SANTE ADAIRIUS RUSTIC ALES' "831" IPA

The "831" nom de plume in question is Santa Cruz County's area code, and given that SANTE ADAIRIUS RUSTIC ALES are living and brewing in SC County (Capitola, CA to be exact), they're just funnin' ya a bit and paying some tribute with this piney IPA. I got to take down the glass you see pictured here a couple of weekends ago. No, it's not available outside of the brewery, and yes, I know that it makes my blog post/review appealing to only a small subset of individuals who can drive themselves or be driven to Capitola. I believe, however, that Sante Adairius are so good at what they do that this beer – and many of the other knockouts they brew – will have much better distribution and a higher profile in the months to come. So let's both get on the bandwagon early, shall we?

"831" IPA has loads of bite from its piney pinecone hops – Simcoe? Resiny and piney all the way, with a lot of lingering of the side of the tongue. Lots of the fabled "lacing on the glass", too – ahhh! 7.2% alcohol. Its dryness and lack of malt body perhaps knocks it down a slight peg, but man, this is still really good. There's a ton of competition on this front, and this doesn't immediately leap to the head of the pack, but that doesn't mean you're not going to want some once this starts hitting the bottling line and the tap handles. So keep it in mind, OK? 7/10.

CITY BEER STORE JUST TURNED SEVEN

In 2006, I sadly admit that I scoffed at the idea that San Francisco's CITY BEER STORE would survive long enough to see its 2nd anniversary, let alone its seventh. When I heard that a store that sold ONLY BEER, good beer, "microbrews", was opening up in my home city back then, I was so psyched and excited that I immediately emailed store proprietor Craig Wathen and proposed an interview with my then-blog Hedonist Beer Jive. He was kind enough to comply. I mean I was naturally going to support this place – but an all-beer store, on a quiet block of Folsom Street without a lot of foot traffic? Nah, no one's gonna go there. Man, I hope Craig doesn't lose his life savings on this boondoggle.

Here we are in 2013, and it's clear why I'm not an entrepreneur and tea-leaf reader. Craig and his wife Beth not only caught the craft beer wave as it was just starting to swell, they built a magnificent store (and bar) that you couldn't help but love. The owners are great people; they'll talk to you about beer, life and a life in beer as long as you'd like, provided there aren't 5 people standing behind you waiting to grab a glass of some bizarre rarity they've got on draft. Back when the store was much smaller than it is now, that was pretty much the way it was once word got out how fantastic this place was. They had a big expansion a few years ago, more than tripling in size, and now it's possible to heave your chest forward and take a breath if you need to.

The people they hire are friendly and knowledgeable, the beer that's stocked in uniformly first-rate, and the brewers that they get exclusives from – like this weekend's anniversary beer brewed by ALPINE BEER – are phenomenal. Kudos and congrats to Craig & Beth for proving me wrong and for thriving into their 7th year.

DOGFISH HEAD's "BIRRA ETRUSCA BRONZE"

I've got no truck with people who are "over" DOGFISH HEAD BREWING. I might agree with them that the actual fruit of Sam Colagione and his team's labors might not really be keeping pace with the rest of exploding craft beer universe In 2013, yet I still have a ton of respect with so much of the bottom-line-killing experimentation and weird brewing techniques these folks are pioneering right now. I even liked the "Brew Masters" TV show starring Sam for the few episodes that it was actually on. I'm not all that captivated with the whole notion of "ancient ales", but I'm glad that someone is.

It's a far cry from when I really threw myself into this beer thing back in 2006. Dogfish Head were at holy grail status back then. When I found my first "90-Minute IPA", it was a blessed event; a few years later, when they first started distributing to California, I was all in, and bought 'em all. Now I'm just sorta meh on their stuff, though it's always, uh, "interesting". Take for example this "BIRRA ETRUSCA BRONZE". It's modeled on an estimation of what was molecularly analyzed from samples found in drinking vessels unearthed from 2,800-year-old Etruscan tombs in Italy. The DF Head worked with their Italian brewing pals at Birra Del Borgo and Baladin to figure out a recipe. The result is this beer, versions of which will be produced by each of the two Italian brewers as well.

This is honey-soaked ancient ale that tastes of white grape when it's not dosing you with honey. It has a thick mouth fell and a fruity, grapey smell. It even has myrrh in it, though I certainly wouldn't be able to pick it out, being a child of the 1970s and not 800 B.C. This "prehistoric Italian beverage from before the arrival of wine" is still beer at the end of the day, but very left-fiend. Ultimately, it's quite drinkable and pretty good. I'll give it a 7/10 and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it, OK?

LET'S HAVE A MELANGE A TROIS

Haven't had much to say about offerings from NEBRASKA BREWING in a while. That's primarily because I need to travel or trade for them, which I have in fact done on occasion. They burst out of the prairie a couple of years ago and impressed the hell out of a few beer bloggin' blowhards (like me), and now if I can get their stuff, I try to do just that. Thanks to Mark at Kaedrin Beer Blog for slinging me a big bottle from them – the oak-aged Belgian Blonde "MELANGE A TROIS". It's something you probably want to share or drink part of, which is the route I took last week, whilst watching Washington DC farces "Veep" and "House of Cards" on the televizzle.

