Archive for January, 2007
Endurance Pale Ale
First the beer, then please stick around for a little history lesson. Knowledge never really hurt anyone.
It pours out as a dense, orange cloud-in-a-glass. It’s not an overly dark beer at all, but I can barely see my hand through the suspended particulates. There’s kindof a musty-sweet citrus aroma going on that sometimes smells really nice; sometimes really gross. That split personality unfortunately carries over to the taste as well. One sip gives off some nice fruity hops with earthy, peaty undertones. The next gives off brussel sprouts, and I really wish the beer would make up its mind. I would like to know BEFORE taking a sip whether I’m going to get orange zest or asparagus. The mouthfeel is nice and hoppy, though, which I guess counts for something. The good news is that when the beer decides to be good, it is, in fact, rather good. The bad news is that it’s temperamental and ornery. I hope Endurance Brewing can tighten this one up a bit.
It’s a little known fact that Ben and I (and Janet, too!) spent our Junior year of college in Dundee, Scotland. While at least 97% of that time was divided between Laing’s Beer Garden and the Student Union downing pints of 80 Shilling, the rest of those frigid days were spent in the pursuit of knowledge. Dundee used to be a big whaling port, and boat building naturally rose up around that industry. When the Royal Geographic Society commissioned an Antarctic Expedition, they naturally turned to the Dundee Shipbuilders Company to make the boat. In 1901 the RRS Discovery, captained by Robert Falcon Scott and with a wiry Ernest Shackleton aboard, sailed off to Antarctica. Long story short(ish): The Discovery returned from Antarctica in 1904 and spent the better part of the century putting around the Atlantic on silly errands. Shackleton returned to Antarctica a few more times, most famously aboard the intense Endurance Expedition, for which this brewing company seems to be named. Ahhh, so now you see where I’ve been going with this.
After Dundee’s mills closed down in the 70s and 80s, the city stagnated into a post-industrial backwater. It tried to gussy itself up with tourism and in the early 90s opened up the RRS Discovery as a museum and centerpiece for its new visitor-friendly facade. “City of Discovery,” indeed, but at least I finally get to prove that I learned something that year. When I spied a sixer of Endurance Pale Ale at the local grocery store, my mind raced back to the beer-filled days in Dundee and that asinine Antarctic Museum. I had to pick up the beer, and I’m somewhat glad I did. B- for the beer. A+ for any brewery that puts “Explore. Challenge. Drink great beer.” on the label.
Kirin Ichiban
These days, Japan’s Kirin Ichiban is actually brewed by Anheuser-Busch out in Torrance, CA. I doubt that makes much difference in taste, actually, but who am I to pass up a chance to throw down a cold, hard fact? Hell, here are two more “facts” from Wikipedia: The Kirin Brewing Co. is part of the Mitsubishi group of companies, and in addition to brewing beer and whiskey, “also makes soft drinks, and has diversified businesses in foods, pharmaceuticals, logistics, engineering, real-estate and restaurants.” With such a dedicated focus on brewing, it’s surprising that Kirin only managed to bottle and ship a mediocre-at-best beer.
The distinguishing characteristic of the Ichiban, as the company sees it, is the “luxurious single wort (or first press) process” — whatever the hell that means — which “yields a unique, complex flavor.” As I see it, whatever process is used to brew this beer yields a bland, run-of-the-mill Asian pilsner. Perhaps we’re just arguing semantics at this point, so let’s agree to disagree, Kirin.
Having lived in Korea for a year with some travels throughout East and Southeast Asia, I’ve had enough encounters with Asian beers to have developed a very neutral taste for them. It’s rare that I come across one that I really like and would actively seek out, but it’s equally rare that I come across one I want to avoid. Mostly they seem to make very adequate, unobtrusive companions for their corresponding cuisines, and I’ll happily lump Kirin into that category.
The bottom line is, if you need something to wash down your Ramen noodles or chicken teriyaki, you could do a lot worse than a bottle of Kirin Ichiban. Just don’t go out of your way to find it. By the way, does the flaming lion/donkey thing on the label have a bonsai tree for a tail? Because that would be pretty sweet.
New Belgium “Fat Tire” Amber Ale
Frankly, I feel a little bit guilty reviewing this beer, because it’s Jon’s favorite and he should really probably do the honor. But, here I sit, drinking a Fat Tire, enjoying a Fat Tire, and realizing that it’s a gaping hole in our list of reviews. So, sorry Jon, but I’m going to go ahead and handle this. I’ll try to bring you one back to NC, if I can find the room in my bags.
