Archive for November, 2007
Friday links…
Night of the Funk
The Beeradvocate’s Night of the Funk was a night of unknown possibilities. The premise for the night was the same as Night of the Lagers, with the night focusing on one style. Instead of the Lager style however, this night was dedicated to the Belgian style. Within this style “confine” (I use that term quite loosely) brewers were to showcase their art form. The tools the brewers used varied from barrel aging to Brettanomyces. The outcome, unknown.
Well that is not completely true. Some of the Belgium breweries have been around for hundreds of years, so they have a pretty good idea of their end product. The American side of the exhibition hall was where the mystery was, and that is where I spent the majority of my time. Not to say I did not sample the beers of our Belgian counterparts. How could one resist trying a pineapple Lambic or a straight Lambic before being mixed with other Lambics to form a Geuze? The main reason for keeping to the American side of the hall was that the Belgian breweries were, for the most part, sampling beers I could purchase in the future at some of the finer beer establishments in my area. Most of the American brewers however, had brewed one off or limited batch beers. There is a possibility those beers will never to be made again! Making them “slightly” harder to come by in the future.
Not to say all of those beers were good and should be made again. A few missed the mark but that is understandable when experimenting with the unknown. There is also the possibility the beer would have tasted tremendous if they had aged the beer in white wine barrels instead of bourbon barrels, or aged it for more time, or less time, or with more Bret and at a different temperature… The different permutations of recipes are nearly endless and the realization of this was the mind/taste opening experience of the night.
Enough with my philosophical beer rambling, lets delve into the beer. Since I was sipping two ounce samples in non-proper glassware, I will not actually be reviewing any of the beers I had, but I would like to point out some stand-outs. Sixpoint Craft Ales is the first stand-out. Their two beers, Rye Jug A and Rye Jug B (do names come any more experimental then that?), hit the spot for both my girlfriend and I. They had a nice hoppy and funky characteristic that did not blow the drinker away but was still noticeable. I could definitely see either beer being regular drinks for me if either made it to bottles. Not to say I was only interested in beers I would possibly consume regularly. Many of these beers would be great as a party starter or as an apéritif, and that was something I kept in mind.
Some other standouts from the American crowd were Cambridge Brewing Company’s Kriek du Cambridge. Definitely not a beer for the everyday, at least not for me, but my girlfriend’s face after tasting the beer was priceless (imagine sucking on an unknown piece of candy that turned out to be an extreme sour warhead). Dogfish’s Festina Lente was a marvelous ale with a nice taste of white peaches. Ithaca Beer Company’s two beers, Noot Bruin and White Gold with Brett, were enjoyed greatly. The Noot Bruin had a great smooth character and the White Gold had the slight hint of pineapple that kept the beer very interesting. Smuttynose’s Brett and I had a strong yeast taste with a nice dry ending. To finish it off is Bacchus. An ale with a hint of grape from The Alchemist up in Vermont.
Overall a very taste expanding night. I’m looking forward to the next one.
Friday links
SweetWater “Georgia Brown” Ale
When in Georgia, it only seems right to support the local brewery, so here I sit with a tolerably cool glass of SweetWater “Georgia Brown” brown ale. The pour of this is a pleasing dark brown color that seems clean and well-filtered. The nose of this is quite rich with lots of hazelnut and dark malts. It is more pungent than the average brown ale, which just adds to the perceived decadence of this ale. In the mouth, this beer is sweet and delicious. Frankly, to put it shortly, this is like a Newcastle, only sweeter and slightly richer. There is, throughout the mouth, a great sense of hazelnut. There is a sweet bready malt flavor that streaks across the tongue. Towards the back of the mouth, we get a bit of toffee and a final sweetness that is almost cloying, but generally comes across as just plain rich. All in all, I think this is a great brown ale for a winter night. It is almost dessert-like in flavor, but the beer really washes quite clean and sits much lighter on the gut than its decadence would portend. I’m generally pleased with SweetWater’s brews, with a couple of small exceptions. However, this one is really a doozy. For a brown ale, it’s fabulous, and highly recommended.
Elysian Brewing “The Immortal” IPA
Frankly, I’m not going to waste my time on this – I’m sorry I wasted my money. This beer pours a light and filtered golden, and it tastes metallic and rather bitter. However, this bitterness isn’t what I expect from a good, hoppy beer. Rather, it tastes cheap and slightly sour. I really hope this is a dud, because it simply isn’t good. For Elysian’s sake, I really hope that most beers off the line do better than this. However, if this is what we can expect from Elysian, then I’d give a resounding “Don’t Buy” rating to this brew.
