January 10th, 2010 beckel
Today I have what is sure to be an interesting Christmas inspired ale from the brewery Anker out of Mechelen, Belgium which crafts Gouden Carolus brand ales. I have enjoyed a number of their ales, particularly their Belgian IPA style Ale Hopsinjoor and can’t wait to see what this 10% holiday ale has in store for me. Coming highly recommended by Alvey of The Four Firkins I can’t wait to dive in, so lets get to the good part. This attractive holiday inspired 11.2 oz bottle is labeled L 0743 03/08/10. Pours with one finger of rather tight tan head that completely dissipates with in two or three minutes. Color is a dark brown hue that reminds me a bit of a slightly watered down dark coffee allowing no light to pass through. Strong aromas of alcohol, rich caramel and toffee are most notable with Belgian Candi sugar most assuredly used in this recipe. Gentle dark pitted fruit esters help round out the nose. Flavor is quite nice with the caramel and toffee sweetness expected from the aroma as well as a delicious gentle roasted malt character and decent dose of alcohol that nicely contrasts with the serious sweetness present in this ale. Gentle herbal esters and a variety of dark pitted fruit notes add additional character to this ale creating one tasty brew. Body is medium for a Belgian Strong Ale and mouthfeel is quite smooth and almost a bit creamy. While not an ale for those afraid of ABV clocking in at 10% I feel the somewhat strong alcohol esters add a wonderful component that helps make the lack of bitterness less relevant. Definitely not your typical holiday ale with more Beligian Yeast, dark pitted fruit and Candi Sugar notes than the typical herbal onslaught of many in the style. If you enjoy complex Belgian Ales with a myriad of toffee and caramel flavors than this is the holiday beer for you, or just a solid ale to drink anytime you want something hearty. Unquestionably one of the best holiday inspired ales I have had an opportunity to consume. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 6th, 2010 beckel
Here I hold one of the most intriguing and illusive collaboration ales of 2009 with a mere 20 cases making their way to my state of Minnesota. This bottle was brewed and bottled in Norway at the inventive brewery of Nøgne Ø with the help of the wild brewers of Jolly Pumpkin and always intense Stone Brewing Company. While I was unable to sample this ale last year when the first batch was brewed at Stone I am very pleased to have the opportunity to sample this the 2nd time around. Most of the unique ingredients used in this brew are local to the regions of the three breweries including Michigan chestnuts, white sage from Southern California, and Norwegian juniper berries. Both Stone and Jolly Pumpkin also brewed this ale on their setups this year but I do not believe either will make it into my local market unfortunately. However if you live near California or Michigan you might be lucky enough to find some. On to the good part. This ale pours a very opaque dark brown hue that appears black until you bring it to light. A relatively tight light brown 3 finger head is slowly created but quickly opens up and fades with in about 3 minutes leaving only a small ring of carbonation around the surface of the ale. Aroma is quite interesting with a herbal spirit like quality that i believe is coming from the juniper berries and somewhat reminds me of a gin but with different esters. A modest amount of alcohol is noticeable as well as gentle roasted notes. Flavor is very unique with strong herbal notes of sage, caraway and juniper easily showing their way through the solid malt profile of this ale. Finishing with a delicate nuttiness and a bit of alcohol. The combination of malted barley, rye and oats delivers a wonderfully clean and smooth mouthfeel but frankly I wish I could taste them a bit more over all of the herbal notes present in this ale. Clocking in at 8.5% ABV this is certainly a winter warmer and an easy one to drink at that with a relatively light body for the style. Over all this is a rather sweet herbal ale with very little bitterness present but enough roasted esters to give it a bit of contrasting flavor. An interesting and creative ale with a multitude of ingredients that certainly shows the skill and creativity of the brewers. If I manage to stumble upon a bottle brewed by Jolly Pumpkin I would be very curious to see what some aging in their lovely funky oak barrels might do to this recipe. While I am still in search of a Holiday Ale I particularly love I will give this ale plenty of credit for potential. If you are a fan of herbal holiday ales and dig juniper berries this might just be the ale for you, if you can find it. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 2nd, 2010 beckel