This is a beer that I rarely have the pleasure of drinking, and it always seems that, when I can drink it, it is under exceptionally nice circumstances. My first Fat Tire was in a pool hall in Golden, Colorado. My second was in the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. My third (and several thereafter) have been during “vacations” in Washington State. So, needless to say, I tend to attach this beer to pleasurable experiences. This can make any beer a bit tastier than it might otherwise seem. However, in this case, I really feel that we’re dealing with a quality beer to-boot.
The pour of this beer is a medium amber with a slight caramel head. The aroma is quite malty with a notable caramel presence. In the mouth, the beer is slightly more decadent and flavorful than an average amber. The initial taste is rich with toffee and caramel that slides into a malty sweet-bread richness. On through the mouth, the rich sweetness persists without quite becoming a desert beer. The finish is quite clean, leaving behind a malty, but not syrupy, aftertaste. There is very little hop presence in this beer – rather, it sticks to purely amber roots and tends to the rich and sweet as opposed to the bitter and biting. This, regardless of where I’m drinking it, is one of my favorite amber ales, both because it is delicious and because it comes from New Belgium who, as far as I’ve experienced, can’t make a bad beer. Highly recommended if you find yourself in the West.
Legacy Brewing Hedonism Ale
There’s absolutely nothing in this world that I love more than a good, healthy dose of hedonism. In fact, recognizing the intrinsic goodness of pleasure is probably as close as I come to a philosophy of life these days; the pursuit of pleasure, as close as I come to any direction or purpose. And since we all now know that I’m a shallow and pleasure-fed individual, I can finally be honest with you: I only bought this beer for its name and the orgiastic depiction on the side of the six pack. I’m a sucker for a clever marketing ploy, and, frankly, sex sells. Or to look at it another way, pleasure sells, which is why hedonism and capitalism make such great bedfellows f***buddies.
The pour is a deep amber with a creamy head, the remnants of which persist around the edge of the glass for a coon’s age, and the aroma is promisingly full of fruity, floral hops. The ale has a really nice presence in the mouth, too, but the taste, unfortunately, leaves a bit to be desired. The hops that smelled so wonderful come across as being a smidge on the bitter side – just enough to prevent the drinker’s hedonistic enlightenment. The aftertaste on the sides of the tongue is sweet and malty, but a tad too metallic-y and bitter for one that sticks around for so long.
I’ve been jonesing for a bitey, hoppy beer for a while, and this definitely delivers so I’m willing to forgive the shortcomings. To me, this is a really-very-good beer that could just use a slight tweak.
Southampton Secret Ale
This was another random Long Island brew I found down at the Hana Market on Metropolitan Ave. and had no choice but to pick up. I mean, can one really pass over a SECRET ale sitting in the cooler in front of him? I know I can’t.
The SECRET ale pours a lot darker than I expected – it’s almost a deep amber bordering on brown – with a foamy, cream-colored head. The aroma is a malty sweet-and-sour with hints of cherry and raisin. The overall taste, though, is just meh. It’s good, but it lacks any real punch or defining characteristics. I still get a good bit of the malt and fruit on the tongue, but there’s not so much on the crispy, zesty end of Taste Spectrometer.
It also weighs in at a meh 5.1% abv.
The bottle proclaims this to be “…a faithful recreation of Dusseldorf-style altbier. It’s clean malt flavor and crisp hop character make it a most original brew.” I’ll buy the altbier classification for $1.50, but I’ve never been to Dusseldorf so I can’t vouch for that particular variety. As for ‘original’, well I can’t say it’s an overly distinct brew in any way. It’s a rather good beer, as is evident by how quickly the six-pack vanished into my face, but I doubt very seriously that I would ever be able to pick it out of a lineup. I wonder why it’s so secret…
Miller Lite
There’s this commercial that I’ve seen several times during football games recently. It shows a couple of Miller Brewing dudes in safety goggles hoisting a banner from the World Beer Cup 2006. It seems as if Miller Lite, for the fourth time in the storied history of the competition, is the gold medal winner in the prestigious American-Style Light Lager category. To me that’s like someone proudly hanging a new Embezzler of the Year plaque in their office. Cheers to being the best at what you do, Miller Lite. Too bad what you do borders on criminal.
Personally, I prefer to keep my World’s Best Deadbeat Dad 2004 trophy well hidden. It’s not something I like to brag about, even though it is a really handsome trophy and I worked hard to get it.
