Three new Scottish Ales

When there is snow on the ground it is time to break into some of those warming winter beers. Here are a few reccommended Scottish Ales I tried of late.

Atlantic MacFoochie's 7+ Scottish Ale
22 oz -- Luke's, Rockland
kind of strange name on this one -- the number seven refers to the 7.8% alcohol. malty with some smokiness in there too. pretty smooth. sat on my shelf for a while, which probably didn't hurt this one at all.
Score: 7

Penobscot Bay Old Factory Whistle Scottish Ale
22 oz -- The Lighthouse Wine & Seafood, Manchester, ME
i loved the first beer i tried from these guys -- their blonde ale. pretty good follow i thought. not overly alcoholic, and quite flavorful. nice.
Score: 8

My favorite:
Olde Burnside Ten Penny Ale Reserve
Bottle -- The Lighthouse
have been looking for this ever since dan managed to get a sample of this at the great international beer festival. got to say though, i chalked up his raving review to him being very drunk at the time. but this was really phenomenal. sweet malts, alcohol, and smoke, but they work together very well. high enough alcohol that it could be considered a wee heavy. whatever you call it, this is an amazing beer and i was surprised to find it only listed as a B on beer advocate. perhaps i should do a post of the most underrated beers of all time...
Score: 9

Beer 101: Food Pairings

This seems long overdue, but the truth is that I still have a lot to figure out about food and beer pairings. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that, as is often the case in the world of beer, pairings are more of an art form than a science.

In general, lighter beers go with lighter foods, darker beers with heavier foods. But sometimes a beer with opposing characteristics can highlight the differing flavors in each. Other guidelines include the fact that lighter beers tend do a better job of washing down spicy food, although hoppy beers can sometimes do a better job of cutting the heat. An even easier rule is the idea of keeping ethnicities together; German beer and brats, rice lager and Asian food, etc.

The important part, of course, is that you enjoy both the food and the beer together. Below are a few of my favorite styles with some common types of beer; Beer Advocate has an even more comprehensive list. So with that in mind, try cracking open one of these styles over your next meal.

Salad: most Belgians, Fruit Beer, Hefeweizen, Rye
Cheese: depends on type of cheese. Beer Advocate divides cheeses into styles: buttery, earthy, nutty, peppery, pungent, sharp, and tangy. I think I will do a tasting soon and make a seperate post of this. I'd like to try a beer dinner too.

Beef: Amber, Brown, Porter, Stout
Grilled meat: English Bitter, Porter, Smoked Beer, Stout
Poultry: Amber, Hefeweizen, Pale Ale
Seafood: IPA, Pilsner, Saison, Witbier

Chinese: American Lager, Pilsner, Rice Lager
Indian: American Lager, Czech Pilsner, Pale Ale
Italian: American Lager, Blonde, Pale Ale
Mexican: Amber, American Lager, Chile Beer, Wheat
Thai: Czech Pilsner, IPA, Rice Lager, Saison

Chocolate: Lambic, Porter, Stout

Dessert: Barleywine, Fruit Beer, Lambic, Stout

New states

As of my last complete rankings I have tried 872 beers from a staggering 271 different brewers. Nevertheless, these brewers only represent 30 of the 50 states. Wow, I've only tried beers from 60% of the country? Kind of unimpressive. To be fair, these states are largely in areas not known for their craft brew scene (the south and middle America) and are not available in New England. But still.

The states I am still seeking out are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Perhaps its time for a road trip.

Having a beer from every state is definitely a goal of mine (and not an easy one to achieve since by my count neither Wyoming nor the Dakotas have an actual brewery...) Visiting the Brickskeller in Washington D.C. next weekend and its 1,000 some beers should definitely help to shrink this number... In the meantime, here are a few new states.

Joseph James Red Fox
Bottle -- Beer of the Month Club
thanks goes to devon from drinkcraftbeer.org for bringing most of these out-of-town beers to a party a little while back. he got all of them from a beer of the month club -- something i am going to have to start looking in to... this is a russian imperial stout from nevada. coffee flavor, cola mouthfeel, with alcohol just below the surface. not bad.
Score: 6

Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale
Bottle -- Shoreline Beverage, Huntington, NY
my first beer from hawaii. and it is a "Hawaiian-style pale ale." oh come on now, hawaii has three microbreweries but its own style of pale ale? seems unlikely. i found this to be a little scattered: biscuit malts, an odd touch of smoke in the middle, and quite a bit of the 6% abv. probably had more in common with a scottish ale than a pale.
Score: 6

Laughing Dog Alpha Dog Imperial IPA
22 oz -- Julio's, Westborough
a double ipa from idaho. didn't find this while in oregon but snapped it up as soon as i found it at julio's. clear organge color with latte head. hops are sweet, citrusy in smell and tangy, fresh, with a hearty bitterness in flavor. soft mouthfeel. very nice.
Score: 8

Millstream Colony Oatmeal Stout
Bottle -- Beer of the Month Club
from iowa. drinkcraftbeer inspired me to try to pair this with some chocolate. i thought it worked, but i suppose i would have liked a little more sweetness this being an oatmeal stout and all. oatmeal does impart strong smoothness though.
Score: 6