It has been a lazy past month and for those who pay attention I give you my condolences. However I believe I can make it up with what is sure to be another tasty ale from the fine West Coast folk of Mad River Brewing. While I didn’t get around to writing about their Barleywine earlier this month I assure you it is more than worth consuming and will be described in all of it’s glory as soon as I grab another 4-pack. Today I finally made the brutal trek over to St. Louis Park in the approximately -5 °F Minnesota weather to stop by The Four Firkins to pick up a few gems including this Jamaica Brand Red Ale that I have been meaning to sample for some time. While only the 2nd ale from Mad River I have had the opportunity to try the aroma alone already has me confident I will be satisfied. So lets get to the fun part. This ale pours a rather dark burgundy hue that brightens a bit when brought to light but is still incredibly opaque with small sprinkles of sediment settling to the bottom of the glass. A tight three finger off white head is easily produced when poured straight down the glass leaving a moderate amount of lacing around the glass and on the surface of the ale. Aroma is of modest hop bitterness and very light citrus esters as well as a decent amount of malty sweetness that is contrasted by a sharp alcohol note. Flavor is malt forward with sweet amber notes complimented by very gentle roasted esters and a nice gentle citrus hop character finishing with mild hop bitterness. Body is medium and the mouthfeel is very clean and smooth. While I was a bit surprised by how forward the 6.5% ABV of this brew was in aroma it is in no way over powering in flavor making this one smooth and drinkable ale. A well balanced red ale with enough malty sweetness to compliment the delicate hops and make one solid ale that most people should be able to enjoy. While not quite as hoppy as I expected based on its name this is one tasty brew that I will happily continue to drink. If you enjoy red ales in general and don’t mind some moderate hop notes you will be happy you tried this brew. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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December 3rd, 2009 beckel
Here I have a bottle of this years Fresh Hop Pale Ale from the fine brewers over at Great Divide complete with their new lovely label design that makes me want to hop right into this bottle, no pun intended. Great Divide out of Denver, Colorado creates some lovely big brews such as their Hercules Double IPA and many varieties of their massive Yeti Imperial Stout, this ale however isn’t so big coming in at an average 6.1% ABV. Regardless I am sure it will be big in fresh hop flavors and aroma and I can’t wait to give it a try. This ale pours an attractive light amber hue that is very translucent. Over three fingers of tight white head was easily produced and lasts for a number of minutes leaving only a small amount of lacing around the glass. The bottle states the words “Grassy” and “Citrusy” which is a spot on description of the hop aroma reminding me a lot of lemon grass with a nice sweet gentle malt character to contrast. Quite unique. Flavor is quite refreshing. Initially I get nice pale moderately sweet malt notes, followed by grassy and slightly floral hop esters and a good dose of lemon, lime, and other citrus near the finish. While I expected a more robust nose on this ale due to the fresh Pacific Northwest hops it really is a deliciously hopped pale. Body is medium and mouthfeel is quite clean and smooth. Though I am of course a fan of massive hop additions I really appreciate that Great Divide decided to make this Pale Ale as approachable as it is. Hop notes are plentiful and delicious but contrast wonderfully with the mellow malt present creating a melody of flavors that are very palatable and not overly bitter. While no India Pale Ale I believe this ale will satisfy both hop lovers and those who are more weary of hops with a variety of delicate flavors I rarely get to experience living in the Midwest. While not realistic in any way, I would happily add this ale to my list of staple beers if only it were available in larger quantity at a more consumable price on a regular basis. If you despise hops don’t try this beer, but if your open minded you have no excuse. Cheers to Great Divide on another quality ale. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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November 29th, 2009 beckel
Today I have an ale that I finally got around to picking up from The Four Firkins the other day and was very pleased to see they still had plenty in stock. When I first read that Avery Brewing was producing a new Imperial India Pale Ale I was simply ecstatic. I forget where I first read about it but they suggested that the hop loving brewers over at Avery intended to create another seriously hoppy IPA for their lineup that fell somewhere between their year round IPA and their massive 10.24% Maharaja Imperial IPA to allow ones hop thirst to be quenched without passing out. According to Avery their mantra for this ale became “Unity of bitterness, hop flavor and aroma” which sounds lovely to me. So I was every so pleased to see Alvey’s email a few weeks ago that it had come into our state and was available for our drinking pleasure. This ale pours an moderately light orange red hue that is very translucent. Three fingers of tight off white bubbles were easily produced but the majority of the head dissipates within a few minutes leaving only a small amount of lacing around the glass. Aroma is delightfully hoppy with