Thanksgiving Poll
Harpoon’s latest creation
I was recently invited to another Harpoon Brewery unveiling. This unveiling was neither for a special release, like Harpoon’s 100 barrel series Glacier Harvest Wet Hop Ale, nor for a beer. It was for a new, year round, cider. Now this is not a cider blog, and I am not a cider drinker (my last cider, a Strongbow, was had a few years back while I was studying in London), but I’m always up for expanding my palate, so I went with an open mind and tongue.
I’m always interested in the back story of the brewing process and for a product that took a year to come to fruition (horrible pun), from deciding to make a cider to final product, this brew had a few stories to tell. The stories were not all brewing based however.
It seems the brewing of cider holds a special place in the tax man’s heart and it is not taxable as a beer or a wine. The process holds a middle ground between the two. Now we were spared the exact “accounting story” (thankfully) but the challenge was surmounted and it was interesting to learn about the different challenges a brewer can encounter when they try to diversify their line of products. As a side note, the brewing of any other type of fruit actually falls under the definition of a wine. This increase in tax, hence cost, of the final product will keep Harpoon from experimenting with any other fruit fermenting in the near future.
Along with the tax differences, there were some brewing differences with cider. First and foremost was the yeast to use. They already had their in-house ale yeast, but they thought a wine or champagne yeast would work better. After a few test batches with each yeast however, their in-house ale yeast came out on top. Their ale yeast along with a mix of apples (Macintosh being the predominant variety with a rather long list of others, all purchased from a local Massachusetts orchard) is what makes the final cider product.
Along with testing different yeasts, they also needed to figure out the cider brewing process. Unfortunately I missed the exact steps that led to this, but Harpoon learned the yeast really likes to go to town on the apples and one time they ended up with an “apple hooch” of quite strong content. Working these kinks out was all part of the year journey to the final product.
How was the final product? Though it looked like a clear, light apple juice, the cider was quite refreshing and not sugary/syrupy. I think a friend of mine summed it up best: “It was crisp, light and easy to drink…actually tasted like apples and did not have a strong tart after taste. I would recommend it to anyone who is skeptical about cider as it does not taste anything like the mass produced cider Americans normally drink. I bet it tastes really great with a hefeweizen or a brown ale, and am looking forward to some chemistry experiments at home.” (Thanks Ms. JXA.)
I would not say I have been fully converted, but I definitely see instances where this cider would work. Along with the previous mentioned “mixings” by JXA, I could see this working with pork dishes, certain desserts or as a drink at brunch. An interesting suggestion from Harpoon was to use the cider in the steaming of mussels. The cider would also work as a drink “of the Pilgrims” at a Thanksgiving dinner.
Overall an enjoyable drink, and one I suggest you try one time, if not to at least expand your palate.
(Explanation about the glass: It was a gift for anyone who attended the Beer Advocate’s Belgian Beer Fest and then visited the Harpoon brewery. Explanation about the glass being empty: After the tasting I have unfortunately not been able to attain the cider at any local establishment.)
Full Sail “Wreck the Halls” Ale
‘Tis the season for tasty winter ales! I was happy to try this, the first offering from Full Sail to make its way onto SevenPack and my first Christmas beer of the season. Not only is this a good name for a holiday brew, but it’s also known to be a decent, independently owned brewery. And, they seem to make a big deal out of the fact that they’re ‘independent’ and ‘employee owned’. Hopefully that means that they put a lot of pride in their beers, and that this fact will shine through in the taste.
This brew pours a clear medium amber with a very slight but lightly off-white head. The aroma of this isn’t terribly pungent, but it shines through with a metallic overtone and some hints of holiday spice. In the mouth, I would consider this an excellent holiday ale. There is a great deal of sweet, bready dark malts that give this a full and pleasing mouthfeel. In addition, there is just the right amount of spice here. The spice is light enough not to be overpowering, but heavy enough to definitively place this into the holiday ale category. Now, I haven’t had a ton of Christmas ales yet this season, as they are just beginning to appear on shelves. However, if my memory serves me well, then I’d rank this up there with some of the best that I tasted last season. While not terribly complex, this is flavorful and subtle, all in the right proportions, and it only becomes more pleasing as it begins to warm up in the glass. And, not to be overlooked is the great aftertaste that is both sweet and quite hoppy, leaving you with a great taste in your mouth and anxiously awaiting the next drink. Great job, Full Sail!
Deschutes “Jubelale” Winter Ale
This is a little gem that I brought back with me from lovely Seattle. You see a lot of Deschutes brews over there, and it’s a good thing, because they make some pretty mean brews. Since I’m quite excited about the holiday beers coming around, I’m very glad to give this one a try.
The Jubelale pours a deep purplish brown with an aroma full of sweet spice and dark fruits. There are certain hints of dark cherry in the aroma, as well as various holiday spice and a touch of licorice (just a touch). In the mouth, this beer has a great, full flavor. The first flavor is slightly grapelike on the tip of the tongue. On through the mouth, some noticeable bitterness springs up that is both hoppy and reminiscent of horehound. Finally, there is a nice base of sweet malt that is intertwined with lots of holiday spice to give this a continually interesting ride all the way through the mouth to the back of the throat, leaving you with a sweet and rooty aftertaste that sticks to the roof of the mouth and plays its way up into your nose. All in all, a great beer, and one more that I can complement Deschutes on.
The “wet hop” challenge.
As Ben mentioned in his review of Deschutes “Hop Trip” Fresh Hop Ale more breweries are taking a shot at the “wet hop” or “fresh hop” style of brewing. This wet hop style, using freshly picked, undried, full cone hops, is a ‘seasonal’ style that coincides with the annual hop harvest. Now there are certain challenges with this brewing technique, which I touched upon in my review of Harpoon’s Glacier Harvest, so I will not repeat them here. With a couple of these beers hitting the local retail shelves I thought I would setup a little challenge for myself. The challenge, to be able to pick out the wet hop brew from the non-wet hop brew!
The premise was simple. I would pick up a wet hop and non-wet hop style of beer from the same brewery and try to discern, from a blind tasting, which was the wet-hop one. Two breweries with wet hop beers on the local shelves were Great Divide’s Fresh Hop Pale Ale, and Port Brewing’s High Tide Fresh Hop IPA. Unfortunately this is where my original plan started to fall apart.
Though I was able to get my hands on Port Brewing’s Wipe-Out IPA for their non-wet hop style of beer, I was unable to get my hands on Great Divide’s Denver Pale Ale for their non-wet hop style of beer. Undeterred I decided to amend my “challenge” and picked up Great Divide’s Titan IPA to see what type of difference there was between a wet hop Pale Ale and a regular IPA.
Now, along with the fact I am tasting a Pale Ale compared to an IPA, there are two (at least) other problems with my challenge. First the recipes used for the beers. If I wanted to make an apple to apple comparison, I would need the wet hop and non-wet hop beer recipes to be the same. Great Divide makes no reference, on the web site, of using the same recipe to brew their Denver Pale Ale and Fresh Hop Pale Ale, so even if I was able to procure a Denver Pale Ale I might not be comparing the same beer recipe. Port Brewing does detail the hops used in their Wipe-Out IPA (simcoe, amarillo and centennial) and High Tide Fresh Hop IPA (amarillo, fresh chinook, and fresh centennial). This “slight change” of simcoe to chinook hops makes a difference because different hops impart different aromas and flavors in a beer.
The second problem would be the amount of time the Titan IPA and Wipe-Out IPA had been sitting on the store shelves. Since the fresh hop beers were from this year’s 2007 season, I knew the beers had only been traveling through the distribution chain for a month (roughly). I could not say the same about the Titan and Wipe-Out IPA. Now neither beer tasted ‘skunky’, but there is the possibility some of the ‘hop factor’ had mellowed down a little bit, because time is not a friend of hops, as noted in my cellaring post. Even with these two other problems, I decided to continue on with my challenge.
To make my tasting ‘blind’, I had my girlfriend pour half pint servings into four separate glasses (A, B, C, D), while taking note of which beer went into which glass. Since I was not trying to discern which brewer made which beer, she placed the two Great Divide beers to my left, and the two Port Brewing beers to my right. As I viewed, smelled and tasted, I would take notes based on the letter marking on the glass. I also had some water to help cleanse the palate between tastings.