Millstream John's Generations White Ale
Bottle -- Beer of the Month Club

this was my favored of the two from millstream. a very nice witbier with lots of yeast and spice. very sessionable.
Score: 8

Schlitz
Bottle -- Chili Head BBQ, W. Bridgewater
finally tried this texas beer at chili head barbeque. real bitterness in flavor, but still crisp and smooth. i drank quite a few of these. almost on par with pbr (fitting since they are owned by pabst...) and far better than the macrobrews. try it.
Score: 5

Different shades of red

Reds are not my favorite style. Too malty, I suppose. But I had a couple of very hoppy reds while on the west coast that I really enjoyed (Double Mountain I.R.A. or the pictured Hopworks Organic Rise Up Red come to mind.) So much so that I am toying with the idea of trying to brew a Red IPA. With that in mind, I have been seeking inspiration in reds more often that I normally would... without success. But the hunt will continue -- please comment if you have any suggestions.

And while the Red IPA may be a couple of batches away, an American Wheat is hot off the press with a Pumpkin Ale not too far behind! And then I am thinking of tackling the stout style again -- chocolate, cherry, and chipotle! Wow, that sounds good to me. Results to come...

Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale
Bottle -- Luke's
an american strong ale. very malty and alcoholic nose, which was only partly expected (84 IBU's and 7.2% abv...) sweetness takes on unpleasant licorice-like quality that i did not like.
Score: 4

Port Brewing Shark Attack Double Red Ale
22 oz -- Luke's
dark amber pour with aroma of a barleywine. sure enough, medicinal dark fruit charaterizes flavor more than hops. closer, but still not the red ipa i was hoping for.
Score: 6

Trout River Rainbow Red Ale
Bottle -- Country Store, Jamaica, VT
i had a hankering for something local on this camping trip to vermont, and it doesn't get any more local than trout river's amber ale. very cheesy label and the brewing wasn't a whole lot more professional. i believe it said bottle conditioned on it, but it was pretty yeasty. certain raw bitterness to it, but still smooth going down. too bland to seek out. keep searching, i suppose...
Score: 5

Some unusual styles...

...from an unusual brewer. Now it is no secret that I am a big fan of Dogfish Head beers, but I was especially excited for these three somewhat rare styles brewed up by the boys from Deleware. The big bottles were not cheap at $10+ but were worth every penny in my humble opinion. Check them out... maybe on a pay day.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
only my second berliner weiss. pours bleached yellow color i have never seen before. sweet/sour nose. tartness of taste makes mouth pucker. this didn't cut it for me.
Score: 4

Dogfish Head Sah'tea
750 ml -- Luke's, Rockland
my first sahti, which is a finnish farmhouse ale. (of interest, the new yorker wrote a great article on sam calagione and the story of this beer. it is long but definitely worth reading.) deep golden color with huge chai aroma. thankfully chai plays a supporting role in flavor after ginger, citrus, and juniper berries. carbonation is a little lacking, but that is the only real drawback here. very drinkable. fantastically original.
Score: 9

Dogfish Head Theobroma
750 ml -- Luke's, Rockland
my first chile beer was from rogue and not good. i have higher hopes in this case. pours a bright golden-orange -- thought it might be darker with all that talk of cocoa powder. honey, berries, and even a hint of cocoa come through in aroma. wow, this is the most unusual and fascinating taste i have had in some time! sweet honey first, followed by heat of ancho chilies. banana and cocoa malt give the beer some depth. i love how the spiciness of the chilies came through but still fit in to beer. the heat builds and tingles on your tongue much like the hops in a double ipa might. i thought this was just tremendous.
Score: 9

Homebrew: It Must Be Wedding Saison

I can hear it already. My success has gone straight to my head! Yup, Mr. Cedrone is going to tear me apart for rating my homebrew higher than those in the same style put forward by such reknowned brewers as Jolly Pumpkin, North Coast, and The Lost Abbey. Here is the thing though: mine is better. I can't think of a saison that I didn't enjoy, but this did happen to be a pretty lackluster bunch. And while there is a special place in my part for my homebrews, this was an excellent beer.

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
750 ml -- Lighthouse, Manchester, ME
very light color with frothy head... nice aroma of fruit and yeast... taste is of white grapes... very, very dry. a very odd farmhouse, for sure. has a delicate, champagne-like taste i have come to associate with jolly pumpkin. not neccessarily a good thing either. i think i may have gotten ahead of myself with this brewer...
Score: 6

North Coast Le Merle
Bottle -- Chris Gasbarro's, Seekonk
very active head... very spicy aroma paired with funky yeast... quite sour, not altogether pleasant either... fruitiness is present, but not as dominant as in some farmhouses... liveliness in mouthfeel is kind of distracting to be honest... not the best saison i have ever had, but this style is always enjoyable.
Score: 5

The Lost Abbey Carnevale
22 oz -- Luke's, Rockland
pretty light for the style. yeast was missing desired level of funkiness too. kind of simplistic too. being a belgian from lost abbey i had pretty high expectations... i suppose a little too high.
Score: 5

