Arrowine

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

We’re already well past the halfway point of 2012, which I didn’t even realize until the other day. That got me thinking about the new beers I’ve had the opportunity to try and in some cases stock this year. Between new brews arriving at Arrowine, random bottles brought by friends and customers, and festivals like SAVOR I get to try more different beers than the average bear. Here are my top five for the first half of 2012:

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway

Having gone through the process of buying (and recently moving into) a home, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about maturity, responsibility, and growing up. I feel that all of us, as beer geeks, are coming of age right now, and that all of our changing palates and preferences are poised to make the craft beer scene more open and accessible than ever before.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Mrs. Beermonger and I are moving into a new home this weekend, and it has completely taken over our lives. We’ve always heard of the “joys of homeownership,” but we were blindsided by the sheer amount of work that needed to be put into the place before we officially move in.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

I want to address something today that has always been an issue in the craft beer community and is only going to become bigger as more people come into the fold: rare beers and trying to acquire them.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

This past weekend’s SAVOR craft beer and food experience was just what I needed. As I mentioned last week, I had only attended the first SAVOR event and was hoping to see for myself how far it had come in the past few years. The Saturday night session I attended was rife with great people, great food, and some very cool beers and breweries from all over the country. I think everyone who is into beer should make time every now and then to attend an event such as SAVOR: something with a bit more focus than the standard beer fest, that can introduce you to new beers and breweries that maybe you’d never know about otherwise.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

You may have noticed an unusually high number of special beer-themed events happening around the area this week. Well, you can thank SAVOR for that. SAVOR is a yearly festival run by the Brewer’s Association, a trade association representing the interests of craft breweries. SAVOR features craft breweries from all over America (many of whom aren’t available in our area yet) and focuses on pairing craft beer and food. Over the past few years, SAVOR has quickly become one of the can’t-miss events on the beer geek’s calendar.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

My first experience with Hefeweizen was probably much like many people of my age: a happy hour special ordered because ‘look at that tall glass—that’s a deal,’ served with a wedge of lemon. In those days I thought that was a beautiful thing, and if I’m honest there are some days even now when I still do (don’t tell anyone, though. I’ve got a rep to maintain here). There were a great many things I didn’t know, however. Things I’d learn only with time and experience. To many here in the U.S. though, the classic German Wheat Ale is still that cloudy junk you throw citrus into. Let’s take a few moments today to explore true Hefeweizen, and see if we can’t find the right one for you. Because there is a right Wheat Beer for everyone.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

Today we’re wrapping up our ABCs of German Lager with a rundown of seasonal and slightly more obscure styles that you may come across, or maybe you’ve seen before but not known what they are. With a brewing tradition as storied and long-reaching as Germany’s there are many regional variations and sub-categories, but for today’s purposes we’re going to look at the ones you’re most likely to run into. Let’s start with perhaps the most famous seasonal beer in the world:

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

Last week we looked at the most common forms of traditional German Lager found today. This week we’re going to run through some of the maltier and stronger styles of Lager out there, and look at examples of each that shouldn’t be too difficult to come by.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

For our first week of German beer style exploration, we’re going to take a look at what is probably the most popular style of beer in the world — the German-style Lager. Lager has a long and fascinating history. The word Lager itself is actually medieval German for “cellar,” as it was in the caves and storehouses where these beers were originally made. The bottom-fermenting yeast that makes a Lager ferments and conditions at lower temperatures, and as a result the beers they made adopted the name of where they were most commonly brewed.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

After our tour of beer styles common to most of the world, we’ve arrived at the beers of Germany. Germany has one of the richest and most celebrated beer histories in the world; it’s perhaps the country most responsible for establishing beer’s presence all over the world. German beer isn’t without controversy, however. I can attest to the decline of interest in German beers over the past few years among American craft beer drinkers, and as a result have stopped stocking them as much as I once did. I hear both sides of this; from those who love German beer and wish I had more to offer, and those who perceive German beer as boring or too traditional in the era of beer experimentation. Today, before getting into the specific German styles as we normally would, we’re going to look at the law that both established German beer and in many eyes holds its development back in the modern era: the Reinheitsgebot.