New Neighbor, Old World

Almost a month ago, I committed to visiting Old World Brewery before making another post here at Beer Rant. My purpose then was to follow through on what I think was one purpose of the documentary film Beer Wars: to promote local brewers. My vow, my promise, grew out of the fact that the night I attended the local screening of Beer Wars, I was almost completely disappointed by the reaction of the local brewing crowd. None of the folks I talked to at the local Rock Bottom Brewery or Yardhouse seemed to know anything about the event, despite the fact that both were located in the same complex as the theater that screened Beer Wars.

But as I stepped out of the theatre, largely satisfied with the film and dissatisfied with the poor local marketing, I was met by Patrick Fields, eagerly boosting his newly opened Old World Brewery. It seems that Mr. Fields and his upstart operation succeeded where the likes of Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch, Four Peaks and Papago had failed, and as I took the business card from his outstretched hand, Mr. Fields very kindly acknowledged that he remembered me from an earlier visit to his establishment (weeks before, when the first batch of beer had yet to be served). Here’s a link to my original post regarding Old World Brewery.

It’s taken too long but I did finally manage to pay a visit to Old World Brewery this past Saturday and again yesterday, when I purchased what I’ll claim is the first growler of beer to be sold from their fledgling north Phoenix operation. I have to say that, despite some initial apprehension following my first pre-brewing visit, I’m completely impressed with their product and ecstatic at the thought of having a microbrewery nearly within walking distance of Beer Rant HQ.

What have I sampled so far? The Dark Night Porter (of course), the Irish Red Ale and the Old World Wit. How’d they stack up?

Dark Night Porter
Dark as you’d expect with a robust beige head. Initially smells vaguely of sour coffee but not in an unpleasant way. Tastes distinctly of coffee, vaguely chocolaty and faintly smoky when sampled on tap. From the growler, not nearly as heady but the coffee taste is right there and, on the second day, perhaps a bit more smoky and decidedly flatter as one might expect.

Irish Red Ale
Smells of sweet tea and pours a dark red color – almost too dark to be a red but still light enough to pass with heavy lacing in the glass. Sweet grain taste with this red and a mildly dry finish, I think.

Old World Wit
Pours a deep orange color that is cloudy opaque and very eye-catching. I characterize this one as a Hoegaarden that I can actually palate. By this I mean that the coriander and spice tastes aren’t so extreme that the beer tastes completely like a breakfast sausage. Frequent visitors will know that I’m no fan of wits but this one isn’t bad and it may be the ideal gateway beer for folks trying to jump off the Blue Moon bandwagon. The Old World Brewery brewer Matt Mercer tells me that this first batch turned out a bit more orange than they’d expected but I’d say it makes for a nice floorshow in any event.

So far, in four visits to Old World Brewery, I’ve met each of the principle players at least once; not something that’s likely to happen in the Coors tasting room. I have it on good authority- from someone who dared to briefly block his view at a Colorado Avalanche game - that Pete Coors is a real horse’s ass anyway. The fellows at Old World Brewery are not, as far as I can tell, horse’s asses.

Which brings this little story full circle, I hope. It would seem to me that the guys at Old World Brewery managed to see an opportunity that others missed when Beer Wars hit the screen for a single night last month. Maybe it was small potatoes and too insignificant for the likes of Gordon Biersch, Rock Bottom and so forth. What I do know is that someone at Old World Brewery thought enough to meet the beer drinking public the night Beer Wars was screened and, if I remember the crux of the film, that’s what it is all about.

If you live in the greater Phoenix area, find your way to Old World Brewery at 201 West Lone Cactus Drive, just south of the Deer Valley Airport. But look carefully; when I was there yesterday, they still hadn’t put up their sign, which was scheduled to be delivered today. Old World Brewery is working to earn your support.