It Must Be Wedding Saison
Bottle -- Brockton
so this seemed like the perfect style for a wedding brew: light and sessionable, flavorful yet accessible to non-craft beer drinkers. the style has a springy-feel to it too. unfortunately, i wasn't able to serve it at the wedding itself, but honestly, i had to ration it even though it was just available before and after the reception. anyways, it seemed to go over well. pours ruby-orange color, opaque, with big head and tight bubbles... spice, yeast, hint of alcohol, and cherry cough syrup... banana and yeast hit taste buds first, center of taste is nutty malt and earthy, fresh hops, with building bitterness at end... taste is quite fruity, while yeast dominates -- funky and tart... dry, textured, and lively. a lovely beer to drink. without a doubt my favorite homebrew yet and the first beer i would consider brewing exactly the same the next time around... high praise.
Appearance: 4/5, Aroma: 9/10, Flavor: 8/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 15/20, Total: 4.0
Score: 8

Homebrew: Bia Kahawa Afrika

Ah, breakfast beer! I have written a lot about breakfast stout's in this blog, but what about a coffeehouse porter for breakfast? Well, why not? (Besides the obvious...) That was part of the thought when drawing up my latest homebrew. I started with the recipie for my fairly successful Promised Land Porter and tried to make it even more robust with 4 oz of Cascade, Fuggle, and Williamette hops. And to make it a coffeehouse, I cold brewed 1/2 gallon of Fair Trade coffee from Kenya. Thus the name in Swahili, Bia Kahawa Africa (African Coffee Beer.) Before we get there though, let's see how it stacked up to some other pretty good breakfast beers.

Redhook Double Black Stout (with Coffee)
22 oz bottle -- People's Liquor Warehouse, Fall River
very nice head to top black body... chocolate malt and cola-like smell... coffee does assert itself in flavor, along with sweet nuttiness and a hint of vanilla... creamy, smooth feel. very enjoyable. i think a lot more of redhook because of this beer.
Score: 9

Long Trail Brewmaster Series Coffee Stout
22 oz bottle -- Chris Gasbarro's, Seekonk
very pleased to see long trail get into some more specialty beers with this series. classy label. pours perfectly into my tulip glass. nice strong roast coffee smell that melds nicely with alcohol. alcohol presence in the aroma isn't always welcome, but it works very well here. malt flavor is heavily roasted, but not yet charred. slight pepperiness too. bitterness is there, but is off-set by subtle sweetness. good carbonation in the mouthfeel, but aftertaste is not quite as smooth as you might expect. liked this a lot.
Score: 8

Bia Kahawa Afrika
Bottle -- Brockton
pours very dark, with sizable off-white head. smells more like an ipa with all of the cascade hops here, followed in hot pursuit by the coffee. coffee flavor comes on strong in the taste (some might say too strong... but not me.) cocoa flavor from chocolate malt accompanies. bitterness is quite earthy. very smooth, with a little more heft to the body than my last porter. that is a good thing, and taste was pretty close to what i was looking for as well. gonna call this a victory.
Appearance: 3/5, Aroma: 8/10, Flavor: 7/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 15/20, Total: 3.7
Score: 8

Malt Liquor Madness

Beer tasting parties are something I have been wanting to try, but I knew my friends weren't quite ready for it. Now don't get me wrong, they have been really good sports about my beer fetish by going to brewpubs most every weekend and trying countless styles of beer. But that doesn't mean they have always liked it. With this in mind, Malt Liquor Madness was born.

To begin, I had to find 8 different kinds of malt liquor, which was harder than you might think. Seven liquor stores later, I had my lineup of contenders and started peeling labels so that this could be a blind taste test. All of my friends participating were then given a scorecard with space for tasting notes on each of the five categories (I was the only one to actually take down notes...) and were asked to give the beer an overall score from 5 to 1. (Odds are the best malt liquor in the world is a 5 on a 10 point scale, so this worked out about right...) As for the tournament, there would be four contenders going head-to-head on either side of the bracket, with the two beers receiving the highest total of points from the judges advancing to the finals. (20oz was split nine ways into clear solo cup so that there would be enough left if that beer advanced to the championship match...) With all of this worked out, we were ready to start.

And as samples of contender number one were being passed around, every single person at the party asked me what a malt liquor is. Oi. Okay, let's take a step back. Beer advocate?

"For the most part, Malt Liquor beers are sold in the infamous 40 oz sized bottles. Straw to pale amber in color, most use excessive amounts of adjuncts, such as corn, rice, refined brewers sugar (dextrose) and as a result there are very few "all malt" brewed malt liquors. Hops are barely used, just enough is added to balance off any cloyingness. Higher alcohol versions tend to have a loads of fusel alcohol, which gives off solvent or fuel like aromas and flavors. They are attenuated very well, meaning a higher ratio of fermentable sugars are present over other beers, but without using as many ingredients and still ending up with a high alcohol content. Some breweries enable the use of special enzymes to further breakdown the malt and adjuncts so they will yield a larger percentage of alcohol. This makes for quite a dry beer, with only a small amount of unfermented sugars and a kick that will knock you on your ass."