The two Great Divide beers poured near identical in color with a light amber hue. The Fresh Hop Pale Ale (which was also reviewed by Matt, though that review seems to be from last years hop harvest) poured clear with a tight white head that began as a finger and settled down to a thin covering. The Titan’s body had a bit of debris and a cream colored head which again started as a finger but settled to a thin covering. The Titan head however, left a nice lace stickage while it receded down the glass. They both had a very similar smell of pine aroma and light citrus with some hint of bread. I knew the beers were different from the head and debris but if I just had smell to go off of, I would have thought they were the same beer, or at least very hard to distinguish. The mouth feel was also similar between the two beers with a light to medium feel, giving the mouth a good coating but nothing that lasted past the swallow. Much like the aroma the tastes were very similar with a hit of pine up front and bread in the back. The Fresh Hop Pale Ale was less bitter then the Titan IPA so it went down smoother. Conversely the malt/bread was not as noticeable in the Titan IPA but it still was present. Both are good, well balanced beers with no one taste or aroma overwhelming everything else.
Though both Port Brewing beers poured a golden color, the Wipe-Out IPA was a darker shade leaning more to a golden orange. The Wipe-Out IPA had a nice, thick cream colored head with good stickage down the glass, while the High Tide Fresh Hop IPA poured a white head with little to no stickage. For aroma I found the Wipe-Out to possess a massive piney hop aroma with some citrus notes, and the reverse for the High Tide Fresh Hop IPA, with a citrus/grapefruit pronounced aroma and a hint of pine. Both of these beers are hop bombs with little balance and strong bitterness, with the Wipe-Out IPA being a bit more so. The Wipe-Out IPA possessed “more flavor” as my girlfriend put it with its wallop of citrus and pine notes. Both beers are great “hop bomb” beers and both went down well, but the Wipe-Out IPA seems to have a little more going on in the flavor department.
This leaves the question that started this all off, could I differentiate between wet and non-wet beers? Plain and simple… no. I was completely wrong for both breweries, having picked the non-wet beers to be wet beers. What does this mean? Well not much really. With all the inherent problems in my testing, it was never truly a balanced wet hop to dry hop comparison. I did find it interesting, though not too surprising, how close the Fresh Hop Pale Ale was to the Titan IPA. The wet hop style is supposed to “impart hop flavor of superior freshness” (Ben) to the beer, thus ratcheting up the hop factor of the Pale Ale bringing it closer in taste to an IPA. As for the Wipe-Out IPA to High Tide Fresh Hop IPA comparison, it was interesting being able to taste, side by side, two IPAs from the same brewery with slightly different recipes and different brewing processes and noting the differences. It cements the fact of all the variations inherent in brewing and how rather slight changes in a recipe and process can change the outcome of the beer.
I think this in essence is the reason for the wet hop “phenomenon”. Brewers are an experimental lot and they want to discover the variations which different brewing processes bring out in their beers. My glass is raised to them for these endeavors.
Deschutes “Hop Trip” Fresh Hop Ale
You may have noticed a recent trend towards ‘fresh hop’ or ‘wet hop’ ales. I wouldn’t say it’s a huge trend, but I’ve noticed a number of breweries trying it out. The process to create one of these brews involves the brewery getting started brewing the beer while a cohort simultaneously rushes to and from the hop farm in a refrigerated truck full of ‘just-picked’ hops so that the beer can be created with the freshest possible hops. In theory, this will impart hop flavor of superior freshness. Honestly, I’ve had a couple of these, and I haven’t been blown away by any of them. Most of them have been good, admittedly, but none of them have lived up to the cost and effort to create the beer, in my opinion. But, Deschutes makes some great stuff, so I’m anxious to try their take.
