September 7th, 2008 beckel
I’ve been wanting to savor Pumking for sometime since I purchased it as I have yet to be let down by a Southern Tier Ale. I always question flavored ales but if their creme brulee is any example of what they can do to a beer I highly doubt I will not approve of the quality of this beer. Pours a nice roasted orange color that is transparent but deep. Head is a solid inch and 1/2 and cascades very nicely producing creme colored bubbles that are quite fluffy. Aroma is wonderful, sugar and spice hit the nose immediately and lead me to believe I am about to bite into a lovely fresh pumpkin pie. Though I am a bit sad I don’t have any actual pie to accompany this beer the flavor almost makes up for it. Sugary and Spicy flavors are immense and wonderfully compliment the great pumpkin flavor of this beer, a little bit of alcohol is noticeable but almost nothing considering its 9% ABV. Though full flavored this beer is very drinkable and has a rather light mouthfeel. This would be a great desert beer or a lovely beer to drink with a good hearty meal. It is a bit odd for me to think of enjoying a pumpkin pie flavored beer but this was a delightful experience. If you like a sweet somewhat creamy beer or happen to have a fondness to pumpkin pie this is absolutely worth consuming. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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September 6th, 2008 beckel
So this month The Session is hosted by Jim over at lootcorp and he has come up with the wonderful topic of Deutsches Bier. Now German beer is not something I am particularly familiar with so this was a hard topic for me. Germans have done a lot to influence the way beer has been made in various parts of the world, by encouraging others to follow their “reinheitsgebot” or German purity laws which state beer can be made of only water, hops and barley (they didn’t know about yeast at the time), but have also discriminated against most beer that is made outside of Germany in the same breath. Regardless any country that allows its citizens to freely enjoy good beer as long as they can get on the bar stool is OK with me. Not to meantion they are only surpassed in breweries by the United States. Any how I rattled my brain for a while deciding what I should drink yesterday and it was so close to my nose I almost missed it: Surly Hell. Surly Brewing from lovely Brooklyn Center Minnesota recently brewed a single batch of a Munich Helles lager that they are serving at a few bars in the city. So I made my way to Mackenzie to see how Surly might interpret light German lager, Helles literally meaning “light colored” or “pale” in German. Unintentionally I managed to pick a style that fit what Jim had encouraged when fielding the topic. Helles is a Bavarian lager that they appear to be very proud of, they even claim to know the exact date the first batch of the lager was shipped by the Spaten Brewery of Munich: March 21, 1894 all the way to the port city of Hamburg where it was received well and so brewing continued. Surly doesn’t make light beers so when I sat down waiting for my beer I knew this was going to be a different experience. The appearance of this beer is a golden straw color that is very transparent. Head was a bit over a quarter inch off the tap and very white in color that remained for a few minutes. The aroma is full of immense sweet malted barley with some bitterness and alcohol present, reminding me a bit of a more grain filled pilsner. Grain is the first thing I taste when I sip this beer. Flavors of wheat, barley and even a bit of corn, I am curious what they actually brew it with. Sweet malt is detectable occasionally but the aftertaste can be a bit bitter and taste somewhat like a pilsner. The mouthfeel of this beer is medium even though it is quite drinkable you can tell your eating a lot of grain. This beer was OK and I’m glad I tried it but few lagers seem to hit the right spot for me. If you like lagers and light grain flavored beers you may very well enjoy this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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September 4th, 2008 beckel
Its been a busy week with all the fun caused by the RNC and all the cops on steroids amped to give an ass kicking to anyone who asks the wrong questions in good ole’ Minneapolis and St. Paul but this isn’t about me so lets forget about it all with a nice brew. Today we have a beer from Two Brothers Brewing Company out of Warrenville, Illinois. According to their website they do not distribute beer in Minnesota but I was lucky enough to find a bottle of their Oh Brother, a Belgian Tripel Ale at The Four Firkins. As part of their Artisan Beer Series of unique beers I am excited to try this beer as I have faith it will be a well crafted experience. This beer pours a nice bright apricot orange color that is not very transparent. Head is a bit over a half an inch of white foam and dissipates quite rapidly. You can certainly detect yeast in the nose of this beer with plenty of malt and a slight orange aroma. This beer is certainly not what I was expecting. It is a very smooth and drinkable beer with a rather light mouthfeel and a surprising amount of carbonation on the tongue considering its lack of head. The flavor of this beer is sweet and malty with a slightly harsher flavor in the end that is almost bitter. Also notable is some sort of fruit flavor that is not particularly dominate but resembles banana, apricot or orange. With the sweet flavor of this beer the 8.5% ABV is masked wonderfully. If you are looking for a simpler tripel this is not a bad choice. Though I prefer a more complex beer this is not a bad drink and I look forward to the the chance to try more of their brews if I can find them. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 28th, 2008 beckel
