Does hope for America’s beer industry rest with the likes of Crazy Jackass Ale and  Cereal Killer Barley Wine?
 
These two Gold Winners at last year’s Great American Beer Festival held in Denver, Colorado are representative of the growing craft beer segment of the beer industry. The first is brewed in Centerville, Virginia; the second in Battle Creek, Michigan. They are among the 1,558 U.S. microbreweries, brew pubs and regional craft breweries that are taking market share away from such giants as Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors Brewing Company.
 
According to The Beer Institute, beer sales fell by two percent last year, the worst year since 1991. But, according to The Brewers Association, craft beer sales increased by 10.3 percent.
 
The big brewers have taken note of the trend. Anheuser Busch sells a number of specialty beers and MillerCoors took Gold honors in the cream ale or lager category with Milwaukee’s Best. The growth in craft beer breweries—defined by brewing less than two million barrels annually—reverses the trend of the last half of the last century when the giants ate up or ran out small breweries such as Buckeye, Leinenkugel and Hamm’s.
 
Tom Schaeffer is the local expert on craft beers. He calls himself the Perrysburg Craft Beer Examiner and reviews for examiner.com.

Two recent reviews were entitled: World Cup Beer Challenge: Spain vs.

Tom Schaeffer calls himself the Perrysburg Craft Beer Examiner.  (Press Photo by Ken Grosjean)

Netherlands and The Red, White and Blue Beer Reviews-Sea Dog Blue Paw is a Blueberry Muffin in a Bottle.
 
The first review pits Spain’s Estrella Damm against Netherlands Tilburg’s Dutch Brown Ale. Tilburg won 4-1 scoring one goal based on its “intense show of ruby red-brown brew with an unyielding wall of tawny froth.” Estrella Damm failed to score because its “taste shifts to sweet corn that leaves a slick, unpleasant aftertaste.”
 
In the second review, Schaeffer writes this about Sea Dog Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale: “Is someone baking? Yep, the smell is unmistakable…It is, after all, a blueberry wheat beer. The amazing thing is the aftertaste. You would swear that you just licked the Betty Crocker batter off your fingers.”
 
Schaeffer bases his reviews on a beer’s appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel and overall impression. He started posting reviews on the Beer Advocate a year and a half ago and now writes for examiner.com. But, his love for craft beers started in 1982 while attending Lutheran Theological seminary in Philadelphia. The seminary was located across the street from a beer distributor and Schaeffer developed a fondness for Grolsh, Yuengling and Pete’s Wicked Ale. When the craft beer craze started to heat up Schaeffer began hosting beer-tasting events. He hopes to turn his passion from hobby to a second career. His goal is to become a Certified Beer Judge. There are 4,000 beer judges in the United States. His day job is Pastor of Threshold Church, whose new location will open August 1 next to the University of Toledo.
 
Schaeffer says the hottest American craft beers are in the India Pale Ale category. These beers tend to be bitter from the more extensive use of hops. While a bitter beer might not suit everyone’s palate, Schaeffer says he can find a beer for you.
 
“What people don’t realize is that there is such a wide variety in styles of beer. What I love to do as a challenge is when someone says, ‘I don’t like beer,’ I’ll tell them, ‘Give me a chance.’ I think I can find a beer for everyone. When people say they don’t like beer it’s usually because they’ve had the really bad stuff. If I can put some good craft beers in their hands that fit their palate I’m confident I can find a beer for almost anybody.”
 
If you’re adventurous, Schaeffer recommends three beers to try: Hop Devil from Victory Brewery in Pennsylvania, an American India Pale Ale; Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout from Founders Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, a bourbon-barrel aged beer, and Red Rocket Ale from Bear Republic Brewing Company in California.
 
Of Red Rocket he says, “It’s dark amber in color. It’s got a real complexity of flavors. There’s a real nut presence to it. A little peaty. And, being an American beer, it’s also kind of hopped up. It’s a really complex fun beer to drink.”
 
Have a sweet tooth?
 
Try Crème Brule Stout. “It is like drinking dessert,” Schaeffer said.
 
The best time to taste a new beer or judge one?
 
Schaeffer says it’s the morning before contaminating the palate with food.
 
Tom Schaeffer’s love for craft beer knows few boundaries. When saying goodbye to his daughter, who was to begin a stint of 27 months with the Peace Corps in Cambodia, the two  didn’t share a bottle of wine, they shared a bottle of Gulden Draak, a Luxembourg beer with “a pleasant deep warmth backed by a full-bodied creamy finish that coats your mouth in goodness.”

You can learn more by searching Tom Schaeffer at www.examiner.com. Comment at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   

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