Drink(s) of the Week: 6 Not-to-Miss Beers from the Oregon Brewers Festival

The sun is finally shining in the Pacific Northwest, and with the Oregon Brewers Festival in full swing, the timing couldn’t be better. From now through Sunday, craft breweries from Oregon—like Ninkasi, Coalition and Double Mountain—and across the country—like Dogfish Head, Mad River and Great Divide—are pouring upwards of 80 different brews, and for today’s Drink of the Week we’ve put together a mixed six-pack of not-to-miss beers from the fest.

Dogfish Head Black & Red
Milton, Delaware 10% ABV
A raspberry mint imperial stout? Leave it to Dogfish Head to come up with this combo. “Dry-minted” with 100 pounds of organic peppermint and spearmint during a secondary fermentation, this big brew balances all that minty freshness with rich, chocolaty malts and a hefty dose of tart, tangy raspberries.

Great Divide Rumble
Denver, CO 7.1% ABV
Great Divide is known for its boundary-pushing brews, and this wood-aged IPA lives up to the hype with a heavy dose of Pacific Northwest hops mellowed by subtle aging in French and American oak. The results offer a sophisticated mix of fresh citrus, bitter pine and vanilla.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Wild
Petaluma, CA 8.7%
The assertive big brother to Lagunitas’ popular Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ ale, this Belgian-inspired strong ale boasts a mouthful of bold malts, bitter hops and a huge—albeit well-integrated—ABV.

New Belgium Somersault
Fort Collins, CO 5.2% ABV
You’ll love this crisp summer ale fresh with flavors of ginger, apricot and a touch of spice. Plus it’s currently available on shelves across the country.

Ninkasi Helles Belles
Eugene, OR 5% ABV
Oregon microbrewer Ninkasi slakes thirsty palates with its low-alcohol German-style helles beer, bright and lively with notes of lemon, crispy malts and a touch of salt on the finish.

Sierra Nevada Tumbler
Chico, CA 5.5% ABV
A brown ale primed to usher in autumn, this beer balances pale, chocolate and smoked malts with two hop varieties. Look for it on store shelves starting in the next few weeks.

6 Places Brewing Up Some of the Best Beer Cocktails

Until recently, beer and cocktails occupied two completely separate sections of drink menus, but more bars and restaurants are fusing the two into one. The concept isn’t wholly new—beer has been used as a mixer since Jerry Thomas’s day—but today’s bartenders are moving beyond your basic Shandy and Michelada to create drinks that are delicious and thirst-quenching, making them the perfect go-to drinks for summertime. Here are six spots that brew up tasty beer cocktails you can re-create at home.

Japser’s Corner Tap & Kitchen
Hotel bars are a dime a dozen, but a hotel bar that mixes up killer cocktails—not to mention killer beer cocktails—can be less common. Enter the just-opened Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen next to San Francisco’s Serrano Hotel where bartender Kevin Diedrich mixes up nearly two dozen inventive drinks, including beer cocktails like the Weissen Sour with wit ale, bourbon, lemon juice and orange marmalade. Click here for the recipe.
401 Taylor St., San Francisco; 415-775-7979; jasperscornertap.com

The Tripel
This Belgian-inspired beer bar opened in April and is already generating buzz for its stellar beer list, but if you want a taste of their crafty beer-cocktail-making chops, veer off the printed list and toward the chalkboard menu that features not one, but five beer-infused mixed drinks, like the Sour Grapes with draught sour ale, maraschino liqueur and Madeira. Click here for the recipe.
333 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, CA; 310-821-0333; thetripel.com

Vandaag
Dutch-inspired Vandaag dedicates an entire section of its cocktail menu to drinks spiked with suds, from Belgian witbier to sour ale and pilsner, like their Radler cocktail with pineapple-infused aquavit, lime and ginger syrup and white ale. Click here for the recipe.
103 2nd Ave., New York City; 212-253-0470; vandaagnyc.com