This may be aged in chardonnay barrels, but it moves past a "wine" taste pretty quickly and is closer to spirits in its thick mouthfeel and big, badass alcohol taste. I'd call it Kentucky moonshine beer from Bruges. "MELANGE A TROIS" is a complex, bottle-conditioned ale that is truly oaky and Belgian and full of woodiness. Predominantly, it tastes of the grape and of grain, and it sits pretty well in the belly as long as you take your time with it. It's absolutely a "craft" ale in every sense of the word. 7.5/10.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JENS MAUDAL OF HAANDBRYGGERIET

It's been nearly five years since I had my first beer from Norway's HAANDBRYGGERIET and coined the ingenious marketing catchphrase, "Haand Me A Haandbryggeriet", which I'm still baffled they're not using in all of their marketing and press materials. Since then I've tried numerous bottles from them, which are brought into the US via world-changing Shelton Brothers importers, and not once has a Haandbryggeriet beer been anything less than better than just about everyone else's. They're easily my favorite non-Belgian "international" brewer, and I've been trying to make the case on this blog and my previous blog that they're one of the more wildly inventive, wickedly experimental and yet reverently "traditional" brewers on the planet. If you haven't tried Norwegian Wood, Odin's Tipple, Fyr & Flamme, Royk Uten Ild, Dobbel Dram or any of the others – you're missing something pretty special.

So my trip to Norway last month got me comfortable with Norwegians in general. They're pretty fantastic people, by and large - and they're deservedly proud of their exploding craft beer culture. I figured, what the heck – let's interview Haandbryggeriet. Head brewer and co-founder JENS MAUDAL was kind enough to answer Beer Samizdat's emailed questions about his brewery and beermaking passion; the result is this Q&A.

BEER SAMIZDAT: You mention on your web site that you were 4 guys who loved beer and had traveled around Europe tasting it, and decided to finally start making it yourself. When was this? Tell us a little bit about how you built the brewery from that point.

Jens Maudal: Myself, I started homebrewing in 1989, and got to know other brewers just after that. I remember that in those days we were very few people doing this activity, and we had great difficulty finding the raw materials and equipment needed. We basically had to make it. The only available beer we could find was pilsner; this country was a 100% lager country. Apart from Pilsner we had pale and dark munich, that was it. The terrible thing was that consumers were proud of this local beer.They didn't know of anything else.

As we brewed more and more beer styles ourselves and became more and more fed up with the local Pilsner, we started to travel around Europe seeking out the gems. This was a real eye-opener. In those days my job was in textiles, and the Chinese took all the production. We had been thinking of starting a small brewery for a long time, and when my workplace closed down we decided to move ahead. This was in 2005; we scraped together a small amount of cash and went off to the UK to look at some (very simple) brewing equipment. It was cheap, and to us it looked great. The deal was made and the premises, a building I owned, was prepared for the brewery equipment to arrive.

To be honest, the first beers we made was far from great, and the trade was very slow. If we had known then what we know today we would never have started. The trade slowly picked up and we experienced a slow growth. We actually started out doing hand bottling, but soon found out that sitting and bottling by hand until midnight was not a good thing, so we soon got ourselves a small bottling machine.

BEER SAMIZDAT: How are decisions made amongst the 4 of you? You're the head brewer; do the others come up with recipes as well?

Jens Maudal: Regarding the recipes, it's been mostly me doing them. It's difficult to hit the correct flavor the first time out; in those days I did many trials on the homebrew equipment before we found the final recipe, but now we just do a big batch and hope for the best. It usually turns out OK.

BEER SAMIZDAT: What makes a "Norwegian" beer, and which beers of yours would you say are the most Norwegian?

Jens Maudal: Norway has a long beer tradition, beer has ben the most important drink for hundreds of years. In the old days the farmers were by law obliged to make their own beer for themselves and their employees. This beer tradition is still alive in some regions, and beer is still made the same way as in the old days. Haand was early out, reviving some of these beers. The first one out was the Norwegian Wood, made with Juniper branches and berries that we hand-pick in our local woods the day before brew day. We also use some smoked malt to try and give this beer the authentic flavours from the old days, when all malt was kilned over open fires.

We have also made a traditional harvest ale; this beer was made at every farm to be a thirst quencher for the farm workers.

In Norway we celebrated all important occasions in life with a toast of beer - like birth, christening, weddings, Xmas time and of course funerals, so we have made a funeral ale called Farewell, this was to toast the deceased off to a good journey to the next life.

BEER SAMIZDAT: Did you always have it in your mind to export Haandbryggeriet beers to the US and other parts of the world? Did demand for the beer drive that?

Jens Maudal: We never ever dreamed that we would export our beer, and we have never made any effort trying to do so. The first importer that made contact was Daniel Shelton of Shelton Brothers and we felt sky high. Just to think that they wanted our humble beers was just unbelievable. Since then we have been contacted by importers from all over the world, and we do our best to supply them.

BEER SAMIZDAT: Are there bottled beers of yours that are only sold in Norway, or is everything sent to your distributors?

Jens Maudal: We don't export many of the session beers; importers around the world normally want the special beers, but we are seeing that this is slowly changing. Beer drinkers enjoy drinking more than two beers, and the very strong beers on the market get you drunk too quickly.

BEER SAMIZDAT: The history of your brewery sounds interesting, too -  a 200-year old building that's been used for many purposes over the year. Are there ways in which you use the building's history to your beer's advantage?

