Buckbean Beer, a Nevada craft brewer, uses
cans for its Black Noddy Logger and Orange
Blossom Ale. Photo courtesy of Buckbean
Beer.

Is canned beer making a comeback among those who enjoy the finest? More craft brewers are turning to canning their brews. In the past, canning lines weren’t made small enough to handle small craft beer lines, so brewers had to use glass; glass became associated with quality beer.

While canned beer comprises a fraction of craft brews, some companies have started canning their beer exclusively, for environmental reasons as well as for consumer convenience:

(Although note that beer should be drunk fresh and not stored longer than six months, so this should be a theoretical argument. Resist the temptation to buy more beer than you need in any given month.)

On October 23rd a competition of canned craft beers, CANFEST, will be held in Reno, Nevada. Beer seminars, beer and food pairings, tastings of the competing beers and a forum of brewers are planned; celebrities from the beer world will judge the beers. A sample of the entrants includes Big Sky Brewing Company, Buckbean Brewing Company, Maui Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Oskar Blues, Rochester Mills Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Company, Ukiah Brewing Company and Uncommon Brewers. Ticket prices are $35 and room packages will be available. For more information, email Constance Aguilar, constance@abbipr.com or call 1.775.323.2977.

Rejuvenator, one of the numerous varieties of HE-BREW.

It’s never too late to celebrate your bar- or bat mitzvah. He-Brew Beer—an uber-kitschy concept to start with—wants to put vintage bar mitzvah pictures on the label. You with Uncle Izzie, with the challah, with your pink cherub cheeks under that yarmulke.

The company, Shmaltz Brewing of San Francisco, is celebrating its 13th year of beer and shtick with a special release called Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah, their 13th “Chosen Beer” in 13 years of Shmaltz. Brewed with 13 malts, 13 hops and soaring to 13% ABV, Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah will be nationally available in 22 oz. bottles and a very limited amount of draft for select bars.

While the concept may seem schmaltzy, Shmaltz’s Jewbelation series, launched in 2004, has receiving top accolades from critics, including “5 Stars” from Celebrator Beer News, “Best Holiday Beer“ from Pacific Brew News, and 97 out of 100 points for 2007’s Jewbelation Eleven from Ratebeer.com. A recent issue of Beer Advocate (Volume II, Issue VIII) commented, “Today, Jeremy Cowan of Shmaltz Brewing Company is arguably making some of the best contract-brewed beers in America.”

The beer is certified kosher, of course, by KSA. It just may be the perfect beer to serve at bar mitzvahs—to the grown-ups, of course. While Jewish law may deem the 13-year-old a man (or woman), there’s still the state liquor law to contend with.

TO ENTER:

Bar/bat mitzvah men and women (age 21+ only): Submit photos of you in your braces, awkward suits, frizzy hair, ’80s-tastic family portraits with Aunt Linda and Uncle Dan… and celebrate the day you became an adult. The “winning” photos in each of these categories will receive a HE’BREW Bar Mitzvah Gift Set and will be featured on Shmaltz’s website: “Best Hair,” “Best Family Photo,” “Most Awkward Moment,” “Youngest-Looking Adult,” “Funniest Shot,” “Best-Dressed,” “Best Braces,” and “Best Dance Moves.”

Send photos with your name, date and location of event to info@shmaltzbrewing.com. If you are on Facebook, join their group “The Jewbelation 13 Project,” and check out some photos they’ve collected, post your picture, and become a fan of Shmaltz Brewing and HE’BREW Beer.

Then, track down some Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock (a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week). This beer, made with Scharffen Berger chocolate nibs goes great with cupcakes. We bought ours at a Whole Foods Market. A 750ml bottle is about $20.00, but much more memorable than Champagne. If you want Champagne to go with the cupcakes, be sure it’s a sec or demi-sec, a sweeter-vinified Champagne. Dry Champagnes are not meant to go beyond the main course, except perhaps with a nice triple-crème cheese course.

Read our review of Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

For your Valentine quaffing pleasure, mixologists combined O’Hara’s with Früli Strawberry Beer, a gold medal winner at the International Beer Competition in 2004. Made with high quality Belgian white beer and natural strawberry juice, Früli Strawberry Beer is a new, easy-drinking style of premium fruit beer,  more “accessible” than traditional lambic fruit beers. It has sweet, rather than sour, beer characteristics.

Preparation

Combine 3 Parts O’Hara’s Irish Stout and 1 Part Früli Strawberry Beer in a handsome glass.
Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Serve with a kiss.
Optional side dish: chocolate-covered strawberries.

- Learn more about the different types of beers in our Beer Glossary.

- Check out our Beer & Cheese Pairings.

Märzen is Gordon Biersch’s sweetest brew. Company co-founder Dan Gordon describes it as the “universal donor,” meaning that it goes well with just about anything. Some strongly-flavored beers can turn bitter if you cook with them, particularly if you use them to boil or braise. Weizens (wheat beers) are too light to cook with, and hoppy beers like pilsners don’t reduce too successfully.

If you can’t find Märzen, you can substitute any slightly sweet and malty lager, a darker lager or, in season, festbiers and Oktoberfest brews.

-Barbecued Märzen Ribs Recipe

-Beer Batter Onion Rings Recipe

-Märzen Barbecue Sauce Recipe

-Märzen Mustard Recipe