beer

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

It doesn’t happen often, but it’s been a slow week. No huge breaking news (though it’s worth looking at the restructured InBev/Modelo deal to see how they’ll get away with that). No insane once-per-year rarities to call every store in town to find. There are some cool new beers out including the new Schwarzbier from Devils Backbone, and we’ll be sampling those on Saturday at the shop. But as far as news goes it’s a little too quiet out there.

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

So maybe it’s the day after Valentine’s Day but I know many couples who, when it lands in the middle of the week, choose to celebrate over the weekend. While it may be more traditional to have a nice bottle of Champagne or to pair some wine with a romantic dinner, there are some beers out there that I think would be appropriate for a nice romantic evening.

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

As mentioned in the comments section of last week’s column, the biggest news story in the beer industry involved the U.S. Justice Department filing suit to stop the purchase of Grupo Modelo (makers of Corona, among other brands) by AB InBev (Budweiser, Stella Artois), the biggest of the big beer companies. It’s funny which stories have ‘legs’ where others don’t; I remember the InBev purchase of Anheuser-Busch gaining quite a bit of attention, but I never got any phone calls from reporters then — and I did this week when the big guys got told “no”.

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

Without a doubt the event of the week in our area was the yearly release of Bell’s HopSlam. We received our 25 cases at Arrowine on Monday and they sold out in under an hour, way faster than I had anticipated. Considering the madness surrounding its release, I thought of making this week’s column more an open forum where folks could discuss it, as it seems to be all anyone wants to talk about right now — but I thought that would be lazy even by my standards.

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

Most of the time, it works like this: I get word of an upcoming release from a brewery; the brewery starts getting word out through the press, the beer is released, and then within a certain number of weeks/months a distributor clears it for Virginia and then I get it for stock. Some of the time, a beer from a brewery popular in Virginia is made in small enough quantities that it never makes it here. Then there’s the case of Left Hand’s Milk Stout Nitro.

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

We’ve looked at Belgian Trappist Ales here before, but I wanted to take a quick moment this week to consider the newest member to the ranks of the official Trappist brewers. News of the addition of Austrian monastery Stift Engelszell to the list of approved Trappist breweries got a little lost last year in the wave of excitement over the impending release of Westvleteren 12. However, while Westy 12 has already come and gone (with none allocated for the District or Virginia) the first of Engelszell’s beers is reaching us now.

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

Now that we’re into winter, Stouts are fully in season. Every week right now there are great new and returning Stouts on the market. Just this week we will see the return of Founder’s Imperial Stout (in quantities we’ve never seen in Virginia), Southern Tier Choklat Stout, and Left Hand Barrel-Aged Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout (for the first time in a couple years); this after having received the excellent new Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout, Dogfish Head Bitches Brew, Terrapin’s W-n-B Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout and Moo Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout, and Evil Twin Aun Mas A Jesus Imperial Stout over the past couple of months. For this week, I’m not going to look at the biggest, high-ABV monster Stouts out there—I’m going to look at one of my favorite styles out there: Oyster Stout.

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

I hope everyone had an enjoyable New Year’s Eve. My wife and I celebrated with a small group of friends and while a good number of Champagne bottles were consumed, I was encouraged to see the quality of brews brought over by friends who aren’t necessarily what you’d call beer geeks. It’s always fun to talk to those folks who are just discovering a love for beer and share in their journey just a little.

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

We’ve gone over what beers to get for the beer geek in your life, and we’ve taken a look at some of the standout holiday beers available this season. At this point I don’t know what other ground there is to cover where holiday beers are concerned, and in light of the horrific events in Connecticut last week I’m pretty sure I’d be uncomfortable writing about it even if there were.

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

I don’t always focus on one specific brewery in these columns (though I may start doing so more often in the coming year), but I feel like I should point out one which has been on a roll lately: Southern California’s The Bruery. Only in business since 2008, The Bruery has already established a reputation as one of the more fearless and uncompromising craft breweries in America. Their range of styles is testament to the creativity of the Rue brothers who founded The Bruery, along with their team.

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

As we approach the end of 2012, end-of-year retrospectives and best-of lists saturate all forms of media across all subjects, and your humble Beermonger is here to throw one more onto the pile. Through an intensely scientific process involving me thinking about beers I tried this year and deciding my favorites, I’ve narrowed down a list of the five beers that made the biggest impression on me this year. Please bear in mind – -this is not necessarily a list of the best beers available right now, though a couple on this list are — I’m just throwing my favorites out there. Without further adieu or qualification: