Sunday, July 31, 2011
Abbey Ale Taste Test
I've been very anxious lately to test out the Abbey Ale bottled back in March and I decided yesterday it was close enough to its recommended 6 month conditioning time to crack open a bottle finally. It poured a clear coppery orange with a light, thin head. The aroma was sweet as was the flavor with an overall malty sweetness with a slight bitter and sour finish. It coated the mouth well and the slight carbonation helped to give it a lasting tingle. The orange started to come through a little as it warmed though. Overall, I wasn't all that impressed with it. It kind of fell somewhere near a tripel in flavor, but without the complexity typically found. It was decent, but the lack of flavors and the slight sour finish diminished any real pleasure from it. I'll let this one sit at least another month and see how it develops. I was hoping to have this available at my upcoming birthday party, but I think I'll just have to settle for my Lytle Creek Kolsch.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A Tale of Two Breweries
While on a recent family trip to Porland, Maine I was fortunate enough to have some time to visit Allagash Brewing Co. in town and also Samuel Adams Brewery on our brief stop in Boston. These definitely helped to punctuate the typical family vacation of sight seeing and lounging around.
I've been a fan of Allagash's White for a long time, but have only started exploring some of their other offerings in the past year or so. This trip was definitely a treat to see inside a smaller size brewery still on its way up and witness the craftsmanship firsthand. There were just seven of us on a midweek tour, which made hearing the guide and asking questions so much easier. Our guide was also very nice and was able to answer every question I had, even those semi-technical ones. Their barrel room was quite impressive for such a small brewery with all their experimental beer. Although a very simple tour, its intimacy was superb. Well worth the short drive out of the main Portland area and the price of admission (free).
The tasting before the tour was definitely tops in terms of quality and quantity of beer, although I felt a little rushed trying to down some high alcohol beers. That possibly could've been because I was also finishing off the wife's beer as well. The Curieux, which I have been wanting to pick up for a long time was a real treat to taste as was the new Fluxus just released that week. I have tried other beers before that had been aged in old whiskey and wine barrels and was never all that impressed with the amount or type of flavors produced. The Curieux, however, was a definite delight with a strong aroma and flavor of vanilla from the bourbon that gave the base Tripel more depth. The Fluxus I am unfortunately having a hard time remembering much about. Possibly since the Curieux took up much more of my attention. We also tried the White and the Tripel, which seemed to be lighter in flavor than I am typically used to for the style. Both very refreshing though. I also picked up a bottle of their Confluence, which resembled the Tripel very closely with not much of the funkiness I was expecting from the brettanomyces they use in this ale.
Oh what a day it was to go on the tour at Sam Adams. The heat was sweltering on this day and waiting around for an hour and a half for our tour to start in the unairconditioned brewery with numerous other sweaty people was not looking like this was going to be a pleasnt experience. Thank goodness they were tasting some test releases outside in the shade. The maple-pecan porter was very tasty with a light roastiness and overall malt sweetness that did surprisingly well despite the heat. Hopefully that wins over the oaked ale, which I didn't find all that interesting.
We were fortunate enough to be the last ones to fit on the free trolley to Doyle's, which allowed us to be first off and able to grab a seat at the bar, get a quick beer (with a free sam adams glass, woo!), cool off, and head back to the brewery.
After snagging a couple of items at the now sparsely populated gift shop, our tour started off. There were a lot of us, so sometimes it was hard to hear and forget about asking a question if you end up at the back. Fortunately I didn't feel the desire to ask any. The guides were really nice and a lot of fun, especially when we got into the tasting room and had three taster size glasses of beer, including their Koggen which they have never released for sale. First up though, the Boston Lager. I have to say that I am not the biggest fan of their Boston Lager typically, but the one I had here fresh from the brewery was really quite good with great balance and not as much bitterness as I typically remember. And I don't think this was just the heat talking.
Second up was the Summer Ale, which I have enjoyed since they released it a few years ago. Although nothing particularly special, a great wheat beer to quench your summer thirst without compromising flavor.