Jens Maudal: Yes the old building had lots of history and served us well for the first years until we sadly grew out of it. We have now moved the brewery to a hundred-year-old brick building that used to serve as a workshop for the old railway company. This building also has lots of history well-suited for the Haand image.

BEER SAMIZDAT: Some of your more well-known beers have very marketable "Scandinavian" names, like Odin's Tipple and Norwegian Wood. Are you looking to use local imagery and legends in how you name your beers?

Jens Maudal: Finding a name isn't always easy, sometimes it just gets you and other times you must work on it. For the historical beers it's easy to find good names, like the Norwegian Wood we wanted the name to reflect the beer's history and ingredients used, and that this also would be the name of a Beatles song didn't do any harm. We always try to find a name that will relate to something with the beer being either history, ingredients or other things.

BEER SAMIZDAT: What's been your most successful beer to date, and do you have a personal favorite of all the things you make?

Jens Maudal: It's hard to say which is the most successful beer, i.e. is it in terms of fame, flavour preferences, best selling, or what. Personally i like the Norwegian Wood because this is a very historically authentic Norwegian beer in terms of both methods and ingredients used, and i think it tastes good. It's very difficult to choose one of your children over the others. I always like the last new beer we make a lot. My favorite beers should be fruity, fresh, dry and flavourful, but it all depends on the season and your mode.

BEER SAMIZDAT: What does the rest of 2013 hold for Haandbryggeriet? Are you expanding or keeping things at its current level?

Jens Maudal: Haand is growing very fast and we have no idea where it will take us. We live day by day and just try as best we can to keep up with demand and make better quality beer every day. If we try and look 5 years ahead we will have grown a lot, that's for sure.

BEER SAMIZDAT: Finally, what are some of your favorite beers – beers that inspired you to do what you do (or continue doing what you do) at Haandbryggeriet?

Jens Maudal: Starting to drink beers other than simple lagers was a huge eye-opener, and I liked everything except the very sour Lambics that I now have learned to love so much. Great Pale Ales's, stouts and not to forget Belgian Saisons, Du Pont comes to mind and Rodenbach. The flavours were great, new and very exploring.

It's so many that I can't name them. Its not so much beers but styles that triggers me. Orval is an old favorite, I have always liked the wild yeast (brett) beers and Haand was very early with doing beer aged in wooden barrels, fermented with wild yeasts and bacteria. We are still exploring this field. Basically I like most beers and beer styles, right now IPA's are great - what will be the next?

BALLPARK BEER SPELUNKING

The San Francisco Giants, my hometown team and a focus of my obsessions for over 35 years, are just about perfect these days in all aspects of the game – and the business of the game. The product on the field is excellent, of course, having won the 2010 and 2012 World Series, but their marketing, their stadium, their sense of the club's history, their player retention and so on is the best it's ever been since I started paying attention in 1976. This mentality flows all the way down into the cup of beer you consume at the game. Sure, San Francisco's foodie/upscale/artisanal attitude permeates everything in town these days, even beers at the ballgame, but I ain't complaining. We've got a craft beer bar located in the stadium called THE PUBLIC HOUSE. I went there last night. I drank there. This is the story of those two beers.

Actually, I first slaked my arrival thirst with a beer I saw at the Oakland A's stadium a couple of weeks ago – GOOSE ISLAND's "HONKER'S ALE". Now that they're a part of Budweiser or InBev or whatever it's called these days, you're gonna be able to find their stuff on draft in many places Bud is sold. It's an English bitter; an amber-colored nonentity that barely registers a jot or a titter in either direction. It is a beer. It is drinkable. I have eaten my food and I have quaffed my beer. Now it is gone and I need another.

The real fun started at Public House, where I skedaddled after Tim Lincecum gave up four runs in the first three innings. Whilst at the bar, I met the fella behind the beer blog BREWPUBLIC – he too was in need of craft refreshment, and we struck up a kinship of like minds. I can't remember what he was going for, but me, I tried out this NEW BELGIUM/BREWERY VIVANT collaboration simply called "Biere De Garde". Dry, spicy, fruity and a little dank. It's the best 9% ABV beer I've ever had at the 'ol ballgame. I awarded it a mighty 8/10. As the Giants continued to piss the game away, I returned to the Public House, and closed out the festivities with a BALLAST POINT "SEXTANT", a stout which supposedly was served on "nitro" but which tasted like a chalky, coffee-choked, off-putting oatmeal stout to me. I didn't like it, and wanted to return it to sender. Then the game ended, I scored my final beer a piddling 5.5/10, the Giants lost, and I went home…..to find ultimate redemption in the San Jose Sharks' overtime Game 4 victory over Vancouver. Sports! Beer! Whatta life!

THE EPIC "IMPERIAL RED" THAT WASN'T

Hate to be such a Gloomy Gus two out of the last three posts, but I just try and call 'em like I taste 'em. That's what brings you to the 'Samizdat, according to my polling data. Well, I've been on a hunt for the world's best imperial red ale. I've had so many amazing ones since this style started to crystallize. The way it usually works is I see a bottle that says "imperial red" on it, or some writing on a bar chalkboard that says "imperial red", and I buy it or order it, regardless of brewer. I decided to be a little more scientific in my approach.