Bottom-line? It's a macrolager with alcohol. Our contenders started at 5.6% abv and topped out at 8.1% (Steel Reserve). This was one of the reasons I chose malt liquor; even in the small samples we were doing, you will feel the alcohol a little. That would not be the case with the Bud Light's and Coor's. I originally toyed with the idea of doing this tournament with these macrolagers but feared that when something like Miller Light won, people would take it as an endorsement to drink that vile stuff. I doubt we will have that problem with malt liquor. (Although, I will say I was surprised to the extent that all of these beers were owned by the big boys... probably should have seen that coming.) Alright, let's do this! I will list these in the order that they finished, with my own notes and score below. May the best malt liquor win! Please?

#8 Steel Reserve 211
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
hold on, steel reserve finished dead last?! you have got to be kidding me! i don't think these people are even qualified to rate malt liquor! okay, deep breath. this malt liquor from texas was my favorite beer of them all. good head retention and actually has an aroma of light malt and even a few faint hops. corn isn't the only flavor going on, with some clean malts and not unpleasant alcohol. i will actually buy this again. i think the problem was that this was the first beer tasted of the night, and for most people the first malt liquor they had ever tasted... well, live and learn.
Score: 5

#7 Mickey's
22 oz -- Blanchard's, Brockton
owned by miller. i had high expectations for mickey's as well, but i can't disagree with the low rating. i found this to be very watery.
Score: 2

#6 King Cobra Premium Malt Liquor
40 oz -- Cheers, Brockton
a product of A-B. very bland, with the little flavor being corn. light bodied. very bad.
Score: 1

#5 Colt 45 Malt Liquor
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
from pabst, the classic 40. picked up some faint hops here. taste is quite sweet. very creamy mouthfeel. really what you would expect in a malt liquor. that said, i wish i had liked this more than i did.
Score: 2

#4 Haffenreffer Private Stock
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
in my mind, this was the favorite going in. very classy label stating that this has "the imported taste." funny. again, misseeding may have cost them here as this was the last beer of the night... this was the hoppiest of the beers in my opinion (which isn't saying much), but bitterness does show up here. as a result, it was also the most balanced.
Score: 4

#3 Olde English 800
40 oz -- Shovel Shop Spirits, Easton
A-B. raw taste of corn and water. very light. very unpleasant. nevertheless, it only missed advancing to the finals by one vote! oi.
Score: 1

#2 St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor
40 oz -- Blanchard's, Brockton
this pennsylvania malt liquor advanced to the finals from the first bracket. fresh malt, lots of corn, and very creamy. fairly well constructed. my third favorite of the contenders.
Score: 3

#1 Molson XXX
22oz Can -- Blanchard's, Brockton
molson xxx?! in a landslide?! what a shocker! well, this was the only contender coming from a can and weighs in at 7.3% abv. husky alcohol, grainy, with some bitterness. in no way pleasant to drink. to be absolutely clear, i in no way endorse this beer. the only lesson to take away from this little experiment is what a bunch of savages my friends are. apparently it is going to have to be a while longer before i have a proper beer tasting party. or as dan suggested, we may need to get some new beer friends.
Score: 2

Doing Belgian as well as Belgium?

I think this is a really interesting list of Belgian-style beers. Five of them (Chimay, Delirium, Duvel, Hoegaarden, and Leffe) are from Belgium, and among the best known beers in the world. The others come from Lost Abbey and Jolly Pumpkin, who in my mind, are in that elite class of Belgian-style brewers that call the US home (alongside Allagash and Ommegang...) I'd argue that any of these four US brewers can hang with the big boys of Belgium... agree or disagree?

Chimay Triple
Sample -- Great Lost Bear, Portland, ME
for a beer like this, you really can't write a review off of a sample. so here are a couple of initial thoughts. hazy with steady carbonation... honey sweet malts, fruity hops, yeastiness in both aroma and flavor. lot of complexity here. liked my first impression very much.
Score: 9

Delirium Tremens
Sample -- Great Lost Bear
no missing this one with its famous pink elephant on the label. big lacing on the pour. wheaty base is accompanied by fruity esters and even a little pepper. alcohol comes big here, so be ready for it. another beer that deserves more than a sample.
Score: 8

Duvel
Bottle -- Loco Restaurant, Easton
i have been looking forward to this beer for some time... and yet it still surpased my expectations. very light colored pour with amazing thick head that covers the entire glass on its way down. smell is fruity with measured yeast and spice. and what a tasty yeast strain! fruit, grain, spice and alcohol all register. light, crisp, and lively. fantastic!
Score: 10

Hoegaarden Original White Ale

Sample -- Battleship Brewhouse, Fall River

a witbier that has the light and cloudy appearance you would expect. aroma is of funky yeast and lemon zest. flavor is very spiced, but yeast is held in check. citrus grants nice drinkability.
Score: 6

Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
750 ml -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro, ME
my first biere de garde (that i can think of) and my first offering from jolly pumpkin, all of which is very exciting. seriously overcarbonated, as it doesn't stop boiling over. spice and white wine grapes on nose and dry texture also of white wine. extremely tart. alcohol is well placed. fascinating beer that has just a few too many white wine qualities for me.
Score: 7

