Month: April 2006

Seattle MindCamp Half Way Point

by CrapMonkey
It’s midnight: Seattle Mindcamp is officially half over and it has been pretty interesting so far.  It started with lunch at noon, after which, we introduced ourselves and described our interests in only three words (mine were media, technology and beer).  After the introductions, the group started to sign up for sessions.  Within moments, the conference was literally born on a blank sheet of giant butcher paper.  The first session I attended was on MindMap, an idea organizing tool from Mindjet.  The second session I checked out was on social networking as it pertains to mobile devices.  It was an interesting session, but I’m not all that enthuised about using my cell phone in such ways… at least not today.   The next session I attended was my favorite so far – RFID Toys.  It was a great session explaining RFID and its uses.  The session presenter had RFID chips implanted in his hands (see Pieces of Crap #5 in the podcast feed).  
After that session, it was time for dinner.  We had a delicious spread of chicken and fish – very tasty.  After dinner I spent some time chatting with folks and then watched a short documentary called “Invisible Children.”  A fairly sad story about the trials of children in Africa.  After watching the movie, I rolled out back where I witnessed a hard drive being completely melted into oblivian in a slow explosion (I forget what chemicals were involved…).  Needless to say, data will not be recovered from that drive. 
Now it’s past midnight… and I’m parked on the floor doing a little blogging.  Images are available on Flickr.
Over all rating:  Seattle Mindcamp 2.0 is a raging success.

Reality Television Changes the Production Game

by CrapMonkey
At NAB this year it became very clear that reality television is changing the tool sets used in video production.  In scripted programming, the ratio of shot footage to used footage was traditionally fairly closely alignedl.  With a script, one would generally only need a few takes of any given scene and it was fairly obvious which of the takes would be used in the final production.  Reality programming has flipped the scales on that model.  Hours upon hours of footage is now recorded in order to squeeze out a singe episode of 30 to 60 minutes.  Likewise, where the script was once the blueprint of a program, now the footage often dictates the script that gets written. 
When any model is turned on its head, opportunities arise to create new tools.  Many of these tools emerged at NAB this year.  Content management systems that allow for logging, scripting, annotating and categorizing footage came out of the woodwork from most of the big players.  An interesting demonstration by Avid showed off some tools designed to help script writers organize footage in manners that allow them to appy the shot content to a traditional story arc (hook, conflict, resolution, etc.). 
Traditional methods of writing and telling a story… “You’re Fired!”

Tawdry Tasters try the Malt Liqueur Beers

by CrapMonkey
After a week of fine brews from around the country, some of these beers were a bit hard to swallow.  That said, whenever the Tasters have a tasting, good times are had.  Below are the results (and my stomach still hurts a bit).  The rating scale is between 1 and 10 – the top ranking beer on this list was a 5.8.
 
Old English 800 – High Gravity       4.5
Elephant Beer (from Carlsberg)     2
Micky’s Ice                                      4                 
Warka (from Poland)                      2
Steel Reserver 211                        5.8
Steel Reserve Triple Export           5
Harnas – Poland                             4
Micky’s                                           3.5
Fosters                                          4.9
Raineer Ale                                    5
Hurricane Ice                                 5.3
Okocin                                            5.3
Red Dog                                         5.9
Old English                                     5.25
 
So there you have it.  I’ve never had most of these beers before, and I will likely never have one again, but stranger things have happend.
 
 

World Beer Cup 2006 – Winners Announced

by CrapMonkey
Thanks to all who followed the CrapMonkey World Beer Cup 2006 real time coverage.  Due to the pace of the awards ceremony, there were numerous typos in my posting and I thought it best to swap them out with the official World Beer Cup results. 
 
Vital Stats:
  • 2221 beer entries
  • 530 breweries from 55 countries
  • 36% form overseas
  • 109 judges from 17 countries
  • half of the judges from overseas
And the Winners Are:
 
World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Small Brewing Company
Brauerei Michael Plank
Michael Plank

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Mid-Size Brewing Company
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Matthew Brynildson World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster

Large Brewing Company
Miller Brewing Co.
Dr. David S. Ryder World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster

Small Brewpub
Piece Brewing Co.
Jonathan Cutler World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster

Large Brewpub
Russian River Brewing Co.
Vinnie Cilurzo

Category: 1 Non-Alcoholic Malt Tonic – 3 Entries
Gold: Distelhäuser Malz, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Silver: Xtra Malt (Non-Alcoholic), Samba Brewing Co., San Juan, Trinidad
Bronze: Sport-Malz, Eder & Heylands Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Grossostheim, Germany 

Category: 2 Non-Alcoholic (Beer) Malt Beverage – 19 Entries
Gold: O’Doul’s, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: Baltika N o 0 Non-Alcoholic, Baltika Breweries, St. Petersburg, Russia
Bronze: O’Doul’s Amber, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO

Category: 3 American Cream Ale or Lager – 22 Entries
Gold: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Silver: Pilsen, Cervepar S.A., Ypane, Paraguay
Bronze: Session Premium Lager, Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, OR

Category: 4 American-Style Wheat Beer – 10 Entries
Gold: Cascade Blonde Lager, Cascade Brewing Co., Abbotsford, Australia
Silver: Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
Bronze: Pyramid Crystal Weizen, Pyramid Breweries, Inc., Portland, OR

Category: 5 American-Style Hefeweizen – 24 Entries
Gold: Haru Urara, Iganosato Mokumoku, Iga, Japan
Silver: Shiner Hefeweizen, The Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Bronze: Pyramid Hefeweizen, Pyramid Breweries, Inc., Portland, OR

Category: 6 Rye Beer – 8 Entries
Gold: Worryin’ Ale, Piece Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Roggen Rock, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Amberjaque Rye Ale, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co., Kiln, MS

Category: 7 Fruit and Vegetable Beer – 41 Entrie
Gold: Redbach, Palm Breweries Belgium Site Brewery Rodenbach, Roeselare, Belgium
Silver: Fruitesse Kriek, Liefmans Breweries, Dentergem, Belgium
Bronze: Fruitesse Framboos, Liefmans Breweries, Dentergem, Belgium

Category: 8 Herb and Spice Beer – 52 Entries
Gold: Coconut Porter, Maui Brewing Co./Fish & Game Rotisserie, Lahaina, HI
Silver: Jack Whacker Wheat, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO
Bronze: Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI

Category: 9 Coffee Flavored Beer – 23 Entries
Gold: Meantime Coffee, Meantime Brewing Co. Ltd., Greenwich, England
Silver: Big Daddy Espresso Stout, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI

Category: 10 Specialty Beer – 17 Entries
Gold: Pullman Brown Ale, Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor, IL
Silver: Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Bronze: Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co., Kiln, MS

Category: 11 Specialty Honey Lager or Ale – 29 Entries
Gold: Redoak Honey Ale, Redoak, Sydney, Australia
Silver: Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: McGuire’s Millennium Ale, McGuire’s Irish Pub #1, Pensacola, FL

Category: 12 Other Strong Ale or Lager – 21 Entries
Gold: Dragonstooth Stout, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Northstar Imperial Porter, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Olde Knicker Kicker, Oak Creek Brewing Co., Sedona, AZ

Category: 13 Experimental Beer (Lager or Ale) – 22 Entries
Gold: Blootvoetse Bruin, Walking Man Brewing, Stevenson, WA
Silver: König Pilsener-Gluten Free, König Brauerei GmbH, Duisburg, Germany
Bronze: Samuel Adams Utopias 2005, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category: 14 Wood- and Barrel-aged Beer – 46 Entries
Gold: Bourbon County Stout, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Old Woody, Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, Antioch, CA
Bronze: Hitachino Nest Beer Japanese Classic Ale, Kiuchi Syuzou, Naka, Japan

Category: 15 Cellar or Unfiltered Beer – 23 Entries
Gold: Caldera Pilsener Bier, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR
Silver: Schlappeseppel Kellerbier, Eder & Heylands Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Grossostheim, Germany
Bronze: Naturtrüb, Alpirsbacher Klosterbrauerei, Alpirsbach, Germany

Category: 16 Smoke-Flavored Beer – 21 Entries
Gold: Redoak Rauch, Redoak, Sydney, Australia
Silver: Smokin’ Willie Smoked Porter, Moose’s Tooth Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Bronze: Smolder Bock, Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills, NC

Category: 17 European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht(bier) – 12 Entries
Gold: Freudenberger Leicht, Brauerei Märkl, Freudenberg, Germany
Silver: Hahn Premium Light, Hahn Brewing Co., Camperdown, Australia
Bronze: Cascade Premium Light, Cascade Brewing Co., Abbotsford, Australia

