Monthly Archive for May, 2009

Freetail Brewing Co's Interloper Stout

Published on May 30, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

Brewed as an American Stout, Jason Davis in his infinite and unquestionable wisdom decided to add Belgian yeast to this one. Stouts are originally British in origin, with some hailing from the Emerald Isle as well. American stouts deviate a little by having a little more hopped up character and these days like to have their morning coffee while being brewed.  Hops range in variety, as wel as the amount of bitter taste and often a roasted malt flavor.

Brought again to us by the Freetail Brewing Co. This is unique brewpub, is still determined to change your perception of beer and of Texas craft brews (Yes, we have very good craft brews here in Texas)!  Born out of inspiration in 2005 while at Chama River Brewing Co., in Albuquerque, NM, owner Scott Metzger and brewer Jason Davis have created a very unique brewpub that has paid homage to Texas and its inhabitants. Named after the official Texas flying mammal, the Mexican Free-Tail Bat and the beers definitely take on the attitude of its namesake, as well as that of the owner and brewer.

BearAdvocate.com recently rated Freetail as the #1 rated brewpub in Texas and was the winner of the San Antonio Express-News 2009 Critics Choice for “Best Place for a Cold Beer”.

freetail2

Appearance is typical for a stout. Pours a very dark brown, almost black, color into a pint glass. Produces a minimal head, with just the right amount of carbonation and leaves a nice lacing that hangs around on the glass very nice.

Aroma is of chocolate, roasted malts and a very nice caramel. Hops are definitely definitely present lending a nice balance to this stout. What’s different about this is that the Belgian yeast comes to the surface to balance out the chocolate and caramel. The floral notes present remind one of cruisin’ through South Texas looking at the wildflowers..but I digress..

When I first sipped this one, all that I smelled earlier came rushing at me. Another sip or two brought out some coffee flavor with an almost tart orange hint to it. The hops are present and balance out the chocolate. The Belgian yeast makes this a bit creamy for a stout, but a welcome change to this style.

Mouthfeel was definately that of a full bodied stout that almost felt like a meal aafterwards!

Overall, I like this one. I had not come across a stout with a belgian attitude, but leave to Jason to try it. It would be interesting to take it further and try a Simcoe hopped version of this one. Although that might be a bit much…At about 5% ABV I had another and it went well with the 5 layered lasagna that the kitchen whipped up.

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

Published on May 24, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This brew is an example of an Imperial Stout. Beers of this style tend to be higher in alcohol and malts than you average stout. Not a lot of carbonation, but include roasted malt and chocolate flavors. Moderate to high ABV’s fruit flavors and some spice can be tasted. Often they are brewed with a higher amount of alcohol as well.

The Merchant DuVin gives us some back ground on Samuel Smith’s “The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery. Samuel Smith is one of the few remaining independent breweries in England, and further is the last to utilize the classic Yorkshire Square system of fermentation solely in stone squares. The rich Samuel Smith strain of yeast at The Old Brewery dates from the early 1900s. Hops are hand-weighed by the master hop blender, and the brewing water is drawn from a well sunk over 200 years ago.

Tadcaster is a market town dating back many hundreds of years. During the Roman period, its quarries supplied stone for the great military fortress at York. Today, ale is its principal export, brewed by three nationally famous local companies in a centuries old tradition. Samuel Smith is much the smallest of these breweries and alone retains its copper vessels, wooden casks and stone Yorkshire squares. Samuel Smith keeps grey Shire horses stabled at the brewery for local beer deliveries. Next to the brewery are the offices, the Little Delicatessen (selling the full range of Samuel Smith’s bottled beers) and the Angel and White Horse inn.”

SAmuel Smiths Imperial Stout

This one poured a very nice dark brown into a pint glass. So dark, that it almost comes out black. Produces a nice thin head at first, but this quickly dissipated into the abyss, as it was not existent soon after the pour. No lacing whatsoever left behind. A bit of a disappointment on that front actually, could be an issue with the carbonation in the bottle.

Aroma is wonderful. Smoky malts fill the senses immediately with a wonderful chocolate aroma that has hints of spice and fruits, Apricot perhaps?

Definite taste of chocolate in this one, nicely done in fact. Although the smoky malt I smelled seems to taste more like a roasted malt, but really could go wither way. Definite fruity taste, still think appricots on this one. Nice hint of spice with a moderate alcohol taste on the back end.

Mouthful was crisp on this one, although not as thick as I like in a porter, but still very nice.

Overall, I loved this one quite a bit.Weighs in around 7% ABV and with the mild alcohol in it, you can both enjoy the flavor and have another if you would like. Enjoyed this brew with a homemade brownie a’ la mode. A nice pairing.

The Pike Brewing Co's Pike IPA

Published on May 21, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

An example of an American IPA . Color can range from pale golden to red and often are cloudy. The American IPA is typically big on hops and often a little herbal or citrus flavor. If you get a good one, bitterness will be present. They tend to be medium in body with a mild malt character.

Heading up to the norwest part of the United States, we find ourselves in Seattle, Washington and The Pike Brewing Co. Afters years of talking about owning a brewery, Charles and Rose Ann Finkel opened their doors in 1989 in Seattle, Washington in the La Salle Hotel on Western street, underneath the famed Pike Place Public Market. The Finkels wanted to brew beers that were the equal of those in Europe, as well as ones that paired well with food, concentrating on Ales, Porters, Scotch Ales and Barley Wines.

Pike IPA

This one poured a beautiful light to medium copper into a standard pint glass. A nice medium one finger head that dicipated, but obly to a nice thjin sustainable one. Lacing on the glass stuck well, almost covering the entire glass.

Aroma is primarily of hops. Although not overpowering, the aroma is subtle but there and definitely nice. Malt is present but not prominent. Seems that the hops should be enough to make your nose smell the bitter, but not with this one.

The taste makes up for it a little.. all hops, just not as strong as I’d expected. Dry hopping would have been nice. If it was done hearm it van not be tasted. The malt comes out, but only as an after thought. A hint of alcohol, not much, but it is present.

Mouthfeel is good. Not as crisp as I’d like, but you taste the bite of this IPA as I would have hoped. The longer this one lingers the more the hops come out.

Overall, a solid IPA.  Not as strong as those from Stone, Dogfish Head or Green Flash, but a good effort indeed. Went very nice with the herbed steak topped with blue cheese. At about 6.5% ABV this one wont knock you over, but will allow you to enjoy more than one.

Rahr and Son's Buffalo Butt

Published on May 17, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This one is also an example of an American Amber Ale or Red Ale. As stated previously, this style usually heavier on the malt, contains hops  and very often has a fruity character to it, with spices sometimes present. It has been said that the American Amber Ale is a kind of catch all category for ales that are amber in color all the way to read.

I’m one for tradition and history, both in beer and in all of life. Rahr and Sons Brewing in Fort Worth definitely has history. Although the latest incarnation of this brewery began in 2004, the family has been brewing for 164 years.

Begun by Willhelm Rahr in 1847 as the Eagle ‘Rahr’ Brewery and Malt House. His great-great-grandson Frederick Rahr continues the tradition today. The following is from their website “The Rahr family has been making beer for generations. In fact, the Rahr family started making beer in the United States long before Fort Worth was founded. In the year 1847, Fritz Rahr’s great, great grandfather Wilhelm “William” Rahr and his young bride “Natalie” left behind their beloved Rhineland, Germany and came to America. Within the year, on the banks of Wisconsin’s Manitowoc River and Lake Michigan, William Rahr had established himself the Eagle “Rahr” Brewery and Malt House. Here, the brewery and malting facility produced fine German lagers and rich roasted malts. The Eagle Brewery was the first “lager” brewery in Wisconsin.Upon William’s death, his three sons changed the name of the brewery and malt house to the William Rahr Sons Company and expanded their malting capabilities to help supply the entire surrounding brewing industry’s needs for malted barley.”

buffalolabel

Half expecting the color of this one to look that that of a Buffalo’s Butt, this one actually poured a deep metallic copper into a pint glass and is cloudy in appearance. It starts of and finishes with a very minimal head that leaves a very weak lacing on that glass that would not stick to the glass to save its life. Likely a sign of the temperature this one was brewed at, or the lack of carbonation seen.

The aroma is that of  heavy, almost smoky malts. A slight hop aroma comes out, but more in a supporting role here. I did smell a slight hint of spice, but could not place what it was. Nutmeg, perhaps?

