New beers and seasonal returnees of note:

– Anchor Brewing in San Francisco brewed Anchor Bock for the first time in 2005. It’s back as a seasonal beer, officially available through May. Anchor makes the beer, like its famous Steam, as a hybrid – fermenting it with ale yeast, then lagering it at a very cold temperature.

– Lindemans in Belgium has added an apple lambic to a lineup that previously included Framboise (Raspberry), Peche (Peach), Kriek (Cherry), and Cassis (Black Currant). With Lindemans Pomme, fresh apples are added in the form of pure juice, contributing to a light body, a glowing golden color and crisp green-apple flavor.

Importer Merchant du Vin suggests pairing it with rich cream sauces, hearty soups, aromatic cheeses and spicy cuisine.

– Boulder Beer Co. in Colorado chose a less-than-traditional-name, Sweaty Betty Blonde, for the traditional Bavarian wheat beer that returns to shelves next month. The fifth release in Boulder’s “Looking Glass Series” of specialty beers, Sweaty Betty Blonde made its debut in 2004.

An e-mail similar to this arrives at least once a day here at Realbeer.com:

“I recently visited [fill in the city and/or pub] and had [fill in the name of the beer]. Since I returned home to [fill in the location] I haven’t been able to find the beer. Can you help me?

Signed, [Desperate/Thirsty/Impatient/Frustrated]

Because Michael Kuderka had a similar crisis a couple of years ago The Essential Reference of Domestic Brewers and Their Bottled Brands was born. (Yes, that’s a title long enough to make you as thirsty saying it as thinking about the words in it.)

“The concept for the book was the result of attending a beer festival at Waterloo Village here in New Jersey, back in 2004,” said Kuderka, who created the book. “At the festival my wife, Cathy, and I watched passionate brewers fill countless foam-topped glasses and we were able to tasted any number of fantastic beers, but when we attempted to find some of these bottled brands at our local retailers, we didn’t have a great deal of success.

“In some cases, we remembered the style of beer but not the brewery; in other cases, we knew the brewery but were not too sure about the exact brand. What was immediately certain, however, was that neither retailers nor I had a quick, easy way to satisfy my thirst for these new brands or to end my ongoing quest.”

Kuderka started by collecting data and logging it into a spreadsheet, but soon realized that compiling a list of all the domestic breweries and their bottled brands would require building a sophisticated database. The book reflects the depth of his information.

It is divided into six sections. Section I provides an alphabetical listing of all U.S. brewers. Section II features Color and Bitterness Comparison Charts, which should help retailers – sometimes as overwhelmed as consumers – understand the similarities in the appearance and in the flavor of styles. Section III opens with detailed descriptions of most of the styles from the color charts, then has a Beer Style Index that shows which breweries offer which styles.

Section IV charts what states breweries ship beer to, while Section V follows with a complete geographic index. Section VI then offers more detail on each brewery’s portfolio, complete with beer descriptions and labels.

The DBBB, and the companion web site, are designed for use by beer retailers, beer wholesalers, convenience stores, supermarkets, and restaurants, but will also be of interest to beer consumers.

Kuderka has targeted the 35,000-plus U.S. retailers of beer. “Eight-nine percent of the retailers we surveyed told us that they were looking for new brands of beer,” he said.

Kuderka quickly learned the U.S. beer landscape is still changing, so is providing updates through his web site, making additions to the database each month. A code providing one-year’s access comes with the book.

Does this mean we’ll no longer receive the “Where do I find this beer for my spouse’s birthday” e-mails? Probably not, but we expect it will improve the choice of what’s available on the local shelves for all of us.

More new beers or returning seasonals:

Verdi Verdi Good from Dogfish Head in Delaware. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day – A Dortmunder greened with Spirulina. The website explains:

The idea for the the Dogfish Head version actually was born of beers already being produced in Southeast Asia, namely Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Thailand. The main type of beer made in that area of the world is akin to the Dortmunder/Export type lagers of Germany. Both Myanmar and Thailand have breweries producing a beer which is their regular production lager with spirulina added. Hence, Verdi Verdi Good was born.

Saint Arnold Summer Pils from the Houston brewery of the same name. The Bohemian-style pilsner tends to sell out quickly, and was long gone by the time it captured silver at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival. Teh Pils has been a labor of love from the start for Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner. Back in 1998 he noted:
“One malt, two hops, but a tough beer.” The malt he uses tends to get doughy and clogs the hydrator. “It’s expensive and hell to work with, but worth the trouble,” Wagner said.

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat from Jacob Leinenkuegl Brewing in Wisconsin. Due next month and the first new year-round beer since 2002. (The company’s latest seasonal, Apple Spice, was its most successful seasonal launch ever.) sunet Wheat features features a slightly fruity and citrus character, complimented by the gentle spiciness of coriander. Brewed with malted wheat, balanced with pale barley malt and finished with Cluster hops and natural flavors.