resinous pine, sweet floral notes, a melody of gentle citrus and beautifully mellow bitterness and a good dose of malty sweetness to back it up. A small amount of alcohol is noticed on the nose but it is not offensive or surprising considering it’s ABV of 8.5%, reminding me of a gentler Maharaja. Flavor is quite nice. A good dose of sweetness is present as to not immediately bombard you with a boatload of hops, regardless you will quickly be rushed with a variety of citrus notes from orange to grapefruit, more gentle pine notes, and a solid hop bitterness, finishing with some added caramel sweetness as to not make you want to scratch your tongue too much afterward. While the 93 IBU of Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook are more than obvious and plentiful for lovers of hops such as myself this Imperial IPA was brewed with not only respect to hops but also to allowing said hops to contrast and compliment the two-row, caramel 120L, victory malts used in this ale. Mouthfeel is rather clean and the body is medium. Over all I would say that Avery meet their mantra in making a delightfully hoppy ale that all Lupulin fans will be able to appreciate plentifully. If your not into hops I suppose you shouldn’t bother with this ale, but it’s still darn tasty. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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November 24th, 2009 beckel
Today I have a beer I should have enjoyed some time ago but never got around to purchasing, until last month or so when I noticed there was still one bottle left on the shelves of The Four Firkins. It is the Schneider brewed version of a set of collaborative ales by Hans-Peter Drexler of the fore mentioned Schneider Weisse (or G. Schneider & Sohn as they call their brewery) and Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewingg. Apparently Hans was a big fan of Brooklyn’s hoppy East India Pale Ale and Garret admired the delicate balance of flavors in Schneider Weisse so they decided to have some fun and brew two very similar hoppy Weizenbocks with different varieties of local hops and release each through their distribution networks. I have not had the opportunity to sample the Brooklyn version but I am quite excited to try this version which was brewed with an equal amount of Pale Wheat Malt and Pale Two-row Barley malt, hopped with Hallertauer Saphir for aroma and Hallertauer Tradition for bitterness then further dry hopped with3 more pounds Hallertauer Saphir per barrel for a week. Thirsty yet? I know I am. This ale pours a lovely hazy apricot hue and is only slightly translucent. Head was smaller than I expected of a wheat beer creating under two fingers of tight white head, though I didn’t pour particularly vigorously. On the other hand the head retention is superb leaving me with about a millimeter of tight bubbles for more then the last 15 minutes. Aroma is quite delicious, full of gentle banana, clove, and other herbal aromas I expect from the style as well as a very refreshing citrus and floral note from the Hallertauer hops in addition to a small amount of alcohol. Hop flavors come through delightfully contrasting balancing wonderfully with the wheat in the ale creating many citrus like flavors ranging from grapefruit to apricot and perhaps other light pitted fruits. The delicious and delicate wheat flavors we expect from a brew like Schneider Weisse are showcased wonderfully even with the assertive hopping allowing delicious gentle bread notes to flourish and grow. A variety of spices are present and play a nice balancing role to the solid hop profile. When I first read that this ale was only 40 IBU I was a bit surprised, but after sampling it is very apparent that though this is a wonderfully hopped ale with delicious citrus and floral notes, it is only gently bitter. I find the mouthfeel of this ale to be a bit more on the syrupy or sweet side but i think it is largely to do with the fact that this big beer has such a light body. Even at 8.2% ABV this is one drinkable ale, but be careful as the alcohol is only modestly notable. Definitely a solid ale that I will happily drink more of if I can find it. A wonderful example of what can happen when people work together; the solid complexities of a brewery that has been making traditional German beers for over a century and the wonderful hop assertiveness of many progressive American breweries. If you dig wheat beers and don’t mind some quality hoppy presence or even better yet if your scared of wheat beers and want to try something you won’t regret this is the beer for you. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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November 13th, 2009 beckel
