THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013
PAGE 7A
BEER
Craft breweries offer seasonal beers full of fall flavor
IDUNCAN MCHENRY
dmchenry@kansan.com
As college students, many of us have been faced with a gut wrenching, distinctly first world problem when buying beer: whether to settle for quantity, or spring for quality. We stare indecisely down the glass-encased rows of fermented hoppy goodness. We waffle back and forth between good of' Anbeuser Busch and some German brew with a name that sounds like someone clearing their throat followed by "Hefeweizen." We think to ourselves, "That Ginger Lemongrass Shandy from Oregon must be insane if it's worth half my share of the water bill, right?"
But for some reason, the priciar,
more flavorful craft beers seem to
make a comeback every year with
the falling of the leaves. Something
about the crisp fall air makes us
want to drink a hearty ale instead
of a light lager, and the brewers
know it. They inevitably come out
with an array of special brews along
with the seasonal change. In honor
of their efforts, I've put together a short, six-pack list of some of my favorites for this time of year.
Cheers!
NAME: Free State Ad Astra Ale
BREWERY: Free State Brewing Co.
(Lawrence)
STYLE: Amber Ale
Ad Astra Ale is the original beer from Free State Brewing Co. Its name comes from the Kansas state motto Ad Astra per Aspera, which means "To the Stars Through Difficulties." This is probably my favorite Free State brew, aside from the Wheat State Golden, because of its no-nonsense malt taste and drinkability. Despite being a darker ale,
it's easy to have a few of these on a Friday night without feeling so full you can't walk. I also detected a hint of copper in the one I drank for this review, but it wasn't strong enough to overpower the beer's signature characteristics.
NAME: Lost Coast Indica IPA
BREWERY: Lost Coast Brewery & Café
(Fureka, Calif.)
Breckenridge Brewery's Autumn Ale is just one of many seasonal craft beers currently available. Although slightly more expensive, these limited-edition brews could be worth the extra money.
STYLE: India Pale Ale
Like all members of the India Pale Ale family, Lost Coast Indica is strongly hopped, giving it a more bitter taste. This style originated several centuries ago when British brewers added extra hops as a natural preservative to ales they exported to India. While IPAs aren't typically considered seasonal beers, I love to drink them when the temperature outside drops because they tend to be a bit higher in alcohol content. This is one of my favorite IPAs I've tried because it strikes a good balance between bitterness and a wholesome, grainy taste. At 6.5 percent alcohol, the flavor is deceptively mellow.
NAME: Beck's Oktoberfest Lager
BREWERY: Brauerle Baeck & Co/
Beck's (Bremen, Germany)
STYLE: Oktoberfest/Marzen
NAME: Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey IPA
BREWERY: Left Hand Brewing Co.
(Longmont, Colo.)
While Beck's started out as an independent brewery in Germany, it isn't technically a craft brewery nowadays as InBev owns it. Beck's Oktoberfest makes my list because its sweet flavor—with hints of caramel and toffee—could be perfect for some around Halloween. It pours with a reddish, amber color, and is the lowest in alcohol content of the six at just 5 percent. Consider having this one available instead of candy at your 21-and-up costume party this year.
DUNCAN MCHENRY/KANSAN
STYLE: India Pale Ale
The lightest of the six in color, 400 Pound Monkey is another India Pale Ale that isn't too overbearing in bitterness. I drank it along with a lasagna dinner and its smoothness went perfectly with my meal without clashing and leaving a weird aftertaste. Flavor aside, Left Hand wins the award for best graphic design of any craft brewery I've seen. And that's saying something in an industry where a pale ale label often equates to visual art, Oh, and at nearly 7 percent alcohol, 400 Pound Monkey may be a one-and-done for some casual beer drinkers.
NAME: Breckenridge Autumn Ale
BREWERY: Breckenridge Brewery
(Breckenridge, Colo.)
STYLE: Dark ale
Never having tried Breckenridge Autumn Ale before, or anything from Breckenridge Brewery for that matter, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Its dark, cloudy coloration had me anticipating a Guiness knock-off, but the sweet taste of molasses brought out by roasted malts used in the brewing process put my concerns to rest. This is an autumn ale with a complex flavor that's sure to leave a different palatal impression for everyone. Personally, I enjoyed its lingering aftertaste that faded to a mellow toastiness.
NAME: Boulevard Bob's '47 Oktoberfest
BREWERY: Boulevard Brewing Co.
(Kansas City, Mo.)
STYLE: Oktoberfest/Marzen
Maybe my taste buds are just averse to sweeter beers for some
reason, but Bob's '47 Oktoberfest and Beck's Oktoberfest Lager were my least favorites of the bunch. While Bob's '47 definitely doesn't have the almost candy corn-like hints of the Beck's Oktoberfest, it still left something to be desired. My favorite Boulevard beer is the Pale Ale because of its classic grainy, yet slightly bitter, flavor. Those characteristics were missing in Bob's '47, so I personally will continue to purchase Boulevard Pale Ale at every opportunity like a good Kansas City native should.
