The work of world-renowned artist Yayoi Kusama is a contemplation of the infinite. She does this through meticulous repetition of dots on a canvas or collages of elements that look both organic and cosmic. Her most mind-bending installations play with mirrors, light, color and shapes in an enclosed space to make it feel like you are standing in the middle of an infinite world. You only get 20 to 30 seconds in each room, but the effect of each lasts a lifetime. The other thing about Kusama is she lives in a mental institution, with art being her only escape. Her exhibit is currently at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and if you can’t make the trip but really want to see someone on the brink of madness relay their interpretation of infinity, keep reading Five Beers to Know This Week. Don’t let the number in the title fool you. There is no beginning or end to new beers or weeks in which to know about them. Feel inspired.
Reminder that you too can add to infinity and send your beer news to [email protected] for possible inclusion. Also, send help. I’ve been trapped in this room reading and writing about beer for thousands of years. I need to pee.
Stone celebrates 22nd Anniversary the only way Stone can
The Stone 22nd Anniversary Anni-Matter Double IPA is the creation of brewers Jose Flores and Jason Smith and the winning beer in our 2018 Stone Spotlight Competition (which pits teams of brewers against each other to see who can brew the best new creation). In this age of haze, Jose and Jason set out to prove clean, crisp IPAs can still be smashed full of big, juicy, tropical flavor. Stone 22nd Anniversary Anni-Matter Double IPA is a clean, crisp IPA that reinforces bold, flavorful, juicy IPAs can still be perfectly clear. This beer is proudly haze-free and available nationwide on draft, in 22-oz bottles and 12-oz six-pack bottles.
21st Amendment, Fieldwork Brewing team to celebrate bad ideas
21st Amendment believes that with every bad decision there is a risk and sometimes an incredible reward, which is the concept of its new A Terrible Idea Hazy IPA. The beer was brewed in collaboration with friends Alex Tweet and Barry Brandon of Fieldwork Brewing Co. Crack open a can and you’re instantly hit with a floral, dank and piney hop aroma. At first sip, you’re lulled into delicate malt clouds with hops layering in a juicy mouthfeel and notes of peach, orange, mango and pineapple.
“We used four pounds of hops per barrel in the dry hop alone, which is twice our typical rate for most of our 21A beers,” said Shaun O’Sullivan, cofounder and brewmaster of 21st Amendment. “At one point I remember asking Barry and Alex if adding this many hops was a terrible idea, and they just shrugged their shoulders and added more.”
“The Citra, Mosaic, Ekuanot and Calypso hops in this beer were all I heard about for days and days. They couldn’t get enough,” said Nico Freccia, cofounder of 21st Amendment. “But we also used a Vermont ale yeast, so that makes A Terrible Idea a ‘California New England Style Hazy IPA’ [new category?] that is in a league of its own.”
Odyssey Beerwerks sets special Oktoberfest firkin tap
Odyssey Beerwerks is readying a special release, Oktoberfest 2018, that is both a traditional German-style Märzen and the name of Arvada, Colo.’s annual party to celebrate the coming fall and the richer, more malty beers indicative of the season. Oktoberfest will take place tomorrow, and the city’s Mayor, Marc Williams, will tap the firkin. And hilariously, after we questioned how Bud Light could give away free beers this week, all Oktoberfests served from the firkin will be free while it lasts. Immediately after the tapping, Denver-based band Polka Folka will be playing an eclectic mix of polkas, waltzes, folk and dance music, and food truck Taste of Texas will be serving up a German-themed menu.
“Oktoberfest beers, or Festbiers, were originally brewed for a celebration, and we’re carrying on that tradition,” said Chris Hill of Odyssey Beerwerks. “This is our third year to throw this party for the community, and everyone loves seeing the mayor and enjoying a free pint of beer.”
Banded Oak features the Cadillac of melons in new IPA
Banded Oak Brewing provides Denver, Colo., with a little taste of Napa Valley, using wine barrels to impart the ever-changing oak flavor characteristics to its beers. Its new Crenshaw Melon IPA is brewed with Crenshaw melons from Hirakata Farms in Rocky Ford, Colo., to produce a solid IPA that is remarkably smooth with just the right amount of bitterness. Copious amounts of CTZ and Chinook hops give way to a fruity bouquet of grapefruit, evergreen and pinesap. Known as the Cadillac of melons, Crenshaw melons are hybrid between Persian and Casaba melons and are noticeably sweeter than cantaloupes with a slight spiciness.
KC Bier releasing fall seasonal in bottles for first time
KC Bier Co., which claims the title of Kansas City’s largest locally-owned brewery, is shipping the inaugural bottled release of its fall seasonal, Festbier, in six-packs of 12-oz bottles on Aug. 20. This three-time medalist at the Great International Beer Competition — including silver medals in 2017 and 2016 — is a Vienna-style lager that finishes at 5.5 percent ABV and 25 IBU. Steve Holle, KC Bier Co. founder and managing owner, describes Festbier as a crisp, clean, malty lager brewed with old-world, traditional brewing techniques and 100 percent imported German malt and hops.
“Imported Vienna and Pilsner malt give Festbier biscuit, caramel and honey malt flavors, while Perle and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops provide moderate bitterness to balance the malt,” Holle said. “We’re proud to brew our Festbier using time-honored methods including decoction mashing [boiling a portion of the mash], two-vessel fermentation, long, cold lagering and natural carbonation. Festbier also is fermented with yeast from a Bavarian monastery brewery.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.