JoeDoe
Barkeep Jill Schulster put her first beer cocktail on JoeDoe’s drinks menu when they opened in 2008, and in the two years since, her seasonally rotating list of “Prepared Beers” includes a hopped-up smattering of sprightly drinks like the Honey Beer with Dale’s Pale, gin and salted honey. Click here for the recipe.
45 E. 1st St., New York City; 212-780-0262; chefjoedoe.com

Anvil Bar & Refuge
Texans know cold beer is key to breaking through their sweltering summer heat, and Houston bar owner Bobby Heugel refreshes with his always-inventive beer-spiked cocktails, like the Bitter Roots with IPA, Cynar and aromatic bitters. Click here for the recipe.
1424 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX; 713-523-1622; anvilhouston.com

Death and Co.
Manhattan definitely leads the beer cocktail trend, and Death and Co. offers its own take with a cocktail category devoted to “Noble Hops.” Try La Valentina, which pairs blanco tequila and fresh citrus with muddled raspberries, Belgian wheat beer and a pinch of salt. Click here for the recipe.
433 E. 6th St., New York City; 212-388-0882; deathandcompany.com

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

A freak forklift accident destroys $1 million in wine. CNN

Tips for brewing perfect pints of pilsner at home. Serious Eats

A 200-year-old bottle of Chateau d’Yquem sets a new record for the highest price ever paid for white wine at auction. Time

The corporate coffee battle heats up with Dunkin’ Donuts setting their sights west. Wall Street Journal

Imbibing Italian-inspired brews on the 15th floor at NYC’s Birreria. Washington Post

There's Still Time to Win Our Tiki Giveaway!

To celebrate our 10,000+ friends on Facebook and our current tiki issue, we're giving away a killer tiki set to one lucky imbiber, and we've extended the deadline for entries! All you need to do to enter is send us a fun and/or clever photo of you with your favorite issue of Imbibe (along with a short description of why you picked that issue), and whoever has the best photo will win a tiki gift set courtesy of The Boston Shaker—complete with a ceramic scorpion bowl, a bottle of Bittermens 'Elemakule Tiki Cocktail Bitters, a copy of Jeff Berry's book Beachbum Berry Remixed, and a WAITIKI 7: Adventures in Paradise CD.

Click here to email your photo by Friday, July 29, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, and we'll announce the winner by Tuesday, August 1. Only U.S. entries are eligible to win the prize. Good luck, imbibers!

Drink of the Week: The Gypsy Fortune

Tales of the Cocktail is in full swing in New Orleans, and even if you can’t be in the Big Easy for the festivities, you can still get a taste with today’s Drink of the Week—The Gypsy Fortune cocktail. Last night, 25 of the city’s top restaurants teamed up with bartenders from around the country for an evening of spirited food and drinks pairings, and this combination of aged Irish whiskey, an Italian aperitivo, tart white grape juice and aquavit was a highlight.

The Gypsy Fortune
1 1/2 oz. Michael Collins 10-year single malt Irish whiskey
3/4 oz. Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz. verjus blanc (see note)
1/4 oz. aquavit
Ice cubes
Tools: mixing glass, barspoon, strainer
Glass: rocks

Combine all ingredients and stir with ice cubes. Strain over a chunk of ice into rocks glass.

Note: Verjus blanc is a tart juice made from unripe white wine grapes and is available at most specialty grocers. In a pinch, white grape juice may be substituted, just note that it will make for a sweeter overall cocktail.

