The Beer Cellar

Kane Brewing - "A Night To End All Dawns"

Thu, 09 May 2013 22:53:42 -0400

New Jersey has a beer to compete with some of the best. New Jersey has a brewery to compete with the powerhouses. Its name is Kane in Ocean NJ, and owner Michael Kane really knows how to run his business.

“A Night To End All Dawns” will change your idea of good local beer (if you’re from NJ). This is spectacular, this is what a beautiful, adult beverage surely tastes like.

Initial Look/Smell/ Appeal: A dark (as night, *sorry, couldn’t resist) black pour- one so dark you can see your reflection in the glass- is accompanied by a tan head. Stick your face in the beer, and the alcohol burns the nostrils. A huge bite of bourbon and champagne bubbles hit the tongue right away. Initially, no hints of candy or sweetness. Only strong bourbon musts.

Then WHAM! the Uniqueness of this brew emerges. Flavors of dry vanilla, rich caramel, toffee and of course tingling bourbon finish off the initial sips. Then they continue, creating a menagerie of lingering taste effects. Soon your lips get sticky, and the caramel/vanilla musk merges with the dry aromatic alocholic carbonation. The experience is reminiscent of paring a wonderful shiraz with very dark chocolate. It’s as if dark fruits and perfectly burnt sugars blended with spicy cocoa and rich creams.

Which leads to my next point. Adding to the complexity of “A Night” is the roasted body. The Textures & Thickness is a well thought out balance of thin with thick in a way that can only be taken pleasantly. You can drink this like wine, feel it like champagne, have it linger like bourbon, and regurgitate its flavors like beer (which is a good thing!!!). A perfect marriage of many elements I love in all those styles of beverages to imbibe.

Overall Sessionability: This beer is easily drunk alone. And you will be. (Drunk that is). At an easy 13%, this selfish beer will have you asleep by the fire. Always a strong end to a quiet night.

5/5

Final Note: I have heard that this beer is meant to be kept in refrigeration temperatures. I heard this is because of fears of overcarbonation/ the cork flying off. I bought my bottles at a liquor store which I found out refused to refrigerate the beer. So I was surprised as to not encounter a flying cork. The carbonation was perfect, with a strong thick, 1 minute long retained head.

There's never been a better time to love beer

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:47:34 -0400

Cyber space (sounds old) is the best friend to the beer lover. In an age of social apps like untappd and ratebeer turning each beer snob into a bonifide critic, there is no excuses to drinking alone.

We dont do bars anymore. At least as the main forum for discussion of our favorite pasttime of craft beer. Now, beeradvocate, homebrewtalk, homebrew clubs, even the homebrew stores are both instructional and entertainment. At least for me. I oogle over beersmith. I salivate at philly tapfinder and the beeradvocate forums
I get excites when my favorite brewery retweets my posts @vivalabeergeek.

It’s a beautiful age to love beer.

Founders Doom Super boozy in the nose and the taste. One of the...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:13:38 -0400

Founders Doom

Super boozy in the nose and the taste. One of the strongest bitter alcohol esters after finished. Butterscotch and ass kicking scotch. Doom seems appropriate of a name

‘I wouldnt kill my mother for it’ says Jesse. And that’s exactly right. You can enjoy over the course of hours, but dont go crazy. You may taste grassy, hefty, effervescent vanilla flavors and it’s a unique experience. But dont feel you’ll die when you miss it. Just find a buddy, and share with friends.

9/10

Brooklyn silver Anniversary Inital scents of light dry hops....

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:13:09 -0400

Brooklyn silver Anniversary

Inital scents of light dry hops. Mellow cat piss. Simcoe?

Initial tastes hit with good light toasted and caramel malts. A clean finish and a strong bitter grapefruit.

There is something to be said for nothing crazy within a speciality brew. I digged it and am glad I tried it. Would I go again? Sure, but not for $13.

Oh yeah, beautiful bottle art. Frank Tomaselli rocks.

7/10

Three Heads: Skunk Black IPA

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:21:00 -0400

If you know me personally, you’ve probably heard me talk about Rochester, NY at least once. I went to school there, I bought craft beer there (for the first time), & I enjoyed a few too many Genny Cream Ales. So when my local beer store (whose manager is a good friend of mine) was the first and only store so far in the region to have Three Heads beer in stock, I was ecstatic. Their beers are simple, tasty & cheap, and their labels are clever and creative. Plus, I never had a chance to try their beers fresh in Rochester because they did not open until I left the little city in 2011.