This past Great American Beer Festival, the gold medal winner for Imperial Red was EPIC BREWING's "IMPERIAL RED" - or so I thought. Get this, I went outta my way to hunt down this beer, ordering it by mail from Pearl Specialty is Oregon, only to A.) Find out that, contrary to my misinformation, it neither won, placed nor showed at the GABF; and B.) It's stunningly mediocre. Look, maybe it's not a surprise, now that I realize it didn't actually bring home any hardware. Where I did I get this phony info? What a dope.

Anyway, let's take a look here. It's not a sweet, malty ale – in fact malting is low, and hops are exceptionally high. The taste is on the edge of medicinal, and it's a real biter. 7.1% ABV, about right for the style. Surprisingly – no wait, it's not a surprise – it's just not very special at all, certainly not like Black Diamond's "Fracas Red" or Oskar Blues' "G'Knight" or Clown Shoes/Three Heads' "Third Party Candidate". My next order of business is to order the imperial reds that actually won the GABF, and to try and bring my "A" game next time I drop money for beer on the internet. 6/10.

HERMITAGE BREWING's "SIMCOE" IPA

The modern phenomenon of making one base beer for IPAs, then varying the hop that's used within it to highlight each hop's uniqueness, is a very cool one. MIKKELLER did it; I think someone else did too. San Jose's HERMITAGE BREWING have done it as well, packaging them up in 22-ounce bottles and retailing them for good measure. I was fortunate enough to have their CITRA SINGLE-HOP IPA last year, and raved about it here. Everyone loves that Citra, don't they? I've been wanting to buy that one in a bottle - let me know if you've got a line on one - but settled for the "SIMCOE SINGLE HOP IPA" yesterday instead, and then settled in with it last night.

You know the simcoe hop. It's what gives Pliny The Elder - and many other IPAs - that piney, resinous quality. The citra, on the other hand, is a big, fruity, citrus-packed punch. Hermitage's showcase of the simcoe hop in this beer is an excellent forum for it to show itself off. Piney and a little on the grapefruit-y side as well, this beer is more dry than other IPAs and had a wonderful fresh smell. It's 7% alcohol, and takes a little bit of adjustment when you're used to a more fruit-forward, "west coast" style of IPA - though of course it's all in the eye and tongue of the beholder, isn't it? I thought it was really good, and I'm going to try their El Dorado version next. 7.5/10.

THIS "BLANCHE DU PARADIS" MIGHT NOT BE THE ONE

I'm always looking for the one, the one true beer that'll blow me from here to kingdom come and transport me to a new astral plane. Might it be DIEU DU CIEL's witbier "BLANCHE DU PARADIS"? I'm afraid it is not. Dieu Du Ciel, the Quebec-based brewer who stand out for only making their ales in 12-ounce bottles and for having some of the best label art in the business, also stand out most of the time by making fantastic Belgian-style ales. This time they've made a wheat ale/witbier that drops a bit below their own high standards.

I found it to be totally unremarkable,  a yellow-colored wheat ale made to look prettier than it is by my Instagram photo here. Mildly Belgian, with defined yeast and mild spices, as well as a bready/malty feel to it, but without a lot of razzle-dazzle and almost no "bite" at all. They couldn't even get a foamy head going on this one to help it show a little life. Dead as a doornail!  Very inoffensive and a quick drinker, yet pretty bland across the board. 6/10.

DEVIL'S CANYON "BOURBON BARREL-AGED FULL BOAR"

Hugely surprising to me that this beer's not getting much ratings love on RateBeer and Beer Advocate. Check your heads! DEVIL'S CANYON BREWING are a Belmont, CA brewer who had yet to dabble in the dark arts of the barrel before this one, at least not in bottles; preferring to turn heads with their Full Boar Scotch Ale, their IPA and their amber ale – for instance. I have tasted a fair number of their beers, and I'd certainly rank them in the upper half of the newer (post-2009) crop of brewers the last few years. And I've never had a barrel-aged scotch ale before, but that's exactly what this is – and it's a real goddamn treat.

I would have never guessed that "Bourbon Barrel-Aged Full Boar" was, in fact, the Full Boar scotch ale. Yet it is. Here's what they say about it:

We patiently aged our multi-gold medal winning Full Boar Scotch Ale for just over 9 months in barrels fire-charred by a master distiller. Full Boar’s peated smoke flavor is accentuated by the charred oak, while the caramel characteristics of the Scotch Ale and bourbon barrel form a perfect equilibrium. Experienced enthusiasts will also detect subtle hints of vanilla, brown sugar and honey. All of this with a gentle, dry, oak finish – spicy, woody and warm.

In truth, I actually found this to be much closer to a Belgian sour ale than anything else – that's quite a transformation. Definitely sugar and honey, and a real gentle and oaked taste overall. Really subtle but complex on the swallow. Forget peat moss. This is a wild one all the way, and I loved it. Absurdly limited, but I'm gonna try and grab some more. 8.5/10.

