FRUIT IN YOUR BEER: IT’S NOT JUST FOR GIRLS

The craft beer boom in the United States began its steady swell nearly three decades ago, and as American beer favorites have shifted from the watered-down fizz that our Grandads drank to turn-your-face-inside-out hoppiness, we’re gradually working our way toward a happy, drinkable medium. Somewhere between man-bun, hipster IPA snobs and sleeveless, toothless, redneck light beer there is that holy grail of beverages: the just-right beer. 

Like Goldilocks on her quest for the perfect nap, we are settling into the admission that we like some beer in our beer, but shock-factor IBUs (International Bitterness Units, for the uninformed) are a little overkill. Enter the fruit beers. What started out as an orange in your wheat beer has leapfrogged its way into lemon shandies, raspberry sours and watermelon blondes that even the hippest trustafarians and manliest lumberjacks have to admit hit the spot on a long, hot summer day. We’re not talking sweet beers here. We’re not talking lemon-lime malted beverages  a la Zima, circa 1999. We’re talking robust beers with a respectable alcohol by volume (ABV) and a hint of seasonal fruity goodness. 

With Leinenkugel leading the commercial pack in their line of easy-drinking summer shandys, they are followed by a myriad of microbrewed variations on the theme. Here are ten of the frontrunners that we have chosen, which you may or may not be able to find at your local purveyor of fine beverage. 

Power Peak Peach Sour from Quartzite Brewing in Kettle Falls

Power Peak Peach Sour : Quartzite Brewing has been rocking fruit-infused sours on the regular lately, including this scintillating early summer treat. The brewers offered this explanation of the Power Peak Sour on their Facebook page: “Sours are a type of ale that are tarted with Lactobacillus (like your yogurt) or another bacteria called Brettanomyces. Generally have a tarter flavor and more complex profile then your traditional beer. We made one and aged it on peaches.”

Grapefruit Sculpin : Made by Ballast Point and with a base of their award winning Sculpin American IPA, the grapefruit infusion lends itself well to the citrus packed hops in this beer. This is a manly fruit beer if ever there was one. 

Liliko'i Kepolo : this passion fruit infused Belgian whitbier from Avery Brewing in Colorado is at the top of several man-approved lists, and with a name that translates into “passion fruit devil”, why wouldn’t you want to try it? 

Hell or High Watermelon : pretty much anything from 21st Amendment Brewing is something to love, and this watermelon wheat beer is no exception, not to mention the appearance of Lady Liberty on the can, which makes this summertime goodness as American as they come. Amiright? 

Raspberry Crush : 10 Barrel Brewing out of Bend, Oregon, brings the latest evolution of their sour series to the table, and it is, as the name portends, crushable. We tried both the Raspberry and Cucumber crush beers from 10 Barrel and while beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, we’re gonna stick with the berries on this one. 

Devil’s Kriek : no fruit beer list would be complete without at least one kriek, and we’ve got to hand it to Double Mountain Brewing in Hood River, Oregon on this one. Devil’s Kriek is a Flanders Red style Belgian sour ale packed to the gills with locally grown bing cherries and aged for a year before release. 

Strawberry Rhubarb : New Glarus Brewing returns to the list with their Strawberry Rhubarb beer - because if it’s good enough for pie… But seriously, while this “bright, effervescent” sour might be pushing the girly limits, it’s so good that you won’t care if your masculinity is in question. 

Cascade Apricot Ale : classified as a “wild ale” this a blond ale blend that is barrel aged for nine months, then aged for another six after being loaded with fresh ripe apricots. Whether they’re AYpricots or AHpricots to you, you’ll like this Oregon beer. 

Groove Pineapple Wheat : If you’ve never heard of Moses Lake, Washington’s Ten Pin Brewing, allow us to introduce you, and you’re welcome. This American Wheat beer made by the brewery/bowling alley with Mosaic hops and fresh squeezed pineapple is the stuff legends are made of, and probably new bowling records too.

 Watermelon Blonde : Just because you can’t find it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Northern Ales, based in the tiny town of Kettle Falls, Washington, makes this seasonal blonde with loads of fresh watermelon, and serve it at the brewpub (the only place you can currently get it) with fresh watermelon chunks floating in it. Nothing says summer in America like watermelon in your beer. 

Live Long and... Imbibe!

The University of California Irvine set out in 2003 to find out what the key to long life might be. They launched their mission by conducting a study of some of the “oldest-old” citizens in the United States. In the study, which they called the 90+ Study, they visited more than 14,000 members of a retirement community in California every six months to test them for neurological and neuro-physical tests, seeking to find an answer to what factors could be attributed to life beyond the age of 90. The common denominators they found might come as a surprise.

