Brewery Spotlight: TrimTab Brewing Company

“Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary — the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trimtab.

It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trimtab.

Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go.

So I said, call me Trimtab.” – R. Buckminster Fuller



Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Campbell

 

Simply complex, that’s how I feel about TrimTab Brewing Co. From the brewery and the Tasting Gallery to the sweet gravitational nectar that they serve, every aspect is simply complex. Everything about TrimTab embodies balance.

If you have never been to the brewery on the corner of 27^th Street and 5^th Ave S., then you need to change that. They may be Birmingham’s newest Craft Beer producer, but amateur they are not. Incorporating local art work, fantastic brews, a great bar staff, and community events, TrimTab is already a Birmingham staple.

Two years ago, before construction was even started on the brewery, we had the pleasure of meeting Harris Stewart at the Magic City Brewfest. We were running the gauntlet of interviewing different breweries for our sister site BhamRocks.com, when we finally made it to the TrimTab booth. Standing there with a huge smile on his face, like a kid on Christmas, was Harris. Maybe the smile was to cover a tremendous amount of nervousness, I know I would be. Either way, he couldn’t wait to start talking about his brewery.

Giving up the opportunity to become a lawyer, Harris enlisted the help of Brewmaster Will Crenshaw to assist in making his dreams come true. The taproom, or as they like to call it, the Tasting Gallery, is exactly how Harris described it.  A bar constructed from repurposed wood lends a rustic vibe, while the local artwork on display and modern seating help capture the essence of Birmingham. The Tasting Gallery, just like their beer, is simply complex.

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Campbell

To focus on the whole idea of balance, one beer in particular demonstrates that the most. Their Rye Brown Ale, Pillar to Post, is one of my favorite Birmingham brews. The sweet nuttiness that you find in most Brown Ales is complemented perfectly by the light spice from the rye. That flavor paired with a respectable but not overwhelming abv, help to make this brew incredibly round and balanced. Visit the Tasting Gallery regularly and you might find an “enhanced” version of Pillar to Post. Two of my favorite beers of all time start out as the aforementioned brew, Cuba Libre and Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Aged Pillar to Post. Cuba Libre is a cask version of their Brown topped off with a touch of lime and oak, the complex pairing of simple ingredients make it a perfect summertime brew for those of us who like to drink something a little darker year-round. The bourbon barreled version may be the most balanced barrel aged beers out there. The Bulliet Bourbon barrels impart a mildly sweet, oaky flavor with hints of vanilla.

Those are just a couple examples of what may be available when you visit. From their IPA brewed with New Zealand hops, to the Cucumber Saison and Raspberry Berliner Weisse, there is a brew available to excite any palate. If you get lucky enough to visit when their Old Ale is on tap, try it!

TrimTab or Trim Tab, however you want to spell it, personifies that balance and simple complexity of Birmingham. We are not a hustle and bustle kind of city. We are a sit on the porch and drink sweet tea kind of city. We embrace community and celebrate local talent. TrimTab's "Spirit of Quality" does exactly that!

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Campbell

Your Weekly Review - Red Planet from Horny Goat Brewing Company

    

 This being our first structured review, don’t get used to the formatting. We’ll try to stick with the basic steps of Craft Beer tasting. If you’re not sure, there are five basic steps we follow. First we check out the appearance, then the aroma, followed by taste and mouthfeel; giving a 1 to 10 rating to each step. Finally, we give an overall impression of the beer accompanied with a combined average of all ratings. That all being said, when it comes to drinking beer especially ones of the High Gravity variety, things are always subject to change. 

Red Planet from Horny Goat Brewing Company out of Stevens Point Wisconsin.

Horny Goat Brewing Company, you’ve probably seen them on the shelves of you favorite Craft Beer retailer. They’re the ones with the “sexy” cartoon goats on the labels. This week we will be reviewing one of their Red Ales named Red Planet. This 5.4% abv brew has the perfect Mars inspired label for any Sci-Fi goat lover.  Ok, on to the review.