Category: 18 German-Style Pilsener – 54 Entries
Gold: Trumer Pils, Trumer Brauerei Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Silver: Waldhaus Diplom Pils, Privatbrauerei Waldhaus Joh. Schmid GmbH, Weilheim, Germany
Bronze: Pfungstaedter Edel Pils Premium, Pfungstaedter Brauerei Hildebrand GmbH & Co. KG, Pfungstadt,

GermanyCategory: 19 Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 39 Entries
Gold: Imperial, Královsky Pivovar Kru sovice, Kru sovice, Czech Republic
Silver: CZECHVAR – Premium Czech Lager, Bud e jovicky Budvar n.p., C. Budejovice, Czech Republic
Bronze: Pils, Alpirsbacher Klosterbrauerei, Alpirsbach, Germany

Category: 20 Münchner-Style Helles – 44 Entries
Gold: Hofmühl Hell, Privatbrauerei Hofmühl GmbH, Eichstätt, Germany
Silver: Aktien Hell, Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren AG, Kaufbeuren, Germany
Bronze: Löwenbrau, InBev, Brussels, Belgium

Category: 21 European-Style Pilsener – 61 Entries
Gold: Birra Moretti, Heineken Italia S.p.A., Milano, Italy
Silver: Ursus Premium, S.C. Ursus Breweries S.A., Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Bronze: Spezial, Alpirsbacher Klosterbrauerei, Alpirsbach, Germany

Category: 22 Dortmunder/European-Style Export – 25 Entries
Gold: Hatz Export, Hofbrauhaus Hatz AG, Rastatt, Germany
Silver: Alpenstoff, Brauerei Bürgerbräu August Röhm & Söhne KG, Bad Reichenhall, Germany
Bronze: Kalnapilis Grand, AB "Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe", Vilnius, Lithuania

Category: 23 Vienna-Style Lager – 25 Entries
Bronze: Schaumburger Landbier, Schaumburger Privat-Brauerei GmbH, Stadthagen, Germany

Category: 24 German-Style Märzen/Oktoberfest – 29 Entries
Silver: Vienna, Rock Bottom Brewery-Bellevue, Bellevue, WA
Bronze: Ottenbräeu Märzen, Ottenbräu, Abensberg, Germany

Category: 25 European-Style Dark/Münchner Dunkel – 36 Entries
Gold: Original Unterbaarer Dunkel, Schlossbrauerei Unterbaar, Baar/Schwaben, Germany
Silver: Distelhäuser Landbier, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Bronze: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel, Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg GmbH, Kelheim, Germany

Category: 26 German-Style Schwarzbier – 26 Entries
Gold: Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Chattanooga, TN
Silver: Shonan Liebe, Kumazawa Brewing Co., Chigasaki, Japan
Bronze: Georgi Sud, Ritter St. Georgenbrauerei Karl Gloßner GmbH & Co. KG, Nennslingen, Germany

Category: 27 Traditional German-Style Bock – 28 Entries
Gold: Butthead Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO
Silver: Birra Moretti La Rossa, Heineken Italia S.p.A., Milano, Italy
Bronze: Troegenator, Tröegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA

Category: 28 German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock – 19 Entries
Gold: JW Dundee’s Pale Bock, High Falls Brewing Co., Rochester, NY
Silver: Barre Maibock, Privatbrauerei Ernst Barre GmbH, Lübbecke, Germany
Bronze: Blonde Doppelbock, Capital Brewery Co. Inc., Middleton, WI

Category: 29 German-Style Strong Bock – 27 Entries
Gold: Dark Doppelbock, Capital Brewery Co. Inc., Middleton, WI
Silver: Y¨sbok, SNAB, Purmerend, Netherland
Bronze: Red Cock Doppelbock, Maui Brewing Co./Fish & Game Rotisserie, Lahaina, HI

Category: 30 American-Style Light Lager – 22 Entries
Gold: Miller Lite, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Lone Star Light, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Bronze: Michelob Light, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO

Category: 31 American-Style Low-Carbohydrate Light Lager – 5 Entries
Gold: Egils Lite, The Brewery Egill Skallagrimsson Ltd., Reykjavik, Iceland
Silver: Pure Blonde, Foster’s Australia, Abbotsford, Australia
Bronze: Cobra Lower Cal Lower Carb, Cobra Beer Ltd., London, England

