Hopping on the bike with Dogfish Head

With a tax return from The Great and Powerful IRS burning a hole in my bib shorts, I went shopping online for a beer-themed bike jersey recently, hoping to purchase one that was fashionable, reasonably priced and representative of an edgy, progressive brewer. Happily, after an oft-frustrating search, I reeled in the perfect match from Dogfish Head. Made by Capo, a California company that’s a primo producer of cycling wear, the jersey cost $80, a fair price considering that Sierra Nevada sells its Capo jerseys for $100. Black, with white lettering and green accents, it’s a little more understated than I expected from Dogfish Head, which has a well-deserved reputation for pushing the boundaries of brewing. It comes with the standard three pockets in the back, suitable for carrying a cell phone, gels, and assorted junk while cycling. The pockets will also allow you, while partying, to carry three bottles of Dogfish Head. I’m off to the races here, so to speak, with ApriHop, 60-Minute IPA and Sixty-One.

Beer lovers can fill up in Statesboro

Last weekend, shortly before my wife Shelly and I drove to Statesboro to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of her Aunt Faye and Uncle Leon, I Googled the restaurant’s address and found its location on U.S. Hwy. 301. I’ve got an iPhone, but I prefer to get to most destinations by Google and/or road maps, partly because of habit, but also because it represents a still-tangible connection to my parents who each summer drove us on long journeys that were mapped out by AAA. Thanks to that little quirk, we took the second Statesboro exit off I-16, and came in on 301 North, a fortuitous choice because it led us to the Beer Filling Station at 514 S. Main St. Operated by Southern Growlers, the Filling Station has 20 taps, and emphasizes beers brewed in Georgia. After enjoying a couple of samples, I went home with 32-ounce growlers of Let There Be Light, a pale ale from Wild Heaven in Decatur and Strawn Amber, a flavorful new find from Strawn Brewing Company in Fairburn, a small town in Fulton County. Let There Be Light is a saintly addition to a rapidly growing congregation, session beers. At 4.7 percent ABV, it’s still got strong characteristics, including a pleasing balance between malt and hops and a tangy twist of orange peel. The folks at Beer Advocate have given it a grade of 85. The Strawn Amber stands out in that oft-bland style because its brewers, Will Strawn and Doug Evans, have hopped it up with 44 IBUs. That near-IPA level of bitterness and citrus gives it a pleasing, smartly tangible bite that accents the usual amber tones of malt and biscuit. It’s also been well received at Beer Advocate, earning an 83 from its reviewers. For more information on Southern Growlers, go to www.southerngrowlers.com.

The shandy offers cyclists a refreshing choice for post-ride conviviality

A low-alcohol, high-taste blend of beer, lemonade and honey, the shandy has been around for 80-some years. Its origin dates back to 1922 when a Bavarian innkeeper, faced with an onslaught of several thousand thirsty cyclists on a summer afternoon, stretched out his beer supply, and satisfied the cyclists in the process, by mixing it with lemon soda. Known as a radler in Germany, and as a shandy in England, this concoction has a much shorter history in the U.S. It burst onto the beer scene in the United States just last year with the introduction of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, an unlikely but immense success story for this old-line Chippewa Falls, Wisc. brewery, which is owned by MillerCoors. The Traveler Beer Company has also jumped into the shandy market, and its Curious Traveler, which blends in lemon and lime, is also widely obtainable. Of the two, I prefer the Curious Traveler. The presence of lime gives it a little more bite than the Leinenkugel version. But, if you want to broaden the choices, you can always make your own style of shandy. Earlier this week, I blended Coastal Empire Beer Company’s Tybee Island Blonde, a crisp, light Kolsch, with Savannah’s Heavenly Honey from Asbury Methodist Church, the juice of a half-dozen lemons and water to produce a shandy that was a big hit at our book-club gathering. Kolsch is a popular choice for a shandy mix, but wheat beers, ales and lagers are also options, as is even India Pale Ale. For a complete look at the shandy’s history, and the possible ways to make it, go to the wonderfully named site BeerDorks.com.

Drayton Tower Beer Growler has Georgia on its mind

Chris Haborak, director of sales for the Coastal Empire Beer Co., took the time Wednesday evening to operate the taps and praise his company’s products as part of the Drayton Tower Beer Growler’s Pour Some Local Love extravaganza. Three of the company’s beers – Savannah Brown Ale, Barrel Aged Savannah Brown Ale and Tybee Island Blonde – were among the 43 choices on the Beer Growler’s blackboard. The Brown Ale is a hoppier-than-usual version of that style. It has 55 IBUs, putting it in the range of an India Pale Ale, yet it retains the expected malt characteristics of a Brown Ale, said Chris. The folks at beeradvocate.com agree: They have given the Brown Ale a very respectable rating of 83. The Barrel Aged Savannah Brown Ale has also garnered beer industry attention: It won a bronze medal at the 2013 U.S. Open Beer Championship. As for the Tybee Island Blonde, it’s a refreshing, crisp Kolsch, a 4.7-ABV session beer that goes well with warm summer afternoons. The company, which opened in 2011, is building a new facility, and will soon quadruple its production, said Chris. Coastal Empire Beer Co. was the second of three Georgia breweries to be spotlighted at the Beer Growler during Pour Some Local Love. Southbound had its wares on display on Tuesday, and representatives of Eagle Creek will be on hand tonight. In all, 38 Georgia beers from 14 Georgia breweries will be on tap. For more information on the Coastal Empire Beer Co., go to www.CoastalEmpireBeer.com. For more information on the Drayton Tower Beer Growler, and what it’s pouring on any particular day, go to www.thebeergrowler.net/savannah.

Gnomegang brings enticing, seductive warmth to the table

There’s a new blonde in town. Gnomegang is her name, and she’s the artful and assertive centerpiece of a mixed eight-pack from Ommegang, the iconic New York brewery that connects Belgian styles with American tastes. Gnomegang’s impressive measurements are 9.5 percent ABV, a rating of 92 at www.beeradvocate.com, and $18.99, the price of the eight-pack at Habersham Beverage. She’s not a tepid American blonde, but rather a smooth, silky date who is, in the words of a beeradvocate.com reviewer, “dangerously drinkable.” You can anticipate notes of fruit, spice and yeast. It’s a delicious mix that charmingly cloaks the high alcohol content. Gnomegang was produced in a partnership between Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe, a brewery located in the Belgian Ardennes. Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe are owned by the Belgian powerhouse Brouwerij Duvel Moorgat, whose other products include the highly regarded Duvel golden ale. Given this sort of heritage, it’s no surprise that the other three beers in the mixed pack are also first rate. Hennepin, a Saison named for the Catholic priest who was the first European to visit Niagara Falls, is another of the world’s great beers and merits a 93 at beeradvocate.com. Rare Vos, an amber ale that is a stellar choice for dinner, scores a 91 at beeradvocate.com. And Witte, a Belgian-style wheat beer that will go great with hot weather, if it ever gets here, comes in with an 85 at beeradvocate.com. For more information on these beers, and the rest of the splendid brews in the Ommegang family, go to www.ommegang.com.

A stout-hearted recipe recommendation

Last month, when the Harpoon Brewery crew was in Savannah as part of its 3,400-mile run from Boston to Key West and back, I met its three members at Perry Rubber Bike Shop and was impressed with their vigor and enthusiasm for beer and athletic endeavors. I was already familiar with Harpoon, and counted UFO and Leviathan among my personal favorites. At that time, I also friended Harpoon on Facebook, and signed up as follower on Twitter. Thanks to that decision, I’ve been able to enjoy a delicious slice of Boston that I’d like to share with my blog readers. Harpoon, through its digital marketing section, has come up with a recipe for Irish Stout Cupcakes. Check out the link at http://shout.lt/qXT1. My wife, a baking goddess, made these on Sunday afternoon, and just getting to lick the bowl after preparing the batter was worth every bit of the effort to make the cupcakes. They were a huge hit at a party we went to that evening. If you’re looking for something for a St. Patrick’s Day party, this will win you raves, complements, and requests for the recipe. Serve them with, of course, some Irish stout.

I find myself cap in hand

I was pretty proud of my bottle cap collection after I’d magnetized some 130 caps last month to the front of the beerafrator in the garage. The collection covers a wide range of breweries, including several in Belgium that don’t market their products in the U.S. Seeking a little more information, I typed “beer bottle cap collection” into Google, and quickly learned that I’m not even navel lint when it comes to this particular avocation. There’s a community forum at www.beeradvocate.com on the subject. One guy is saving enough caps to cover a table top; another collector says he has been saving these caps, also called crowns, since 1979, and now has some 20,000; and, then there’s this guy at http://imgur.com/QXUt355, who has an entire wall lined with them. There are also serious collectors who are willing to pay for these caps. At www.bottlecapman.com, an old Old Milwaukee caps sells for $6; a Falstaff cap, complete with a Georgia tax symbol, goes for $8; and a Patrick Henry crown will set you back $30. There’s also a yearly conclave for these collectors, held under the auspices of the Crowncap Collectors Society International. It will be awhile before I apply for membership.