FREE STATE OWNER COMMENTS ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Last Thursday's University Daily Kansan ran an Associated Press story about possible delays to the introduction of new craft beers due to the government shutdown. Chuck Magelr, owner and founder of Lawrence's Free State Brewing Co., said his brewery
could be affected if the shutdown lasts longer than currently anticipated.
"We basically plan six weeks to six months out, so to have this as a short-term disruption is not a problem," Magerl said. "If they aren't able to resolve things and it still linger on for another month or two, it could have an impact on us. A lot of what comes from them are permits and label approvals, and
Edited by Sarah Kramer
we have most of those locked in place at this point. But I know it's going to have a huge backlog once they do actually get back to work."
magger added that the absence of federal regulation matters more for start-up craft brewers. They will have to wait on a response from the essentially inactive Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
What is your favorite fall seasonal brew?
Free State has just finished brewing the last of their tall seasonal Octoberfest beer this week, and will soon be introducing their new Winterfest variety. The Winterfest is an India Pale Ale.
DAME VEDDER.
Senior majoring in journalism from Overland Park
"It's also going to have an impact on some small businesses that maybe are just trying to get started and are waiting for their initial approval." Magerl said.
"One of my favorite beers in Lawrence has got to be the Ad Astra. It's a nice autumn beer. It's got a nice bit of flavor, but isn't overly dark and still kind of has that crispness."
"I usually don't like Samuel Adams beers a lot, but their Octoberfest beer is really good. They're typically such heavy, dark beers, and I don't like to fill up that quickly, but it's delicious."
"I like the New Belgium one called Pumpkick. Most pumpkin beers are too sweet and nasty, but this one is pretty good. It's made with cranberries."
BEN CLECELAND,
Graduate student in vocal
performance from Spokane, Wash.
NADINA GOODARD,
Senior majoring in
social welfare from Wichita
Eating greasy food while drunk worsens hangover
CUISINE
DANI BRADY
dbrady@kansan.com
We've all been there — you stumbled out of the Hawk after consuming your body weight in cranberry wedges and fireball shots and you're about to make some bad decisions. Your body hasn't yet registered all of the calories you have just drank so you are about to completely disregard the hours you spent in the gym. Instead, you will listen to your grumbling tummy because as we all know, alcohol is known to impair our judgment and decision-making abilities.
Well done, my friend. You reek of booze, made out with that boy from your English class, spent all of your money, lost your friends and now you're starving. In your mind, that greasy fourth meal is exactly what you need before you pass out. Sadly, it isn't true that if you eat something it will ease your hangover, but who cares — right now you're drunk and need to soak up that alcohol.
Drunk eating occurs when you carelessly eat large portions of unhealthy food simply because you are highly intoxicated and have thrown all sense of self-control out
According to the study involving 206 students reported drinking in the past month, "36.1 percent of students described eating large amounts following alcohol consumption (a pattern students ubiquitously label "drunk munchies") on at least half of drinking episodes, and 39 percent reported being less healthy in their food choices after
the window. Calories from alcohol are not recognized by the body and mind the same way sources of protein are recognized. Therefore, it takes longer for you to feel full causing you to eat more than normal.
Binge eating will cause you to wake up the next morning with a pounding headache and a food baby filling you with more regret than that midterm you didn't prepare for. But the next time you're wasted it won't stop you from dipping that pizza in ranch or ordering an extra bag of chips with your Jimmy John's sandwich.
The Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University analyzed the behavior of college freshmen to suggest that alcohol consumption has a direct effect on eating patterns and weight gain.
drinking, as compared to when they abstained from drinking,
"so what the deal?"
Ria Gilday, a naturopathic doctor, nutritionist and author of "Healthy Weight Loss; Fast, Easy, and Safe," explains how alcohol, which is mainly sugar, is absorbed into the bloodstream right away causing insulin to be released in order to lower your glucose levels. But low blood glucose causes you to crave carbs in order to provide fast relief. It's a vicious cycle, but what fun would it be to get wasted if it weren't bad for you? Alcohol is also known to enhance the taste of salts and fats, which is why The Wheel is known for pizza and not for serving up delicious salads.
Those greasy foods you decide to late-night binge eat are harder to digest, increase dehydration and will leave you feeling sick the next morning. So instead, eat something like a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich. Both options have a limited amount of fat, carbs and protein.
And don't forget a glass of water; you'll thank me in the morning.
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES HOYT/KANSAI
According to Ria Gilday, a naturopathic doctor and nutritionist, consuming hard-to-digest, greasy foods after a night of drinking can increase dehydration and worsen hangovers. A better choice would be a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich.