Browsing Category: "beer recommendations"
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I finally got around to trying the spring installment of the Smuttynose big beer series — “big beers in big bottles, released seasonally in very limited quantities” — the Maibock, over the weekend. First, some background for people unfamiliar with the style (which included me, before yesterday): according to Wikipedia, a Maibock (or Helles bock),
is a pale version of a traditional bock. It is a fairly recent development compared to other styles of bock beers, frequently associated with springtime and the month of May. Alcohol content ranges from 6.3% to 7.4% by volume. The flavor is typically less malty than a traditional bock, and may be drier, hoppier, and more bitter, but still with a relatively low hop flavor, with a mild spicy or peppery quality from the hops or alcohol content. It is a clear lager, deep gold to light amber in color, with a large, creamy, persistent white head, and moderate to moderately high carbonation. There is some dispute as to whether the Helles (”pale”) bock and the Mai (”May”) bocks are the same style, but they are generally agreed to be the same.
While this didn’t sound all that appealing to me (a pale, peppery bock? I was skeptical), the Smuttynose version quickly changed my mind. According to the side of the 22oz bottle,
Maibocks are traditional Teutonic seasonal specialty. We brew ours to be hugely malty & subtly finished with a variety of continental hops, with an eye-pleasing russet brown color.
The Smuttynose version pours with a pillowy, puffy off-white head which dissipates quickly, leaving behind intricate lacing and a few islands of bubbles. The nose smells of alcohol drenched spices and flowers, while the taste is enormously malty and sweet with a mouth-feel you can chew on (thanks to the nearly 8% ABV). The almost tangy spice notes from the nose come through in the finish, as well. While a TON of malt is used in the brew, the continental hops balance it nicely, lending to a nice round flavor.
The Smuttynose Label
With 127 BeerAdvocate reviews averaging an A- rating it seems like plenty of people agree - this is one great bock. I’m convinced. But if you want to find out for yourself, you better hurry; the next installment of the Smuttynose big Beer series — the Big A IPA — is right around the corner. cheers.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Like spring itself, spring beers don’t really exist in Maine. In order to have any impact, they would need to be on the shelf by mid-February — when it’s still very much the heart of winter — or stay on the shelf well into April or May, and by that time - if your summer ale isn’t out already, you’ll never recover.
So, instead of a “spring” ale, many Maine breweries will release special short-season experimental brews. Like Shipyard’s Brewer’s Choice (a Royal IPA this year) or Gritty’s Irish Red Ale. It was the latter that I was privileged enough to try on draft at the Portland Gritty McDuff’s last night.
During the first official meeting of the Maine Beer Writers’ Guild — which was very graciously sponsored by Gritty’s — I enjoyed a few pints of the Gritty’s IRA: a traditional Irish Red, with a twist; served on tap with a nitrogen infusion. Brewed especially for the St. Patrick’s Day season - in addition to the caramel flavors you’d expect from an Irish Red, the Gritty’s IRA was brewed with CaraAroma and roasted barley malts, giving it a very smoky character.
It was a very smooth (thanks to the nitrogen, which is much more common in stouts), easy-drinking beer which was a great addition to the hours of beer-related conversation. If you find yourself in Portland before the Vacationland appears on draft (when that happens, the IRA will be gone) hurry and grab yourself a pint - you’ll be glad you did!
Meanwhile, the May meeting of the Maine Beer Writers’ Guild will be hosted and sponsored by The Shipyard Brewing Company at the Inn on Peaks Island (check out the MBWG website for more).
Popularity: 15% [?]
This evening I find myself sitting with my first bottle of Flying Dog’s new spring offering - Garde Dog. Garde Dog is a Bière de Garde-style brew. Bière de Garde, or “keeping beer”, is a style of ale traditionally brewed in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. These farmhouse-style beers were usually brewed in the winter and spring, to avoid unpredictible problems with the yeast during the summertime. As the name suggests the origins of this style lie in the tradition that it was matured/cellared for a period of time once bottled to be consumed later in the year (similar to a Belgian Saison-style).
The first thing that came to mind when I took a sip of this beer is that it would make a great transition beer for someone weening themselves off of macro-brewed beers wanting to try something a little more bold and daring. Even as I was pouring the beer — well before I held it up to my nose — the strong, malty aromas cut through my very cold-ridden sinuses. And, not surprisingly, the finish packed the same wallop, really showing the beer’s full body. A body which caught me off guard (no pun intended), with the beer’s mild 5.5% ABV.
