Aloha Beer Company's Lager Love

Last weekend, Aloha Beer Company held a tap takeover event at Grace in Growlers where they previewed a few new selections coming soon.  Dave Campbell has always been one to enjoy drinking traditional styles and he strives to make the best examples of each.  For anyone who's visited their brewery, the love of the craft is everywhere. 

I was invited to meet up with Dave this week and try the new beers coming soon. A quiet Monday evening is the perfect time to talk story and think about what's in the glass in front of you. Dave's love of the craft is infectious, be sure say hello if you stop by. Releasing 'probably' this Thursday, October 4, 2018, are two lagers, which are based on some of his favorite recipes, both from other breweries and his own from past ventures. I have to say, I personally love these styles and am happy to have them pouring locally.

Queen St. Pils

First is the Queen St. Pils, a Czech style Pilsner with an American hoppy twist. Coming in at 5.2% ABV and 28 IBU, it's a light and refreshing beer perfect for hot weather, yet full-flavored to avoid that "lager is water" stigma.

Blackish Bier

The second is just finishing up in the tanks, their Schwarzbier named Blackish Bier. Coming in at 5.6%, it's full-flavored with chocolate malt notes, yet easy drinking. He laughed about the misnomer of the style that inspired his name for it: although schwarz is German for black, the beer is more of a dark brown with red hues. The full head was almost nitro like, leaving a great mouthfeel with the complex flavors.

Both recipes are subject to change in future iterations based on what people like and how Dave and brewer Kaiao Archer feel about how the final product turned out. Dave said he'd like to get the ABVs on both down a little bit.

Froot Lupes

As an added bonus for hopheads coming mid-October is a new double IPA: Froot Lupes. Coming in at 7.8% ABV with 40 IBU, it's not an overwhelming bitter beer, but it is misleadingly strong. With a fruity aroma, the mild bitterness is perfectly balanced with a full malty profile. The name is fitting: "Froot" for those complex fruit tastes, and "Lupes" for the generous lupulin.  Be sure to give this one a try!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the friendly bartenders Isabel and Roberto who made the evening fun!  Cheers!

BJCP Exam Classes - Free Beer Judging Seminars

For anyone that's been stopping by the blog the last few months, there hasn't been much activity here. Chock it up to being busy; sometimes I just feel like there aren't huge happenings to talk about. New brewery openings are few and far between (but there are some exciting ones coming soon). In this exciting time of lots of craft independent breweries already operating in the islands, there's too many new releases to write about each one, so Instagram and Untappd do a great job of sharing what I'm drinking.

With the summer beginning, there's a lot more time to drink new beers and study what makes them amazing. If you have a basic interest in beer and want to learn the complexities of styles and how to describe that new favorite, I invite you to come to the free beer judging classes being offered by Cindy Goldstein of HOPS Homebrew Club and the Hawaiian Craft Brewers Guild. With the assistance of local BJCP Judges, Certified Cicerones, brewers, and enthusiastic hobbyists, they're offering an invaluable service to teach about the exam, content, and judging beer. These sessions are held monthly leading up to the tasting exam on October 13, 2018. In order to take this tasting exam, you must first pass the online exam, details of which can be found on the website below.

What is the BJCP? The Beer Judge Certification Program is the recognized standard of how to rate, describe, and educate about beer and beer styles. Ranked judges are present at homebrew and brewery competitions to ensure a judged beer is true to style and determine which are the best examples. Even if you don't plan on taking the exam or judging competitions, the course and style guidelines are the perfect resource to help you learn more about what you already like and maybe help you discover something new. Tonight's first session was held at Honolulu Beerworks in Kaka'ako. Future ones will rotate around to other breweries on O'ahu.

It's not all work and reading from manuals. The class has a tasting component, which is important to develop your palate, nose, and eye. Tonight's first session was broken up with three beer style tastings. The first was the classic Saison; a Saison Dupont was paired with the local Pia Mahi'ai from Honolulu Beerworks to show a clear example, a local take, and the differences and similarities of the two. Later in the session we talked about a Weissbier and finally a Foreign Extra Stout.  These classes are being taught for free; the only cost is paying for the beer and tips as necessary.

For more information, to request the syllabus, sign up for emails, or receive information about the next session on June 7th, please email hops@hawaii.rr.com.