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
750 ml -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro
a wild ale -- what a cool style name. dan points out label is a little ridiculous with the kitten pirates and all... smell of sour patch kids candy and red wine... flavor is hard to put a finger on -- watermelon and quite oakey... chalky, very fizzy mouthfeel... very interesting and i liked it.
Score: 8

Leffe Blonde
Sample -- Great Lost Bear
clear golden pour. smell is yeasty, but also of fruity bubble gum. syrupy, candy-like sweetness in taste is way too much for me. very light and clean... to the point of dumbing down this classic belgian style. a disappointment.
Score: 4

Lost & Found Abbey Ale
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
reddish body with aroma of sweet alcohol and hops. could swear this was a barleywine. nice floral hop flavor and smooth. nice.
Score: 7

IPA phase continued

In the wake of my successful IPA homebrew, my IPA phase has continued. Where many of the winter beers are heavy and muddled, IPA's are lighter and crisp, yet flavorful. There are some really fantastic beers on this list.

Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale
Bottle -- Washington, D.C.
hops are piney to the point that this smells and tastes like a christmas tree. i like it a lot though. very tasty.
Score: 8

Eugene City Tracktown IPA
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
a west coast style red (read hoppy). nice translucent red at first, but yeast at end of bottle makes this one cloudy. big flavorful hops. enjoyable.
Score: 7

Oak Pond White Fox Ale
Growler -- Oak Pond Brewery, Skowhegan, ME
they called this an ipa, but it is unlike any ipa i have ever had. citrus hops are at forefront, balanced by crisp malts. slightly odd flavor, but i dug it. we finished this growler in about 5 minutes.
Score: 7

Opa Opa IPA
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
grassy hop aroma but taste only has a few bitter grapefruit hops at the start... perhaps trying to cut costs with the hop shortage?? maltiness does come through in taste though. and i was surprised to see it register a 6% abv, so well hidden alcohol.
Score: 6

Thomas Hooker Hop Meadow IPA
Tap -- Union Brewhouse, Weymouth
huge frothy head... flavorful bitterness, but malts balance it out enough not to be overpowering... sticky texture but very drinkable. east coast brewers are not known for their ipa's, but this could go toe-to-toe with the best of the west coast. as much as i hate connecticut, thomas hooker has not disappointed me yet!
Score: 9

Woodstock Inn Pemi Pale Ale
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
an american ipa, despite the name. translucent pour with nice lacing. sweet malts probably make bigger mark on nose than hops... fairly assertive grapefruit hops in flavor. some butteriness in mouthfeel. not bad.
Score: 6

My favorite (and this was a close one):
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
Bottle -- Luke's
ballooning billowy head... big, sharp hops in aroma... taste is a big wow. very flavorful piney hops but without harsh aftertaste that makes many west coast ipa's hard to drink. in fact it is very smooth going down. a perfect ipa.
Score: 10

Fruit beers

Now, I am not exactly a manly man. But I am not really a fruit beer guy. As a brewer, I like creativity. But something that drives me crazy is bars that think they know better than the brewer by adding fruit to a fruit beer (i.e. blueberries floating in Sea Dog's Blue Paw.) And I really don't like one-dimensionally, sweet beers. But there is at least one beer worth returning to here...

Dogfish Head Black & Blue
750 ml -- Luke's
a christmas gift from kelly, which was shared with kelly since it is brewed with black raspberries and blueberries. mostly yeasty esters in aroma. flavor is more of tart berries. odd, white wine like mouthfeel. eh.
Score: 4

Narragansett Cranberry
Tap -- Fresh Catch, Easton
i didn't even know this beer existed. i really want to like narragansett, but sadly, it is a terrible beer. but what if it is cranberry narragansett? oh, this isn't going to go well... very artificial flavoring and sickeningly sweet -- just awful. i did manage to finish the beer. it is worth noting that my fiance would rate this beer as a 6 (and i am going to marry her anyways...)
Score: 2

Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter
Tap -- Chili Head Barbeque, West Bridgewater
okay, so i am not a big sea dog guy... but a hazelnut porter just sounded good. lots of nutty malts, and from there... it doesn't progress. a very one-dimensional beer and i wasn't really feeling that one dimension. hardly a porter.
Score: 3

My Favorite:
Dogfish Head Fort
750 ml -- Luke's
almost ruby colored with measured head. alcohol and sweet raspberries on nose, not artificial either. liveliness is first thing that hits you. very, very sweet malt profile. at 18% its strong enough to make you think you are drinking a malt liquor... albeit a delicious one. i enjoyed this -- as good of a fruit beer as you will find.
Score: 8

Welcome this is a farmhouse

I'd like to introduce to you all my new favorite style of beer: farmhouse ale, or saison. It is a Belgian style of beer, with all of the complexity and characteristics that have made Belgian beers famous. Fruity, yeasty, spiced -- these beers are both flavorful and easy drinking. Ommegang Hennepin, Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale, and Boston Beer Works Saison Nouveau are all good examples of the style... as are these two most recent additions. And if you haven't tried a farmhouse yet, the Jack D'or is highly reccomended.

