Opening Day at Angel Stadium

Opening day of MLB is one of my most favorite days of the year, right after my birthday and Christmas.  This week, I was able to return to one of my most favorite places on Earth, besides San Diego and Disneyland, Angel Stadium. Going to games at the Big A with my friends is one of my most favorite things to do, besides of course visiting new breweries.

For the past three (!) years, I've written about the craft beer available at the stadium on my blog.  It's been amazing to see new and familiar breweries each season at the stadium. Going to the Angels home opener is always fun for me, because I love baseball but it's also great to have a chance to check out the newest craft beer options at the stadium.

Before heading to any game at the stadium, I first stop off at one of my favorite local breweries, Noble Ale Works, which is located just north of Angel Stadium.  Enjoying a beer at Noble Ale Works before walking over to the game is a fantastic way to support a local brewery before supporting my local baseball team.  Going to Noble before a game is also a great way to save a few bucks on parking and save some money for purchasing beer at the stadium.

On busy days at Noble Ale Works, the Express Bar is open, where the line is usually shorter.

As it has been for the past few years, the location at Angel Stadium with the widest variety of beer is also closest to the entrance of the stadium.  Located near Gate 2, Draft Pick once again has the largest variety of beer choices in the stadium.  

  
Breweries at Draft Pick include:

Karl Strauss Brewing
Elysian Brewing
Left Coast Brewing
Golden Road Brewing
Hangar 24
Ace Hard Cider
Kona Brewing
Rough Draft
Firestone Walker
Angel City Brewery
Redd's
Ballast Point Brewing
Saint Archer
Magic Hat
New Belgium Brewing
Speakeasy
Stone Brewing

Domestic Draft prices are $4.50 for a small and $9.50 for a large, while Premium beers are $11 for a small and $14 for a large.

Two stand alone carts, which first debuted last season are again on the 200 level of the stadium.  The smaller of the two carts has Firestone Walker options and is located near section 204.  The larger stand is located near the Left Field Pavilion, not far from section 256.  The new larger stand has most of the same beers available at the Draft Pick stand as well as a few macro selections and ciders.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this season Angel Stadium offers free wi-fi throughout the stadium.  This makes it far easier to keep in touch with friends throughout the game, and of course post essential social media updates.

While Angel Stadium has boasted about having the lowest cost per ounce of beer in the MLB in the past, their price of beers has increased again this season.  For $14, you are able to enjoy 24 ounces of craft beer, which equates to $0.58 per ounce versus $0.39 per ounce for macro styles of beer.  While the price per ounce is nearly double the average of $0.31-$0.37 per ounce from nearby breweries, the price is still fairly reasonable for a sports venue.

While the previous two seasons saw an increase in the number of craft breweries having their beers available at Angel Stadium, this season actually has seen a decrease.  The average consumer may not notice, but many of the breweries in the past season that were previously craft breweries are no longer craft.  I'm glad that one of my favorite local breweries, Left Coast Brewery, has continued to have a presence at Angel Stadium.

Left Coast Brewery's Trestles IPA

Small and Independent Brewers Continue to Grow Double Digits

Boulder, CO--The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, today released 2015 data on U.S. craft brewing² growth.  With more breweries than ever before, small and independent¹ craft brewers now represent 12 percent market share of the overall beer industry.

In 2015, craft brewers produced 24.5 million barrels, and saw a 13 percent rise in volume³ and a 16 percent increase in retail dollar value.  Retail dollar value was estimated at $22.3 billion, representing 21 percent market share.

"For the past decade, craft brewers have charged into the market, seeing double digit growth for eight of those years," said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.  "There are still a lot of opportunities and areas for additional growth.  An important focus will remain on quality as small and independent brewers continue to lead the local, full-flavored beer movement."

Additionally, in 2015 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 15 percent, totaling 4,269 breweries--the most at any time in American history.  Small and independent breweries account for 99 percent of the breweries in operation, broken down as follows:
2,397 microbreweries, 1,650 brewpubs, and 178 regional craft breweries.  Throughout the year, there were 620 new brewery openings and 68 closings.  One of the fastest growing regions was the South, where four states--Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas--each saw a net increase of more than 20 breweries, establishing a strong base for future growth in the region.

Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided nearly 122,000 jobs, an increase of over 6,000 from the previous year.

"Small and independent brewers are a beacon for beer and our economy," added Watson.  "As breweries continue to open and volume increases, there is a strong need for workers to fill a whole host of positions at these small and growing businesses."

Note:  Numbers are preliminary.  The Brewers Association will release the list of Top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies by volume sales on April 5.  Additionally, a more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America--in Philadelphia from May 3-6.  The full 2015 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2016 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and production by individual breweries.

