ChiTown Beer

I saw Beer Wars Live last night, a guerilla-style documentary about the plight of the craft beer man in a world controlled by Anheuser-Busch InBev (the Budweiser people), followed by a live discussion of the industry moderated by Ben Stein.

The very heavy-handed film featured Anat Baron (former CEO of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and the writer, director, producer, star, caterer, goddess, etc.  of the film) stumbling around Boston, New York, D.C. and (briefly) St. Louis to find out why it was just so gosh darn hard to be a craft brewer in America, where AB InBev owns almost 50% of the market share and with MillerCoors included, they own 78% of the US market.

Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams, etc.), probably summed the movie up the best when he proudly, but sadly told the cameras that while Boston Beer Co. is the largest craft brewery in the United States, all the beer he produces is about equivalent to the run off from the AB InBev breweries. “My life’s work is their industrial waste,” he said.

To what extent Budweiser is an evil-corporation hell-bent on destroying the little guy and to what extent the little guy is simply a Budweiser waiting to happen was only somewhat probed by Stein in the discussion that followed.

The movie focused on Sam from Dogfish Head Brewery in Deleware and touched base with  Greg Koch from Stone Brewing Co. in California. While these two are very successful craft brewers, the movie’s female lead, Rhonda Kallman, a founder of the Boston Beer Co., was having trouble pushing her new caffinated beer, Moon Shot.

Kallman seemed to have immense trouble getting a foot in the door, even in the after-movie discussion. It’s ironic that even at an event about how hard it is for the little guy to get into the industry, the two larger craft brewers won’t give the time of day to a smaller one.

Stone Brewing Co.’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

The Verdict: 9.7

My confession is that I like Stone Brewing Co. I like the brand they’ve developed and I like their no-apologies approach to brewing. They brew the good stuff, and they don’t care who knows it. Here was my battle with a bottle of Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, an American ale aged with oak wood chips:

Smell (2): It smells a bit like caramel and hops at first. Lemon and grass are also present, but not overwhelming

Color (2): A dark amber, slightly cloudy. It didn’t have a very strong head, but the flavor remained consistent even after a bit of oxidizing.

Drink (5): The oak flavor is embedded in the hoppy flavor of the beer. They advertise on the bottle that “you probably won’t like” this beer, but I would be surprised if you didn’t. There’s a strong malty flavor that feels almost  prickly going down. It’s a drink that stays with you. The lingering aftertaste is a bit toasty. This beer tastes like most other craft ales at first sip, but yields deeper and more roasted flavors the longer you drink it. By the bottom of the glass, you know why they call it “oaked.”

Incidentals (.7):This beer cost me about $20 for a six-pack. Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Very. Yes.

Unfortunately, it’ll cost us Chicagoans more because it’s not sold in Illinois. It is worth the drive to  Michigan, Indiana, or Wisconsin, though.

Notes on rating: I use a 10 point system. 5 points for drink, 2 for smell and color, and 1 for “incidentals” which include  cost, packaging and my general mood after drinking it.