I guess Miller Lite deserves a review, so here goes… It pours a diluted Post-it Note yellow with a bubbly-ish white head. It smells of a skunk that fell in a pile of hops and tried to clean up using my roommate’s Juicy Green Apple shampoo. It also tastes of a skunk that fell in a pile of hops and tried to clean up using my roommate’s Juicy Green Apple Shampoo. And that’s all I really have to say about Miller Lite.
New Belgium “Sunshine” Wheat Ale
I swear, these guys can do no wrong. I rarely have a chance to have a New Belgium beer unless I find myself in the Northwest. However, each time I do, I am again impressed. This trip, I chose the New Belgium Sunshine wheat ale. Seeing as it’s wintertime in Seattle, I figured a little sunshine might do me good.
The pour of this beer is a clear, filtered golden. The aroma is heavy with coriander and spice with just a light hint of citrus. In the mouth, the beer is crisp, sweet, and refreshing. The first taste you get is of some citrus near the front of the mouth. This quickly transitions to a sweet and mildly spicy flavor around the middle of the tongue. Here you can really taste the orange peel and coriander that is typical of the Belgian variety of a wheat ale. On through the mouth, we catch a light bitterness near the back of the mouth that last just a moment and subsides into a slight malt aftertaste. Overall, I’d consider this more complex than many American brews of this variety. It is heavy enough to be substantial, but light enough to be refreshing and a good session beer. Cheers to New Belgium for choosing the Belgian version of this beer (I guess it’s necessary, given their name), and cheers to them again for executing it wonderfully.
Duck Rabbit Barleywine Ale
Duck Rabbit considers themselves the “Dark Beer Specialists”. It’s a pretty big statement for a smallish NC brewery. However, they tend to live up to the hype with a lot of their more adventurous dark brews like their Scottish Wee Heavy and Baltic Porter, which are terribly delicious. However, I must say I was a bit surprised to see them delve into Barleywine territory. Am I the only person out there who doesn’t really consider a Barleywine Ale a dark beer? I generally consider this to be more an extension of the IIPA or tripel variety – getting up into the really high-grav beers that wouldn’t necessarily fall in with the stouts and porters category. Nevertheless, I must admit that this Barleywine ale is darker in the glass than most any I have yet had the pleasure to drink. So, maybe Duck Rabbit is taking the genre and shoe-horning it into their product line-up by whatever means. If that’s the case, then I have to salute Duck Rabbit, because they have made a delicious (albeit darker than usual) barleywine-style ale.
The pour of this brew, as I mentioned, is quite dark. It still maintains a reddish hue, but borders on the dark brown. It is transparent, meaning that it is apparently filtered before bottling. The aroma of this brew is sharp and spicy – burns the nostrils a bit. There is a hint of anise in here, but otherwise not much else but the spice and alcohol. In the mouth, this is a big and sweet beer. It burns the tongue immediately upon entering the mouth, and this burning sensation seems to last, though diminished, through the rest of the mouth. Along this blazing trail, the beer leaves behind a great rock-candy sweetness tinted with hints of light hop bitternes all down the tongue, finally depositing some of this sugary sweetness at the back of the throat. The beer has a great mouthfeel – the burn, which is pleasant, co-mingles with a silky texture that slides easily through the throat. The sweetness of this makes it deceptively drinkable, though it carries a heavy weight of 11% abv. Personally, I would consider this one of the better offerings from Duck Rabbit. That’s saying a lot, since I really love some of their ‘darker’ varieties. Basically, I’d recommend picking up anything you can find from these guys, whether it be a barleywine ale or a tasty milk stout.
Highland “Cold Mountain” Winter Ale
This fine beer from the folks at Highland Brewing Company has been a seasonal standby of mine for the past couple of years. Each year they seem to deliver a winter ale that is complex and new, even by the standards of the past version of the same beer. I recently had the opportunity to try this brew at Highland Brewery whilst visiting for New Year’s. After that rendezvous, I was afraid I’d never see the jewel again, as it sold out on Asheville shelves days after the release. Fortunately, Durham isn’t quite so quick on the gun, so I was able to grab a bottle at the local beer store. And, true to my memory, it is a gem.