So I’ve had the ‘Java Sutra’ (a nice grain forward Coffee Porter brewed with Boulder coffee [another Rochester great; This time a local coffee vendor]), and I tried Loopy (an oatmeal red ale) and both were killer. I had high hopes for Skunk as well. Black IPAs tend to be solid, but predictable to me. And with a name like ‘Skunk’ this little fucker has to have some spunk.

Initial Look/Smell/ Appeal: Skunk pours a dark brown/black with a very small head and medium lacing. There is a fresh, but clean aroma on the nose: average in aromatics, even after the first sip. First taste brings forth unadulterated malty/boozy/burnt bitters. No skunked beer here *har har.*The aftertaste is immediate and contains enough of unique bitter mint hop bitterness to stop you from jumping right into a second sip…

Uniqueness of brew (flavors): …By the second sip- which was taken after the beer was allowed to warm up to around 40 degrees- I was again expecting a more complex & upfront flavor palate. Maybe some more herbal notes, or even a more floral aroma? Instead I experienced again the strong hop umph from the first sip. But this flavor is none of those pines or citrus flavors of your traditional IPA. Instead, I was slightly stung by where licorice & burnt dried raisins meet old mint-leaves & molasses. Yet, there is little bittersweet about the beer; instead it’s a perplexing concotion of new hop flavors. But I think this questionable cocktail is what makes this beverage so enjoyable and easy to drink.Like the elusive skunk, I’m confused as to what really to categorize “Skunk” as. This is a good new alternative to the traditional IPA, Black IPA, and even to some of the Scotch ales & winter warmers that are starting to get a little stale by this point in March.

Textures & Thickness (body): What would “Skunk” be like with a thicker body? What about the addition of Lactic Acid for water clarity, or even oats for texture? I’m not sure what I think this beer needs, but I was wishing for a little more in this area.

Overall: Though something feels to be missing in the start and the finish here, because I cannot properly put my finger on it, is it fair to dislike this beer? Hell, no. It’s a very sessionable 6.5% dark alternative for the spring into…spring. I think part of the problem is we are still seeing 35 degree temperatures this March in NJ, and I am still craving the hefty dark, oaky beers. Give me another one of these bottles in May, and let me sit out on the porch and see. Until then, if you want to try something, a little weird (in the best of ways), try a “Skunk.” It’s good to be different.

8.5/10

Traquair House Ale: Stuffy beer from (probably) a stuffy old house in Scotland

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:05:00 -0400

Official Site
7.2%
Wine Enthusiast #2 Top Beer 2012, 97 points Rate Beer.

A Little Introduction: Let me tell you, we’re celebrating St. Paddy’s Day. Well most of you are. I’m at home taking photos and drinking a Scottish beer. Because, let’s be honest, Guinness is only good in Ireland, not in the US. And there are no truly exceptional Irish-style ales or lagers in the States. Sure, you may put green food coloring into a shitty beer, but in the end it’s still just a green shitty beer. Probably makes your piss look like gatorade, and smell worse than asparagus.

I have an unnecessary penchant for the UK & Scotland. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal stout blew my mind the first time. And, the Old Toad in Rochester, NY holds a warm place in my heart. Additionally, I look at many of our (American) craft beers styles- barleywines, ales, stous, etc- as only improvements on the unique pub styles of the UK and Ireland. And yes, the English and the Scottish don’t make the high quality styles found in Belgium & Germany, but their beers have a unique aura. I drink them for the everyday ‘pastoral’ experience. They’re full of earthy, warm, and weird flavors. And they were my gateway into better American Craft beers.

So, I found Traquair house ale: a beer from a really friggen old house aged in oak barrels. Sounds great right? I’m sorry, but I was disappointed.

Initial Look/Smell/ Appeal: Pours a molasses brown with a thin head & big bubbles. Smells faintly of bread and fruit, which opens up as the beer reaches room temperature. However there are no strong pungent aromas at any time. Not at least until you take a sip, wherein a strong pungent tart sweetness- a product of their brewing processes- hits the tongue and leaves an almost astringent aftertaste to bitter prunes and old fruitcake. This unappealing sweet-sour concoction is borderline irregular for the brew. Because the beer is so thin (more on this later) I am not sure if I’m supposed to enjoy or to hate the almost-vinegary tastes.