Category: 32 American-Style "Light" Amber Lager – 6 Entries
Gold: Shiner Light, The Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Silver: Michelob Ultra Amber, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Samuel Adams Light, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category: 33 American-Style Lager – 20 Entries
Gold: Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Bahia, Industrias La Constancia, San Salvador, El Salvador

Category: 34 American-Style Premium Lager – 24 Entries
Gold: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Silver: Formosa Genuine Draft, Brick Brewing Co Ltd., Waterloo, Canada
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI

Category: 35 American-Style Specialty Lager – 14 Entries
Gold: Icehouse, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: OE HG 800, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Milwaukee’s Best Ice, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI

Category: 36 American-Style Amber Lager – 31 Entries
Gold: Toasted Lager, Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue, NY
Silver: Old Scratch Amber Lager, Flying Dog Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Walkerville Lager, Walkerville Brewing Co., Windsor, Canada

Category: 37 American-Style Dark Lager – 11 Entries
Gold: Henry Weinhard’s Classic Dark, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Shiner Bock, The Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Bronze: Black Jack, Great Lakes Brewery, Toronto, Canada

Category: 38 Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light Lager – 23 Entries
Gold: Norte Blanca, Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes, Quilmes, Argentina
Silver: Kingfisher, Shepherd Neame Ltd, Faversham, England
Bronze: Bohemia Especial, Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Category: 39 Baltic Porter – 14 Entries
Gold: Neptune’s Nemesis, Rocky River Brewing Co., Rocky River, OH
Silver: Just Call Me George, America’s Brewing Co. @ Walter Payton’s Roundhouse, Aurora, IL
Bronze: Redoak Baltic Porter, Redoak, Sydney, Australia

Category: 40 Belgian-Style White (or Wit)/Belgian-Style Wheat – 32 Entries
Gold: Hoegaarden, InBev, Brussels, Belgium
Silver: Nit Wit, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Wittekerke Belgian White, Bavik Brewery, Bavikhove, Belgium

Category: 41 French- Belgian-Style Saison – 21 Entries
Gold: Straffe Hendrik Blond, Liefmans Breweries, Dentergem, Belgium
Silver: Hennepin Farmhouse Ale, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Bronze: Barking Duck, Matilda Bay Brewing Co., Melbourne, Australia

Category: 42 Belgian-and French-Style Ale – 24 Entries
Gold: Brugse Zot, Brouwerij De Halve Maan, Bruges, Belgium
Silver: Matilda, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Special De Ryck, Brewery De Ryck, Herzele, Belgium

Category: 43 Belgian-Style Sour Ale – 22 Entries
Gold: Rodenbach Grand Cru, Palm Breweries Belgium Site Brewery Rodenbach, Roeselare, Belgium
Silver: De Wilde Zuidentrein, Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor, IL
Bronze: Festina Lente, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Category: 44 Belgian-Style Dubbel – 20 Entries
Gold: C.B.C. Belgian-Style Dubbel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Adirondack Abbey Ale, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Bronze: Abbey Dubbel, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant #1, Wilmington, DE

Category: 45 Belgian-Style Tripel – 30 Entries
Gold: Final Absolution Trippel, Dragonmead Microbrewery, Warren, MI
Silver: Affligem Tripel, Affligem Brouwerij, Opwiik, Belgium
Bronze: Gouden Carolus Triple, Het Anker, Mechelen, Belgium

Category: 46 Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale – 21 Entries
Silver: Cannibal, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant #1, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Stumblin’ Monk, Stewarts Brewing Co., Bear, DE

Category: 47 Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale – 18 Entries
Gold: Bonsecours Brune, Brasserie Caulier, Peruwelz, Belgium
Silver: Lozen Boer Abt, DeProef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium
Bronze: Three Philosophers, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY

Category: 48 Other Belgian-Style Ale – 28 Entries
Gold: Temptation, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Malheur Bière Brut, Brewery Malheur, Buggenhout, Belgium
Bronze: Southampton Double White Ale, Southampton Publick House, Southampton 

Category: 49 English-Style Summer Ale – 19 Entries
Gold: Yorkshire Pale Ale, Rooster’s Brewing Co., Ltd., Knaresborough, England
Silver: Green Flash Extra Pale Ale, Green Flash Brewing Co., Vista, CA
Bronze: James Squire Golden Ale, Malt Shovel Brewery, Camperdown, Australia