Garde Dog has the look — a terrific pure gold color and virtually no head — and clean, crisp, cool taste of a pilsener. But, unlike a lager, Garde Dog has a strong and spicy hop bite to complement its full, malty body.
The Flying Dog website proclaims that Garde Dog will “liberate you from the winter doldrums” and I would have to agree. As special spring releases do (or should do), this offering bridges the gap between dark and biscuity warming winter ales and crisp and easy-drinkin’ summer ales quite nicely. But you better hurry - Garde Dog is only on shelves through May.
Technorati Tags: Flying Dog Ales, Garde Dog, Biere de Garde, beer
Popularity: 16% [?]
By now many of you know that Peak Organic Brewing — a local Portland, Maine brewing company which contract brews certified organic beer at the Shipyard facilities — has released a new spring beer: Maple Oat Ale. The three other year-round beers from Peak don’t do too much for me (they’re not bad by any stretch, just not overly exciting) but I really enjoyed this one.
Available in either 12oz 4-packs or 22oz bombers, Peak’s Maple Oat Ale is a light copper-colored ale brewed with Maine-grown organic oats from granola company GrandyOats and Vermont-produced organic maple syrup from Butternut Mountain Farms in Morrisville, Vermont.
This beer pours a dark golden/light copper color with very little head retention (probably due to the high amounts of maple syrup in the boil). The Maple Oat Ale has a sweet malt taste and a smoother-than-normal mouthfeel — thanks largely to the oats — while it finishes with a distinct (but not overpowering) maple syrup sweetness.
I would definitely consider this my favorite of the Peak family and I hope they choose to keep it around for awhile (right now it’s only slated for the spring season). It is one of the easier drinking beers I’ve had in a long time; my 22oz bomber was gone not long after I realized I had even opened it. but, at a modest 5.2% ABV, that wasn’t a problem and there was certainly room left for more. But I think that Geoff Masland, Peak Organic Partnership Maestro, summed up the best part of this beer quite nicely in the company’s official press release which accompanied the beer’s release:
“We’ve collaborated with great folks to produce more than just a delicious craft beer, but also a positive experience from start to finish, farm to glass.”
For more on Peak Organic Brewing, read my interview with its founder Jon Cadoux from September ‘07.
Technorati Tags: beer, organic, Peak Organic, Maine, Vermont
Popularity: 18% [?]
Thanks to the generosity of good friends, this evening I am able to indulge in a can of Osker Blues Ten FIDY Imperial Stout; a beer from a small Colorado brewery which has gained somewhat of a cult following lately, due to its scarcity (I’ve been told cans of it have been seen on eBay for $40, but I’m too dedicated to put mine up for auction). I’m not going to take the time to review it too in depth-ly because I’m drinking it while I write and, with an ABV of approximately 10%, it won’t be long after the last sip that I’m lulled to sleep.
The Osker Blues website describes the beer as,
Ten FIDY Imperial stout is a titanic wonder of a stout, immensely viscous, and loaded with neck-deep flavors of chocolate, malt, coffee, cocoa and oats. It’s the beer equivalent of decadently rich milkshake made with Whoppers malted-milk balls and Heaven’s best chocolate ice cream. Ten FIDY is about 10% ABV and is made with enormous amounts of two-row malts, chocolate malts, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. Ten FIDY’s huge-but-comforting flavors hide a whopping 98 IBUs that are deftly tucked underneath the beer’s mountains of malty goodness.
Meanwhile some of the adjectives used to describe the beer in BeerAdvocate reviews are “black as onyx and as viscous as motor oil”, ” big, chewy, and thick”, “A decent whiff of coffee. Rich. Malty”, “Marvelous”, “An oil change for your liver” and “This beer doesn’t have any subtleties to it”.
I think the thing that caught me off guard the most about this beer, however, was that the opening of the can was eerily silent. There was no “pffsst” sound most cans have when opened; nothing but the sound of the aluminum.
While tracking this beer down is very hard to do, if you can get your hands on it - do so (and not just for resale on eBay). You’re in for a treat!
(photo by Aubrey Sun)
Technorati Tags: beer, stout, Ten FIDY, Colorado, Osker Blues
Popularity: 12% [?]