Among the factors associated with longevity, the 90 + Study found that subjects who drank two glasses of beer or wine every day decreased their chance of a premature death by 18 percent, and those who drank two cups of coffee a day saw a 10 percent decrease in the chance. As if this wasn’t enough good news for the Hedonists among us, they also found that subjects who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than their underweight or “normal” weight contemporaries.

“People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained.” - 90 + Study, University of California Irvine

Researchers haven’t been able to explain why this statistic holds true over the course of 15 years, but at this point it seems irrefutable. Whether it’s simply because those who continue to dabble in life’s simple pleasures have less stress and more joy in their lives, or because coffee and alcohol have life preserving powers, we wait anxiously to find out, beer in hand.

http://www.mind.uci.edu/research-studies/90plus-study/

Life in the Beer and Now

As we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the longest “spring” in human history, I would like to take a moment to focus on the little glimpses of light in the winter-like darkness that has become our perpetual reality. Not everything is terrible. For instance, most of the snow in Stevens County is melted. Unless, of course, you travel above 2000 feet elevation, or just outside of town, then there is still snow. But we do have some bare ground showing, and for that, in early April, I am grateful. We have also had at least 35 minutes of sunlight in the last seven days. If that isn’t enough to make you put your flip flops on and tell Mother Nature to take her prozac, then maybe this is: We at least have good beer in the tri-county area.

 Maybe we’re not Bend, Oregon, or Portland, or Seattle, but for an out-of-the-way place with the population density slightly higher than the Australian outback, we’re doing ok.

 From Quartzite in Chewelah to Republic Brewing in (obviously) Republic, and the Colville Pour House smack dab in the middle with its many, many delightful and rotating taps, it’s love at first flight on a visit to any of our local breweries.

 If you haven’t ventured out of hibernation yet, it’s time, y’all. Northern Ales in Kettle Falls is rocking the latest from their adventurous Funk Tank series, the Rose Hip Sour. It’s fermented with locally picked Rose Hips, offers up some wake-up tartness and a whole lot of springtime in a glass.     

 Fired Up Brewing in both Chewelah and Colville boasts a solid lineup of regulars, plus a few rotating guest taps and seasonals, like my own personal favorite, the Whiskey Barrel Brown. Also, FYI, Fired up started serving breakfast and makes a MEAN Breakfast Blonde Mary… like a bloody mary, but with their delicious Bear Creek Blonde.

 Quartzite also has a delightful Brown, the Browns Lake Brown, and in case you haven’t heard they made a Milk Shake IPA that is, well… just try it. Like nothing you’d expect. Republic Brewing launched the Forest "Grew It" made with ponderosa pine needles, coffee, chicory and dandelion root, which plays out like an end-of-winter magic spell, and their Wildfire Smoked Amber sits for 90 days in Dry Fly Whiskey barrels.

 I’m looking forward to more taste trials as our local brewers delve into more beer making endeavors and join the growing ranks of solid beer providers in the tri county area. For now, they provide a bright spot in the bleak and never-ending winter-spring of 2019.

New Beers Resolution

Everyone is expecting you to kick off 2019 with a full repertoire of healthy choices and good decisions that involve exercise and eating right and suffering in all of its forms. But not me. I’m here to recommend - nay - commission you to something greater. Something happier. Something much, much more fun. A New Beers Resolution.

This one goes out to all the Bud Light devotees near and dear to my heart. To the the lager lovers and blonde believers. The passionate pilsenerers and the unwavering weizeners, my challenge to you for 2019 is to extend the courageous olive branch of peace to the craft beer styles that you’ve been avoiding and give them a fighting chance.

Let go of the superstitious fear of skinny jeans and man-buns. Screw your courage to the sticking place and take a taste adventure. I say this as a fan of both Pabst Blue Ribbon and an array of pale ales. There is room in your palate for both. Beer doesn’t have to taste like Coors Light to be beer, any more than apple juice should taste like grape juice or guava nectar. It’s a rainbow of beer flavor out there, and there’s no time like the present to start exploring.

Don’t sample a stout looking for Pilsner flavors. Try it on a cold night with something warm and chocolatey. It’s as good as coffee, but trust me, you’ll sleep better. Give a hoppy pale ale a fair shake with a zesty pizza or a kraut-loaded brat that will match it blow-for-blow in flavor. Try a sour or saison with something light and refreshing on a sunny day to capture the intricate ad wholesome freshness of a well-cultured Beer.