Here’s their product list, so far:
Nitro Blonde, 4.2 abv
Old World Wit, 4.8 abv
Peg Leg Pale Ale, 5.2 abv
Irish Red Ale, 5.5 abv
Dark Night Porter, 5.8 abv

Beer Wars Recap

I saw Beer Wars last Thursday. My son-in-law graciously served as my designated driver; he was on call as duty NCO at his unit and I suspect we were both silently praying that his duty phone didn’t ring during the movie! We were joined by one of my co-workers and his wife and, based on comments following the screening, it seems that everyone enjoyed the movie just fine.

I have a new appreciation for Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head Brewing. Even if I can’t say I like most of his beers, I do appreciate his work and what he’s trying to accomplish. Let’s face it, there’s something of the huckster in old Sam. I’ve sampled about half a dozen Dogfish Head beers and have only settled on two that I’d ever buy again with certainty (their Punkin’ Ale and their Chicory Stout) – I poured one of his raisin abominations down the drain and could barely finish something that was brewed with peaches. So what? I bought the beers at an inflated price because of their novelty and I’ll probably purchase other Dogfish Head beers in the future – again at a higher than usual price – and that will keep Sam and his folks forging along, so long as thousands of others buy into the same game that I’m buying into.

I was expecting more of a hatchet job on the Coors/Miller/Budweiser cabal, but the conspiracy theory in the movie seems to revolve around something called the “three tier system” and honestly, I drink too much to ever understand the intricacies of this monster, save to say that it props up the big breweries and makes it damned near impossible for smaller brewers to ever gain a foothold in the market.

I do think it’s worth pointing out that the giant brewers started out as microbreweries oh so many years ago. This point was touched upon during the panel discussion (that might just as well have been left off the schedule as far as I’m concerned) by author Maureen Ogle.

Here’s a real review of Beer Wars, which was posted by Chipper Dave over at Fermentedly Challenged.

My primary criticism is probably aimed at the local venue – perhaps it’s telling that I don’t even know whom to blame (maybe it’s that three tier system keeping the little man down). Marketing for this film seemed nearly nonexistent in the Phoenix area. I made a point of attending the Desert Ridge screening because I know that there are at least three brewpubs within walking distance of the theater. We stopped at Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner and I mentioned to our server that we were headed to see Beer Wars; he hadn’t heard of it and was shocked to hear that it was a one-night showing. Having finished our dinner and a beer, we walked over to Yardhouse which is literally within a stone’s throw of the theater’s front door (we could see the ticket window from our seats on the patio) and again, our server knew nothing about the screening of Beer Wars.

Just as I was about to give up on my local beer purveyors and their ability to get the word out about a decent enough beer movie, my hopes were raised as we walked out of the theatre. There, handing out business cards was Patrick Fields of the newly hatched Old World Brewery located just north of Beer Rant Headquarters. Recognizing him, I shouted “Old World Brewery” even before taking the card from his outstretched hand. He replied, “I remember you.”

I’ve posted something here about Old World Brewery recently (Click here to see it.) and you have my solemn vow, I won’t post another thing until I’ve visited Old World Brewery. He seems to be the only person hereabouts who managed to work in a local beer connection to coincide with the screening of the movie. The least I can do is go buy a couple pints at his establishment.

For the record, here’s a list of what I tried that was new last Thursday:

Desert Trail Pale Ale (Rock Bottom Brewery)
Orange-amber in color, this one smells as hoppy as some IPA’s. It has a slightly roasted taste with a hint of citrus like an IPA but more orange than grapefruit and not as dry as an IPA.

Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA
Arrived with a weak head and smelling of candy and definitely hoppy in the glass. This one tastes like a sweet breakfast cereal. Worth a second try when things are a little less hectic.

Avery White Rascal
Light yellow color with a fishy, smoky smell, this one reminds me too much of Hoegaarden – tasted like sausage. Why do I even bother with these white beers?

Stone IPA
I sampled this one at the Yardhouse after the movie because the movie included segments with the chief cook and bottle washer at Stone. Frankly I’ve always been put off by their “better than you deserve, too good for you” marketing jive, but I have liked what they produce and this IPA is no exception (I recall that I’ve had it before in bottles). It smelled like grapefruit and sawdust and tasted just fine to me. I’ll buy another some time.

Okay, that's it. Suppose I'd better get myself up to Old World Brewery for a taste now that they're up and running.

New Year, Old World

This is what will pass for a New Year’s Resolution Post, I guess.

In the coming year I’ll work to keep my posts shorter.
In the coming year I’ll post fewer beer sampling comments and more general beer commentary, book reviews and so forth.
In the coming year I’ll refrain from using anything but images that I myself have created.

Sorry, I can’t resolve to be funnier, or smarter – heaven knows I’ve tried that for years and I’m pretty much stuck on “barely inoffensive, mildly humorous pseudo-intellectual.” I’ve learned to live with it, so can you. For those of you who might be wishing I’d simply resolve to go away; sorry, I can’t do that either. The good news for you is that there are a bazillion really good beer-related blogs on the net for you to visit and enjoy and that’s another of my 2009 resolutions. I’ll try to post more links to other beer blogs so that in your beer journey, you can stop by here on your way to those other beer blogs!

Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near Me: Old World Brewery

So, since I’ve already broken the first resolution, I may as well go on and fill you in on the few details I have regarding a new brewery that is scheduled to open near Beer Rant HQ in the coming weeks. I stumbled across an internet reference to Old World Brewery and while on a beer hunting errand I dropped in to find the place still under construction. Not wanting to make too much of a nuisance of myself I chatted briefly with the installation crew who appeared to be working on the material handling system to bring the ingredients to the brewing vats and then I excused myself. Exiting through the front lobby I bumped into Perry who told me they planned to brew in a couple days and that I should come back then. I thanked him and continued.

I returned in the afternoon on the appointed day to find Perry and Patrick (the owner) in the front office, Patrick on the phone to a supplier. The conversation appeared to revolve around a piece of equipment needed to complete the installation process. From the discussion, it was evident that no brewing would take place this day.

The phone call completed, Patrick stepped out into the lobby and gave me the quick greeting of a man with many things on his mind. Nevertheless, like so many good beer folk I’ve met over the last year or so, Patrick took the time to walk me through their set up, all the while discussing equipment issues with Perry and keeping an eye on the gauges and dials that lined the east wall of the brewery.

By his own account, Patrick doesn’t come from a brewing background but he strikes me as a business savvy fellow who has come into brewing in a round about way. One thing’s for sure, Patrick and Perry have their work clothes on and they’re working hard to get the beer brewing and the doors open. Old World Brewery will be the first tenant in the building and already they have installed a stage with lighting and a full drum set. The brewing equipment was purchased from a brewpub in Mississippi who lost their master brewer in 2004 or 2005. Perhaps Mississippi’s loss will be our gain. The plan at this point is to begin brewing the first batch on Wednesday, January 7th and a charity fundraising event is scheduled for January 24th.

Here’s the SuperPages Entry for Old World Brewery. Listed under “brands” is something called Sheriff Joe Scotch Ale. Hmmm. Hope that’s something they put out soon, since old Joe just got reelected. Maybe he’ll offer to come up for the grand opening! Another interesting point is the brewery’s proximity to Deer Valley Airport. Heck, pilots stopping in to top off their fuel tanks will practically be able to walk over to Old World for a pint or two before they take off on the next leg of their flight! (Just kidding.)

It’s a tenuous time and not necessarily the best time to be starting a new brewery endeavor. That said, you’ve also got to admire the truly American spirit that drives folks to create and produce under any circumstances and in any economic environment. I’ll be checking in at Old World as often as I can and will hopefully have a write up on their grand opening in the coming days or weeks. Meantime, let’s all wish Patrick and Perry best of luck with Old World Brewery!