The pour of this beer is a dark brown with a slight cloudiness and a light red tint. As soon as you pour it, you catch a waft of an aroma containing a lot of vanilla along with some spice and sweetbread qualities. In the mouth, the beer is fairly true to its aroma. The first taste I sense is a spry sweetness slightly reminiscent of blueberry. Further through the mouth a melange of vanilla and spice is very apparent (and very tasty). This vanilla sticks around and blends with a malty sweetness that follows to the back of the mouth and lingers in the aftertaste. This brew has definite stages of flavor development in the mouth, and all of them combine to make a winter brew that is complex and sweet. On thing that this beer doesn’t offer much of is hops or bitterness. Normally, this would irk me, but I feel that excess hops would only diminish this particular beer, and so I have to laud Highland’s choice to leave them out. This is a fantastic beer, and you should definitely have some if you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity.
New Holland Black Tulip Tripel Ale
Well, my good friend Matt was able to write about the New Holland Brewery before I had the chance, but I second his overall review of the brewery. I was able to pick up a 22 oz. bottle while enjoying a recent stay in Northern Kentucky. (However, KevBrews is certainly more than welcome to send a bottle or two down my way in NC, as well). In any case, the Black Tulip was sampled on tap originally at a holiday party thrown by my future in-laws. While this is a complex beer, it received very warm praise at the party by those who would not typically enjoy an “artisinal’ beer, but enjoyed it for its well-balanced nature (as reported by certain people present at said party). After hearing wonderful things about the Black Tulip, I was certainly more than excited to bring this wonderful brew back to the Tar Heel State and try it myself.
With that rambling thought out of the way, on to the beer. The beer pours a relatively light, golden color and smells absolutely delightful. There is a hint of spice and sweetness to the aroma, but it is not at all overwhelming. And really, that’s what I would say about this beer in general. The flavors are really nice together, and “semi-complex”, but not at all overwhelming. I think this is really a good thing. It makes for a wonderfully drinkable brew, with spicy and almost candy-like flavors permeating through the drink. It is a high gravity, and comes in at a robust 9 abv. However, the “extra” alcohol is hardly noticeable. There is actually a sweet, slight floral taste to the beer, and apparently for good reason. The Black Tulip is apparently brewed with tulip petals. How ’bout that?
For those of you who like visuals, the beer did not deliver a great amount of head. I imagine on tap, this would be different, but from the bottle it was very little and dissipated quickly. Unlike the red tulip, this beer is brewed continually – so you can enjoy it anytime you’re in the New Holland service area. I would enjoy this beer migrating further down this way. It seems to be a pretty good regional brewery, and I certainly look forward to getting more of these soon.
North Coast “Silver Jubilee” Belgian Farmhouse Ale
It’s hard to serve me a farmhouse ale that I don’t enjoy these days. Actually, let’s be frank – it’s hard to serve me a beer that I don’t enjoy these days. But, this holds true moreso with farmhouse ales than with a lot of brews. The sweet and sour and refreshing characteristics make this a great choice after a long day or when one just wants a tasty brew that isn’t too heavy on the belly. And, being that North Coast generally makes a tasty brew of any variety, I’m excited about seeing how they do with this one.
The beer pours a hazy light golden with a slightly overzealous stark white head. The aroma on this is citrusy-sweet with just a slight burn in the nostrils. The flavor is quite delightful – it starts out with some lemon zest on the tongue that becomes both sweet and sour as it traverses the mouth. There is noticeable hop in this – more than you see in most saisons – but it never quite overpowers the citrus characteristics. As the beer clears the throat, it leaves behind a sweetness on the tongue and hoppy bitterness at the back of the throat. All in all, I’d say that North Coast did a great job honoring their 25th anniversary with this beer. It isn’t the best farmhouse ale I’ve had, but it’s right up there. Probably the only American version of this that can beat it is from Bison. Nevertheless, it’s saying a lot, and I’d highly recommend this to any fan of the variety.
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner
I don’t know if you all have seen these Rogue “Signature Series” beers laying around – they’re the ones that come in the excessively clad bottles with the re-stoppable tops. If you see these, then you can rest assured that the beer inside is a pretty burly (and expensive) beer. Thus far, I’ve had the IIPA, the Barleywine-style Ale, and now the Imperial Pilsner, and each has managed to exceed expectations in flavor, panache, or both. Lately, I’ve had a bit of a love affair with Imperial Pilsners, when I can find ‘em. I find a normal Pilsner fairly tasty, but the predominance of the pilsner hop flavor can tend to be a bit much for me. However, in the Imperial varieties, brewers tend to amp up the malt and abv a bit, which tends to balance out the flavor and make for an excellent brew. This tenet holds true in the case of the Rogue varietal.