Apperance…

Clear yet reddish, copper color with an off-white almost beige head that dissipates quickly leaving little to no lacing around the glass. I would like to see a denser head, but all in all, not bad. 8/10

Aroma…

Very malty. Light powdered cocoa notes followed by a mild fruit scent. Not very deep or complex. 4/10

Taste…

This is where I lose interest in this brew. There is a whole lot of nothing going on here. A light malty caramel base is present, but not much more. Not a foul flavor, just boring. 4/10

Mouthfeel…

Clean and effervescent with nothing residual lingering around. Again, nothing unpleasant just kind of boring.  5/10

Overall…

As an American Craft Beer fan, I like a beer with more character. I know this style doesn’t tend to be very robust or packed full of flavor, but I just want more. If I were at the park on a hot day, or maybe even in the back yard grilling, I may have enjoyed it more. Yet again, it’s not a terrible beer, just boring. I give this mundane brew a... 

5/10

Brewery Spotlight: Good People Brewing Co.

Good People, that’s who we all want to be around. The reason is pretty simple, bad people suck. They’re not enjoyable or pleasant. Good People, on the other hand, are quality and very enjoyable. The brewery downtown on the corner of 1^st Ave. and 14^th St. South is exactly that. From their robust Russian Imperial, Fatso, to the super hopped Double IPA, Snake Handler, they make a brew for everyone. We’ve been to the brewery once or twice, these are some of the things we enjoy while we’re there.

Never judge a book by its cover, but in this case, it’s ok to break the rules. The first thing you notice when traveling to Good PeopleBrewing Co. is what’s on the outside. Located perfectly, Rail Road Park and the new home of the Birmingham Barons, Regions Field, are literally right across the street. You can easily enjoy the entire day at these three places. The outside of the actual building, is what it is, and that’s not a bad thing. The brick façade of the building is simple, the entrance is simple, the huge painted logo on the side is very simple. That being said, all of those aspects work, and they work very well. Once you get to know Good People, you realize that on the outside, they are as fancy as they need to be.

In the taproom, the simple theme continues. What looks like a warehouse with a horseshoe shaped bar area in the middle, is one of our favorite places in the Ham. The more breweries that open in our city, the more they all take on their own personality. To me, Good People Brewing Co. is the blue collar, nose to the grindstone, brewery of Birmingham. You don’t need a bunch of fancy crap everywhere, be simple and have only what you need. As soon as you look past the bar, you notice that they have a lot of only what they need. Huge fermentation tanks are right there, staring at you, begging you to wonder how the whole process works. Unlike most breweries, here you consume your beer in the exact room it was manufactured in, albeit the room is gigantic. Standing there sipping from your pint glass, you form a weird connection, like you are actually helping make the beer. From the canning line, to the pallets of cans waiting to be shipped out, everything is on display with no separating walls or windows. The design is simple and we like it.

Weather permitting, the outside area tends to be the gathering place of preference. Located in between two buildings, they have constructed an outdoor play ground for adults. You can quickly lose track of time with games like cornhole, washer toss, disk golf and giant jenga to name a few. I say a playground for adults, but one of the things we like the most, is the family friendly atmosphere. Feel free to enjoy the day with your whole family, pets included. Craft Beer is community and GPBC helps reiterate that.  

Definitely the biggest brewery in Birmingham, Good People offers five different beers for distribution on a regular basis. Thankfully, they are all in cans! Their flagship brew, Good People Pale Ale, is like the Swiss Army knife of canned beers. Its subtle sweetness and light hop flavor make it an enjoyable brew anytime. The next step for you hop lovers is their standard IPA. Made with 5 different hops and 6 different malts, this 7.1% abv, unfiltered beer is very refreshing. If that beer wasn’t hoppy enough for you, Snake Handler should do the trick. With over one hundred IBUs, and 10% abv, this beer is a hop head’s dream. Those are three of their regularly produced beer, it’s ok if you’re not a fan of super hoppy beers, the other two brews might be more of your style. Good People Brown Ale was the first beer by them that I fell in love with. At just a little over 5% abv, mildly sweet and a little nutty, this is a very easy beer to drink. If you want something with a little more flavor, COS hits the spot. Their Coffee Oatmeal Stout was one of the beers I sought after every time I visited the taproom, and now that it’s in cans, life is a little better. An amazing coffee presence is complemented by the velvety smooth texture from the oatmeal. With a light hop kick, this is a complex yet balanced brew.

