Alright, we’re back to cans. Why? Because they’re awesome. Let us count les raisons:

• Easier to transport and ship – cheaper beer for you
• Preserves the beer much better than glass bottles ever could by blocking light, oxygen
• Much more sustainable, easier to recycle
• Easier to carry beer with you on the go (think hiking, snowboarding, picnics with your mom, etc)
• Less conspicuous – most craft beer cans don’t look like beer cans. Ease of tailgating or whatever else
• Allowed in more places – many venues don’t allow glass

And it could go on and on.

See, here’s the deal: The beer industry will soon face the same issue that the wine industry has been dealing with for the past 10-15 years with their screw cap wines – they break tradition. And a silly one at that. Screw caps seal and protect the wine better, as do beer cans as opposed to bottles. Cans are simply a better container for our beloved beverage.

People will hold onto bottles for years to come because they’re a legacy product – something that has, traditionally, been indicative of quality. Not so anymore. The rules have changed.

To continually demonstrate my love for canned beer, I’ve taken the liberty of reviewing the iconic Fat Tire from New Belgium – in canned form. By the way, I’m experimenting with Facebook Video. Let me know if/how well it works for you. Check it out:

If the video isn’t working, here’s the YouTube version (SAME VIDEO):

The Breakdown:

• Originality within style (16): A fairly standard amber ale with a nice toasted quality.
• Nose (18): Love the nose on this beer – smells of rich malt, caramel, hint of vanilla
• Mouthfeel (19): Full, without making you feel full.
• Character (16): Fat tire is well-balanced, if a little thin on top.
• Overall Quality (16): Huge plus for the can. A bit of a minus for intricacies that make an excellent amber.
• Total (85): Hard to go wrong – especially in cans. This one is a staple.

Beer: Fat Tire Amber Ale
ABV: 5.2%
Brewer: New Belgium Brewing Company
Availability: Everywhere except Northeast US, SE US.
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)

My friend The Beer Wench over at www.drinkwiththewench.com interviewed me. You can check it out on her site here:

http://drinkwiththewench.com/?p=3143

Cheers!

The one you’ve (well, maybe just me) been waiting for – Boulevard has released their Collaboration No. 1 – an Imperial Pilsner produced in conjunction with Jean-Marie Rock of Orval Trappist Brewery in Belgium.

Boulevard was kind enough to send me a bottle to review. The beer doesn’t disappoint, and even surpasses my expectations. I had some help from a buddy in evaluating this unique brew. Check it out below:

Okay – so want to sample this baby yourself? I posted a few days ago about the release party for this beer at The Oread in Lawrence, Kansas – Mark your calendar for Monday, January 18th at 8pm, and let’s drink some good beer together. Head to the Bird Dog Bar in the lobby of The Oread, located at 1200 Oread Dr:

I’ll be there, the Boulevard people will be there, and people who love beer will be there. You should be, too.

The Breakdown:

• Originality within style (19): There aren’t a whole lot of Imperial Pilsners out there, and for the few that we do have, each is an interpretation of the style. This one should pretty much set the standard.
• Nose (17): Notes of citrus and pilsner malt dominate – not complex, and that’s okay.
• Mouthfeel (20): Mr. Rock’s belief in lots of carbonation carries over to this beer, and balances out the substantial pilsner malt base in a very pleasant way.
• Character (19): Easily one of the most well-rounded beers I’ve had the privilege of tasting – The carbonation balances out the substantial malt base and makes this very, very drinkable. 100% pilsner malt used in this – no adjunct grains.
• Overall Quality (20): Fantastic, special edition artwork on the label and obviously top-quality ingredients.
• Total (95): A World-Class Imperial Pilsner that will set a seriously high bar for this style.

Beer: Collaboration No. 1 Imperial Pilsner
ABV: 8.0%
Brewer: Boulevard Brewing Company – Kansas City, MO
Availability: 1440 cases, Boulevard’s distribution area. Hope you’re in it!
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)

Finally! We’re on to part Three of our Ska Brewing Company can series. You can find part one, the True Blonde Ale, here:

http://beergeni.us/2009/12/21/ska-brewing-co-true-blonde-ale/

And of course the Modus Hoperandi IPA:

http://beergeni.us/2010/01/11/ska-brewing-co-modus-hoperandi-ipa/

Now onto the final part in the Ska Brewing series, the ESB Special Ale. Video below:

The Breakdown:

• Originality within style (16): Not real inventive, but I think an American ale yeast is being used instead of the norm.
• Nose (15): Not much – smells like malt. Okay.
• Mouthfeel (18): Full and viscous – perhaps the best part of this beer.
• Character (16): So so. A gentle toasted malt, and that’s all. I could drink a lot of it, which is cool I guess…
• Overall Quality (17): It’s in a can, which is awesome. This would be a good beer pong beer.
• Total (82): A middle-of-the-road ESB With no offensive qualities.