Category: 50 Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 32 Entries
Gold: Pale Ale, Diamond Bear Brewing Co., Little Rock, AR
Silver: Urban Wilderness Pale Ale, Sleeping Lady Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Bronze: Honkers Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category: 51 English-Style India Pale Ale – 25 Entries
Gold: Squatters IPA, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Centennial Ale, Lengthwise Brewing Co., Bakersfield, CA
Bronze: Man Beer, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Category: 52 Ordinary Bitter – 14 Entries
Gold: Blue Heron Pale Ale, BridgePort Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Alaskan Pale, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 53 Special Bitter or Best Bitter – 23 Entries
Gold: HMS Victory ESB, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Silver: E.S.B., Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Alaskan Boogie Ale, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK

Category: 54 English-Style Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter – 22 Entries
Gold: ESB, Fuller, Smith & Turner Plc, London, England
Silver: Lunasea ESB, Empyrean Brewing Co., Lincoln, NE
Bronze: Savannah Pale Ale, Old Savannah Brewing Co., Savannah, GA

Category: 55 Scottish-Style Ale – 20 Entries
Gold: Brown Bear Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethseda, MD
Silver: Beltaine, Shoreline Brewery & Restaurant, Michigan City, IN
Bronze: Old Curmudgeon, Rock Bottom Brewery – Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ

Category: 56 English-Style Mild Ale – 13 Entries
Gold: Shaftebury Coastal Cream Ale, Okanagan Spring Brewery, Vernon, Canada
Silver: Dawn Patrol Dark, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Bronze: Raven Ale, R & B Brewing Co., Vancouver, Canada

Category: 57 English-Style Brown Ale – 37 Entries
Gold: Red Hydrant Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Green Flash Nut Brown Ale, Green Flash Brewing Co., Vista, CA
Bronze: Alice P. Brownie, CB & Potts – Westminster/Big Horn Brewing Co., Westminster, CO

Category: 58 Brown Porter – 27 Entries
Gold: Old Grind Porter, Etna Brewing Co., Etna, CA
Silver: Lazy Jake Porter, Long Valley Pub & Brewery, Long Valley, NJ
Bronze: Total Disorder Porter, Ram/Big Horn Brewing – Seattle, Seattle, WA

Category: 59 Robust Porter – 44 Entries
Gold: Swan Lake Beer Porter, Hyouko Yashiki No Mori Brewery, Agano, Japan
Silver: Bear Paw Porter, Grizzly Peak Brewing Co., Ann Arbor, MI
Bronze: Peg Leg, Flathead Lake Brewing Co., Bigfork, MT

Category: 60 Sweet Stout – 18 Entries
Gold: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Silver: Black Mocha Stout, Highland Brewing Co., Asheville, NC
Bronze: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI

Category: 61 Oatmeal Stout – 24 Entries
Gold: Strom Bomb Stout, Bottoms Up Brewing Co., Pinedale, WY
Silver: The Poet, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI
Bronze: Blackbird Stout, Hereford & Hops Brewpub, Wausau, WI

Category: 62 Imperial Stout – 41 Entries
Gold: Blackout Stout, Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Silver: Night Rider Imperial Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant #1, Wilmington, DE

Category: 63 Strong Scotch Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: Deep Lake, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Fat Bastard, Silver City Brewing Co., Silverdale, WA
Bronze: Paddy’s Strong Scottish Ale, Paddy’s Brewery, Flemington, Australia

Category: 64 Old Ale – 17 Entries
Gold: Vintage Ale, Fuller, Smith & Turner Plc, London, England
Silver: Old Woody, Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA
Bronze: Shinto-Beer, Ise Kadoya Brewery, Ise, Japan

Category: 65 Strong Ale – 16 Entries
Gold: Sopris, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Never Summer Ale, Boulder Beer Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Cabin Fever, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA

Category: 66 Barley Wine-Style Ale – 47 Entries
Gold: Hopsquatch, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ
Silver: Barleywine, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Brew Brothers Barleywine, Brew Brothers Brewery, Reno, NV

Category: 67 German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch – 15 Entries
Gold: Bottom’s Up Kolsch, Rock Bottom Brewery – Campbell, Campbell, CA
Silver: Nihede Beer (Soft Type), Nanto World Co., Ltd Nanto Brewery, Nanjyo, Japan
Bronze: Kaorino-Nama, Shimono Co., Ltd, Chiba, Japan

Category: 68 German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-Style Altbier – 23 Entries
Gold: Redhead Amber Ale, Brew Brothers Brewery, Reno, NV
Silver: Terrapin Alt, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethseda, MD
Bronze: Victory Altbier, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 69 South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier – 74 Entries
Gold: Top Heavy, Piece Brewing Co., Chicago, I
Silver: Izumo-ji Beer Weizen, Ekinan Co. Ltd., Izumo, Japan
Bronze: Hoepfner Hefeweizen, Privatbrauerei Hoepfner, Karlsruhe, Germany

Category: 70 German-Style Pale Wheat Ale – 18 Entries
Gold: Plank Leichtes Hefeweizen, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Silver: Kitzmann Leichtes Weißbier, KitzmannBräu KG, Erlangen, Germany
Bronze: Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse, Nodding Head, Philadelphia, PA

Category: 71 German-Style Dark Wheat Ale – 23 Entries
Gold: Distelhäuser Dunkles Hefeweizen, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Silver: Original Plank Hefeweizen, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Bronze: Emmett’s Dunkel Weizen, Emmett’s Tavern & Brewing Co., West Dundee, IL

Category: 72 South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock – 14 Entries
Gold: Plank Heller Weizenbock, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Silver: St. Nick’s Weizenbock, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
Bronze: Aventinus, Schneider Weisse, Private Weissbierbrauerei, Kelheim, Germany

Category: 73 Irish-Style Red Ale – 20 Entries
Gold: TAPS Irish Red, TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA
Silver: Evolution Amber, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Gray’s Irish Style Ale, Gray Brewing Co., Janesville, WI

Category: 74 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 16 Entries
Bronze: Stout, Ise Kadoya Brewery, Ise, Japan

Category: 75 Foreign (Export)-Style Stout – 20 Entries
Gold: Zonker Stout, Snake River Brewing Co., Jackson, WY
Silver: Stout, Nasu Kohgen Beer Co. Ltd., Nasumachi, Japan

Category: 76 Golden or Blonde Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: Whitetail Ale, Hereford & Hops Brewpub, Wausau, WI
Silver: Kiwanda Cream Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Lightweight, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT

Category: 77 American-Style Pale Ale – 61 Entries
Gold: Firestone Pale Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Mission Street Pale Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Bill Payer Ale, Nodding Head, Philadelphia, PA

Category: 78 American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 39 Entries
Gold: IPA Nectar, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Hop Bomb IPA, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bellevue, Bellevue, WA
Bronze: Hop Knot, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ

Category: 79 American-Style India Pale Ale – 67 Entrie
Gold: Blind Pig IPA, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: India Pelican Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Stone Ruination IPA, Stone Brewing Co., Escondito, CA

Category: 80 Imperial or Double India Pale Ale – 30 Entries
Gold: Pliny the Elder, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Pure Hoppiness, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA
Bronze: Dorado Double IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 81 American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Sharkbite Red Ale, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Emigration Amber Ale, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Epiphany, Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Fairfax, CA

Category: 82 Imperial or Double Red Ale – 18 Entries
Gold: Shark Attack, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: Big Phatty, Water Street Brewing & Ale House, Port Townsend, WA
Bronze: Organic Deranger, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category: 83 American-Style Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter – 8 Entries
Gold: Walking Man IPA, Walking Man Brewing, Stevenson, WA
Silver: Firestone IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Caldera Dry Hop Red, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR

Category: 84 American-Style Brown Ale – 24 Entries
Gold: Nut Brown Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Nut Brown Ale, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Hemp Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 85 American-Style Stout – 10 Entries
Gold: Shakespeare Stout, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Silver: Mutiny, Flathead Lake Brewing Co., Bigfork, MT
Bronze: Sunnyside Stout, Snipes Mountain Brewery, Sunnyside, WA

World Beer Cup 2006 Kicks Off

by CrapMonkey
Prior to announcing the winners of the 2006 World Beer Cup, an important point was made.  Beer is like kids, you can’t have a favorite (not brought up, but worth mentioning is that beer can often lead to having kids,   But I digress…). 
Although it was not a “keynote” in the true sense of the word, there was a key message delivered.  “Irresposible beer drinking is not a healthy behavior.”  This was not a forced message in the way that you often see big beers pushing responsibility.  This was a heart felt plea to be mature and responsible in how beer is promoted.  After watching a montage of real beer commercials that seem to suggest that “beer is for knuckleheads,” some interesting stats were shared about the short term benefit this kind of positioning has on the beer industry (and the long term harm).  At its core, the key message was that irresponsible drinking does not lead to a life long commitment of real beer enjoyment, and that promoting beer in this fashion is bad for the beer industry in the long run.