Avery Anniversary Ale - Fifteen
750 ml -- Washington, D.C.
it is worth noting that i saw this listed both as a farmhouse ale and an american wild ale. pours a beautiful gold with thick lacing. yeasty, spiced aroma of a real belgian beer. taste is of grapes, but white wine grapes, not the dark fruit of figs. spicy and very dry. not avery's best, but big thanks to my little sis for picking this up for me.
Score: 5

Pretty Things Jack D'or
22 oz -- Gordon's, Waltham
the brewer is something called the pretty things beer and ale project, so that caught my attention. it sounds like some guy has an agreement with paper city brewery in holyoke, mass and this is his first beer. and for his first beer he went with a saison... impressive. pours a hazy, golden orange with some really cool snowflake lacing. herbal citrus hops and lemons dominate aroma, while more spices emerge in flavor. a elite session beer.
Score: 9

IPA's

I've been on a bit of an IPA kick lately as I was preparing to brew my first beer in the style. Some definite inspirations here. The review of my IPA won't be too far behind...

Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
this is a very good brewer that i have only had a couple of beers from and am making a effort to seek out a few more. golden and cloudy... smell of a barleywine: rich malts, big hops, and alcohol... very flavorful with solid malt profile and fruity hops... smooth. most excellent.
Score: 9

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
a san diego beer. big, floral, grapefruit aroma... aggressive hops, fruity in nature... dries out mouth a little too much. well crafted ipa for sure.
Score: 8

Pennichuck Halligan IPA
750 ml -- Cork's, Mansfield
amber, quickly subsiding head... mildly concerning. bitter hop aroma and taste is of earthy hay-like hops, but rye dulls sharp edge of most ipa's. crisp and smooth going down. techincally i would rate this a 7, but i really like the direction they took this beer. i would buy this again.
Score: 7

Shipyard Chamberlain IPA
Tap -- The Grainery, Farmington, ME
a fruity ipa with pretty mild hops. drinks very easy, to the point of being pretty weak.
Score: 4

Shipyard Tremont IPA
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
silly white head on top (and it wasn't my pour either...) characterized by piney hops. buttery with diacetyl presence, just as it was in the tremont ale... while i liked these english characteristics in the ale, they didn't fit as well for me in the ipa.
Score: 4

Sierra Nevada 12th Release Havest
750 ml -- Cork's, Mansfield
this concept of rushing "wet hops" across three states into a brew kettle intrigued me enough to pick this one up. yes, as billed, the aroma is of pine, citrusy hops, but they struck me more than anything as sweet and grassy in nature. hops are spicy and sweet in flavor. no surprise this beer is all about showcasing the hops. didn't quite meet my expectations, but still recommended.
Score: 6

Southampton IPA
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
aroma dominated by bready malts... slightly unusual for an ipa. taste is certainly bitter, but a fairly sessionable ipa.
Score: 7

Strongest, Darkest Belgian Ale

I bring to you today two of the highest rated American takes on the style of Belgian Strong Dark Ales. But which is the strongest, darkest Belgian Ale?

Avery Collaboration Not Litigation
750 ml -- Cork's, Mansfield
this is another beer i bought out of curiousity. great story behind this beer: avery and russian river both brewed a beer called salvation and rather than sue each other they decided to blend their two beers together and market it under this clever name. pours appealing amber color into snifter. aroma of raisins, sweet malts, yeast, spice, and some alcohol. raisins and yeast come through clearly in the taste, along with a sweetness that tastes a lot like brown sugar. still, taste is slightly subdued. acidic mouthfeel and weak carbonation. drinks easy. good, not great.
Score: 7

Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
750 ml -- Cork's, Mansfield
great name... i don't have much of a sweet tooth but it still sounded pretty good to me! dark body and big tan head, but what an aroma! cocoa, candy, and dark fruit (with some alcohol emerging as it warms). flavor is more cocoa than chocolate, roasty bordering on burnt, with an unsweetened bitterness. smooth, creaminess you would

expect. i supremely enjoyed this.

worth the money, for sure.
Score: 9

Strongest, Darkest Belgian Ale: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout

Breakfast stouts!

That is right: stout for breakfast! Yes, your friends will probably think you have a problem, but the right stout (think coffee, oatmeal, or even chocolate) will put any mimosa to shame!

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
22 oz -- Cork's Fine Wine & Liquors, Mansfield
moving your friends at 9 am on a saturday is an occassion that definitely calls for a breakfast stout. this was a good one too. great smell of coffee beans, vanilla, and a general roastiness. taste is very similar, with just the right ammount of coffee flavor and a slight alcoholic edge (although the 8% abv is very well hidden...) flavor definitely deepens as this beer warms: roasted coffee beans, cocoa, dark chocolate. you can really drink this beer at room temperature. texture is quite velvety, and with medium body and carbonation drinkability is quite high. i'll definitely be getting this one again!
Score: 9

Legacy Nor'easter
750 ml -- Luke's, Rockland
an oatmeal stout. overly carbonated upon opening... not good. rich, heavy aroma that fills nostrils. taste is quite dark: oatmeal, molasses, coffee, chocolate. mouthfeel is a little weak: thin, grainy, and not especially smooth or creamy. a good beer but i probably wouldn't return to it as a breakfast stout.
Score: 7