Uniqueness: Other than unpleasant characters in the experience, there is only little to no oak evident in the overall beer. I expected way more of this Scoth Ale/ Wee Heavy. Flavors of thick malts with tinges of warming alcohol typical to me of Scotch Ales never came through.

Textures/ Thickness: Simply overly carbonated with none of the thick and ass-kicking textures I expected. Sure, the beer had a great clarity, but it was too easy to drink, with very little redeeming mouthfeel even after the beer was brought to room temperature.

Overall Quality of the Session: I’d like to point out that this beer does open up a little as it warms up; the irregularly placed tartness of the beer (this is not meant to be reminiscent of a sour, and if it was, it was done wrong) still remains, but at room temperature there are more sweet malts present. But at room temp, the beer remains light, delicate, and without the warming mellow characters I expected of a Scotch Ale. Maybe the addition of softer water and/or lactose or more oak would push this beer to be more than just a stuffy attempt to be a wine drinker’s party beer. [For the record, screw what Wine Enthusiast says about beer.] I’m sorry, but I’m not impressed. And maybe (on this St. Patty’s Day) like Guinness, I will find this beer to be more rewarding once I travel the 3,000+ miles to acquire it in Scotland. Sorry, that’s not happening anytime soon.

5/10

Goose Island: Bourbon County Brand Stout!!!

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:59:00 -0400

15% ABV
Official Site

Inital Look/ Smell/ Appeal: Nothing is more exciting than pour a dark brown, perfectly thick headed, and rich, strong love-affair-of-a-bourbon-barrel-aged stout and knowing that this is a beer, year after year, one can enjoy. It’s a holy thing I think. Bourbon County Brand Stout ( abbreviated in the beer world as BCBS) from Goose Island is reverly-inducing. Eternally telling the sipper that life can be good. This beer, on its initial sip, opens up with a crescendo of sweet candy that hints at white chocolate and spicy mocha. Then you’re hit with a huge bourbon tickle. Well more like a masochistic punch in the fucking mouth.

Uniqueness: BCBS is really one of the most trademark, fairly available, examples the style. It is the rule of thumb to start your first experiences with bourbon aged stouts. From here, you will try smokey, funky, super sweet, floral, pungent, heavy, effervescent examples of bourbon aged beers - the list goes on and on. BCBS is a gateway drug into BA (barrel aged) barleywines, BA porters, BA ales, and BA funkified renditions. Prepare to pay away your paycheck in experiencing more barrel aged beers from here. They will be hard to come by, and even harder to give up.

Textures & Thickness (body): Imagine the best heavy comforting warmth emanating from a super smooth, ending is velvety enriching body. This beer instantly warms the mouth, throat, and soul. It is a tonic like concoction of bold variety. You can tell its a huge mouth feel, but, as the drinker, you’re not going to be overwhelmed. It’s like the ideal cup of coffee.

Overal Sessionablity: This beer is certainly a sipper.But you may find yourself overwhelmed by a strong desire to affix on swashing the black liquor through every pour and every crevice of your mouth. It will sit on your tongue and break your heart when it’s not in your stomach. By 6 oz in, you will feel the 14% abv. Not just in your head, but also in your fingers, and in your face.

I don’t know how, but Goose Island has built- by combining dark malts, beautiful yeast, soft? water, and time- a beer that will be sought after by freaks like me.

Notes on aging: It’s 3 or 4 months since this beer came out, and since my first bottle of it, this bottle has opened up with a heftier bourbon than the one I drank in December. You can tell there has been a change to the malt freshness, only in an interesting way (nothing bad). I wonder what I may experience with this beer, 1,2, or maybe 5 years from now. Hopefully it will age without oxidizing or without too much candy flavors.

Overall rating: 9.75/10 (I can’t give a perfect rating until I experience this beer in 2+ years)

Homebrew ‘3 AM Coffee. Beer’ in a Edward Hopper...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:45:00 -0400

Homebrew ‘3 AM Coffee. Beer’ in a Edward Hopper coffee mug. A whole new meaning to Artisan Ale?

