I've lived in and around Venice, CA, for going on 12 twelve years now, and I must say, things have really changed around here. The gentrification began in earnest a decade and a half ago, and now this once untamed and downright treacherous territory has become a haven of tranquility for the bourgeoisie. That's not to say that Venice is totally devoid of the threat of real street violence, mind you. Just swing by any of the trendy eateries that dot Abbott Kinney Boulevard on a weekend night and you're likely to find some well-heeled bohemians at each other's throats trying to secure a table. I once saw a guy outside Gjelina try and strangle a dead-ringer for Tim Robbins with a wolf scarf from what appeared to be the Tom Ford collection. It was chilling. Tim Robbins really does have a scary, gigantic head.

Make no mistake, the denizens of Venice take their local dining scene seriously, and so it is that each new restaurant that comes along (and they're opening at a pace of about one per week) comes under immediate and intense scrutiny. Often times, this happens before the place even fires up the ovens for the first time.

One of the most impressive things about Guinness is that for over 250 years the company has stuck to churning out one, unaltered, high-quality product -- dry stout with its signature creamy head -- resisting the urge to try new things, which is so often born out of competitive pressure. Guinness just keeps on keeping on, and it's that dependability and commitment to its namesake Arthur's great vision that has made it one of the most popular and recognizable brands on earth. That Guinness has been doing the same thing so well and for so long is partly what induced me to visit the brewery at St. James Gate in Dublin a few years back (where I shot the video below). I'm a sucker for tradition. And great beer.

Just think about it -- generations of brewers have spent two and half friggin' centuries dancing with the date that brung them, with very few exceptions. Guinness gives new meaning to the old axiom, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So it's quite a big deal when they do introduce something different to market, as they did last month with Guinness Black Lager.

Firstly, don't let the dark color fool you -- Guinness Black Lager has more in common with an outstanding pilsner like Urquell than it does the award-winning Samuel Adams Double Bock. It's not a light beer, per se, but it drinks easy. Something a Guinness lover can turn to when stout slows you down. This brew is meant to be consumed ice-cold, incidentally. And while there is a hint of that traditional Guinness dark roast taste, the crisp citrus and sweet malt flavors are what dominate that palate.

For tradionalists like me, it's doubtless anything out of Ireland will ever top the timeless wonder that is original Guinness stout. But the Black Lager is a welcome newcomer to the family. A fine change-of-pace brew with impeccable lineage.

Guinness Black Lager has an ABV of 4.5%, with a suggested retail price of $8.49/6-pack.

Vermont's funky Magic Hat Brewing Company brews good beer, and they've got a really friendly, participatory way of going about their business. I'm a longtime fan. So it was with great anticipation that I cracked open their Encore I.P.A., one of four great seasonal beers being offered in Magic Hat's Winterland Variety 12-pak. And what a delightful end to an otherwise ho-hum day that I.P.A. was.

The Encore is what you might call a "bittersweet" brew, being that it is the offspring of a union between two diverse styles: an American wheat beer (sweet) and an India Pale Ale (bitter). It is brewed with Pale and Cara Vienna malts, the latter imparting a caramel aroma and taste that lingers on the finish. The hops used are beer-geek faves - Apollo, Simcoe and Amarillo. It gets its kick, though, at the end of the production process when it is dry-hopped with the Simcoe and Amarillo. Dry hopping is when hops are added to the fermenter or keg after fermentation. It lends the brew some pop. Not that this beer hits you in the mouth like a thug or anything. On the contrary, Encore is an extremely well-balanced sipping beer. And at 6.4% ABV I really do recommend you sip it. Again and again.

The Winterland Variety 12-pak also includes: Ravell, a big porter brewed with vanilla beans and chocolate malts; #9, a dry crisp English ale; and Howl, a black winter lager. For more visit http://www.magichat.net

While Stretch mans the controls of the Imbiber Show Mothership in LA, Dan travels to Portland, Maine, to hang out with TheImbiber.net contributing editor Curtis Robinson. There, they get a tour of Shipyard Brewing Co. from the esteemed craft beer brand's man with a plan, Bruce Forsley. Then comes a full-portfolio tasting at the brewery, in which Dan falls hard for Old Thumper and Export. Next up, by a mini pub crawl in Portland with Shipyard's owner Fred Forsley. And then things get a little... drunkish.

Give a listen.

Links below to download, stream or subscribe on iTunes.

Enjoy.