The Ultimate Breakfast Stout:
Founders Breakfast Stout
750 ml -- Luke's, Rockland
first of all, it is actually called a breakfast stout! secondly, this is unquestionably the best label i have ever seen: a little kid with a bib housing a bowl of oatmeal. standard stout pour that lets no light through and produces a big tan head. the smell hits your nostrils as soon as you pull off the bottle cap... very sexy. sour mash of many of my homebrews gives way to... spanish olives?! that is a first. on closer inspection roast, sweet chocolate and faint hops emerge in aroma. fitting for a breakfast stout, you taste the coffee from start to finish, accompanied by generous hops and some dark molasses. there is a sharp edge to the flavor, but it isn't an off-putting alcohol like you find in many imperial beers. smooth and creamy going down, but meant to be savored; i literally spent 2 hours drinking it! as the #15 beer on beeradvocate, this is the highest rated beer i have drank. i completely agree and cannot identify a single blemish in this beer. i cannot think of a better way to start your day!
Score: 10

Barleywine v. Barleywine

Atlantic Brewing Brother Adam's Bragget Ale
750 ml -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro
i held onto this good looking maine beer for a couple of months since i was so excited for it and waiting for a special occassion to drink it. unfortunately, it fell a little short. ruby, translucent in appearance... aroma of sweet honey, grape juice, caramel malts... taste of alcohol, sour liquorice, and a lingering burntness... mouthfeel is quite dry and acidic... overall, a lackluster taste and quite strong. a lot of wine-qualities here.
Score: 5

Rock Art Vermonster
750 ml -- Cork's Fine Wine & Liquors, Mansfield
my first beer from vermont's rock art brewery. deep mahogany color, with big head that lasts until end... complex aroma of floral hops, dark fruit (dates and black cherries), alcohol, sweetness... taste is marked by bitterness you would expect with 100 IBU's (international bitterness units)... rich malts and dark fruit balance hops though... creamy and smooth mouthfeel, with dryness you would again expect. very complex and flavorful, but i would call this a pretty extreme beer with so much bitterness.
Score: 8

My Pick: Rock Art Vermonster

Belgian Quadrupel vs. Belgian Strong Pale Ale

I am really getting into Belgian styles of beer, but more often than not it is a Tripel or a Witbier that I am drinking. So trying new Belgian styles is a high priority on my shopping list. Here are a couple of good New York brewers take on two very different Belgian styles.

Brooklyn Local 1
750 ml Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
thanks to dan on providing this one; i almost purchased it on my way to his house as i had heard very good things prior to. a belgian strong pale ale -- it even sounds awesome. golden pour with fluffy white head -- nice lacing... fruity, yeasty aroma... distinctively belgian yeast dominates taste, with fruity apple overtones in background... alcohol is well disguised, but it goes down so smooth you almost want to chug it right down... excellent.
Appearance: 4/5, Arom: 8/10, Flavor: 10/10, Palate: 5/5, Overall: 18/20, Total: 4.5
Score: 10

Ommegang Three Philosophers
Bottle -- McKean & Charles, Waldoboro, ME
a belgian-style quadrupel, my first i believe. interesting pour: dark brown with a reddish tint, neat head... bold aroma of sweet toffee, raisins/molasses... wow, surprisingly strong taste of tart cherries, and some alcohol... VERY sour finish that lingers on palate... interesting but not great.
App: 5/5, Aro: 8/10, Flv: 6/10, Pal: 4/5, Ovr: 12/20, Tot: 3.5

Score: 8

My pick: Brooklyn Local 1

Black and tans

So I promised in my last post to expand on my last drink of the night at Owen O'Leary's: a Black & Tan. Now my experience with Black & Tan's is limited to Saranac's B & T and Olde Burnside's Dirty Penny. I really enjoyed the last of these, so thought I would give the style a little more thought. A B & T is a blended beer that layers a dark and a light beer and is generally done by bartender's. More and more brewer's have started to get into the act as well, although it is still not considered a traditional style. I am not sure what I think of the style, so I tried a few on my own.

Owen O'Leary's Black & Tan: Guiness & Owen's IPA
Sample -- Owen O'Leary's, Brockton
i was curious to see what owen's made their black and tan's with since the darkest house beer was an irish red. sure enough, they went with guiness... interesting. this was entirely separated when served: stout on top, ipa on bottom. hardly any aroma and guiness rules the taste, with few if any hops making their presence known. in this case, blending the two beers essentially just lightened up the guiness. i found the end product to be fairly bland: making a black and tan with two watery beers, of course yields a very watery result.
Score: 4

Black & Tan: Avery Out of Bounds Stout & Trinity IPA
Bottle's -- Gordon's, Waltham
so the next day -- after cooking out for the 4th -- i blended my own black and tan with two beers dan had left in my fridge from the previous week. these two mixed together without any problem, and was, not-surprisingly, fairly dark (much like the most popular black & tan, mississippi mud.) roasted malts rule both aroma and taste. hops do appear in finish, although they are sufficiently dulled by stout. better, but still not quite what i am looking for.
Score: 5