Photo

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:44:03 -0400

Friends that drink beer: the best kinds of friends

All Day IPA from Founders

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:36:00 -0400

“All Day IPA” - 4.7%, 42 IBU
http://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/all-day-ipa/?av-submitted=true

Initial Look/Smell/ Appeal: “All Day has a perfectly clear yellow color, a beautiful looking amount of carbonation, a strong sweet-hop flavor, and a punctuating bite. Like biting into a tart minneola orange.

Uniqueness: The beer is simple.The beer is clean. But these are great qualities to be had for a drink you’d love to go to throughout the spring and summer. If there was too much bite, I’d avoid this one. It’s like the idea that I love French cinema, but most of the times I’m watching “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” on Netflix.

Textures/Thickness: Like stated, this brew is very clean. But it has the same style of body as Troeg’s Nugget Nectar. For you unfamiliar with NN, think of a nice bodied glass of lemonade (minus the lemonade flavors) Not too thick, but just the right amount of juiciness remains on the tongue.

Overall Quality of the Session: All Day wasn’t lying. I could sit back with this one. Not in the stupid, ‘let’s chug till we vomit’ way. More like this can make a believer outta any hop-head that maybe not every beer needs to kick you in the ass. Few brews do that.
— I will admit to being highly surprised by the simplistic enjoyment in a beer I expected to upset me. I drank a Goose Island ‘Bourbon County Stout’ right before so my palate was kind of just ready for filler. This beer was deviously drinkable. At 4.7% it’s not really a session beer, so kick back three of these and you shouldn’t drive.

In the end I’d shell out 10 clams for a beer that can make any sunny day even better. 9/10

So a lot has changed since December 2011

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:20:51 -0400

First and foremost, I forgot about you beer-cyber world. But I wanted to rant about the changes in the last year point five.

Currently homebrewing is a big part of my life. I have made four beers, with all grain brewing really taking center stage in my mind (and abroad?!) Metaphors.

Secondly I have started an untappd and twitter page (@vivalabeergeek / https://twitter.com/vivalabeergeek) both of which have been disastrous to my finances- aka I’m buying way more craft beers and such. But on the bright side of these economic middle-ages, I’m glad to say my knowledge has expanded ten-fold.

From now on I will make two promises with this blog. 1. My photographs of beer will attempt to be more interesting and of a higher caliber. 2.I will attempt, in this blog, to bring forward beer in a way I would have wished to have been presented it. Thus I will start to categorize how I believe everyone should examine good beer. Pretension will all be avoided.

I will talk about beer by focusing on look, smell, appeal (sweetness vs bitterness), uniqueness (original flavors), textures/thickness (aka body) and overall quality of the session.

I won’t be able to talk about every beer I drink, let alone photograph them all. But with your patience, I hope you come to enjoy this blog. Cheers.

Nothing says wonderful like free beer. Except when it’s gone bad. And it could have been so...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:08:38 -0500

Nothing says wonderful like free beer. Except when it’s gone bad. And it could have been so good!

If we had George Washington in our time the socio-economics of...

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:33:38 -0500

If we had George Washington in our time the socio-economics of politics may be a bit different today. But the beer would probably remain the same. Yards has rereleased their tavern series and yesterday, Christmas eve, I was finally able to recoup from family and festivities with the of beer our forefathers. Tavern porter has come out the most ideal of the three 18th century recipes from yards. It is strong and sweet with a hint of smoky notes. And at 7% George Washington would have gotten drunk off of a handful of these.

So cheers this holiday season and enjoy this one with friends and family. If you have never gotten into the porters, nothing says a fresh start like tradition. It isn’t the most phenomenal porter but it sure is easy drinking with philly heritage. That sure will warm your bones.

Dark beer: 9/10 Classic American: 9.5/10 Aroma: 8/10 Beers for beer haterd: 7/10 Originality and complexity: 8/10 Overall: 8.5/10

If we had George Washington in our time the socio-economics of...