Don’t think that they only have five beers though, visit the taproom often and you’ll be surprised. Their seasonal releases like Fatso and Mumbai Rye are some of my favorite southern brews and Hitchhicker is a fantastic West Coast style IPA. If you’re lucky you might have the opportunity to try some rare releases like Strongman, or El Gordo. Two of the biggest brews they make, these two beers, in my mind, are their best.

If you’ve never been to the brewery, visit next time you’re in the area. As their slogan says “Be Good People, Drink Good Beer”. GPBC has got the good beer part perfected, now all you have to do is be good people.

 

Untappd, A Social Way To Drink Craft Beer

Whether or not you’re a Craft Beer drinker, you’ve heard of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. These sites and their corresponding mobile apps help you keep in touch with friends and family. They help you share information about your life, hobbies, and just about anything else you can think of. In this day and time, whenever you want to share anything, just pull out your phone, and check in. What Craft Beer drinkers may not know, is that there are mobile apps that help share your beer drinking experiences as well. Of the many apps available, Untappd is my favorite. And no, that’s not a typo, UNTAPPD no E. 

Untappd is an easy to use, fun way to share which Craft Beers you’re drinking. You not only get to share your beer of the moment, but you can see what your friends are enjoying as well. When you “check in” you can rate the brew, as well as leave a brief description. This allows everyone to see exactly what you thought of the beer. In addition to that, you can also add a photo of the beverage. I use these features a lot when beer shopping. With so many different Craft Beers available for consumption, it’s hard to remember which ones I’ve had, or how I enjoyed the ones I did experience. It is kind of like a beer journal. Another feature I really enjoy are the badges. You accumulate different badges for various accomplishments or actions. For example, you get a badge for checking into different amounts of “distinct” beers. Not only does the app keep track of how many overall times you’ve checked in, it also lets you know how many of those beers where new to you. If you have never logged into a beer before, that counts as a unique or distinct brew. You can gets badges for everything from checking in at different bars or night clubs, to drinking a certain amount of the same style beer. I’m not going to lie, I think the badges make me drink more. They make you feel like a beer drinking Boy Scout on a Craft Beer mission. 

Ok, let me digress for a second. I personally think that apps like this are great for the growth of Craft Beer. They are a free way for breweries to get their name out. I have quite a few friends on Untappd from different locations of the country, and when they check into something I’ve never heard of before, it makes me want to try it even more. By being able to rate the brew you’re drinking, your friends can make an educated decision on the next beer they buy. This is a tool that I think more breweries will use to see how the public feels about the beer they produce, resulting in better beer for the rest of us. Not only that, most beer drinkers are guys, and men are competitive. When you see that your friend has 500 unique check ins, you naturally want to have more check ins yourself. This causes me to buy something new almost every time I buy beer. 

Back to the app. If you are the type of person that would download Untappd, you probably have Facebook and/or Twitter. Untappd allows you to connect your account to those sites as well, making it easy to share your Craft Beer with your other social media friends. After a long night of bar hopping, Foursquare integration makes it easy for you to remember exactly where you consumed each brew.  Another useful function that takes advantage of Foursquare is the “Near By” features. If you are out of town and need to find a place to consume Craft Beer, use the Near By Bars or Near By Breweries tab. Untappd helps make Craft Beer more than just a beverage, it’s helping make Craft Beer a community. So  next time you’re browsing through the Google Play Store or the itunes App Store, download Untappd. Be sure to tell your friends, and while you’re at it, friend me. You can find me at Nick_BhamBeerBuzz, let's all drink together.