Our last tasting was put up to a vote of the room. Fortunately the room nearly unanimously went for the Koggen to take advantage of this rare chance to try an unreleased beer. It was described as a Hef style beer and is supposedly one of the oldest recipes developed by the brewery. The clarity, aroma, and flavor was much lighter that a typical Hef though. It still had the primary wheat malt flavor, but it wasn't very strong and didn't stick around long on the palate. I asked our guide why it had never been released and he said that they were keeping it in their pocket if the market demand for Hef style beers grew, then they may consider releasing it. Although that may make sense, due to its relatively light taste, I would think that this would be a good beer to bring in average beer drinkers to the brand. Due to their heritage though, maybe they have a bit of a disdain for average beer and those that drink it. Overall this was a pretty good tour that is appropriate for beer novices and connoisseurs alike that leaves you with a better appreciation for beer and the Sam Adams brand.
I've been a fan of Allagash's White for a long time, but have only started exploring some of their other offerings in the past year or so. This trip was definitely a treat to see inside a smaller size brewery still on its way up and witness the craftsmanship firsthand. There were just seven of us on a midweek tour, which made hearing the guide and asking questions so much easier. Our guide was also very nice and was able to answer every question I had, even those semi-technical ones. Their barrel room was quite impressive for such a small brewery with all their experimental beer. Although a very simple tour, its intimacy was superb. Well worth the short drive out of the main Portland area and the price of admission (free).
The tasting before the tour was definitely tops in terms of quality and quantity of beer, although I felt a little rushed trying to down some high alcohol beers. That possibly could've been because I was also finishing off the wife's beer as well. The Curieux, which I have been wanting to pick up for a long time was a real treat to taste as was the new Fluxus just released that week. I have tried other beers before that had been aged in old whiskey and wine barrels and was never all that impressed with the amount or type of flavors produced. The Curieux, however, was a definite delight with a strong aroma and flavor of vanilla from the bourbon that gave the base Tripel more depth. The Fluxus I am unfortunately having a hard time remembering much about. Possibly since the Curieux took up much more of my attention. We also tried the White and the Tripel, which seemed to be lighter in flavor than I am typically used to for the style. Both very refreshing though. I also picked up a bottle of their Confluence, which resembled the Tripel very closely with not much of the funkiness I was expecting from the brettanomyces they use in this ale.
Oh what a day it was to go on the tour at Sam Adams. The heat was sweltering on this day and waiting around for an hour and a half for our tour to start in the unairconditioned brewery with numerous other sweaty people was not looking like this was going to be a pleasnt experience. Thank goodness they were tasting some test releases outside in the shade. The maple-pecan porter was very tasty with a light roastiness and overall malt sweetness that did surprisingly well despite the heat. Hopefully that wins over the oaked ale, which I didn't find all that interesting.
We were fortunate enough to be the last ones to fit on the free trolley to Doyle's, which allowed us to be first off and able to grab a seat at the bar, get a quick beer (with a free sam adams glass, woo!), cool off, and head back to the brewery.
After snagging a couple of items at the now sparsely populated gift shop, our tour started off. There were a lot of us, so sometimes it was hard to hear and forget about asking a question if you end up at the back. Fortunately I didn't feel the desire to ask any. The guides were really nice and a lot of fun, especially when we got into the tasting room and had three taster size glasses of beer, including their Koggen which they have never released for sale. First up though, the Boston Lager. I have to say that I am not the biggest fan of their Boston Lager typically, but the one I had here fresh from the brewery was really quite good with great balance and not as much bitterness as I typically remember. And I don't think this was just the heat talking.
Second up was the Summer Ale, which I have enjoyed since they released it a few years ago. Although nothing particularly special, a great wheat beer to quench your summer thirst without compromising flavor.
Our last tasting was put up to a vote of the room. Fortunately the room nearly unanimously went for the Koggen to take advantage of this rare chance to try an unreleased beer. It was described as a Hef style beer and is supposedly one of the oldest recipes developed by the brewery. The clarity, aroma, and flavor was much lighter that a typical Hef though. It still had the primary wheat malt flavor, but it wasn't very strong and didn't stick around long on the palate. I asked our guide why it had never been released and he said that they were keeping it in their pocket if the market demand for Hef style beers grew, then they may consider releasing it. Although that may make sense, due to its relatively light taste, I would think that this would be a good beer to bring in average beer drinkers to the brand. Due to their heritage though, maybe they have a bit of a disdain for average beer and those that drink it. Overall this was a pretty good tour that is appropriate for beer novices and connoisseurs alike that leaves you with a better appreciation for beer and the Sam Adams brand.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Korbinian and lunch
Being a devotee to Weihenstephaner I surprised myself I've never tried their Korbinian or Vitus after all these years. I picked both up while at BevMo yesterday and decided to pop open the Korbinian to have with my lunch of steak, balsamic carmelized onions, mushrooms, and provolone paninis and a simple spinach salad with a dijon and garlic white balsamic vinaigrette.