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:33:37 -0500

Dark beer: 9/10 Classic American: 9.5/10 Aroma: 8/10 Beers for beer haterd: 7/10 Originality and complexity: 8/10 Overall: 8.5/10

I've been Lazy: The rest of the Summer into Autumn brews:

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:24:00 -0400

So as summer concludes and a cold rain marks both a change of mood and season as I sit in my attic/apartment of the new house with my friends Kyle and Ryan, I am reminded that I have left you all hanging about the remaining three beers of my under $12 six pack. So, for the sake of clarity and direction, I will make this short and sweet:

Troegs Java Head: Heavy and loving, Troeg’s Java Head does not necessarily remind me of a cup of coffee as much as I had hoped. Instead, it is powerful and quite overwhelming. But at 60 IBUs the power comes mostly from it’s weird blend of malts and flavors, it does not come from the hops. The cocktail of flavors reminds me of what it’s like to put too many ingredients into an omelet: Sometimes you forget there is egg in there. Though a bad metaphor, my point is Java Head has failed to convince me that it is necessarily a ‘go-to’ beer for the changes of season. It was enjoyable and original, but not one I will pick up again soon. And the semi-psychadelic label does nothing to alleviate the confusion which is this beer.
Dark Beer: 8/10
Blends: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Slow Sippers: 8.5/10
Overall: 7.75/10

Walt Wit Unfiltered Belgian-style White Ale:
Now this is what I’m talking about. All summer I was looking for a comparable American White/Whitte/Whit/ Belgian beer. Though not 100% as unique as those crazy Bavarian bottles, Walt Wit is a great end of summer Ale that I can proudly say grants me permission to like Philadelphia a little more (don’t worry, Philly sports will never appeal to me).
Though only rated at B- on Beeradvocate, Walt Wit rates higher in my book because its Brewing Company (simply called Philadelphia Brewing Co) has concoted a winner amongst mostly average or slightly above average brews. The greatest trait of Walt Wit is its safe balance of drinkability (at only 20 IBUs) and obnoxiously pleasant natural flavors. This beer pours a cloudy grapefruit yellow (like the color of the label) and it smells of semi-sweet nectar. My only qualm with this beer is it’s weak alcohol content. At 4.5% the Philadelphia Brewing Co. decided to play it cool for the sake of flavor here. It does not compare with Golden Monkey by Victory which is the perfect marriage of high alcohol content 9% and excellent flavor.
Classic American: 9/10 (with a name like Walt Wit, it’s gotta be good)
Pub Standards: 9/10
Aroma: 8.75/10
Beers for Beer haters: 9.25/10
Surprises: 9/10
Dark Horse: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Post Road Pumpkin Ale: This is what a beer would taste like in Hogwarts. No joke, (and not a bad thing). To sum up all the great aspects of this beer, Post Road isn’t just Pumpkin flavored beer: it is a pumpkin pie injected into a biting, semi-sweet, but mildly malty ale. Post Road pairs excellently mostly with light food, but demands being polished off as a meal on its own.
Now onto the Hogwarts thing: this beer brings up memories of butterscotch, scarves, and the growing up process that parallels both Harry, Ron and Hermione. But let’s be real, drinking a chalice/goblet/pint of this brew will urge you to scoff at first years or it will lead you into a drunken Quiddich match. Ok, time to Expelliarmus this lame comparison. Plain and simple, Post Road is filled with aromas and tastes of butterscotch, nutmeg, and sweet pumpkin. My only complaint is consistency. I bought another six pack of this after the first glass and only enjoyed three out of the six bottles in it. Someone should cast a quality-control spell…
I wonder what a glass of this would taste like with a bit of whipped cream vodka? Bad idea? Probably:
Blends: 9.5/10
Pub Standards: 9.5/10
Aroma: 9.75/10
Seasonal Concotions: 9.25/10
Surprises: 9/10 (not a huge surprise, since it does come from Brooklyn!)
Originality/Complexity: 9.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

McNeill's Dark Angel Imperial Stout

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:39:01 -0400

McNeill’s Dark Angel Imperial Stout

10% ABV

Guest contributor Jeremy Ferris

My consumption of McNeill’s Dark Angel Imperial Stout, brewed in Brattleboro, VT, sits comfortably alongside other Vermont classics - Magic Hat, Otter Creek, and Long Trail. I found a 22 ounce bottle in a general store in southern Vermont, after a kickass job interview at a bookstore, where my interviewer claimed I was on a slippery slope to becoming a junkie - I swear it went well. The bottle of McNeill’s boasts 13 awards both within the US and across the entire world! Hot damn! I took some home after the cashier was skeptical that I could be older than, like, 16.