Beer: ESB Special Ale
ABV: 5.7% ABV
Brewer: Ska Brewing Company – Durango, Colorado
Availability: Year-Round, most of the country
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)

Alright my friends. We’re on to part two of our Ska Brewing Company can series. You can find part one, the True Blonde Ale, here:

http://beergeni.us/2009/12/21/ska-brewing-co-true-blonde-ale/

Now onto the Modus Hoperandi IPA. Check out the video below:

The Breakdown:

• Originality within style (18): Solid IPA that differentiates itself from the pack with its tropical & breadish character
• Nose (19): Notes of grapefruit, pineapple, and some incredible hop oils
• Mouthfeel (18): Gentle, rich quality with enough life in it to keep it light and fun
• Character (19): A fantastic IPA with a robust base and a delicate top end.
• Overall Quality (18): A full-flavored beer with extreme attention to detail.
• Total (92): I dig this guy.

Beer: Modus Hoperandi IPA
ABV: 6.8% ABV
Brewer: Ska Brewing Company – Durango, Colorado
Availability: Year-Round, most of the country
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)

BeerGenius will be reviewing Boulevard’s Collaboration No. 1 soon, but until then, you can mark next Monday, January 18th at 8pm on your calendar. Boulevard, along with the brand-spankin’ new Oread hotel in Lawrence, will be hosting a release party for the inaugural collaboration brew, an Imperial Pilsner. The event will take place in their Bird Dog bar on the main level of the Hotel.

For those of you who are unaware, Jean-Marie Rock of Orval (yes, the famed Trappist brewery) came over from Belgium in late October of last year to brew beer with Steven Pauwels, Boulevard’s Brewmaster and the man behind everything that comes out of the progressive brewery from their Unfiltered Wheat to the infamous Bourbon Barrel Quad. I had a chance to catch up with them in October – you can read about it here.

The brew is said to have been done with the traditional method of “wort hopping” – a recently rediscovered method of adding hops to the boil kettle before the wort comes to a boil, as opposed to the normal way of doing things – the middle and end of a boil. This allows the hop oils that are normally insoluble to spend some time with the unboiled wort; the method is said to produce a finer bitterness and a more well-rounded beer.

What did you just read? Don’t worry about it – just know that this will be a fine-tuned beer.

So – The Oread, a brand-new hotel in Lawrence, is really very cool. As a disclaimer, I am helping to open the hotel, and will be working on their beer list to make it one of the premier spots in and around Kansas City to get quality beer. The hotel is located at 1200 Oread Avenue in Lawrence.

The hotel combines old-world style with stone archways and a warm solid feel with the new and trendy, including a rooftop terrace bar that will surely be the place to party in warmer months. In addition are several restaurants catering to all tastes, styles, and moods.

The Oread has 99 guest rooms and is currently taking reservations, should you want to come into town (and stay) for the evening. You can call them at 785.843.1200 to make a reservation.

This is shaping up to be an excellent event, and I’m very happy to welcome Jean-Marie Rock back to this part of the world. I’m absolutely thrilled that Boulevard Brewing Company would choose Lawrence as a launch pad for this special beer, although it’s not a huge surprise, given the fact that John McDonald – the founder of Boulevard – is a KU graduate. Kudos to Boulevard on their first collaboration brew, and congratulations to The Oread on their grand opening.

BeerGenius will have a review of this special brew in just a few days. Expect the brew to hit store shelves early next week.

So it’s a RIDICULOUSLY cold and snowy day outside, and the girlfriend was coming home for lunch, which means I was on a deadline. I needed some decent cold weather food, and I needed it fast, so I decided to make a broccoli cheddar ale soup.

Behold, my first cooking show ever:

The beer used was a Boulevard Irish Ale. It gave a substantial malty quality to the soup, and in retrospect, I probably would have used something just a bit lighter in flavor. Soup turned out pretty decent, not bad for my first attempt.