The beer poured with a light beige head and had a moderate roasty malt flavor with quite a bit of sweetness that had a bit of dried fruit element to it. The texture was creamy smooth with a light carbonation. This is a tad bit more bitter and roasty than their standard dunkel, but not overwhelmingly so. Overall this was an easy drinker that won't create too much damage at 7.4% and also paired well with the rich and earthy flavor of the panini.
The beer poured with a light beige head and had a moderate roasty malt flavor with quite a bit of sweetness that had a bit of dried fruit element to it. The texture was creamy smooth with a light carbonation. This is a tad bit more bitter and roasty than their standard dunkel, but not overwhelmingly so. Overall this was an easy drinker that won't create too much damage at 7.4% and also paired well with the rich and earthy flavor of the panini.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Lytle Creek Kolsch
With the weather warming up this week I was jonesing for a nice refreshing beer mid afternoon today. I decided to pop open a test bottle of my Lytle Creek Kolsch I bottled at the end of March to satisfy my craving.
The beer poured a clear golden hue with a thin white head. This had lots of carbonation (although not causing an overflow when the bottle opened) with a fast stream of bubbles up the glass. There was a yeasty aroma to this still young beer, but not much else of note on the nose.
The yeast was not nearly as dominate in the taste with a very sweet flavor with a hint of banana beyond the yeast. The extra dose of hops I used in the brew were obviously still under estimated, since there was hardly any taste of it, especially for what should be a kolsch style beer.
However with the nice bit of bubbly and light flavor, this was definitely refreshing and went down easy. Maybe this farily neutral recipe might be useful for mixing in fruit or other flavor add ins. Hmmm....
The beer poured a clear golden hue with a thin white head. This had lots of carbonation (although not causing an overflow when the bottle opened) with a fast stream of bubbles up the glass. There was a yeasty aroma to this still young beer, but not much else of note on the nose.
The yeast was not nearly as dominate in the taste with a very sweet flavor with a hint of banana beyond the yeast. The extra dose of hops I used in the brew were obviously still under estimated, since there was hardly any taste of it, especially for what should be a kolsch style beer.
However with the nice bit of bubbly and light flavor, this was definitely refreshing and went down easy. Maybe this farily neutral recipe might be useful for mixing in fruit or other flavor add ins. Hmmm....
Monday, April 25, 2011
IPA - A Test of Will
A couple weeks ago I was visiting a friend who, of course being the great host he is, offered me a beer. He listed off a few of what he had on hand and included in that is what he simply referred to as Stone Pale Ale. Now, I’ve had Stone’s Pale Ale a few times before and really liked it. However, what he ended up handing me was Stone’s Ruination IPA. Not typically liking IPAs, I still said what the heck and cracked open the bottle. I really should’ve read the fun beer description they have for it beforehand so I knew what I was really getting myself into. All I could think was, wow, so this is what it’d be like to chew on a mouthful of hops.
I’m all about experimenting with beer and trying new things and challenging myself to find the positive elements in things I don’t like. A lot of domestic craft brewers have been experimenting with this type of beer and obviously there is a market for it, so what is it I have been missing out on? In the spirit of this IPA revolution and with this recent experience, I decided to sit down and do a mini tasting of various strength IPAs. Known for their hoppy bitterness, I figured this would challenge my balanced beer loving nature.
I figured I'd get a range of IPAs which represent the best of the bunch and from brewers that I know. First off, I selected Sam Adams' Latitude 48 IPA to try out primarily and since I figured this would be the most tame out of the bunch, which it does come in at around 50 IBUs from what I could research. Next up I picked a local Hangar 24 Columbus IPA, which comes in at 77 IBUs. Stepping up a bit I went for Dogfish Head's 90 Minute Imperial IPA, supposedly one of the best beers around and coming in at 90 IBUs. Lastly, I picked up Green Flash's Imperial IPA, which comes in at a whopping 101 IBUs. Let's get it on!