I figured some local pride was in order, picked up a couple large bottles of stout (Blue Fin, from Maine, will be next), because it’s becoming that season - I wore a fleece lined corduroy jacket while playing fetch with my border collie - and sat chillily on my porch quaffing the stout, poured into a standard pint glass. The beer, and this thought remained through my consumption of the whole pint and six ounces, from first pour to last sip, was very thick and syrupy, almost to a fault, but good for a early autumn (?!) day full of promise. The head on the first pour was disappointing, though the second yielded a voluptuous foam reminiscent of the crema of an espresso, medium tan; the most beautiful head I have ever seen on a beer. I was surprised by the hoppiness of it, the high alcohol content reminded me of a barley wine style beer, but with the roasty coffee and nut flavors one should expect from a stout. Very velvety, some vanilla action going on; as I sat on my porch and strummed my guitar I was shanghaied by the high alcohol content. A lot of other, less distinct, flavors kept bubbling up through. I was constantly surprised, sometimes spicy, a hint of whisky, sometimes sweet, but always bitter and creamy. At the end of my bottle I began to share it with a cup of green tea and honey, which complimented it well and shouldn’t be discounted.

I have been waiting for a sufficient beer to devote attention and time to before contributing to the Beer Cellar (Point’s Nude Beach, I’m looking at you) - McNeill’s Dark Angel Imperial Stout was plenty worthy - because unless something really really sucks, a negative review is just complaining. But McNeill’s breaks free! Let’s not forget the handrawn graphics on the label, a fuchsia angel head with horns and a flaming goatee surrounded by pentagrams - sort of Ed Hardy but a little bit less douchey, although it does use Comic Sans. The beer hits hard and heavy, as evidenced by the high alcohol content, and is definitely sip-worthy. Each time the glass is raised to the mouth, the best course of action is a swish before a gulp, to ease the almost-too-syrupy quality of the stout. But autumn is upon us, my friends, the temperature dips below 60 and the trees turn, so we need all the help we can get from hearty and flavorful brews and stews.

Dark Beer: 9.5/10

Slow Sippers: 9/10 (about an hour-and-a-half for a pint and six ounces, without any stimulating dialogue)

Surprises: 7/10

Good with food: 8/10 (does another (hot) beverage count? I still wish I was eating sausage with

peppers and onions or something with this.)

Classic American: 10/10 (Woo Vermont!)

Overall: 9.25/10

The “August into Autumn Under $12 Custom Six-Pack”...

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:10:00 -0400

The “August into Autumn Under $12 Custom Six-Pack” Challenge (Part 1)

As a special deal (for neglecting you wonderful readers) I will review the first three beer for which I had hoped would aspire in me great desire for Autumn. What I learned from these three beers is that Autumn is about flavor and moving forward. One of these three beers has now become a favorite of mind, one more is excellent, and one has failed miserably to inspire me.
————————————————————————————————-

First the bad news (i.e. the loser). Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Orange Blossom Cream Ale was recommended to me by a salesman at my local beer emporium. He swore by the beer’s flavor and originality, and when I asked him how it would stand up if compared to other end of the summer and beginning of the autumn beers, he told me I would undoubtedly drink the cream ale into fall. But he was wrong.

When I think Cream Ale, I think Genesee Cream- the cheapest and dullest contribution to beer ever to come out of Rochester, yet a brew that I (and many people I knew) thrived on (warm and cold) because of our Rochester pride. Yes, Buffalo Bill’s Orange Cream blows Genesee out of the water, but that’s like…comparing Apples to Oranges, Tang to Sunny D (you get the picture). For the price Orange Cream should taste better than 2 for a dollar beer. But Orange Cream stops there. One is overwhelmed by an overly fruity, highly carbonated, and artificial sugar-like flavor. There is no maturity to the flavor, and very little of a pleasant aftertaste. But I should have known better, at 13 IBUs maturity isn’t the key focus of this ‘seasonal ale.’ Certainly this is a beer for a younger palate. And, I should have listened to my gut by looking at the kitchy label before packing this into my custom six pack.
Blends: 6/10
Aroma: 7/10 (Mildly pleasant at first, but slightly sickening as you continue to drink)
Slow Sippers: 4/10 (Fails to enjoy)
Fruit in Beer: 5/10 (Unless flat off-brand orange soda is your thing)
Originality/Complexity: 5/10
Overall: 5.25/10

Now for some better news: It’s time to grow a stronger palate and review Raging Bitch from Flying Dog. This Belgian-style IPA is a rather strong (8.3%) Medium/high biting (60 IBU) sweet malt IPA meant to both pain and pleasure you. For me, this was one of my first forays outside of tradition IPAs and American Pale Ales that left me impressed, but desiring something better.

With potent strong flavors of cherry/fig/grapefruit this beer certainly stands up to its name. As a craft ale, it stands up to its price and its allure. But as a bit of a warning, choose wisely before cracking open this beer. It certainly has its time and place for the overtly-strong approach reminds me of that one relative you need in moderation. At times I was not sure what to make of the sweetness of the beer paired with the hoppiness. It really did bite me, but it was not a light beer. But after about six ounces, I knew how to handle this beer- slowly. And like one learns to adapt to moldy cheeses, one must learn to adapt to Raging Bitch’s unique (semi-acerbic) taste. This is not a good ‘let’s polish a six pack’ beer. But I am looking forward to trying another single bottle of it with dark chocolate or spicy food.
IPAs: 8.5/10
Pub Standards: 7/10 (Basically not one I think I’ll find or actually purchase with strangers and large groups)
Slow Sippers: 9/10
Surprises: 9/10
Clever Name: 9.25/10
Good with Food: 8.5/10 (It seems like it would be excellent when paired with spicy or strong sweet flavors)
Overall: 8.5/10

And now for the best news. Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout (from the Otter Creek brewery in Vermont) is both thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring. It is the rookie that pushes aside the veteran Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout (which is also an excellent beer). From first smell I was greeted by a butterscotch aroma, and at first taste I had the recollection of burnt buttered toast with light goat cheese. As a beer, this oatmeal stout had an unfiltered bite but was not paired with an overwhelming heavy carbonation. Plain and simple, I’d drink this beer alongside my coffee and cheerio’s each morning if I could.
Additionally, Wolaver’s Oatmeal stout seems to have a special place at night. I can see it now, after a long fall photoshoot, I would crack open a bottle of Wolaver’s Oatmeal even before taking off my boots and my coat. It’s the perfect working-gentleman’s ‘chest-hair’ beer. What I mean by this (isn’t that ladies shouldn’t drink it, on the contrary), but that it makes you feel good in a very honest unpretentious way. And that leads to my final comment on this beer: it is inspiring because it seems as if Wolaver’s is a fairly new or fairly small and growing brewery. Their webpage hasn’t even been fully developed. This tells me that honest beers are finding an honest place within the craft market. And for that, I will keep buying you Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout.
Dark Beers: 9.75/10
Classic American: 9/10 (or an American approach to a market I thought was dominated by the Brits, and a flavor to cherish)
Pub Standards: 9.5/10 (I’d drink this if it was on tap throughout October and November)
Surprises: 9.5/10 (I thought it would be average, or a little above average like many of the brews from Vermont that I have tried- I have a strong amount of pride and bias for Pennsylvania, New York and most of the non New England North East breweries)
Originality/Complexity: 8.5/10 (Consistent and compelling; a step in perfecting an already good concept in the Oatmeal Stout)
Overall: 9.25/10

Partner in crime

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:55:51 -0400

Partner in crime

New beer challenge to look forward to in the coming weeks

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:40:57 -0400

Sad days call for a new beer challenge.

I cannot wait for the Fall, so I’m already breaking in the beers meant for the end of September/beginning of October. And, without school to fill my days and my time, I’ll have plenty of time to try these and many other Autumn brews.

But, since it is still August, I’m trying some Summer beers recommended for me. One is a Philadelphia brewed Belgian ale, another is a honey-orange brew, and the final is a flying dog Belgian IPA. Consider those my coda to the summer’s brews. Then, by September I’ll review some toastier, more robust stouts and an ale. That will be my introduction to a new season, and hopefully one a many new beginnings. Gentlemen and ladies, cross your fingers for me .

Under $12 Custom Six Pack: Summer into Autumn brews

Walt Wit Unfiltered Belgian-style White Ale (Philadelphia)
Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Orange Blossom Cream Ale (California)Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian-style IPA (Maryland)
Post Road Pumpkin Ale (Brooklyn)
Troegs Java Head (Pennsylvania)
Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout (Vermont)

Rohrbach’s Blueberry Ale:4.6 ABV I’m going to be...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:37:00 -0400

Rohrbach’s Blueberry Ale:
4.6 ABV

I’m going to be 100%honest here: Rohrbach’s Blueberry Ale is by far on my top five list of favorite beers. This is not because it is the best beer out there. But to me beer, like life, is so much more complex than about being perfect.