This beer pours a cloudy faded golden color. The aroma is crisp and sweet. You can certainly sense the malt, but it is balanced out by a citrus undertone that gives the beer less of a ‘bready’ flavor and more of a crisp pop. In the mouth, this beer continues to please. The first flavor to present itself is a light sweetness that quickly moves to a hoppy bitterness. Around the middle of the mouth, the citrus creeps in with lemon zest flavor. On through the mouth, the hops become apparent again, coupled with more malty sweetness, leaving you with a pleasant bittersweet aftertaste. This leaves the mouth feeling rather clean with just a slight residue at the back of the throat. While this beer isn’t quite as ‘big’ as the other Rogue signature series brews, I would say that it is the best balanced I have yet had. I rank this up there with the best imperial pilsners on the block, including the Sam Adams version that really knocked my socks off. It’s great to see American brewers putting out such great versions of this Czech staple.
Left Hand XXXmas Ale
I’ve been on a bit of a run drinking Christmas ales over the past couple of days and, to be honest, I’ve been waiting to taste one that really blows my hair back. I had kinda given up and just popped this Left Hand offering because it only costed me $1.99 at the Weinhaus in Asheville. However, unexpectedly, I think I’ve found the jewel of the bunch! This stuff happens to have all of the pizzazz and balance that the other offerings have lacked – good job, Left Hand!
The beer pours a hazy ruby color that indicates it is lightly filtered and bottle fermented. The aroma of this beer is rather strong with ginger and contains some underlying spice. In the mouth, this beer really pops. Again, the real highlight of the beer is a strong ginger flavor. It starts off with a subtle malty sweetness on the tip of the tongue, but then smacks you with a big ginger flavor on the middle of the tongue that pushes its way on up to the nasal cavity. While the ginger sticks around in the nose, the liquid brings a heavier malt flavor at the back of the tongue that remains through the aftertaste. All in all, it’s a pretty complicated brew. The use of ginger as a defining ingredient in specialty beers is a trend I’ve noticed in recent months, and it’s a trend I really like, especially in darker beers. Winter beers can often get bogged down with excessive maltiness, and the freshness of the ginger tends to cleanse the palate and really balance a beer out. So, hats off to Left Hand on making this great beer. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why this stuff is on sale so cheap in Asheville. However, if I see it again at such a bargain, count on me to pick up a few bottles.
Brooklyn Winter Ale
Brooklyn rarely disappoints with a beer and, to be honest, I waited for the Brooklyn Winter Ale with baited breath, expecting a phenomenal showing. However, once I got this beer several weeks ago, I drank through several of them and have not yet been excited enough to jump to the computer to review it. So, I guess what I’m saying is that this is about as lukewarm on a Brooklyn beer as I’ve felt in a while. That’s not to say it isn’t good – it just hasn’t grabbed me as ‘excellent’.
The pour of this is about right for a winter ale – it’s somewhere between an amber and a stout – a nice deep red color. The aroma of the beer is fairly strong, offering more malt than anything, resulting in a sweet bread-y smell with just a bit of spice. In the mouth, the beer again brings the malt hammer with lots of sweetness, a thick bread flavor, some bits of spice, and just the slightest bit of dark cherry. The aftertaste maintains the dark fruit flavor as the malt subsides. All this combines to make a beer that is, by all accounts, quite good and not offensive. However, to me, it just tastes a bit cheap – as though they used too much malt in the beer in order to compensate for a lack of other defining characteristics. Perhaps I’m being too harsh here; again, this IS good and I would recommend it over many other winter beers. However, I have come to expect big things from Brooklyn in any beer they release, and this, to me, just isn’t quite up to the bar I’ve set. Good job, Brooklyn, seriously, but I’ll be waiting anxiously to see if you can bring a better version next year.
New Holland Red Tulip Ale
New Holland Brewing Co. doesn’t distribute down here in NC so our good friend from Kevbrews sent us this gem of a brew. This is a seasonal ale whose label art commemorates the annual Tulip Time Festival and apparently New Holland donates a portion of the proceeds to the cause.
This beer pours a beautiful copper color with very little head. It smells sweet in the glass with hints of grape and a mild floral aroma. I am also detecting some apple. I’m probably way off base there so I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t experience the same. I expected the sweetness to carry over into the taste but my tastebuds were met with a completely different set of flavors. The taste is fairly clean at the front of the mouth and then the back of the tongue is greeted with a bitterness reminiscent of semi-sweet dark chocolate. This beer has a mild carbonation and thus it flows through the mouth with little effort. This is a very tasty and drinkable beer. If you’re hanging out in the Great Lakes area during the spring months and are looking for a good brew pick up a sixer of the Red Tulip Ale.