 

 

World Beer Cup 2006 – Live Blog

by CrapMonkey
Perhaps the highlight of the Craft Brewers Conference in Seattle is the World Beer Cup Awards Dinner that wraps it up.  The CrapMonkey is here to ensure that you are the first to know who wins as the event unfolds.  It is 8pm, and I am at the ceremony, which is about to get underway.  The best of the brewery industry are in attendence (the crapmonkey just drank a stout along side legendary brew critic, Michael Jackson).  Armed with an unlimited supply of quality beers, a laptop, and a wireless connection, the CrapMonkey Podcast is equiped to bring you the results as they come in.  Stay Tuned…
 

SWAG with Style

by CrapMonkey

a href=”http://www.beertown.org/events/cbc/attendee/index.html” mce_href=”http://www.beertown.org/events/cbc/attendee/index.html”>Craft Brewer’s Conference attendees were presented with a bottle of Double Herbert’s Legendary Ale and a 2006 Brewers Association commemorative glass. The Ale is… 

“…an extreme version of beer brewed each fall in a different Washington brewery in honored memory of brewing Pioneer Bert Grant to promote the Washington Brewers Guild Cask Festival.”

Beer Keg Seat

by CrapMonkey
By Popular demand, I once again present to you the "beer keg Seat."   For about $5 in materials you can turn that old keg into a hip bar stool.  Too many blown kegs clogging up your tavern?  Turn it into seating space!

Some Buttrockers Can’t Look Good with Just a Microphone

by CrapMonkey
This topic is long overdue, and for that I apologize.  Still, I feel compelled to expose the fact that some butt-rock front men just can’t look cool with only a microphone.  The easiest way to avoid looking like the dork is to have additional talents, such as being able to play the guitar.  Metallica front man, James Hetfield, never looked like a turd, nor did Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.  Paul Stanley, while looking lame at a variety of different times for a variety of different reasons, always had the guitar as a cruch (even if he was playing rhythm most of the time). 
But what if you couldn’t play the guitar?  In that case, you would have to count on being really damn cool.  Ozzy Osbourne for example.  He’ll be getting his robe stuck in his wheel chair before he stops looking like the lord of the stage.  Or take Axel Rose (before he went nuts).  Way too cool to be mocked and his snake-like dance moves drove the point home.  If you can’t be Axel cool, you have to be so appealing that the ladies don’t notice twirling the mic stand is your only talent and the guys can’t risk making fun of you for fear of being outcast by the ladies.  Case in point, Vince Neil, John Bon Jovi and Bret Michaels.  When chicks dig you that much, the guys have to fall in line or they’re going home alone.  If you’re ugly, then you better rely on theatrics.  Dee Snyder understood this one all too well.  As soon as the guitar solo hits, you better be chomping on a giant bone or swinging a switch blade in a choreographed knife fight, otherwise, you’ll just be standing around in make up.  If make-up isn’t your style, you better look to props.  Ask Rob Halford as he’s rolling across the stage on a motorcycle.  If Halford’s approach is a bit subtle for you, take a lesson from Ronnie James Dio.  Pull out a broad sword and battle the dragon until you cut out his Sacred Heart. 
So, with all these examples of how to look cool with only a microphone in your arsenal… what can go wrong?  Plenty, I assure you.  Let’s start with Don Dokken.  That guy couldn’t look cool if he single-handedly took down every last dream warrior.  Or there is Joey Tempest of Europe, who can’t even keep an imaginary tune playing air guitar on a microphone wire.  Jani Lane of Warrant could have been just a subtle dumb ass, but then he decided to compensate by adding in synchronized dance moves… which sealed his fate as a super dumb ass. 
To summarize, if you are starting out as a vocalist in a buttrock band, I encourage you to learn from what you’ve just read.  Be sure that you are able to eloquently withstand a lengthy guitar solo without bringing your career to a screeching halt.  Also, be sure to let your guitarists come over and sing into your microphone now and then… it just might buy you a couple rounds of fingering his fret board during a power chord… and that my friend, may just get you through.