The Hop Trip pours a deep golden that is unexpectedly clear. It is obviously well filtered and glistens under the light with a very thin but persistent head. The aroma of this beer is quite nice, while not especially pungent. There is a fresh floral aroma that contains an odd hint of pine resin that gives it an extra, but subdued, bite. In the mouth, this beer is hoppy with a substantial malt backbone. The hops don’t taste exceedingly fresh, but they are well defined and not harsh at all. The hop flavor is floral, but also lightly sweet, and I’m still detecting a slight bit of the pine-y hint that I mentioned earlier. Underneath all of this is a decent malt sweetness that balances this out into a beer with a full mouthfeel that really coats the tongue and pleases on many levels. The aftertaste carries bits of all these flavors, but is predominantly a hop bitterness that sticks in the back of the mouth with a light syrupy-ness. Again, for a fresh hop ale, I don’t really feel the effects of these ultra fresh hops. Rather, it just tastes like a well made beer that is balanced and flavorful. Who knows if the fresh hops really contribute much to this, but you gotta love a good beer either way. Furthermore, there’s a nice label on this big bottle that is of thick cardstock and has a charming illustration of an old flat-bed pick up full of my favorite greenery (I’m talking about hops). Recommended, regardless of any gimmick that may come along with it…
Bornem Double Abbey Ale
I was looking for something with a little extra bite so I decided to go with a double tonight. You can typically count on this style to provide a flavor explosion and since I haven’t had a double in a while this seemed to be a great choice. The history of Bornem and its monks is wrought with times both of conflict and prosperity. Many monks came and went but the beer recipes held true for 7 centuries. In the 1950s these recipes were turned over to the Van Steenberge brewery with royalties being paid to the Bornem abbey.
I poured this beer in a goblet and man is it dark. I know I throw the term muddy around, maybe too much sometimes, but this beer really looks muddy. It is cloudy with debris throughout and boast a deep ruby hue. The head is thick, pillowy and white. The smell is crisp with mint and spice. It doesn’t bite the nostrils like some of the doubles, in fact it is rather light. The flavor is pretty subdued as well. I must first point out that I had to fight through the carbonation to find the taste, which wasn’t pleasant, but once things mellowed I felt the taste was lacking. It has a thick bitter-sweetness, like a combination of lemon and honey, that is mixed with an earthy likeness of clove. The taste isn’t necessarily bad but right now the only thing I want to do is burp. This beer has left me feeling bloated and because of a “blah” flavor pretty dejected. In hind sight after reading Ben’s review of the Triple and have to say I wish I would have bought that style instead.
Samuel Adams Cream Stout
Whew – I’ve had a lot of Sam Adams beers the last couple weeks. Frankly, they’ve been tasty, but, frankly, I’m glad that this is the last one. This one, the cream stout, has been the bottom of the barrel for me, as it’s not one of my favorite genres. But, leaving no stone unturned, I’ll go ahead and rattle out a quick opinion of the brew.
This beer pours a rather dark brown color, but not quite as murky as many stouts. The aroma is exceedingly sweet and chocolaty and is quite pleasant. In the mouth, this beer is all sweet and nutty. There is a fair amount of chocolate, a lot of nut, and substantial doses of bready dark malts. The aftertaste of this is also very sweet and a bit cloying, to be honest. The beer isn’t especially complicated – it’s basically different layers of sweetness that all culminate in an ubersweetness at the back of the tongue. To be fair, there is a decent amount of bitterness here, also reminiscent of nuts, that mellows out everything and makes it fairly well balanced. This really is a pretty decent winter beer, and it’s quite decadent (for those who are really into the desert beers). So, while this isn’t quite my cup of tea (or glass of beer), fans of the genre should find a good value in this.
Friday links for a quick read…
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
This particular Sam Adams brew is one that I’ve heard a ton about over the past couple of years, but I have surprisingly never tasted. So, I gotta say that this is the beer from the new Winter sampler that I’m most excited about. So, no reason to waste time beating around the bush – let’s get to drinkin’!
My first instinct of this from the pour is that it’ll be a dark, slightly unfiltered, winter dark ale. In fact, it’s dark enough to be mistaken for a stout, but it doesn’t QUITE take it to that level. The aroma of this is full of toffee and hints of chocolate and is quite rich. In the mouth, this is a very rich and decadent ale. Initially, you are hit with a heavy dose of dark malts. There’s a great sweet bready flavor with a backbone of nut and some slightly bitter spice. On through the mouth, the toffee sweetness develops itself and blends with just a hint of licorice. Finally, in the aftertaste, we get another dose of nuttiness pushing up into the nasal cavity, and the texture of the beer coats the back of the throat. The mouthfeel of this is quite large and just the slightest bit syrupy, giving this a healthy presence in the mouth that remains for some time. All in all, this is a good beer, but it honestly is a bit of a letdown. Granted, there was a big build up, and I think that’s the reason for any disappointment. Had I had this without any forewarning, I would’ve found it to be a super holiday brew. It reminds me a bit of a fuller bodied Newcastle brown ale with some holiday spice added for effect. So, take this for what it is, and judge for yourself – Odds are good that this is one you’re sure to enjoy, despite the fact that it didn’t knock my socks off…