Mark Stoddard, Bitter Bar, Boulder Colorado

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Organic water? NPR

Getting a hands-on coffee education in Honduras. Counter Culture Coffee

Does knowing where your wine and chocolate come from affect your perception of how they taste? ABC News

Guess where the bootlegged rice wine market is booming. New York Times

The latest medical benefit of coffee and tea. Reuters

Drink of the Week: Viña Mayor Crianza 2006

It’s time for another summer weekend, and if you’re like us, you’ve got grilling on your mind. And lately, we’ve been looking to reds as our go-to summer wines, specifically Tempranillo. In the July/August issue, Amy Zavatto highlights Tempranillo as a food-friendly match for summery grilled fare, and today’s Drink of the Week—the 2006 Viña Mayor Crianza from Spain’s Ribera Del Duero region—is a great choice. “As a crianza it’s got a bit of barrel-aging” says Kerin Auth, co-owner of New York City’s Tinto Fino wine shop, “but it’s less meaty and smoky than other Tempranillos. Definitely a good match for the grill.” Now on to the hard part—burger or brat?
$17, tintofino.com

Show Off Your Favorite Issue of Imbibe & Win a Tiki Gift Set from The Boston Shaker!

We just passed 10,000 friends on Facebook, and we want to share the love with our fans! We're looking for the most creative, fun and/or clever photo of you with your favorite issue of Imbibe (you've got 32 to choose from), and whoever gets picked as having the best photo will be the lucky recipient of a tiki gift set courtesy of The Boston Shaker—complete with a ceramic scorpion bowl (because it's not a tiki party until the scorpion bowl comes out), a bottle of Bittermens 'Elemakule Tiki Cocktail Bitters (designed for tiki drinks), a copy of Jeff Berry's book Beachbum Berry Remixed (the modern-day tiki bible), and a WAITIKI 7: Adventures in Paradise CD (music to mix and drink tiki by). Just in time for you to be mixing up all of the tiki cocktails in your latest issue of Imbibe!

All you have to do is pick your favorite issue of Imbibe and then email us a winning photo of you with that issue—bonus points for a good description of why you chose a particular issue. Photos are due to us by Friday, July 22, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, and then on Monday, July 25, we'll post our favorites to our Facebook page and let our Facebook fans pick the ultimate winner—whoever gets the most "likes" on their photo wins, and if there's a tie, Imbibe will pick the winner. Click here to email your entry. Only U.S. entries are eligible to win the prize, and no dirty, inappropriate or otherwise unseemly photos—keep it clean! Good luck, imbibers!

Coolest Kickstarter Project We’ve Seen Lately

Cocktail enthusiasts are a clever bunch. Case in point: Dave Stolte’s new Kickstarter project, Home Bar Basics (And Not-So-Basics). A crafty cocktailer’s guide to setting up a home bar and mixing drinks, Stolte’s DIY book features a selection of classic and contemporary cocktail recipes matched with artful illustrations, printed on waterproof paper and spiral-bound for easy reference. Home Bar Basics is sure to be another fun resource for cocktail enthusiasts, but as with all Kickstarter projects, Stolte’s book needs a boost to make it to the printing stage. To check out a preview of the book and help bring it to fruition, click here.

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Free beer for life? Yes, please. Huffington Post

A medieval town in the middle of France’s Champagne region produces bubbly that can stand on its own two feet. New York Times

Forget potatoes, Idaho has its eye on growing wine grapes. Idaho Statesman

Investors take stock in big-name beer brands. Forbes

Dublin Dr. Pepper is not feeling the love from Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. Grub Street

Drink of the Week: Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac

Before the dark days of Prohibition, Cognac was considered a choice spirit for cocktails, and today’s Drink of the Week—Pierre Ferrand’s 1840 Original Formula Cognac—helps reclaim the French distillate’s place in the world of mixed drinks. Using a rare bottle of Pinet Castillion from 1840 as inspiration, distiller Alexandre Gabriel, together with cocktail historian and Imbibe columnist David Wondrich, developed this cocktail-driven Cognac, as an homage to what Harry Johnson and Jerry Thomas would have mixed in their drinks. Making its U.S. debut in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail later this month, and rolling out nationwide on August 1, Pierre Ferrand’s 1840 Original Formula Cognac is rich and voluptuous with layers of stone fruit, flowers and tea-like tannins. It’s the ideal mixing candidate for classic Juleps and Crustas, or for the Jackson Punch, a Jerry Thomas original adapted by Wondrich. Click here for the recipe. $45/750 ml., pierreferrandcognac.com

The 2011 Tour de Fat Is Rolling Out Across the U.S.

