I am continuing to build a database of beer reviews from around Europe and the Americas,  my recent focus has been American craft beers especially those influenced by European brewers and their techniques.   This particular review is no exception. Written on on the Beer Philosphers blog I am enternally grateful for being able to access such first hand experiences online. 

Ideally I would do all the reviews myself, that is if I was single, had unlimited budgets, was free of family responsiblities, and had a liver that didn't groan everytime I enter a hostelry.  But then isn't that what the internet is for.  The right to publish and share!  Oh and of course be damned! 

I just love this time of year. Not only is the weather becoming milder and the sights, sounds and smells of fall beginning to emerge ... it's also my favorite time of year for several special beer styles that are only available during the autumn season. Just like the changing of the leaves from green to a multitude of colors, many brewers are releasing their seasonal specialties - pumpkin ales, Oktoberfests, double bocks and stouts to name a few - bringing a little bit of color and variety to a beer-lover's world dulled by the doldrums of summer.

One such brewery out of Cooperstown, NY is taking this a step further, however. Brewery Ommegang is a world-class craft brewer, specializing in Belgian and Belgian-influenced styles. One such style is their Three Philosophers. Ommegang Three Philosophers is a Belgian-style quadrupel with added kriek (cherry) lambic, creating a rich, fruity ale of exceptional quality and complexity. The year-round version of this beer is unique enough, in itself, but add to that the fact that the brewery has taken 280 cases of this unique ale and dropped them 156 feet down into the storied Howe Caverns where the beer sits at a steady 52 degrees and you have a truly special, or specially-conditioned, beer. This is Brewery Ommegang's Cave-Aged Three Philosophers.

Ommegang isn't finished yet though. The brewery also happens to celebrate their 10th anniversary in October and what better way to celebrate than with a special beer to commemorate the occasion? Enter Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence - a stout with a twist or two. First, Brewery Ommegang uses real cocoa powder to produce a true chocolate experience, accentuating the dark roasted malts. Then, they use a special Belgian yeast strain to impart a lively, fruity character to a style that can often be rather one-dimensional. A Belgian-style stout ... I simply can't wait.

A special congratulations to Brewery Ommegang on their 10 years of producing truly great beers. I hope to raise a goblet of cave-aged Three Philosophers, and one of Chocolate Indulgence, in your honor very soon! Even though these are undoubtedly special beers, I can truly say that every one of the beers this brewery produces are second to none. If, then, you can't find these special releases in your area, don't despair. The year-round offerings are nothing to settle for ... and stand on their own. If you haven't, pick up a bottle or two and celebrate the season along with me!

Review courtesy of the Beer philosopher.

Another great post from Josquin at http://drinkingbeerintx.com The last time I published an extract from his blog it proved very popular, well maybe amongst you Texans anyway.

Pretty much every state with a strong craft-beer culture has laws that foster the breweries and allow shipping, self-distribution and direct sales to customers. In Texas, you'd have to be a dang fool to open a microbrewery. Pretty much everything is stacked against you. A brewpub has a slightly better chance, but, really, you are opening a bar/restaurant with the added headache of making your own beer.
Shlachter then discusses the difficulties with which craft beers find their way into restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that, as Keith Schlabs of the Flying Saucer puts it, "Serving craft beer yields larger bottom lines," Texas establishments largely skip out on the opportunity to make more money promoting superior, home-grown products. Particularly horrifying is Shlachter's assessment of the restaurant situation: "In local restaurants, patrons don't order the fine beers from our own Rahr & Sons or Houston's St. Arnold or Blanco's Real Ale because they don't see them on many menus. The restaurateurs say they're not offered because no one's asking for them."

For Christ's sake, get those beers on the menus! Demand them! These are Texan beers. Our beers. And remember, the next time you see an advertisement for Lone Star as the "National Beer of Texas," that if people are ever going to believe otherwise, they have to be made aware of the quality of our state's many craft beers.

Another great post from Josquin at http://drinkingbeerintx.com The last time I compiled a his blog it proved very popular.  So for you Texans here we go.

Pretty much every state with a strong craft-beer culture has laws that foster the breweries and allow shipping, self-distribution and direct sales to customers. In Texas, you'd have to be a dang fool to open a microbrewery. Pretty much everything is stacked against you. A brewpub has a slightly better chance, but, really, you are opening a bar/restaurant with the added headache of making your own beer.
Shlachter then discusses the difficulties with which craft beers find their way into restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that, as Keith Schlabs of the Flying Saucer puts it, "Serving craft beer yields larger bottom lines," Texas establishments largely skip out on the opportunity to make more money promoting superior, home-grown products. Particularly horrifying is Shlachter's assessment of the restaurant situation: "In local restaurants, patrons don't order the fine beers from our own Rahr & Sons or Houston's St. Arnold or Blanco's Real Ale because they don't see them on many menus. The restaurateurs say they're not offered because no one's asking for them."

For Christ's sake, get those beers on the menus! Demand them! These are Texan beers. Our beers. And remember, the next time you see an advertisement for Lone Star as the "National Beer of Texas," that if people are ever going to believe otherwise, they have to be made aware of the quality of our state's many craft beers.