I had seen press releases for Hoppy Brewing Company out of Sacramento, CA before but never really knew a thing about them until recently when they started distributing to my local market in Minnesota. Hoppy Brewing was founded by a gentleman named Troy who previously worked with satellites and software development industry and after learning to homebrew in 1991 decided it would be more logical to enter the growing Craft Brewing industry. So with the help of many others Hoppy Brewing released their flagship product Hoppy Face Amber Ale in 1994 by utilizing some excess capacity of another brewery. Now they have their own brewery as well as a brewpub and a variety of bottled brews. While I intended to sample their flagship product first it appears it has been flying off the shelves of The Four Firkins quite quickly and there was none on the shelves at the moment so I opted for their more malt forward Stony Face Red Ale while I was there last week for the New Belgium tasting (mmm….La Folie). When poured this ale appears quite dark brown, but as you expose it to light reddish mahogany hues come forth. Head was a simple finger and change, quite creamy and off white. Upon my first sniff I noticed quite a bit of ethanol but after typing up the previous paragraph I don’t notice it intensely at all, perhaps it was a trick of the mind. Aromas are of semi sweet rich malts, toffee, gentle citrus and floral notes from the Cascade and soft herbal notes from Nugget hops. Flavor is solid. Malt profile is an interesting mix of sweeter malts that one might see in an Amber Ale such as Dark Caramel malt (if you ignore the dark part) and heavier, more bitter, perhaps even roasted malts that one might expect in a darker ale such as a Stout which according to their website is Chocolate Malt. Creating a very interesting and unique flavor profile. Incredibly gentle roasted notes similar to coffee and toffee sweetness are contrasted with an assertive does of Cascades grapefruit like citrus and decent hoppy bitterness. Body is medium and the mouthfeel is slightly silky but not overly creamy. With a 5.6% ABV this is an easy drinker with some seriously unique flavor contrast. Not overly sweet, not overly dark, not overly hoppy but all three working happily, or hoppily together. If you enjoy Amber Ales with a solid hop presence but don’t want to sacrifice any malt richness this ale is probably for you. Now I definitely need to try their flagship ale. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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November 1st, 2009 beckel
I found this bottle of Dark Hops from the brewers of Beer Here who hail from Norway a month or so ago on the shelves of The Four Firkins. I also picked up a bottle of their Pumpernickel Porter but that will be for another day. I know very little of the Beer Here Brewery but if you can read Norwegian perhaps you can learn a bit more about them at their web page above. The Dark Hops bottle states that it is a hoppy black ale and lists it’s ingredients simply as “water, barley, rye, sugar, hops and yeast”. While also noting that “hops were harmed in the making of this beer”, which I can dig, so long as they were treated in the most humane way possible. This ale pours an incredibly dark black color that is completely impenetrable by light, producing a massive tight creamy dark brown head that is over four fingers and fades quite slowly, leaving only a small amount of lacing around the glass. Aroma is incredibly rich, smelling of dark roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, toffee and a solid dose of alcohol. A strong does of hoppy citrus & floral notes prevail in the aroma but still takes a back seat to the massive dark roasted notes. Dark roasted malt and burnt coffee flavors are noticed first followed by plenty of alcohol and finishing with some serious floral and citrus notes from the Zeus and Saaz Hops used in this brew. An additional sharpness is added by the use of rye in the grain bill and compliments the hops quite nicely. A decent amount of sweetness is present but I still find myself overwhelmed with dark roasted coffee notes even though there are plenty of other flavors present. The combination of roasted and citrus notes occasionally creates a somewhat tart flavor that is really quite unique and enjoyable. The 8.5% ABV of this beer is partially masked by the melody of flavors present but is a bit overpowering even for my tastes, though it does smooth out a bit as I progress though the bottle. Body is somewhat heavy but less viscous than most ales that are this dark. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. Simply this is one interesting ale. At first I found the contrasting flavors to simply be too much, particularly in the roasted malt and alcohol categories. After drinking most of the bottle I must say I find some of the flavor profiles present very intriguing and unique, but could perhaps use a bit of fine tuning. If you love coffee and dark roasted malts as well as India Pale Ales this might just be the perfect beer for you. Unquestionably the most coffee like and hoppiest IBA (India Brown/Black Ale) I have ever had the opportunity to consume. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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October 29th, 2009 beckel