Black & Tan: Ipswich Oatmeal Stout & Geary's Pale Ale
Bottle's -- Wine Basket, Brockton
okay, one last try here. so before i paired a weaker stout with a strong ipa. let me try it with a bolder stout and more balanced pale (not to mention, two of my favorite beers...) again, mixes well (i am not quite sure how the bartender did that...) smell of coffee is foremost here, but you have to dig for it. flavor is again of roasted malts, but bitter hops come through much more this time... as bitter sweet chocolate. i like how this one came together, but i am not sure the sum adds up to either of its parts...
Score: 7

Conclusion: Black & Tan's, while kind of a fun idea, have a limited purpose. I suppose if you want to drink a few dark beers, you could lighten it up with a few of these. That said, while some of the characteristics of the lighter beer can come through in the right circumstances, more often it will just dilute the darker beer. If you think about it, brewer's would blend it for you if it really was better. I may order a black & tan when desperate at a bar, but I wouldn't recommend using your quality beers to do so. No regrets though -- this was an interesting exercise.

Middle America

While I have been steadily ticking off new brewers, the vast majority of brewers that I have tried still come from one of the two coasts. Now there are a lot of good brewers in between, especially in the Great Lakes region, but especially in Colorado. So may I introduce to you Atwater Block Brewery from Detroit, Michigan, and Fort Collins Brewery from -- you guessed it -- Fort Collins, Colorado.

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter
Bottle -- People's Liquor Warehouse, Fall River
my first michigan beer. many porters promise unique smells and flavors, but this one really did deliver both vanilla and coffee. taste is dominated by espresso -- quite tasty. i had a few of these and wasn't too impressed, but the last one i let warm to room temperature and enjoyed much more.
Score: 7

Atwater Voodoovator
Bottle -- People's Liquor Warehouse
a doppelbock at 9.5% abv. outrageous foamy white head that overflowed the glass... mild sweet malt aroma... more mild than expected: loads of caramel malts, tart cherries, molasses, and only a hint of this well-disguised alcohol... not as dark as i would have thought and i can't detect any hops or roastiness here... fizzy, syrupy or even buttery mouthfeel... i didn't dislike this beer, but i don't think that it is a good example of this style either.
Score: 6

Fort Collins Rocky Mountain IPA, CO
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
first off, a nice looking beer: hazy amber, thick white head. fresh, potent hops in aroma. malts take edge off bitterness and helps brew go down smooth. nice.
Score: 7

Fort Collins Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
healthy head and surprisingly hoppy aroma... fruitiness closer to lemon than pomegranate if you ask me. tart, tangy taste must be the pomegranate concentrate, but i can't be sure since i only eat 4 or 5 pomegranates a week these days... not bad, but not good either.
Score: 4

Fort Collins Z Lager
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
a rauchbier, or smoke beer. pours a reddish-amber... aroma of malt, a little molasses, and a faint smokiness... smoke really emerges in flavor... extremely light in body. i find this style very interesting -- i think it might be a good beer for barbeques -- but i think the smokiness is an acquired taste... an acquired taste that i have not yet acquired.
Score: 5

Find it:
Fort Collins Kidd Lager
Bottle -- Gordon's, Waltham
a schwarzbier, which means black beer in german. it does indeed pour very dark... the smell is dominated by chocolate malt... in addition to this, taste is slightly sour, moreso because you many stouts with chocolate are fairly sweet... the smoke registers more in the mouthfeel sensation than the taste... also quite crisp and smooth. i really liked this beer, very different. it is a nice light alternative to the steady stream of stouts and porters that typically make up winter seasonals.
Score: 8

Battle of the Porters

Summer is coming so time to drink up those dark beers. I don't totally buy this conventional wisdom since I love porters and stouts enough to drink them year round. That said, on a cold spring night these really hit the spot! But which hit the spot more is the question? Here we go, Smuttynose's Robust Porter versus Great Divide's St. Bridgets Porter!

Smuttynose Robust Porter
Bottle -- Chris Gasbarro's, Seekonk
wow, what a great looking beer: very dark with tan, churning, one-finger head. strong -- even robust -- aroma of roasted chocolate and hops. the first thing that strikes you in the taste is an astringent (i.e. dry and biting) bitterness. savory burnt coffee and chocolate sweetness tastes come next. pleasing bitterness softens to finish creamy and full-bodied. awesome label too. balanced, flavorful -- this is a great, well-rounded porter!
Appearance: 5/5, Aroma: 10/10, Flavor: 9/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 17/20, Total: 4.5
Score: 10

Great Divide St. Bridgets Porter
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Dartmouthfairly similar pour to the robust porter: dark brown with frothy off-white head. i caught a good amount of chocolate on the first whiff, fading to a general sweetness and fresh hops. taste is of a pretty standard porter: burnt malts, molasses, and chocolate. you do taste some hops in the background, but it plays a much smaller role here. body is a little watery, with the slightly syrupy texture found in many porters that kind of turns me off. a good beer from a good brewer; st. bridget just happened to run up against a ringer, that's all.
App: 3/5, Aro: 6/10, Flv: 7/10, Pal: 3/5, Ovr: 12/20, Tot: 3.1
Score: 7

Winner: Smuttynose Robust Porter