By 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon I was pretty convinced that I had in fact died and gone to heaven. If you missed out on the 2nd Annual Beer & Cheese Tasting at Vignola in Portland yesterday, I’m really quite sorry and it really is in your best interest not to let that happen again next year. The event featured 15 different Belgian and Belgian-style beers; most from Belgium — obviously — but some from the UK, Italy, Germany and right here in Maine.
The Beers:
Of the 15 beers present, I was able to taste 9 of them - I won’t bore you with a list that long but rest assured that none of them were bad (and some I’d say are new favorites). The one that stuck out to me the most, how ever, was the Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel. This was an amazing IPA - one with complexity and flavor beyond the typical U.S. Hops Race which dominates domestic IPAs (and often tends to turn me off; but maybe that’s just me). The Chouffe, on the other hand, was extremely smooth and creamy with an even and full body. There is still the bitter, Tannic and citrus notes of the style, but they were more balanced and subtle, much to my delight. For anyone local who wants to give this one a try, I know they have bottles of this beer at Downeast Beverage on Commercial Street in the Old Port. 
The Cheeses:
On the other side of the room from the beers, there were 18 different kinds of cheeses - 3 “Bleus” (pictured), 3 Soft Cheeses, 3 Goat’s Milk Cheeses, 3 Hard Cheeses, 3 Cow’s Milk Cheeses & 3 Sheep’s Milk cheeses from all over the world (again, including Maine). I eventually lost count but I’m pretty sure that I ran the gammet on the cheese counter, tasting all 18 varieties and eating really more cheese than I had previously thought humanly possible; but DAMN was it delicious.
Again, I won’t bore you with details of each individual cheese but some of the highlights included: A Fleur Verte, Provence (a soft cheese) from France, which was covered in tarragon, thyme & red peppercorns (pictured). It had a very nimble and fluffy texture and virtually melted in my mouth; a chedder made in Maine which had been aged for 5 years; a cow’s milk cheese from England which was coated in hops leaves, giving it a slightly herbaceous aroma and flavor (this one, probably needless to say, paired incredibly well with the beers); and lastly, a cheese from France called Abondance. This spring-fed cheese had an enormous presence and was intensely fruity and nutty. But best of all, only 100 wheels of it are made a year, and the hunk we got cuts of yesterday is the only piece of this cheese in the North East at the moment.
In Conclusion:
Again, as you can probably tell - if you missed this event, I’m truly sorry. And I hope — for your sake & mine — that Vignola will host it again next year. If you can’t wait that long, there are a few more beer & food events in Maine coming right up, and Vignola announced yesterday that Rob from Allagash Brewing will be on hand the evening of February 6th to spread the gospel about Belgian-style beers (more details to come).
Technorati Tags: beer & cheese, beer, cheese, Portland, Maine, Vignola
Popularity: 16% [?]
Today marked the beginning of Maine’s oft-annual January Thaw and temperatures reached 41 degrees (and they say it 
should read 50 on Tuesday). To celebrate, we got up early and headed to Shawnee Peak for a down-right perfect day of hitting the slopes. The conditions were excellent and we returned home this evening sore in all the right ways.
To cap the day off, I settled in this evening with a 22 oz bomber of Barleywine from nearby Smuttynose Brewery in Portsmouth, NH. This is one of the tastiest Barleywines I’ve had; it features a nice, modest 7% ABV — unusually tame for a Barleywine — so you can have plenty. There is a gorgeous off-white pillowing thick head when poured, which quickly disappears. There are very strong fruit esters with a touch of caramelizing, grain and a pinch of hop on the nose. A tad on the sweet side, the mouthfeel — which is both creamy and chewy — boats a fantastic cocktail of esters (pear & date, maybe? I’m not great at differentiating the flavors) and citrusy hop flavours which end with a dry, grain aftertaste. With an overall rating of B+, plenty of BAers agree that this is a truly fantastic brew.
Elsewhere on the good news beer front, Standing Stone Brewing Company of Ashland, OR has begun working towards a “zero net energy” (making or saving more energy than you use) goal. Although admittedly a long way off,
Says owner Alex Amarotico, it’s sound business, and good for the planet, to take every step to shrink carbon output.
For more on the changes being made at the brewery to better our environment, click here to read the news from the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune.
Technorati Tags: Smuttynose Brewing Co., Shawnee Peak, January Thaw, Barleywine, beer, Standing Stone Brewing Co., Going Green
Popularity: 13% [?]