The Lineup (and yes, it was before noon as the clock reads, but I had already done my chores for the day, so I earned it)
The Sam Adams poured a much more red color than the standard IPA copper. It had a nice fizzy carbonation with a floraly, piney bitterness up front with a slight caramel sweetness that finishes smooth. Overall, not bad, but it seems like it holds its punches a bit with a fairly mild flavor.
Hangar 24's entry had a nice hazy copper color to it with a nice sweet aroma with a floral hoppiness. The flavor was fairly one note with a citrusy, grassy bitterness throughout with a slight malty background. I've got to be proud of my local contender for putting it out there, since I'd definitely rank this one above Sammy.
I had read a lot of good things about Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA, so my expectations were fairly high coming into this. Oh man, this did not disappoint. It pours a nearly pristinely clear copper and had a nice sweet aroma with slight floral notes of hops and a bit of yeast. The taste is extremely well balanced for what is considered an Imperial IPA, with just a quick hit of bitterness up front and mellowing into a caramely, malty sweet finish.
Last up the Green Flash I had also read a few things about since it seems to be in every recent popular brew pub in LA. This one did disappoint quite a bit with its overwhelming bitter salad greens taste. I applaud the effort considering the IBU rating, but this one just doesn't seem to fit into the everyday world of beer, at least from my vantage point. I could possibly see it standing up to a super spicy, smokey bbq, but other than that, this beer is just over the top for me.
In the end, I did find a nice IPA in Dogfish Head's 90 Minute that I'd easily choose when at a bar or restaurant, but it's going to be difficult for me to meander down the IPA path again with any other newcomer.
I’m all about experimenting with beer and trying new things and challenging myself to find the positive elements in things I don’t like. A lot of domestic craft brewers have been experimenting with this type of beer and obviously there is a market for it, so what is it I have been missing out on? In the spirit of this IPA revolution and with this recent experience, I decided to sit down and do a mini tasting of various strength IPAs. Known for their hoppy bitterness, I figured this would challenge my balanced beer loving nature.
I figured I'd get a range of IPAs which represent the best of the bunch and from brewers that I know. First off, I selected Sam Adams' Latitude 48 IPA to try out primarily and since I figured this would be the most tame out of the bunch, which it does come in at around 50 IBUs from what I could research. Next up I picked a local Hangar 24 Columbus IPA, which comes in at 77 IBUs. Stepping up a bit I went for Dogfish Head's 90 Minute Imperial IPA, supposedly one of the best beers around and coming in at 90 IBUs. Lastly, I picked up Green Flash's Imperial IPA, which comes in at a whopping 101 IBUs. Let's get it on!
The Lineup (and yes, it was before noon as the clock reads, but I had already done my chores for the day, so I earned it)
The Sam Adams poured a much more red color than the standard IPA copper. It had a nice fizzy carbonation with a floraly, piney bitterness up front with a slight caramel sweetness that finishes smooth. Overall, not bad, but it seems like it holds its punches a bit with a fairly mild flavor.
Hangar 24's entry had a nice hazy copper color to it with a nice sweet aroma with a floral hoppiness. The flavor was fairly one note with a citrusy, grassy bitterness throughout with a slight malty background. I've got to be proud of my local contender for putting it out there, since I'd definitely rank this one above Sammy.
I had read a lot of good things about Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA, so my expectations were fairly high coming into this. Oh man, this did not disappoint. It pours a nearly pristinely clear copper and had a nice sweet aroma with slight floral notes of hops and a bit of yeast. The taste is extremely well balanced for what is considered an Imperial IPA, with just a quick hit of bitterness up front and mellowing into a caramely, malty sweet finish.
Last up the Green Flash I had also read a few things about since it seems to be in every recent popular brew pub in LA. This one did disappoint quite a bit with its overwhelming bitter salad greens taste. I applaud the effort considering the IBU rating, but this one just doesn't seem to fit into the everyday world of beer, at least from my vantage point. I could possibly see it standing up to a super spicy, smokey bbq, but other than that, this beer is just over the top for me.