The smoky malt I smelled is predominant in the taste and the malt definitely takes the lead in this one. Not much distinguishes this one in taste, but it did have a nice citrus flavor to it.

Mouthfeel was o.k. Crisp, but also a little bland. The smokiness comes out more the longer this one lingers.

Overall, I say this is an ok back up if you can not find much else to bring home. It’s kind of hard to follow up Green Flash’s Hop Head Red. Even taking into account Hop Head Red is intentionally heavy on the hops,as regular Amber Ale’s go, a good ol’ New Belgian Fat Tire is just as good.

Green Flash Brewing Co's Hop Head Red Ale

Published on May 17, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This one is also an example of  an American Amber Ale or Red Ale. This style usually heavier on the malt, contains hops  and very often has a fruity character to it, with spices sometimes present. It has been said that the American Amber Ale is a kind of catch all category for ales that are amber in color all the way to read.

Brought to us again by the Green Flash Brewing Co in Vista, Ca, San Diego County.  Locally owned and operated by Mike and Lisa Hinkley. The name is unique and the owners describe the name “Green flashes are real phenomena seen at sunrise and sunset, when part of the sun suddenly changes color.Green flashes usually are brief, lasting only one or two seconds.Green flashes do not always light up the sky, but are often small and inconspicuous. To see green flashes, you must be in the right place. An ocean horizon can often provide optimum green flash viewing conditions. To see green flashes, the air should be reasonably clear.”  They

smlabel_hopheadred
This one poured a medium to deep amber color into a pint glass, having a small almost half finger head that settles into a sustainable thin one and leaves a very nice lacing that sticks well to the glass.

The aroma of this one is wonderful. Heavy hop aroma is very predominant when first sniffing this one and have a definate floral aroma to them, with a nice balanced malt smell.

This flavor of this the Hop Head Red is just that: hoppy, and very bitter. Unusual for a beer labled as a red ale.  The floral I smelled before also come out in the flavor and with this one being as bitter as it taste, it has to be dry hopped.  The malt is there, but takes a nice supporting back seat to the hops and has a slight caramel accent to them.

Mouthfeel on this medium and just right for this brew. Crisp, yet has some weight to it. The longer it lingers, the more bitter the hops taste.

Overall, not quite what I expected from what is billed as a red ale, but also exactly what I was hoping for with the description ‘Hop Head’ in the name. Green Flash poses the question: ‘Is this a Red IPA?” Me thinks it is. Some characteristics of a red ale, but this brew is all about the hops.  Paired nicely with the bananas I had as a snack, as they brought out a slight citrus flavor in the brew. Yes, I said bananas..

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery's Immort Ale

Published on May 5, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

This one is an example of an American Strong Ale. Typically, these tend to be nothing more than a very strong American Ale. Not really a specific style and often describe an American craft brew that has a much higher than usual ABA. So, it’s very hard to describe the characteristics when they vary. Suffice it to say, that an American Strong Ale can be almost any style, although many tend to be darker ales with a lot of malt, spice and sometimes a little bit of sweetness.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery hails from Milton, DE (gotta love that, Milton is my fathers name!). What I like about these guys is that they have no fear. They’ll try anything not even knowing if it will succeed or not. There is no way to get the best out of your beer if your timid and these guys are not. I’ll let them descibe what they’re all about (they are much more witty than I am..)

“The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when we opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the first state’s first brewpub opened in the resort beach community of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The plan was to bring original beer, original food, and original music to the area.

Not only was Dogfish Head Delaware’s first brewpub, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. Our very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which essentially was three little kegs with propane burners underneath. Brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant proved to be more than a full time job. When the doors to the pub first opened, we brewed three times a day, five days a week! The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes. We quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when we started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers!

The beer wasn’t the brewpub’s only draw. The pub’s menu centered on a wood-burning grill. We soon became known as the place to enjoy fresh grilled seafood, burgers, pizzas and sandwiches. The wood–burning grill imparts a unique flavor to everything on the menu, whether it’s a hearty sandwich, a delicate piece of fish or our signature pizza dough.

With the popularity of the pub growing, it was quickly apparent that the 12–gallon brewery would not keep up with demand. We built a new brewery and underwent a thirty-fold expansion of the brew house!

The reputation of Dogfish Head ales quickly grew beyond Delaware’s borders. Calls from Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and beyond poured in, as thirsty restaurant patrons demanded their favorite beach beer at home. We began bottling our Shelter Pale Ale in 1996 and just 1 year later we expanded again – this time we separated the packaging operation from the restaurant, and kept on brewing! By 1999, we were up to five year–round bottled brands in about a dozen states.

We outgrew our distributing brewery in a couple years and in the summer of 2002; we moved our entire production brewery up the road to Milton, Delaware into a 100,000 square foot converted cannery. Around the same time (just to keep thing interesting), we built a distillery on the second floor of our Rehoboth Beach brewpub, so we could make vodka, rum and gin.

Thanks to all our employees and every one of our customers, Dogfish Head continues to grow today! We’re now up to nearly 20 styles of beer that are sold in more than 25 states, and a half–dozen kinds of hand–crafted spirits… and we still have some ideas in the back of our collective heads.

If you haven’t had the chance to taste Dogfish Head… find a beer, track down one of our spirits – or visit one of our restaurants! You will see why international beer writer Michael Jackson calls Dogfish Head “America’s most interesting and adventurous small brewery.”

immort-ale

Aroma: aromas of caramel, maple and alcohol. Some hops, but to be honest the alcohol is very dominating. Some floral aormas, as mild citrus notes. Smells like a desert almost, but in a very good way.

Appearance: An absolutely beautiful lite copper, leaning toward red, color. It pours into a tulip glass, with a minimal head, but this is sustained and the lacing produced sticks well to the glass.

Taste: Wow. The maple and floral aromas come out in the taste. Hops are definately there, it’s sweet and almost reminds me of a Belgian strong ale, only darker. The sweet comes from the alcohol I assume, as this tends to be Dogfish Heads M.O. The more I taste of the, the more I like. I can easily see sipping this one over an hour oh so with some good company, muchj more so than a fine wine (although, that’s good too.)

Mouthfeel: Very crisp and the alcohol becomes more prevalent on the back end the more it lingers and as it goes down.

Overall, weighing in at 11%, I’d sip this one over time, although that didn’t prevent me from writing 3 pages of a paper for school! It went well with the Brautwurst and german potatoe salad I had for lunch. This one is very typical of Dogfish Head’s lack of fear with trying something new. Compareable in some ways to Stone’s Double Bastard, Immort Ale will not disapoint.

Brewery Ommegang's Abbey Ale

Published on May 1, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This one  is an example of a dubbel or double. Typically these have a lot of malt, some spice and a hint of alcohol. Fruit aromas and flavors are often present as a nice accent. Hops can often be present in a dubbel, as well as the use of specialized malts, like caramel or maple. They are often not too heavy, but can become a meal.

Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York brings us this little gem. These are very unique. Taking the Belgian attitude of  taking risks with traditional styles and producing bold flavors and high alcohol, this American craft brewery feels as if it’s in the heart of Brussels itself.  Beginning only a meager 12 years ago, they have not only cemented their reputation in the states as the premier brewery of Belgian style ales, the got the attention of Belgian brewery Duvel Moortgat who bought the brewery in 2003 increasing Ommegang sales into Canada and Belgium. Since then though, Ommegang has continued to operate as they did before producing fine, bold Belgian style brews.

ommegang-abbey-ale

This one poured a nice deep maple into a tulip glass, producing a very nice medium head that dissipated into a thin, but sustainable head. Lacing left behind stuck well to the glass.

Once whiff of this one and aromas of caramel malt comes out, along with biscuit, spice (can’t place what exactly) and definitely some fruit. Balancing the aroma out was a nice scent of alcohol, that was sweet at the same time.

As I took a sip of this one, I immediately taste the caramel malts, wow, that was nice. The fruit came out as well, this time was able to place it more of a banana specifically. True to it’s Belgian origins, the biscuit I smelled balanced the wonderful malts and alcohol nicely. The sweet smell that was present? Not there, a small hint of sour actually.

Mouthfeel was crisp, but a little thick too. The alcohol kind of masked it though.

Overall, wonderful. One that I could (and will) have again and again. Weighing in at around 8.5% ABV, you can enjoy more than one. Went wwell with the vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup I had.