Monthly Archive for June, 2009

The Altbier is a brown ale originating in Germany. Alt means old in German, although a quick check of YourDictionary, yields the meaning of high. This style is typically conditioned for a long period of time, longer than most styles. Color usually ranges from amber to dark brown, medium in carbonation with a balance between malt and hops.

This Altbier comes from the Southampton Publick House in Southampton, NY.  There is not a whole lot in the way of information of the brewery. They are a restaurant  that brews their own beers, but beyond that, I find mainly reviews, not their history. They are located on the far end of Long Island located in Southampton Village on the site of historic Herb McCarthy’s Bowden Square. They began in 1996 as the first microbrewery in that area.

Pours avery deep copper, that has a hint of a molasses brown color to it.  Poured into a slender sylinder glass, with a minimal amiunt of carbonation producing a very thin head that quickly goes away. Somewhat disapointing, as the lacing left on the glass is watered down and does not stick well at all.

Aroma is of heavy malt with either caramel or butterscotch accents to it. In fact it is this aroma that is so very prevalent in this beer you can almost taste the sweetness. A very sweet smell that almost makes you think a heavy alcohol aroma should also be present.

The malt flavor is definately more butterscotch than caramel in nature, although likley not much difference between the two. Bready notes, along with some toasted notes as well. Almost tastes like a loaf  of carmalized marble rye.

Mouthfeel is crisp primarily, although heavy at the same time. Goes down so easily, you will want another!

Overall, a decent Altbier. Not my preferred style, but a nice change and seems to do what the styles requires. I’d like more of a hop presence, but all the same a very enjoyable brew. Goes nicely with fruit desserts such as cobbler or a cherries jubilee, although seems it would also go well with nice grilled steak too. Weighing in around 5% ABV, you can definitely enjoy another.

This one is and example of an An example of an American IPA , or India Pale Ale.  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.

This one comes to us from the Deschutes Brewing Co in Bend, Oregon. Opening in 1988 in downtown Bend, OR, the brewery later moved to its current location along the Deschutes River in Bend. Their facility in Ben includes a “50-barrel traditional gravity brew house and a new one-of-a-kind 131-barrel Huppmann brew system from Germany, Deschutes now creates and experiments with specialty batches of limited beers”.

Pours a medium, but almost deep, copper color into a standard pint glass, which almost reminds you of an evening sunset. Nice carbonation, as you watch the bubble trickle up to the top of the glass producing a medium head that dissipates into a thin, but sustainable heat. Lacing on the glass is is thick and stays around for the duration of your experience.

Aroma is all hops baby. Just the way it should be for a decent IPA. Caramel and malt undertones help to balance this one out. A second whiff gets you some citrus and spice undertones that make you want to sniff again. But do not let your nose linger to long, as you are going to want to taste this one too, for the sweet scent of an unusual malt hits my nose.

Upon first taste, the bitter taste of hops come crashing into your mouth as a good IPA should. Contrary to Deschutes own description, I do taste the citrus they describe, but get more bitterness in the taste than they state.  balancing the hops out is a nice malt flavor. One difficult to place. Looking at Deschutes website, they mention the use of seven different types of malt in the brewing process. That explains the unusual malt flavor.

Mouthfeel is a nice crisp bite. It is creamy, smooth and the bubble from the still ongoing head are quite nice.

Overall a great representation of this style. When given the chance, I will definately have another. Weighs in around 6.5% ABV, allowing you to have a few i you want. Pairs nicely with spicey food, such as a well done Tandoori Chicken and rice.

Another gem from the fine folks at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. This one is an example of a Quadruple ale. Ales of this type do tend to be just that, four times as strong as those brews labeled as a double or triple. What makes these stand out is the higher alcohol presence in the taste, the heavy sweetness and malt presence.

Brewery Ommegang is located in Cooperstown, New York. They are very somewhat unique among American craft brewers. 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.

In absence of a tulip glass, preferred for this style, I poured this one into a standard pint glass. Still, it poured well, displaying a very deep, cloudy copper color that almost takes you back to that last great sunset you saw. It produced a plethora of bubbles that continued to rise to the top, just at the point when you thought they would end. This produced a great one finger head that stuck around for a good ten minutes before settling a little. What you end up with is a lacing on the glass, that stuck well.

The aroma is about what I would expect from this one. A sweet, very fruity scent, likely from the cherries that Ommegang says it puts in. hops are also prevalent, giving the aroma alone the bite I expect to see upon tasting. Take another whiff and you get a very nice malt presence balanced out by a subtle alcohol aroma.

Wow, this one was what I expected it to be. A sweet fruity taste, almost sticky if that is possible. Just wonderful with a spice I can not place. The fruit I smelled earlier is there and is definitely cherry. Upon reviewing Ommegang’s site, it turns out they put about 5% of a Kriek mixed with this traditional Belgian Quadrupel ale. Kriek is a traditional cherry Lambic of Belgian origin. The longer it lingers in your mouth, the more the malt presence and alcohol come out. The alcohol is subtle and is more present on the back end, at least if you sip this one slowly as you should.

Mouthfeel is good. Crisp, but also creamy. Very much like this style should be.

Overall a great beer. Treat it with the respect it deserves and it will reward you. Definitely placed g side Belgium’s best Quadrupels. Weighing in at around 9.8% ABV, you’ll want to take your time with this one, but it will be worth it. I decided to pair this one with a vanilla ice cream I had last nite and a great homemade brownie.

Other reviews of Three Philosopher’s you should check out:

Beer A Day