Sierra Nevada hosted an American Homebrewers Association Rally last Sunday. Besides GABF this was the first AHA event I’ve attended. Sierra Nevada provided the location, beer, and brewery tours. Matt Bolling from AHA handled the rest. The rally was attended by 150+ members from all over California. It included a live “Coast to Coast Toast” with attendees of another AHA rally at Sierra Nevada’s North Carolina location. The East Coast location had a couple hours of drinking head start, so they were just as loud despite what appeared to be a smaller crowd. A couple vendors had booths: O’Hara Brew Shop Supply and NorCal Brewing Solutions. Both were happy to chat about their range of interesting products.

Checking in AHA Members

The highlight of the event for me was the Sierra Nevada Brewer Q&A. Homebrewers ask some great questions! A few interesting notes:

• A new head brewmaster, replacing the retiring Steve Dresler, has been announced internally and starts this week. A name wasn’t provided since it hasn’t been announced publicly. It was disclosed that the new brewmaster worked for Anheuser-busch for 15 years before becoming the Director of Operations at a mid-sized East coast craft brewery.
• They’re working on more sours!
• Barrel-aged Coconut Narwhal (possibly with cocoa nibs?)
• River Ryed (a lower ABV version of Ruthless) will return

The event ended with a raffle with loads of prizes. Lots of shirts and sweatshirts donated by Sierra Nevada, and some great AHA books. The rally was fun and informative, and I’ll be on the look out for future AHA events!

Who among us can say they didn't found Fascism Forever clubs in an age when totalitarian autocracy was an impossible dream? It's a joke, see, about what's needed to resist a world ruined by liberals! Laugh already, would you!

Brian made these California Resistance mugs, sporting Jerry Brown's promise to "launch our own damned satellite" -- proceeds to Planned Parenthood. (more…)

The entirety of the Trump transition team’s response to the extraordinary news that the CIA believes Russia interfered with the election with the intention of helping Trump win:

These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to move on and “Make America Great Again.”

Put aside that every single word of that statement is false. (It was George W. Bush’s White House that claimed to be convinced that Iraq had WMDs, not CIA intelligence officers. The election was only a month ago — we’re still closer to election day than we are to Trump’s first day in office. Trump lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes and his Electoral College win ranks 46th out of 58 in history.) Put aside that the statement doesn’t even claim the report is false — the implication is that it doesn’t matter whether or not Russia interfered in a U.S. election to help one side, when, clearly, anyone with an interest in ours being an honest democracy would call for a thorough and immediate investigation of these claims.

That’s a lot to put aside. But here’s the best part. One of the people who did claim in 2002 that Iraq had stockpiled hidden weapons of mass destruction was John R. Bolton, then Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Today comes news that Trump’s team is considering nominating Bolton to be Deputy Secretary of State.

So within the span of a breath, Trump’s team is claiming that the people who claimed Iraq had WMDs in 2002 have no credibility on matters of foreign intelligence, and are thinking about nominating one of them as second-in-command at the State Department.

Check out our interview with @saintarnoldbrewing brewer Aaron Inkrott at BeerSelfie.com

A photo posted by Beer Selfie (@beerselfie) on Nov 22, 2016 at 8:48am PST

Aaron Inkrott is a brewer for Saint Arnold Brewing in Houston, Texas. He told us a little about his path to professional brewing, why you should use a funnel, and which Houston breweries you should check out.

What’s special about your brewery?

Not only are we passionate about making a consistent, high quality product, but equally so giving back to our community who’s supported us for so long. Developing community through craft beer.

How did you get started brewing professionally?

Volunteering at breweries while obsessively home brewing.

I recently tried Saint Arnold’s Boiler Room. Did you make that? How did you make it so awesome?

That was developed by our Operations Manager, Stephen Rawlings. It was his baby, I just helped raise it and help grow the bacteria that makes it so delicious.

What is your favorite part of the brew day?

Too many to count! But working with fellow brewers who are just as passionate as I is very fulfilling.

What was the biggest mess you’ve made making a beer?

Trying to fill barrels with fruit puree without a funnel. We use a funnel now.

What’s your favorite beer festival?

Oktoberfest in Munich

Have you shared, or are you willing to share, a homebrew clone recipe for any of your beers?

Willing to share.

What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve added to a beer?

Probably cascara…the fruit around a coffee bean.

What was your happiest moment as a brewer?

Seeing BB12 released after 21 months of barrel aging, and how much everyone enjoyed it.

Who do you admire in the brewing industry?

So many…Brock Wagner, Vinnie Cilurzo, Tomme Arthur, Jason Perkins, Dan Carey, John Palmer. I could go on.

What breweries should I check out if I visit Houston?

Other than us, check out Eureka Heights, Brash, 8th Wonder, Southern Star, Galveston Island.

What beer should be served at your funeral?

Orval and Five O’Clock Pils

We're getting nutty with @pointbrewery Snow Pilot Pistachio Nut Brown Ale. Check out our review at BeerSelfie.com #FeaturedBeerSelfie

A photo posted by Beer Selfie (@beerselfie) on Nov 21, 2016 at 8:24am PST

Snow Pilot is the first beer I’ve tried from Stevens Point Brewery. This Wisconsin brewery has an extensive lineup, but they don’t make it out to California very often. So far I’m impressed, and I look forward to trying more of their brews.

Snow Pilot is a straight forward brown ale with a nutty twist. This new winter seasonal is an English-style mild brown ale with crushed pistachios added. Snow Pilot pours a ruby brown with a small off-white head. It didn’t retain much head as I drank it, possibly due to some pistachio oil. The aroma has a nutty maltiness.

The first thing I noticed when tasting Snow Pilot was caramel maltiness, reminiscent of classic brown ales like Newcastle or Samuel Smith. That gives way to a unique pistachio nuttiness. It has much more pistachio nut flavor than the nose implied. The nuts give it a bit of sweetness, almost like an almond roca. There are hints of raisin which compliment the pistachio flavor.

Snow Pilot is a perfect beer for a fall evening. It’s a classic brown ale with the unique addition of pistachio. I haven’t had pistachio in a beer before. It works well here. Snow Pilot’s pistachio flavor is not subtle, but it enhances the brown ale characteristics rather than overpowering them.