It’s been many weeks since I purchased this bottle from The Four Firkins but it has patiently waited in my fridge for this day of consumption. I haven’t been able to post lately as my Hard Drive decided to stop receiving power leaving me shit out of luck. Of course my < 1 year old drive was easily under it’s manufactures warranty so I was able to RMA it and finally the other day it arrived. All I have to say is back up your data boys and girls. But lets move on to something positive. A number of exciting events occurred this month including Surly Brewing hosting an American Homebrewers Association Rally and providing around 500 homebrewers 5 Gallons of delicious sweet brown wort as well as the ever popular Darkness Day. I’ll post more about that later, let’s talk about Sofie. Sofie is one of many brews in Goose Island’s Belgian Style Series and is said to be brewed in the style of a Farmhouse Ale, also known as Saison. The ale is fermented with wild yeasts and 20% is aged in wine barrels with orange peel which is blended back with unaged ale and is sure to be an interesting Belgian inspired brew. The 2009 bottles consist of a clean white label with classy green & gold print allowing for a very elegant presentation. Bottle dated July 17, 2009. The beer pours an incredibly pale yellow hue that is very cloudy, so much so I can’t see my fingers on the other side of the glass. Head is crisp and white initially creating about three fingers of tight bubbles that quickly expand and dissipate leaving only a slim white ring around the surface of the brew within a minute or two. Smells strongly of yeasty notes that are expected of the style, slightly tart, very dry, gently fruity and spicy. Flavor is equally delicious and dry, consisting of gently tart citrus as well as softer orange, banana and even peach like notes, soft bready notes from the wheat and a decent amount of sweetness. A slight vanilla character is present creating a very smooth finish. The malt profile of the ale is clean and simple allowing the yeast strains to shine through with a very gentle Amarillo hop character contributing to the citrus and very little bitterness. Mouthfeel is very carbonated but not overly sharp, body is very light. Though this ale is full flavored it is quite easy to drink and at 6.5% ABV it won’t be a problem. Unquestionably one delicious and quality craft brewed Belgian inspired Saison. If you enjoy the style or even golden Belgian ales in general I would highly recommend this ale, particularly as it is selling for quite a bit less than most of Goose Island’s specialty ales. Though I can’t say I notice any drastic flavors from the wild yeasts used in this ale aside from those you typically expect from the style, I would be curious to see how it may change over time. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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October 8th, 2009 beckel
Here I have the second edition of He’Brew’s Rejewvenator which celebrates the year of the date. The folks at He’Brew seem to enjoy experimenting with fruit and beer and I for one always enjoy experimentation, particularly when it works out well as it seems to for Shmaltz. As if over 400 gallons of date juice wasn’t enough to impress this ale is also brewed with three yeast varieties, Lager, Trappist and Abby as well as Warrior, US Goldings, Cascade, Amarillo and Mt. Hood Hops, 2-Row specialty malt, Munich, 2 varieties of dark crystal, and CaraVienna Malt. So if that wasn’t confusing enough they also refer to this ale as half Doppelbock and half Belgian Style Dubbel, sounds complicated. Lets see how it tastes. Color is quite dark appearing almost black from a distance though when brought to light you can clearly see that the color is just a very dark date like hue. Creamy head is off white and about two fingers which remain for many minutes leaving a clean ring around the surface of the of the liquid almost indefinitely. Smells strongly of the Abby and Trappist Yeasts used in this brew and just a touch of the Lager Yeast. Dark pitted fruits come out nicely but are not over whelming, obviously date is quite identifiable. Some nice malt sweetness is present and nicely contrasts the moderate alcohol present in the nose. Flavor is quite interesting and believe it or not makes their style statement completely make sense. Solid malty sweetness, caramel notes and some additional grain flavors remind me of a quality Dopplebock while dark pitted fruits and gently spicy, herbal and earthy notes from the yeast strains remind me of a solid dark Belgian Style Ale. Date notes are relatively sweet and play well with the malt sweetness present making the solid 7.8% ABV of this brew barely noticeable. A small amount of bitterness is present giving this brew a nice finish but not over powering at all. Body is medium, not particularly heavy for the style. Mouthfeel is clean smooth and caramely. Over all this ale tastes largely of sweet dates, caramel and a delicious malt base with a notable Belgian Yeast influence. A quite nice and very smooth ale. If you enjoy Belgian ales with dominate dark pitted fruit notes and wonderfully malty Dopplebocks you will probably be all over this ale. One thing I would sincerely suggest though is to serve this ale closer to room temperature as the caramel notes are not nearly as noticeable when cold and add a wonderful character to this ale when present. Another fine offering from the fine people of Shmatlz and He’Brew. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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