5 beers I need to try in 2008:
1. St. Bernardus Abt 12
I know, it’s a damn shame I haven’t gotten around to trying this brew yet; but that’s why its on the list! This way 2008 won’t end without some progress made… According to the St. Bernardus website, Abt 12 is,
the absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. It is also the beer with the highest alcohol content (10.50 %). A dark ivory coloured beer with a high fermentation. The show piece of the brewery. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. The Abt has a very fruity flavour.
2. Stone Brewing Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale is, quite simply, Stone Brewing’s Arrogant Bastard Ale aged on a bed of oak chips (available for the first time in 12 oz bottles). It sounds, in a word, delicious. 
And, along the same lines,
3. Stone Brewing Double Bastard Ale
Stone says of its Double Bastard Ale:
This is a lacerative muther of a beer. The evil big brother of Arrogant Bastard Ale. It is strongly suggested you stay far, far away from this beer. Those foolish enough to venture close enough to taste will experience a punishingly unforgiving assault on the palate. ‘Course there’s always the masochists…
4. Samuel Adams Utopias
Utopias is made with caramel, Vienna, Moravian and Bavarian smoked malts, and all four varieties of noble hops:
Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger, Spalter, and Saaz. The beer is aged in scotch, cognac and port barrels for the better part of a year. It is described as having a “distinctive smell of cinnamon and vanilla with subtle hints of floral, citrus and pine.”
Utopias has an ABV of 27% and, Due to legal restrictions, is not offered in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, or West Virginia. It retails for more than $100 for a 24-oz bottle but hey - a guy can dream, right?
5. Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Alaskan Smoked Porter
One of the of the most award-winning beers in the history of the Great American Beer Festival, Alaskan Smoked Porter is another brew that will be really tough for me to get my hands on here on the East Coast but I would love to give it a try. According to the brewery’s website,
The dark, robust body and pronounced smoky flavor of this limited edition beer make it an adventuresome taste experience. Alaskan Smoked porter is produced in limited “vintages” each year and unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle much like fine wine.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Beer in 2008: A New Years Resolution, coming tomorrow!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Technorati Tags: 2008, St. Bernardus Abt 12, Stone Brewing, Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Double Bastard Ale, beer, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Samuel Adams, Utopias, Alaskan Brewing Co, Alaskan Smoked Porter, New Years Resolution
It’s yet another snowy evening in Maine (there are already waist-high plowbanks like the winters of my childhood; it’s going to be a helluva winter); the perfect setting for a bomber of Berkshire Brewing Co.’s Drayman’s Porter. The Berkshire Brewing website describes this porter, which weighs in at a manageable but respectful 6.2% ABV, as,
A full bodied dark Ale with pleasant chocolate/roasted malt flavor with a slight malty sweetness that is balanced with a delicate hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. A smooth and memorable taste experience.
A description which is more or less spot on. A bottle-conditioned ale, Drayman’s pours a nice black-with-a-few-drops-of-brown color with a finger-wide tan head that quickly dissipates, but leaves behind very impressive light tan lacing & bubbles.
There is a strong burnt malt aroma, which continues to stick through the taste & mouth-feel. It makes me think of day-old coffee, but not necessarily in a bad way.Lots of tiny bubbles and a very tight carbonation makes Drayman’s Porter feel great as it slides down the tongue.
The only downside to this excellent beer is the somewhat harsh bitterness – which I assume comes from all the roasted malt – makes it tough to down even the full 22 ounces.Overall Drayman’s Porter is perfect for a chilly New England evening, and 99% of BAera agree (with an overall rating of 87); drink up.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Technorati Tags: Berkshire Brewing Co, Porter, ale, Drayman’s Porter, beer, New England
While aimlessly passing time at work today in an attempt to do no actual work to speak of, I stumbled upon (under my own power, without the aid of a search engine by the same name) an interactive beer thingy challange on the Washington Post’s website, which appeared in a recent Sunday Source section of theirs.
Apparently the paper, under the urging of assistant editor Joe Heim, paired off 32 varieties of good ol’ fasioned American brew (all of average style and ABV content) in a head-to-head, single-elimination tournament. 5 panelists who ranged in experience and taste from a self-proclaimed beer snob to “joe six-pack”, as the site puts it, tasted, tested, and commented on a wide range of beers, both commercial and “craft”. The outcome was a March Madness-style bracket, entitled Beer Madness, with the ”winning” beer of each round moving on to the Sweet Sixteen, Big 8 and so on.
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Technorati Tags: Washington Post, Sunday Source, beer, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery
Popularity: 6% [?]