FINAL OSLO BEER NOTES

Getting tired of my blathering on about the beer I drank in Norway last week? I hear ya. I try to make Beer Samizdat a running capture of the beer I'm drinking, with the hopes that the ales I try and recommend - and the places in which I drink them - will serve as something akin to a consumer guide and/or a travel planner for the few readers that I have. If you're still here, I haven't alienated you too badly, I guess. Anyway, the 3 previous posts about some beers I tried in Norway were all single-night focused; I spent a fourth evening there as well, in the company of some good people from work. They too were beer hounds, and took it upon themselves to take me around the city, so I have a few notes from that evening and from the rest of my trip:

1.) Right before I left, I made the online acquaintance of Knut Albert, an Oslo-based beer blogger who puts together Knut Albert's Beer Blog. He not only made the recommendation to me of Handverkerstuene, which I wrote about last week, but also had the bright idea of my trading him a handful of California beers from some Norwegian ones. I like the way Knut thinks! We met up in my hotel lobby, and he blew me away with multiple treats from Norway (and one from Italy) that I can't get in the US. A huge thanks to him for that; they all made it over just fine in my suitcase, and look for reviews here on Beer Samizdat in the months to come.

2.) Knut had also recommended the SCHOUSKJELLEREN MIKROBRYGGERI, as did my co-workers. The latter brought me there for one quick drink; I chose one of their house beers, the UDODELIGE URSULA, a spiced saison which was superb and which I quickly threw an 8/10 rating at. Alas, I didn't take any notes because I was too busy yakking, but just jot down the name of that beer - it's easy to spell, right? - in case you're heading to Oslo anytime soon.

3.) At the steakhouse we dined at that evening, I had a bottle from a Danish gypsy brewer called COISBO BEER that they dubbed "Brooklyn Fall", a smoked, malty brown ale that was a nice combo of sweet and smoky. Perhaps a little more sweet than it should have been, but rock-solid otherwise. 7.5/10.

4.) Finally, we took a short walk from this area to a packed hipster beer bar called CROWBAR where much mirth was made, and much beer consumed. I kept it to a minimum, compared with some of my compadres, but found the time to try a house scotch ale called "Strange Brew" (an amber-colored "old peculiar" that was sweet and drinkable but not that Scottish peat moss taste I was hoping for), and an IPA from a Swedish (!) brewer called DUGGES called "Bollox!", which I didn't take any notes on but found to be quite good. At least that's what I'm sayin' now. Long and short of it is that this place had a phenomenal draft selection, but I was at the end of my rope beer-wise and not at the top of my game. Next time!

A TRIP TO HANDERVERSTUENE - OSLO, NORWAY

As much as I raved about my visit to OLYMPEN in Oslo last Sunday night, my follow-up evening of beer & fish at HANDVERKETSTUENE near the central part of the city was even better, and a good candidate for my Top 10 Beer Experiences list. Sure, I was all alone - but sometimes I kinda like that. It's a restaurant, yeah - but everyone whom I talked to the next day at the place I was working at for the week said, "Oh yeah....those guys have a great beer selection...". And indeed they do. I'll reiterate for the third post in a row that if you know where to go, Oslo is a phenomenal food and beer town. I personally jump at the chance to eat fresh fish as many meals as I possibly can, and this was a town in which to do that. At Handverketstuene, for instance, I had a fish stew that practically makes me want to weep because I wanna have it again so badly, but alas I'm back in San Francisco and that's OK too.

So the place is a classic, wooden Europub with a mixture of long booths and tables. I got my own booth with a bunch of pillows, and settled in to tackle a trifecta of Norwegian beer. The Norse gods of beer must have been smiling upon me, as I chose exceptionally well this particular night:

NOGNE Ø - "TINDVED": A sour wild ale to get things going! It's soured with something called "pressed sea buckhorn", which is a shrub with berries that grows around Scandinavia and Russia. Whoa. Pours a golden orange - that's a picture of it that you see above you - and tastes of malted barley, raw unkempt wheat and grain. The sourness isn't "horseblanket", mind you, but a wet and tangy sourness that I loved. Totally delicious, and the mousse that I had later that night was made with it as well. 8.5/10.

SVANEKE BRYGHUS - "IN YOUR FACE IPA": This one's actually from Denmark, and if there's such a thing as a Scando IPA, this is it. (Or the one I reviewed on Wednesday, come to think of it). Such a juicy, fruit-forward mouthfeel; clean and delicious, with a dry hoppy feel on the aftertaste. A kiss, if you will. Wow. 8.5/10.

HAANDBRYGGERIET - "HUMLESUS": A Belgian golden ale from the Masters of Norway, and it was only the third best beer of the night? Well, it was still great - loads of fruit, with apricot being the prime mover, with a heavy foamy soapy smell and a really surprising amount of hops. Definitely some bite on this thing. Really solid, which doesn't surprise me, because Haandbruggeriet kinda rule. 7.5/10. 

HAANDBRYGGERIET's "FYR & FLAMME" JUST TASTES BETTER IN NORWAY

You know, I don't even know if this "FYR & FLAMME" ("Fire and Flame" - oooooh) is one of those HAANDBRYGGERIET beers that's not distributed in the United States, where I live - but I'll tell ya, I've never seen it. And wouldn't it just taste better in Norway anyway? That happens to be where, this evening, I consumed the bottle you see here. One thing I've learned during my 4 nights in Oslo - which ends tonight - is that Norway's restaurants have very quickly embraced the beer revolution, and have elevated it to near-wine status. Isn't that all we beer hounds want, anyway? The right to a decent beer with a decent meal? Well in Oslo, anyway, it's possible, trending on probable.