We’re lucky in our area to boast a heart selection of all of these adventurous flavors on tap. Location is no excuse for you to miss out of fresh and interesting beer flavors. Try one new beer style each month this year. Use the guide below for some ideas, and as 2020 rolls around, if you still prefer Bud Light, no worries! I’ll buy the first round!

January: snuggle in to a Stout - this dark beer is traditionally served at room temperature in the United Kingdom along with a hearty meal of bangers (sausage) and mash (potatoes). Try Northern Ales’ Smelters Ash Stout, Fired Up Brewing has a cozy Vanilla Stout on tap that is sure to warm you up this cold January, give Quartzite Brewing’s Iron Mountain Stout a go, or maybe try Republic Brewing Company’s Irish Eyes Stout.

February: Rosès are red - Rosè beers are the hottest new trend and are a pretty pink addition to the budding world of fruit beers. Often (but not always) made as a sour, with a robust helping of (usually) raspberries to round out the tones and flavor, this blushing brew will get you in the mood for love. Check the rotating taps at the Colville Pour House or Fired Up Brewing for one of these beauties.

March: Comes in like a Saison - Beer drinkers have tended away from saisons and other bottle conditioned ales, but there’s no reason to be afraid of these complex and interesting beers that, much like spring weather, are full of surprises. Try Quartzite’s Stranger Mountain Saison, or Colville Pour House always has a saison or two on tap, and you can catch them on guest taps at Fired Up often as well.

April: Hoppy Easter!! - This is the month to taste you some good old fashioned India Pale Ales, the mother-of-all craft beers and the pride and joy of hipster/brew snobs coast to coast. Try Northern Ales’ trademark Flume Creek, Quartzite’s Goddard’s Peak IPA, Republic Brewing’s Widowmaker, and Fire Up Brewing’s Stray Dog IPA.

May: April Showers Bring May Sours - The name might scare you off, but if you haven’t given sour beers a chance you might be missing out on your new favorite. Traditionally cask-aged, sours, like saisons, are fermented with Iive cultures, producing fascinating flavors and a surprising twist on beer drinking appropriate for spring tasting. Try the Colville Pour House for a solid sour on tap, or if you can catch the Power Peak Sour at Quartzite, you won’t be disappointed.

June: Brown, Brown, Brown Brown.. - June is my birthday month and therefore you should try one of my favorite beers. Brown ales are traditionally a happy malted medium between a toasty darker brew and frivolous blondes. They’ve got just enough muscle to be interesting but a good nut-brown shouldn’t bowl you over with hoppy IBUs. Republic Brewing’s Brush Fit Brown is one of their trademark taps.

July: ‘MERICA! Pale Ale - try an APA. This lighter version of the IPA is a happy revolution from the British pale ales that were dry hopped to preserve them in hot East Indian British colonies. Because we know what it’s like to be an English colony and we (of course) had to do it it our own way. It’s like the Boston Tea Party, but for beer. Republic Brewing has their standard Republic Ale APA on tap and you can usually find an APA on tap at the Pourhouse in Colville and occasionally at Northern Ales and Quartzite.

August: It’s Hot Out, Kolsch Off - Try this light and refreshing German beer on a hot day. You can thank me when you feel that frothy chill all the way to your toes. Fools Prairie Kolsch is a staple at Quartzite Brewing in Chewelah, and will not disappoint.

September: RED Summer - Try a red. A sturdy cousin to brown ales and just a shade or two more interesting than a blonde, red ales, Irish Reds and the like offer a delectable variation on a robust but not-too-hoppy malted Ale. Fired Up Brewing keeps Radar Dome Red (as well as a dry hopped version) on tap year round in Colville and Chewelah, and Republic Brewing

October: Polka to a Porter! - Oktoberfest means one thing: dark beer. And sausage and sauerkraut and pretzels with beer-cheese dip and wiener dog races and lederhosen… ok, so More than one thing, but dark beer is the keystone of any good Oktoberfest and porter is the keystone of all dark beers. The foundation of stouts and the elder-statesman of brown ales, Try a porter on for size while you enjoy some accordion music and learn how to yodel. Trust me, it will make it easier.

November: Doppel-up! It’s the Holidays! - Try a Doppel Bock or a Dunkel this month. The extra-strong punch delivers a double dose of holiday spirit and/or tolerance for all those incoming relatives. Colville Pour House has a doppel on tap periodically, as well as Northern Ale’s

December: You made it! It’s the last month of the year! Reward yourself with an easy drinking blonde... You’re gonna need something a little easier going to get through all the heavy holiday eating and peopling… try Fired Up’s Bear Creek Blonde, Republic Brewing’s Kettle River Drifter, or see if Northern Ales is still rocking their Hella Blonde, and merry everything!