The July/August issue of Imbibe is all about summer fun, so naturally we're looking toward all of the festivals and outdoor activities taking place over the next few months, and one thing we're always excited to see is the Tour de Fat. In the July/August issue, writer Joshua Bernstein explores the connection between the biking and beer communities, and New Belgium's annual Tour de Fat is a perfect example of this. The 2011 tour kicked off on June 25 in Durham, NC, but there are still 12 more stops across the country. As always, one person in each city will be chosen to hand over their car (title and keys included) to the Tour de Fat altar in exchange for a custom-built commuter bike with lots of bells and whistles that they'll commit to riding for at least a year.

Whether you hope to be among those chosen for the car/bike exchange, or you just want to check out the festivities, here's the lineup for the 12 remaining tour dates:

Nashville, TN – 7/9
Chicago, IL – 7/16
Minneapolis, MN – 7/23
Milwaukee, WI – 7/30
Boise, ID – 8/20
Ft. Collins, CO – 9/3
Denver, CO – 9/10
San Francisco, CA – 9/24
San Diego, CA – 10/1
Los Angeles, CA – 10/8
Tempe, AZ – 10/15
Austin, TX – 10/22

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Does your glass of wine contain more alcohol than vintners let on? Time

Chunky, chewy, drinkable aloe beverages? CHOW

Craft brewers band together to help areas hit hard by the recession. Fast Company

Is NYC’s Eataly expanding? Huffington Post

Clif wine—gimmick or genius? Kansas City Star

7 Delicious Ways to Eat Your Drink This Holiday Weekend

Ready for the 4th of July festivities? Still looking for some good food and drink ideas? Why not combine the two? From cream soda corn dogs to bourbon ice cream, here are seven great ways to celebrate your right to eat your drink.

Cream Soda-Battered Corn Dogs
Cream soda and corn dogs are about as American as you can get, and this recipe cleverly—and deliciously—combines the two. Click here for the recipe.

Bourbon-Bacon Ice Cream
Bourbon. Bacon. Ice cream. Need we say more? Click here for the recipe.

Mocha Brownies
Fresh-brewed coffee, cocoa and a whole lot of butter make these brownies irresistible. Click here for the recipe.

Chocolate-Blackberry Coffee Float
Feed your coffee craving with this cool, creamy float. Click here for the recipe.

Beer Can Chicken
There’s no better reason to fire up the grill this holiday weekend than for this super-moist beer-infused chicken. Click here for the recipe.

Sour Cream, Cherry and Tequila Paletas
Popsicles are a surefire way to beat the heat, and this creamy version takes on a decidedly grownup twist with a spirited a nip of blanco tequila. Click here for the recipe.

Grasshopper Tart with Chocolate Chips
This retro-inspired dessert adds a cooling finish to summery celebrations of all sorts with a generous pour of crème de methe. Click here for the recipe.

Cream Soda-Battered Corn Dogs image: Jana Erwin

Drink of the Week: Montegomatica

The latest issue of Imbibe is packed with summery imbibing inspiration, from contemporary tiki cocktails to the drinks of Austin, Texas, and today’s Drink of the Week offers the best of both worlds. The Montegomatica cocktail comes from Adam Bryan, one of the bartenders featured in our “Sky’s the Limit” feature, which explores Austin’s liquid culture. Combining overproof rum, Fernet-Branca, falernum and lime juice, it’s a delicious taste of the summery flavors you’ll find in our July/August issue and a great way to stay cool this holiday weekend. Click here for the recipe.

Photo: S.F. Hollywood III