In the end, I did find a nice IPA in Dogfish Head's 90 Minute that I'd easily choose when at a bar or restaurant, but it's going to be difficult for me to meander down the IPA path again with any other newcomer.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Revisit of the Dutch Apple Ale
After another Friday of working out in the yard I decided to pop open this last bottle of Dutch Apple Ale that I originally bottled at the end of November. I have now come to the realization that time is a good thing for these beers and that I shouldn't be rushing to drink them right after the end of the recommended conditioning period. The mix used a can of the Mr. Beer Englishman's Nut Brown Ale along with some apple juice and I upped the spice quotient a bit since I figured Mr. Beer took the conservative route.
There was much less carbonation now, but still a nice little fizz that gave it a light head and helped round out the rich, thick mouthfeel of the beer. The smell was stong with the cinnamon and nutmeg spices added to the beer, but unfortunately the spice was still faint in the taste of the beer. Still though, the beer had a nice caramely, roasty sweetness with just a slight yeasty taste that made it easy to drink on a warm day. Now, let's see how long I can keep my hands off that kolsch.
Here it is next to a leftover turkey and chickpea burger from dinner the other night that I made. Yum!
There was much less carbonation now, but still a nice little fizz that gave it a light head and helped round out the rich, thick mouthfeel of the beer. The smell was stong with the cinnamon and nutmeg spices added to the beer, but unfortunately the spice was still faint in the taste of the beer. Still though, the beer had a nice caramely, roasty sweetness with just a slight yeasty taste that made it easy to drink on a warm day. Now, let's see how long I can keep my hands off that kolsch.
Here it is next to a leftover turkey and chickpea burger from dinner the other night that I made. Yum!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Beer and Wine Paired Valentine's Dinner
In the wife and I’s quest to make the most use out of our dining room table and to experiment with my cooking on others, we decided to invite a few of our coupled friends for a Valentine’s dinner to avoid the ridiculousness that is Valentine’s day restaurant dining. After we developed the menu for the dinner, I started thinking that the dishes would pair well with certain beers in addition to the usual wine. The planned out pairings also made it a bit easier to assign appropriate beers or wines for each couple to bring (as well as for our friends to share in the cost of putting together a dinner). Below is the menu with pairings.
Brie en Croute with Apricot Marmalade
The Bruery Saison Rue and Chardonnay
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Crisp
Mirror Pond Pale ale and Gewurztraminer
Mushroom Ravioli in an Allagash Dubbel Smoked Gouda Sauce
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel and Pinot Noir
Mixed Greens Salad with Pear, Goat Cheese, and Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Weihensthephaner Kristall Weissbier and Rose
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Stone Smoked Porter and Port
All in all the meal was great and we all had a great time (that is until the post dinner game of catchphrase got out of hand). The beer parings went extremely well with their respective dishes. The sweet yeasty Saison Rue blended well with the ooey gooey cheese and sweet marmalade. The pale ale gave a bold counter to the sweet and a little spicy soup. The dunkelweis’ earthiness matched well with the mushrooms and creamy sauce. The kristallweis’ light effervescence played well with the sweet pears, creamy goat cheese, bitter greens, and tart dressing. The smoked porter helped add more depth to the rich, dense cake. I think I need to make paired dinners a regular thing.
Brie en Croute with Apricot Marmalade
The Bruery Saison Rue and Chardonnay
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Crisp
Mirror Pond Pale ale and Gewurztraminer
Mushroom Ravioli in an Allagash Dubbel Smoked Gouda Sauce
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel and Pinot Noir
Mixed Greens Salad with Pear, Goat Cheese, and Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Weihensthephaner Kristall Weissbier and Rose
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Stone Smoked Porter and Port
All in all the meal was great and we all had a great time (that is until the post dinner game of catchphrase got out of hand). The beer parings went extremely well with their respective dishes. The sweet yeasty Saison Rue blended well with the ooey gooey cheese and sweet marmalade. The pale ale gave a bold counter to the sweet and a little spicy soup. The dunkelweis’ earthiness matched well with the mushrooms and creamy sauce. The kristallweis’ light effervescence played well with the sweet pears, creamy goat cheese, bitter greens, and tart dressing. The smoked porter helped add more depth to the rich, dense cake. I think I need to make paired dinners a regular thing.
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