What other sorts of things would you like to see us cook with beer? BeerGenius Resident Chef Jeffrey Ward has some great things coming your way.

Beer: Boulevard Irish Ale
ABV: 5.8% ABV
Brewer: Boulevard Brewing Co – Kansas City, MO
Availability: 18+ States around the Midwest.
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)

Once gain we’ve managed to find ourselves at the start of a brand new year. January brings with it resolution after resolution to improve our lives, health, financial status, and relationships. Yes, 2010 can be anything we’d like it to – and this is why I’m asking that 2010 be the year of great beer.

The readership audience of this blog, and others like it, are made up of individuals who care, appreciate, respect, and promote the beauty of GOOD beer. The noble promotion and criticism of craft brews across our country and the world is the sole purpose of BeerGenius.

Now, before I continue, I must confess a major regret. I myself, do not crave or yearn for a beer on a daily basis.  Do I appreciate a full-bodied, crisp hefeweizen every now and then? Certainly – but I admit that, unfortunately, my palette for beer tasting leaves something to be desired.

So what I am doing in saying that this is they year of great beer? The passion I share with this readership, and the reason I am a part of BeerGenius, is simply that deliciously brewed beers should continue to be appreciated, and promoted by all of us. I believe the brewing process is just as much an art as it is a science. The different ways the ingredients can be combined giving the beer its style, color, and aroma are all evidence that there is a clear distinction between college beer-pong beverages and  inventive masterwork craft beers.

Sure – I’m preaching to the choir about why we should continue appreciating the slightly more expensive brews that taste worlds different, because we know it to be true. The couple extra dollars spent often result in something comforting, special, new, and often unique.

Here’s what I’m saying: there are still plenty of unfortunate people out there unaware of the excellence of great beer. Even when every new beer isn’t our favorite, if it is something new then it’s always a tasteful adventure. Next time you’re in the liquor store with a friend reaching for those all too familiar college cans, just remember how many good beers there are yet to be tasted.

Let’s make it a year for great beer, and the promotion of an enhanced liquid agenda for those who have yet to seek the joy of the craft beers so many of us love.

Cheers and Happy 2010 to all!

Maggie Gremminger

BeerGenius

Maggie@beergenius.net

Had my dad and my friend Louis over the other night, and we did some impromptu beer tasting.

To be honest, I debated whether or not to post this video, because it’s a bit long, and I was more than a bit buzzed, but decided what the hell. I’ll take my criticism like a man.

So here’s Boulder’s Obovoid Empirical Stout:

BeerGenius – Obovoid Empirical Stout from Jameson Huckaba on Vimeo.

The Breakdown:

• Originality within style (18): An easy-drinking stout with a nice, subtle earthy quality from being aged on oak
• Nose (17): Classic notes of roasted malt, caramel, coffee
• Mouthfeel (17): Full and viscous, this one is delicious.
• Character (17): Not terribly exciting, but subtle in its moves. This one is the polished nerd, not the frat boy.
• Overall Quality (18): This beer was clearly put together with some care. Excellent quality of ingredients.
• Total (87): An excellent, easy-drinking stout for the everyman – a great alternative to other gnarly oatmeal stouts.

Beer: Obovoid Empirical Stout
ABV: 6.8% ABV
Brewer: Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, CO
Availability: 30+ States. Sorry if yours isn’t included.
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)

Here’s the third installment in the BeerGenius Karl Strauss series, their 20th anniversary brew called To The 9’s. You can find the first and second installments here:

Fullsuit Belgian-Style Brown

Big Barrel Double IPA

Check out the video of Karl Strauss’ To The 9’s below.

The Breakdown:

• Originality within style (20): An Imperial IPA that definitely differentiates itself from the competition.
• Nose (17): Not much initially, a bit of spice, lemongrass.
• Mouthfeel (17): Full mouthfeel, intense assault on the palate.
• Character (18): Bitterness on the back that’s intense; hop varieties all meld together quite nicely
• Overall Quality (18): TONS of components coming together in a refined but unique Imperial IPA.
• Total (90): An interesting, but polarizing, specialty beer that some will love, and some will not.

Beer: Karl Strauss To The 9’s Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.9% ABV
Brewer: Karl Strauss – San Diego, California
Availability: 600 cases, West Coast
Reviewed by: Jameson Huckaba (twitter: @jamesonhuckaba)