In teasing this little blog entry, I mentioned that I would be presenting the results of an exhaustive 25 year plus research project into Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. The can and bottle label have hardly changed since the award of the blue ribbon, calling it “America’s Best” at the World Columbian Expo in Chicago in 1893.

A lot of time has passed since then, and many drunkards have fallen prey to the dark malevolent powers of the amber fluid. I drink at what some of the travelling executives for Pabst Breweries once called “a shrine” to the liquid, located up here on the waterfront in Portland, Maine.

Here are a few observations of that double-decade of debauchery.

First off, the human body, particularly, the stomach, seems to have some vast repository of storage space for Pabst. The alcohol makes its way directly to the brain, and the rest is compressed throughout the body in what surely was the genius behind the idea of natural gas fracking. I’ve put away at least 7 pitchers of the stuff at a single sitting, and have no idea where it all ended up.

The alcohol going to the brain part is the confusing part of the issue for me. Not only does PBR go directly to the brain, it seems that it focuses in directly on several logic centers of the brain.

The first logic center it goes after is the part that controls the tongue. This beverage and its yeasty aftermath tend to make people shout out and mutter the dumbest, most vile shit you’ve ever heard in your life. I originally suspected that the genetic damage done to the brain is passed down through generations, and the end result is the Tea Party menace that we today are confronted with.

Stretch and I drop by the just-opened Stella Rosa Pizza Bar in Santa Monica to get the skinny on pairing pizza and red wine... and really, there's nothing skinny about it. Deliciously decadent is more like it. Also check out my interview with wine god Peter Birmingham at a Rioja wine tasting at Hatfields in Hollywood.

Here's what our pals at Urban Daddy had to say about Stella Rosa:

This isn’t the kind of place where you’ve got too many decisions to make. You came for pizza and wine, and you’ll get it—either at the 15-seat bar or at one of a handful of tables. We’d suggest settling in up front by the windows, since this is one of the few areas in town with actual foot traffic to liven things up. (“Nobody walks in LA... except on Main Street”: less catchy.)

And besides, they’ll bring the bar to you. They’ve got a roving wine cart here, so before your table is covered with crisp, hot, 12-inch pizzas topped with mushrooms, pepperoni and mozzarella and cooked quick at 650 degrees, you can start exploring a veritable wine country on wheels.

Your favorite kind of wine country.

Stella Rosa Pizza Bar
2000 Main St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-396-9250

As part of our continuing effort to keep things fresh and lively on The Imbiber Show, we've decided to take it to the streets... well, the bars, actually. So we went out and got us some fancy mobile recording equipment that affords us the freedom to record the show ANYWHERE. Anywhere that'll have us, that is.

Our first stop: Hinano Cafe in Venice, CA -- the Coliseum of dive bars. An all-time classic. Hinano was Jim Morrison's hangout years before the Doors lit any fires. There's sawdust on the floor. Free popcorn. Beer and wine only, but only tourists would dare order the wine.

Show also features some material recorded at the Venice Whaler about five hours into a serious bender. Peter O'Toole-like in its boozy brilliance.

Oh, and we talk about The Moscow Mule. Here's the recipe:

2 parts Grey Goose vodka
Juice from 1/2 a fresh lime
Ginger Beer

Squeeze the lime into a tall glass filled with ice. Add  vodka. Then add ginger beer to taste

Hinano Cafe
15 Washington Blvd
Venice, CA 90292
(310) 822-3902 ‎

Back in December, the good folks at Newcastle Brown Ale threw me and about forty of my bestest buddies a swell holiday party at Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica. It was part of a campaign tied to a tradition in the U.K. called “Walking the Dog,” where exercising Fido is a front that allows you to slip out and enjoy a pint of Newcastle with your mates. At the King's Head a good time, as the old bromide goes, was had by all. And of all the beer brands that might have offered to throw me a party, I'm glad the one (and only one) that did was Newcastle. Because I like Newcastle. I like it a lot. Indeed, it ranks with Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale and Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale among my favorites in the category. (Note: Newcastle is owned by Heineken, and I'll also cop to being a fan of the crisp Heineken Light.)

Once while I was traveling through England, a pub owner In Plymouth told me an interesting story about Newcastle. About a decade ago the company removed the word "ale" from labels in England, having done some market research that revealed younger drinkers thought ale was for olf fogies. About four years and a lot of money in printing costs later, they discovered the change hadn't affected sales in the slightest. So they slapped "ale" back on the labels again. This goes to show that market research is mostly a bunch of bullshit. Yeah, I said it -- bullshit. Overly analytical, expensive and unreliable. Make a good product, use common sense and sound decision-making, and you'll be alright for chrissakes. At least, that's my two cents on the matter.