¹An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional.  Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales).  Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.  Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.  Traditional: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation.  Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

²Absolute figures reflect the dynamic craft brewer data set as specified by the craft brewer definition.  Growth numbers are presented on a comparable base.  For full methodology, see the Brewers Association website.

³Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production.

Founders Brewing Orange County Launch

This coming Monday, January 18th, Hollingshead's Deli in Orange, CA will be celebrating the official launch of Founders Brewing Company in Orange County.  I love Founders Brewing beers, among my favorites are their All Day IPA and Centennial IPA.  Being able to get some of my favorite beers in California makes me so happy, because it saves me money from having to travel out of the area, which means I have more money to spend on beers.  I'm super excited to have the chance to try some new to me beers as well as some old favorites.

When:  January 18th, 2016 from 4:00-8:00 p.m.

Where:  Hollingshead's Deli, 368 South Main Street Orange, California

What:  13 beers will be available as well as guests from Founders Brewing who will be available to answer questions.

Beers:

All Day IPA

Centennial IPA

Dirty Bastard

Pale Ale

Porter

Red's Rye IPA (draft)

Nitro Oatmeal Stout

Mosaic Promise

Breakfast Stout

Blushing Monk 2015

Backwoods Bastard

Project PAM

KBS

Beer News: Nitro Merlin Milk Stout

Black Magic:  Velvet Merlin Transformed into Nitro Merlin Milk Stout

Paso Robles, CA:  With a new ingredient and a bit of wizardry, Firestone Walker's Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout has been transformed into a mindblowing mouthful known as Nitro Merlin Milk Stout, to be released starting on January 6, 2016.

"We've experimented with Velvet Merlin as both a milk stout and as a nitro beer, but this is the first time we've married the two styles." said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson.  "This combination is really magical, to the point where you can't imagine one without the other once you taste it."

Nitro Merlin Milk Stout marks Firestone Walker's first broad-market foray into nitro beers.  It will be available in draft year-round across Firestone Walker markets nationwide--starting with a series of "Milk & Cookies" promotions in collaboration with Brown Butter Cookie Company, a beloved family operation located in Firestone Walker's backyard of California's Central Coast.


Milking It

Nitro Merlin Stout is brewed exactly the same as Firestone's winter seasonal Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout, but with one critical twist; the inclusion of non-fermentable lactose sugar (a.k.a. milk sugar), the ingredient that transforms the beer into a milk stout.

"With a traditional dry stout like Velvet Merlin, you're using these roasted barleys that add astringency, with a fairly high hopping rate that adds bitterness," Brynildson said.  "But when you add milk sugar into the mix, you counterbalance those more astringent qualities.  It's a lot like adding cream to your dark roasted coffee."

He added, "The result is a stout that is still roasty, but with this mellow sweetness and a roundness of body that is only enhanced by the nitro format."

More Velvety

Nitro beer was originally popularized as a way to mimic the classic British cask ale experience, which is known for delivering a thick creamy head and an ultra-smooth mouthfeel with less carbonation.

"The challenge with cask ale is that you're dealing with a live fermentation, and a lot of things can go wrong," Brynildson said.  "Nitrogenating a stable beer is the solution for capturing a similar head and mouthfeel while bulletproofing the process."

When a nitro beer is poured, it is pushed through a dedicated "sparkler" nozzle on the tap that sheers the liquid and knocks the nitrogen out of the solution.

"You get this cascading waterfall effect in the glass and this temporary visual whiteout of the beer," Brynildson said.  "That's the nitrogen coming out of solution, and then it migrates to the top to create this beautiful foam.  The presentation is just fantastic.  Nitro isn't just about head retention and palate smoothness, it's also about the theater of the pour."

He added, "With Nitro Merlin Milk Stout, you've got this dark, roasty beer that looks really ominous, yet on nitro it's so smooth and creamy and drinkable.  It's a visual mindf***, and a complete transformation on the palate--especially with the added dimension of the milk sugar."

Milk & Cookies

The release of Nitro Merlin Milk Stout coincides with a series of "Milk & Cookies" promotions to be held in select markets, with the beer being served with cookies provided by Brown Butter Cookie Company.  The company's signature shortbread cookies are made with browned butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with a touch of sea salt.

"Brown Butter Cookie Company is a hometown favorite created by two sisters here on the Central Coast," Brynildson said.  "This is a pairing of local flavors that taste really awesome together."

Details on upcoming Milk & Cookies pairings will be forthcoming at FirestoneBeer.com.

Resources:

Nitro Edu:  www.firestonebeer.com/beers/nitromerlin/nitro-wizardry.php

Milk Stout Edu:  www.firestonebeer.com/beers/nitromerllin/milking-it.php

Brown Butter Cookie Edu:  http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/nitromerlin/milk-and-cookies.php