I enjoyed this IPA from the always-reliable Haandbryggeriet at a great "local food" restaurant called Oslo Spiseforretning. The place simply could not have done a better job at representing "Scandinavia" than it did. Beautiful pale blonde waitress with a lilting voice, who said "Hi Hi" or "Hey Hey" to everyone who walked in the door. Fish, fish and more fish. Local butter for your local bread, served with local Norwegian greens and local potatoes, possible foraged from a plot behind the restaurant. I was loving it - nearly as much as I loved this "Fyr & Flamme", which takes the "Norwegian IPA" concept to something pretty local and indigenous as well.

While it has a distinct hoppiness that came from Marris Otter hopping - how could it not, right? - it's neither pine nor citrus, and is instead a smoothed-out, velvety malt IPA with some dryness but mostly a creamy and deep mouthfeel, and comes in at about 6.5% alcohol. I've had Haandbrygerriet's other "Norwegian IPA" - not the one I reviewed last week - and they're two of a pair. Truly "gourmet" beers, something I'm reluctant to say, but that you'll instantly know what I mean when you drink one. Distinctly and proudly Norwegian, and hopefully available in the Lower 48 when I get back tomorrow. 9/10.

A TRIP TO OLYMPEN - OSLO, NORWAY

Hey, before we settle down to business, let's give some thanks to Henrik for having left an enthusiastic word of praise for Oslo's OLYMPEN bar and restaurant on this post. It's because of Henrik's ministrations that I looked the place up online and targeted it as the first place I'd try out on my first weary, just-flew-all-day night in Oslo. That's where I'm reporting to you presently, being up & at 'em early in the morning, the way one is when he's adjusting to the time zone of a land far, far away from home. Plus I don't need to go to work for another hour.

You see the table in their website photo in the lower right, where the many plates and all the frantic eating activity is going on? That's precisely where I sat, and where I bravely made my inaugural beer in Norway a WESTBROOK BREWING "WHITE THAI", just so I could settle down to business with the menu. Why bravely, you ask? Because it's from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA. Olympen had about six different beers on draft, and at least 3 were from the USA; the other 3 didn't sound like where I wanted to head in my first few minutes, so there you go. Beer from South Carolina, right in the heart of old-world Europe. Good thing it was a refreshing witbier, with subtle spicing and a great foamy head. It's got lemongrass and ginger in it, and if you squint your eyes and loll your tongue around, you might even be able to taste them a little. I say yeah. 7.5/10.

I went for a fish main course with a fish appetizer. "When in Norway", is what I always say, right? I admired the stately high ceilings and old jumbo painting on the wall here - Olympen dates from 1892, and was renovated and reopened some time in the past few years as a old school craft beer & good food wonderland. Yeah, the food was terrific as well - and the bottle menu had (expensive) Cantillon; all the Belgian Abbey beers; every Nogne O known to man; American micros like Founders, Lost Abbey, Bruery, Hoppin' Frog and Stone; a bunch of Danish beers and so on. 

I chose a LERVIG AKTIBRYGGERI "RYE IPA", which you see pictured here. It's a Norwegian beer, and is not from South Carolina. Perhaps you deduced that already. Yes, you can absolutely taste the rye in this one, which is not always the case in quote-unquote rye IPAs. The beer is exceptionally hopped-up with Citra, Chinook and Centennial hops, and clocks in at 8.5% alcohol. Perhaps it's a bit more of a strong come-on that I typically enjoy, yet it's neither a strong tongue-bruiser nor too much of a dissapointment, either. 7/10. I decided not to tamper with what I hoped would be a good night's and much-deserved sleep by having more beer, and it all worked out for the best. 9 hours, baby! Thanks again to Henrik, to Olympen, and to the good people of Oslo for helping to keep Olympen open.

NORWAY PRACTICE BEERS, PART 2

OK, so now I've had two practice beers from Norway this week. I'm pretty sure I'm ready for the 15-hour flight to Scandinavia now, as well as having been steeled for whatever liquid adventures might await me in Oslo next week. If you missed my earlier installment, I'm getting sent out there for work; last time I was in Scandinavia, it was Sweden/Denmark in 2001, and I was unable to find any examples of outstanding indigenous brew. I suspect things may be different this time.

Anyway, what you see pictured here is from ÆGIR BRYGGERI, and it's called "JULEBRYGG". I nailed it as a "winter warmer" from the get-go, and I wasn't wrong. It's an "ale brewed with spices", they say, and those spices and flavors includes cinnamon and berries, as well as a pretty strong graininess. It's sweet and malty, and not too heavy, just your basic European Christmas beer at the end of the day. Very good, but decidedly in the second tier as these things go. I'll let ya know what I find over there sometime next week or thereabouts. 7/10.

AECHT SCHLENKERLA BRINGS THE "OAK SMOKE"

You know Brauwerei Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla, right? We call them AECHT SCHLENKERLA here at Beer Samizdat, because that's what it says on all their bottles. They're the leading exponents of the Bamburg, Germany smoked ales & lager tradition, and if you've ever had a beer that reminded you of bacon or a pile of meat, there's a really good chance it was from them. Oh – and their beers are amazing, as well. I've enjoyed absolutely every "rauchbier" they've made – some, of course, being smokier and meatier than others. The popular "RAUCHBIER MARZEN" really stands out as a knockout. You have a Beverages & More anywhere near your house? They carry 'em there. Go there, now.

Wait – read this first. I tried the AECHT SCHLENKERLA EICHE this past week, and it too was excellent. It's their dopplebock, and it looks like Eiche means "oak smoke". Any Germans in the house? It's made with Hallertau hops, and "the malt is kilned with oak wood". That sounds like a blast. It has the patented smoky smell, and a glassy, wet mouthfeel. The polar opposite of a dry beer; this is something you'll want to let linger a few extra seconds before you gulp it down. I found it more restrained and approachable than the beers of theirs that flat-out say "rauchbier" on them, those I love those as well. Totally recommended and thankfully fairly easily attained. 8/10.

NORWAY PRACTICE BEERS, PART 1

I'm getting the opportunity to head to Oslo, Norway next week for work. Whilst there, it is indeed possible that I may consume some Norwegian craft beer. To prepare myself for this possibility, I decided that I'd better get some practice beers in me - to acclimate the palate, as it were. Three of the big names in "good Norwegian beer" are fairly well-distributed in the US, at least if you know where to look: NOGNE Ø; HAANDBRYGGERIET and ÆGIR. I've started my exploration on a couple of these, as I'm a huge fan of the first 2 names there and wanting to discover the third. Let's start with the one I had yesterday evening, NOGNE Ø's "TWO CAPTAINS" - a double IPA that they made in partnership with an Oslo-area home brewer (!).

The good people at Nogne Ø were kind enough to bring this gentleman's winning formula to life, but I'll admit that something may have been lost in its journey to San Francisco. It is clean, creamy and thick, with a "gentle" mouthfeel – and yet totally out of whack, with a harsh hop profile that is pretty deadly. Not in that tongue-scorching, how-tough-are-you sort of Double IPA one-upmanship, but in a "not quite sure how to calm this thing down so you'll enjoy it" sort of Double IPA mediocrity. There's loads of leftover sediment in the bottle – that's OK, I'm a big boy – but something's just not adding up with this one. I'll probably need to drink a lot more Norwegian beer before my trip to get a more well-rounded picture, don't you think? 6/10.

THE BEER SAMIZDAT 100

Last time I put together a comprehensive, argument-settling list of my favorite beers was March of 2012, and, well, we've drunk some real brain-melters since then. It's time to update the list! Ladies and gentlemen, here's THE BEER SAMIZDAT 100, the one hundred finest ales & lagers known to man. Forget the Beer Advocate list - bookmark this thing and use it as your shopping list next time you're feeling like you might need a drink to calm you down.

Since I've been making these lists for a while, I decided to cull some of the top beers I'd rated 9/10 or above, but that I hadn't had in four or more years. For instance, I had a lone Russian River "O.V.L. Stout" in 2007, and it had been sitting on this list for six years. Maybe I need to have it again, before I can re-enshrine it into the pantheon? I also shuffled some things around a bit. I have "Hopsickle" and "The Abyss" every year, and they're always amazing - and Rochefort 8 still blows me clean away every time I have it, which should be more often than it is. Anyway, here goes:

1. BRASSERIE DE ROCHEFORT – Trappistes Rochefort 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale) 
2. MOYLAN’S – Hopsickle (Double IPA)
3. DESCHUTES - The Abyss (Russian Imperial Stout) 
4. THE BRUERY – The Wanderer (City Beer Store Anniversary) (American Wild Ale)
5. SOUTHERN TIER – Gemini (Double IPA)
6. BROUWERIJ WESTVLETEREN – Trappist Westvleteren 8 (Dubbel)
7. BRASSERIE DE L'ABBAYE DES ROCS - Triple Imperiale (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)