My final note about Newcastle pertains to the glassware in which it is traditionally served. It's called a Wellington glass or a "Geordie Schooner," and it's meant to be topped off regularly so that the beer maintains a frothy head.

One of the perks of my job is that people in the adult beverage business are always offering me stuff. It’s really quite nice of them. Take the fine folks at Newcastle Brown Ale, for instance, who came to me recently and asked if I’d be interested in hosting a Newcastle event for a bunch of my friends.

“Sure,” I said.

“Great!” they said. “How’s Thursday, December 16th starting at 7 pm at Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica sound?”

“That sounds lovely,” I replied. “What’s the catch?”

“Oh, there’s no catch,” they assured me. “All you have to do is invite a bunch of your friends, show up, and have a great time drinking the Newcastle provided.”

“So you’re just throwing a party for me and my friends for no reason? That’s awesome!”

“No, no, no, no, no,” they said. “It’s not a party, it’s a TASTING. There’s a key distinction there that our legal department insists you acknowledge.”

Gotcha!

This par…er, tasting, by the way, was a smashing success. Upwards of 50 people showed up to enjoy endless pints of Newcastle. It was all part of a Newcastle campaign tied to a tradition long cherished in the U.K., “Walking the Dog.” While it may sound like a mundane task of suburban conformity, the phrase is being used an excuse to slip out and enjoy a pint of Newcastle with your mates. Indeed, Newcastle fans are apparently forming “dog walker” clubs all over the country. Who knows, maybe our little gathering will lead to the formation of a kennel club here in LaLa.

Cheers!

Erin Peters of TheBeerGoddess.com joins us in studio to pair two of our favorite gustatory delights -- beer and cheese. Throw in the fact that Erin happens to be a beautiful woman, and you've got THREE of the things Stretch and I love most. Ah, life is good sometimes, eh?

Here are the beers and cheeses paired on the show:

• Beer # 1: Hoptoberfest 6% ABV – Oktoberfest; Five hops and four malts make it really earthy - great citrus notes, and a bold finale.
  Cheese Pairing #1: Gruyère (Gruyère de Comté) - Their substantial maltiness plays well against the meaty nut-like character. French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.
• Beer #2: Nogne O Porter - Burnt coffee and dried fruit come through. There's a rich malty goodness and nice warming quality, perhaps from the chocolate malts. Also tasted is light caramel, mild English yeast and slight licorice flavor.
  Cheese Pairing #2: Rogue River Blue (Rogue Creamery) - Ripens naturally from occurring molds found in its caves. The rounds are hand-wrapped in local Carpenter Hill Vineyard Syrah leaves that have been macerated in Clear Creek Pear Brandy.  Sweet, spicy, buttery and reminscent of fall berries and squash. Well-aged flavor tastes of brandy, fruit and burnt cream. A creamy, crunchy-smooth texture conjures specks of rock candy.  Best blue cheese in the world (2003 World Cheese Awards, London) and Best American Cheese (2003 World Cheese Awards, London)
• Beer #3: Rogue Chocolate Stout - Ebony in color with a rich creamy head. The mellow flavor of oats, chocolate malts and real chocolate are balanced perfectly with the right amount of hops for a bitter-sweet finish. The only US beer to win an award at the Mondial de la Biere Festival in Strasbourg, France.  Pairs great with ice cream, too - for a float!
  Cheese Pairing #3: Rogue Chocolate Stout Cheddar - The Rogue Chocolate Stout is poured into the cheddar vat and rolled around the curd before the curds are hand dipped and poured into cheese hoops for pressing. Perfectly balanced complimenting both the sweet and savory flavors of a full cream cheddar and Rogue Chocolate Stout.
• Beer #4: Chimay Grand Reserve Trappist Ale - Belgian Strong Dark Ale 9.00% ABV. Chimay is an authentic Trappist beer that is brewed within a Trappist monastery, under the control and responsibility of the monastic community.  Smell is yeasty with a slight scent of fruits and flowers caught in the background. Caramel malts, plums, raisons, and hint of brown sugar. Very well-balanced and delecate.
  Cheese Pairing #4: Chimay Grand Classic - A semi-hard pressed cheese, the rind is natural, non-coloured, without preservatives and slightly flowery. This creamy cheese is washed in the Chimay beer, and undertones of fruit, nuts, allspice, flowers and a bit of clove come through.