Greg Koch: CEO of Stone Brewing Co. - Interview (2 of 2)

When Greg Koch came to the Better Beer Authority studio I thought I had about 20 minutes with him, but when we stopped the cameras he said that he was just getting started and that we should tape some more. It was a great getting to pick his brain on the Ohio beer scene, responsible drinking and to hear more about his evangelical love of craft beer.

He has a new book called "The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes and Unabashed Arrogance". You can BUY THE BOOK through Amazon.com at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/6y58djb

Surly Furious Beer - Blind Taste Test

Our Chimay Blue blind taste test was so popular and well-received that I thought I would tweak the format a little and do another blind tasting. This time it was with a beer the guys hadn't even heard of, Furious from the Surly Brewing Company in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. This brewery has been receiving rave reviews for their lineup of canned beers and Furious is listed as the #1 IPA on ratebeer.com for 2012. This is a beer that is worth hunting down for your own blind tasting.

Falls Church: A Small Hamlet With Big Beer

Just inside Washington DC's beltway, and bordered by interstate 66 is the two-square-mile autonomous city of Falls Church, VA.  Until recently, it was known for its high school, with famous alums like Richard and David Hartogs (from the BBA), and for having a nice little farmer's market.  That is until people got wise and started selling and making craft beer there.

Keep your eyes peeled for this, park in the back.

Red White and Bleu occupies a space next to a bank and small office park.  It isn't the easiest store to find, but well worth the effort.   First, the staff is super friendly and helpful.  Every beer they sell is available to buy via single bottle, and most by 6-pack.  I have never seen any B.M.C. crap there and suspect I never will, which is awesome.  Aside from choice beer, they also have an excellent selection of wine and cheese.  And when it is time to check out, fresh baguettes are piled in a basket, giving off an amazing smell next to the register.  I recommend the Beemster XO aged Gouda.  The small salt crystals and lingering flavor give me goosebumps. There is a nice tasting room on the side; if you are lucky, you can catch a beer or wine tasting.

Older Picture ripped from their website.

Back to the matter at hand, BEER!  With a good local selection (three hour drive or less), Port City, St. George, DuClaw, Heavy Seas, Dogfish Head, Lost Rhino, Flying Dog, and DC Brau, they cover their local bases. For national brands, they don't skimp on selections from Great Divide, Stone, Lagunitas, Left Hand, Founders, New Holland, Sixpoint, Brooklyn, Full Sail, Widmer's, Epic....I can go on and on.  There is also a nice selection of Belgian beers.

I recommend following their newsletter for new releases, tastings and more.  And the staff will help you find the right beer/wine/cheese/charcuterie for you.

Mad Fox is a large brewpub that started off with a lot of hype and hasn't slowed down.  I wanted to write about them a year ago, but I had a lot of issues with their service and I couldn't recommend the place.  However, that has been tidied up and I would happily recommend going.  There is ample parking in a garage next to the restaurant.

selections of the day

Their beer is kind of based from English Pub style.  The Wee Heavy Scotch Ale is very good, as is the Orange Whip IPA and their Barleywine.  In fact, they are  having a Barleywine Festival February 11, which sounds awesome if you are into Barleywines.  If you have not been to Mad Fox before, I recommend getting a beer sampler. They also have beers on cask.

The food is pretty good there as well.  Duck Pizza, Steak and Frittes, Grilled Cheese, wings, and pretzels all stand out.  I love the fact that they make their own ketchup. If you follow them on Facebook, they post mouthwatering pictures of their daily specials.

Next Week's Blog, preparation for a Daytona Craft Beer Spring Break!

"Give Me A Beer" - Song

James Knott performs the song "Give Me a Beer" with his band, Fragile Hum, at the Velvet Lounge in Washington DC in 1993.

Here's more...

I love recycling! That's why I thought I would bring out this classic song from my band the Fragile Hum. You thought I only liked to make talk shows about beer, but what most of you don't know is that I also wrote a song about beer. This performance of "Give Me A Beer" was recorded at the Velvet Lounge in Washington, DC in September 2003. It features James Knott on vocals, Todd Huyghe on guitar, Gene Moore on bass and Nathan Lorentz on drums. The Fragile Hum was the best band ever - better than the Beatles. :)

Here is a link to a demo recording of "Give Me A Beer" that you can download for your iPod or MP3 player.

http://agileh.com/assets/music/03GiveMeaBeer.mp3

If you use the song to make a music video about beer I will post it to our website!

Thanks for watching and listening.

Let me know if you'd like me to upload more Fragile Hum songs.

Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter - Beer Review

Looking for a nice porter to warm you up in the depths of winter? Stovepipe Porter might be a good choice. At 4.4% ABV it makes a good session beer for people who like those deep, roasted flavors that are found in stouts and porters. Do the guys on the panel agree? Tune in and find out!

Delirium Tremens - Beer Review

This beer was voted "Best Beer in the WORLD" in 1998. Wowsers!!! But, with all the innovative beers coming out of the American Craft Beer Scene does it stand the test of time? The boys talk about differences in the beer scene between 1998 and the present.

Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue) - Blind Taste Test

Our review of Chimay Blue in 2011 is one of our most hated episodes. The rating wasn't horrible, but Chef and Mark were not kind to it and both said that they would prefer to drink Miller Light. I was wondering if there review was based on preconceived notions about the beer, so I set up this blind taste to see if the score would change when the boys didn't know what beer they were drinking. Tune and find out whether the ratings change in this fun follow up to one of our most notorious episodes.