Corney cliches aside, Rohrbach’s Blueberry Ale represents three things for me. The people that matter, the concepts into which good beer should be devoted, and how the surprises to be had in a beer can be a gateway into enjoying beer.

Rohrbach’s is an amazing product of Rochester New York. Alongside such products of this small city which include the University in which I obtained my bachelor’s degree, Rohrbach’s makes up the essence of which for me is Rochester:

I first tried Rohrbach’s Blueberry Ale at a Rochester Red Wing’s AAA baseball game. It was interesting, but I would soon learn the importance of how good this beer could be in the presence of good company. I bought my first growler/tumbler of Rohrbach’s blueberry ale when my best friend visited me that same summer. We sat on my porch and finished the entire thing in less than two hours: it was way too easy to drink this blonde ale infused with natural blueberry.

I kept the beer in the back of my mind through the winter of 2010 and 2011. Certainly four months of snow and overcast skies were not ideal weather for a super flavorful but light blueberry beer. I drank many a stouts and porters. But then another great friend of mine came to visit in April and I no longer needed an excuse to bring back the ale.

I have drank this beer with some of the greatest company. Certainly my opinion of this beer was influence by the fact that they held very strong opinions of the beer. Our passions for the flavor and experience have influenced my love for the brew.

Much like music and art, great beer is best shared with others. But it seems like Rohrbach’s has also devoted a great deal of time to making quite a unique and original brew. Every other fruit beer I have tried pales far behind in comparison. Unless they hint at subtle fruit flavor (as Leffe blonde does with banana), or unless they are lambics, most wheat beers with fruit infused do not use the fruit flavor to compliment, but rather they alter the flavors. Blueberry Ale is unique because blueberry dominates the palate without overwhelming: Malt is complimented by a tender and refreshing blueberry linger. The beer is drinkable and flavorful.

Plain and simple, I don’t feel slightly uncomfortable with Blueberry Ale’s aftertaste. With UFO’s rasperry hefeweizen or Long Trail’s blackbeary wheat, I felt punched in the mouth by bitter, rather sour tastes. And, honestly sour and beer don’t mix for sour is to beer as expired is to milk, as moldy is to bread. You get the idea.

But Rohrbach’s blueberry ale does have a few flaws. The first one I noticed is consistency. I have bought five growlers of the beer so far, of which two were phenomenal, one was good, and one was mediocre. In other words, there is a slight gamble between each growler. So, I would highly recommend that if you come in contact with the brew, buy two [Cha ching]. The second flaw is that (as with all Rohrbach ales) it must stay cold at all times. This is because the Rohrbach’s is a small brewery that only brews their beers (as far as I know) in 64oz growlers or keg. As a result, though there is a unique and old-fashioned feeling to drinking their beers, they are pasteurized, and if they leave refrigeration for too long they will spoil. The final flaw isn’t so much a bad one (and it probably aided the great experiences I’ve had with the brew). But, once you open a growler, it must be finished in two days. As a result, you cannot selectively drink this beer like you would a six pack of bottles. But to be honest, this 4.6 ABV beer drinks quite quickly, and for two people a 64 ounce growler grants a good (classy) buzz. So invite your friends and get plastered (preferably outside)

Finally, Rohrbach’s, I owe you a huge nod. You enlightened me into the endless possibilities of beer. And honestly, you also made me realize a beer doesn’t have to be everybody’s favorite to be your favorite. Duh!

(Rohrbach’s if you ever read this, please start distributing outside of upstate NY.)

Blends: 9/10
Fruit in Beer: 10/10
Pub Standard: 8/10 (Because they don’t sell it at enough places but they should)
Seasonal Concoctions: 9/10 (Few summer ales trump this on my ‘hell yes it’s on tap’ reaction)
Aroma: 9/10 (It smells like blueberries right away, and blueberries are good for memory and brain function, thus this beer must be good for you! [don’t hold me to that])
Surprises: 9/10 (the worst part of the surprise of the beer is how quickly it is finished. At 64 ounces, it’s like 4 pints, and at about $10 a growler ($8 + $2 growler deposit) it is only slightly cheaper than Yuengling on special)
Overall: 9.5/10 (Love it! Support Rohrbach’s!)