8. UNIBROUE – La Fin Du Monde (Belgian Strong Pale Ale)
9. BRASSERIE DE ROCHEFORT – Trappistes Rochefort 6 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)  
10. PERENNIAL/HALF ACRE - Plan B (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
11. THE BRUERY - Mischief (Belgian Strong Pale Ale) 
12. PRETTY THINGS BEER & ALE PROJECT – Baby Tree (Quadrupel)
13. BROOKLYN BREWING - Black Ops (Barrel-Aged Stout)
14. TELEGRAPH BREWING – Gypsy Ale (American Wild Ale)
15. STILLWATER ARTISANAL ALES – Debauched (Saison)
16. BROOKLYN BREWING – Sorachi Ace (Saison)
17. STILLWATER ARTISANAL ALES - Debutante (Saison)
18. BOOTLEGGER'S BREWERY - Rustic Rye IPA (IPA)
19. SANTA CRUZ ALEWORKS - Cruz Control Red (Amber Ale) 
20. LOST ABBEY – Gift Of The Magi (Biere De Garde)
21. LEFT HAND BREWING – Milk Stout (on nitro) (Milk Stout)
22. BROUWERIJ DE KEERSMAEKER – Mort Subite Blanche Lambic (Lambic)
23. LOST ABBEY – 10 Commandments (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
24. BROWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE – Monk’s Café Sour Flemish Ale (Flanders Oud Bruin)
25. SIERRA NEVADA – 30^th Anniversary – Fritz & Ken’s Stout (Stout)
26. LUCKY LABRADOR - Super Duper Dog (Double IPA)
27. ST. BERNARDUS – Grotten Brown (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
28. FIFTY FIFTY BREWING – Red Is The New Black (Imperial Red IPA)
29. AVERY BREWING – The Reverend (Quadrupel)
30. MOONLIGHT – Reality Czeck (Czech Pilsner)
31. BROUWERIJ WESTVLETEREN – Trappist Westvleteren 12(Quadrupel)
32. VICTORY BREWING – Wild Devil (Belgian IPA) 
33. RUSSIAN RIVER – Damnation (Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale)
34. URTHEL – Saisonniere (Saison)
35. DE STRUISE - Pannepot Old Fisherman's Ale (Quadrupel)
36. ALPINE BREWING - Nelson (IPA)
37. ALMANAC BEER CO. – Winter Wit (Witbier)
38. CAPTAIN LAWRENCE - Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA (Double IPA)
39. BROOKLYN BREWING – East India Pale Ale (IPA)
40. SANTE ADAIRIUS RUSTIC ALES - Love's Armor (Sour/Wild Ale)  
41. SIERRA NEVADA - Ovila Quad (Quadrupel)
42. LOGSDON FARMHOUSE ALES - Seizoen Bretta (Wild Ale/Saison)
43. SURLY - Furious (Imperial Red Ale)
44. WESTMALLE - Dubbel (Dubbel)
45. DE STRUISE/MIKKELLER – Eliott Brew (Double IPA)
46. NEBRASKA BREWING – Hop God – Reserve, Aged in French Oak Chardonnay Barrels (Belgian IPA)
47. JOLLY PUMPKIN - Baudelaire iO (Saison)
48. ODELL BREWING – Saboteur – Brett Barrel Brown Ale (American Wild Ale)
49. MIKKELLER/BREWDOG - Devine Rebel (English Barleywine)
50. CLOWN SHOES/THREE HEADS BREWING - Third-Party Candidate (Imperial Red)
51. DOGFISH HEAD – Burton Baton (Barrel-aged IPA)
52. BROWERIJ BOCKER – Bocker Bellegems Bruin (Flanders Oud Bruin)
53. EMELISSE – Dubbel (Dubbel)
54. GOUDEN CAROLUS – Cuvee Van De Kaizer Blauw (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
55. HAANBRYGGERIET - Dobbel Dram (Double IPA)
56. BROWERIJ CONTRERAS – Valheir Divers (Tripel)
57. DARK HORSE - Tres Blueberry Stout (American Stout)
58. CAPTAIN LAWRENCE - St. Vincent's Dubbel (Dubbel)
59. THE BRUERY – Autumn Maple (Fruit Beer)
60. BROOKLYN BREWING – Extra Brune (Flanders Oud Bruin)
61. ALLAGASH – Odyssey (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
62. GOUDEN CAROLUS – Ambrio (Belgian Strong Pale Ale)
63. THE BRUERY – Saison Rue (Saison)
64. TWO BROTHERS BREWING – The Bitter End (Pale Ale)
65. BELL’S – Expedition Stout (Imperial Stout)
66. THE ALCHEMIST – Header Topper (Double IPA)
67. RUSSIAN RIVER – Blind Pig (IPA)
68. SMUTTYNOSE - Gravitation (Quadrupel)
69. 5 SEASONS BREWING – Venus (Witbier)
70. THREE FLOYDS - Alpha King (American Pale Ale)
71. UNIBROUE – Maudite (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
72. DE PROEF – Zoetzuur Flemish Ale (Flanders Red Ale)
73. SOUTHERN TIER - Heavy Weizen (Imperial Hefeweizen)
74. ST. BERNARDUS - Prior 8 (Dubbel)
75. TELEGRAPH BREWING – California Ale (Saison)76. BROOKLYN BREWING – Local 1 (Belgian-Style Golden Ale)
77. BROWERIJ DE DOLLE – Oerbier (Belgian Strong Dark Ale)
78. BRASSERIE DUPONT - Saison Dupont (Saison)
79. BRASSERIE DE ROCHEFORT – Trappistes Rochefort 10 (Quadrupel)
80. RUSSIAN RIVER – Damnation, Batch 23 (Belgian-Style Golden Ale)
81. FIFTY FIFTY - Eclipse (Aged in 20-Year Elijah Craig Bourbon Barrels) (Imperial Stout)
82. GREEN FLASH – Summer Saison (Saison)
83. MIKKELLER – Barrel-Aged Chipotle Porter (Porter)
84. PRETTY THINGS BEER & ALE PROJECT – Field Mouse’s Farewell (Saison)
85. THE BRUERY – Loakal Red (Imperial Red Ale)
86. RUSSIAN RIVER – Redemption (Belgian-Style Pale Ale)
87. HANDBRYGGERIET – Norwegian Wood (Smoked/Spiced Ale)
88. SOUTHERN TIER - Hoppe (Double IPA)
89. LAGUNITAS – Imperial Red (American Strong Ale)
90. 5 SEASONS BREWING - Dark White (Dark Witbier)
91. SPEAKEASY BREWING - Betrayal (Imperial Red)
92. THE BRUERY - Orchard White (Witbier)
93. BIRRIFICIO LE BALADIN - Nora (Herbed/Spiced beer)
94. ST. BERNARDUS – ABT 12 (Quadrupel)
95. SURLY BREWING – Abrasive Ale (Double IPA)
96. TWO BROTHERS BREWING - Hop Juice (Double IPA)97. RUSSIAN RIVER – Temptation (American Wild Ale)
98. GOLDEN ROAD - Hefeweizen (Hefeweizen)
99. DE PROEF – Witte Noir (Imperial Amber Wheat)
100. GREEN FLASH – Hop Head Red (Imperial Red Ale)