While at The Four Firkins the other day this beer continued to fly off the shelf but was luckily restocked so I decided I had to check it out. Dragon’s Milk is an American Strong Ale from New Holland Brewing out of Holland, Michigan and is sure to be a pleasant experience. The name Dragon’s Milk comes from a term of the same name that is traditionally used to describe the strong ales in the 17th century that only royalty would be treated to. This beer pours a pitch black color that could not get much darker, with a inch and change of nice thick brown head that settles slowly and cascades marvelously as you pour. The aroma of this beer is strong and malty, sweet roasted chocolate is most notable with a slight hint of bitterness. The flavor of this beer is quite nice, roasted malt rushes all over your palate with a coffee flavor in the back of the mouth. Bitter flavors can be picked up that taste a bit like bourbon and are likely from the cask aging which occurs for at least 120 days. The 8.5% ABV of this beer is definitely noticeable but is not offensive because it blends nicely with the bitter bourbon flavors present. This is certainly a strong dark malty beer but its mouthfeel is medium and lighter than one might expect considering. If you like a well crafted dark beer with an intense malt profile and a little something extra this is a good choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 25th, 2008 beckel
This time we have Rocky’s Revenge from Tyranena Brewing, an American Brown Ale. Apparently a portion of this beer is aged in bourbon barrels so it will vary from batch to batch. This bottle pours a nice very dark brown color, hinting at black and the darkness allows no light through. Head is a solid inch with a slightly tan color that retains for a few minutes. Aroma is nutty and of dark somewhat coffee like malt. Upon the first taste you can tell how dark of a brown ale this really is, strong malty flavors are dominate but simple and nondescript, as you continue drinking a citrus bitterness wraps up the flavor, quite different. The mouthfeel of this beer is light and somewhat carbonated, quite drinkable even though a dark beer. This beer is rather interesting decently well balanced, but dark and malty with a strange sourness in the finish. I am curious to try more of this beer to see how the cask aging impacts different batches but I won’t be holding my breath. A decent brown ale, if your into simple malty beers with something extra this is probably a decent choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 21st, 2008 beckel
I simply couldn’t pass up this beer when I saw it on the shelf, so here’s to another lovely Southern Tier brew. Upon opening my bottle of their Imperial Creme Brulee Stout I can already smell its lovely aroma of vanilla beans that it is brewed with. After pouring this beer smells even better, creamy caramel and vanilla scents are overwhelming and can be smelt a foot away. Also detectable are some dark malt scents but the creme brulee scent makes the others hard to identify. The color of this beer is grand, deep dark black with lovely creamy brown head that seems tame at first but cascades marvelously and creates a few inches of tight bubbles that remain for some time. Wow, this is a very interesting beer with a suiting name. The flavor is sweet and creamy with a hint of a flatter flavor that is somewhat coffee like but not very bitter or strong due to all of the sweet creme brulee like flavors, kind of tastes like a sweet roasted toffee. The caramel flavors are very different that you would typically find in a beer, tasting more like roasted sugar than roasted malt. The 10% ABV of this beer is some what noticeable but not at all harsh because of all of the creamy sugary flavors. The mouthfeel is medium but it is still quite drinkable for a stout, not nearly as heavy as I expected. This is definitely a nice beer but a bit on the sweet side as one should expect from its name. If you like a sweet creamy stout this is a lovely choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 20th, 2008 beckel
Today is a very happy day as it will be my first opportunity to try the new beer from Flying Dog’s Canis Major Series: Kerberos Tripel. I was ever so happy to see this beer on the shelves of The Four Firkins while I was there for the “Wheat Wars” tasting (Good times by the way and props to Michael of A Perfect Pint for choosing some tasty beers and Alvey for hosting this event) and simply could not pass up buy the first pack I saw. This big beer is brewed in the traditional Belgian Tripel style using yeast to bottle condition this beer and allow it to continue fermenting after being sealed. This beer pours with a surprisingly small amount of head for a Belgian style ale producing about 1/2 an inch but it does stay for a decent period of time. The golden color of this beer is beautifully rich and transparent but it is still somewhat difficult to see your fingers if you hold them behind the glass. The smell of this beer is wonderful sweet malt hits the nose immediately with just a hint of bitterness in the end and light alcohol. This is certainly a good American interpretation of a Belgian Tripel style ale. Flavors are incredibly smooth, sweet flavors with slight fruit hints come first followed by a lovely hoppy balance that flows through the palate. For a Belgian beer this one has a very light mouthfeel and is quite drinkable with a bit of carbonation to remind you your drinking alcohol. With a 8.5% ABV you should probably be careful with this ale if you are not used to drinking strong beers but the flavor won’t remind you because it is so well balanced and smooth. I am excited to finish my 4 pack of this beer, anyone who appreciates a good strong ale in particular a Belgian that is more hoppy than usual will certainly like this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 19th, 2008 beckel
Slowly trickling through these Tyranena brews we come to their Headless Man Amber Alt. Altbier is an interesting style which traditionally consists of beers that have been conditioned for an extended period of time creating a smoother ale. This beer pours a very rich red color looking somewhat like a raspberry but not quite as bright. Head is a bit over an inch but fades rather rapidly, very light in color. This beer has a nice full aroma hints of fermented raspberry and other fruit seem present but sweet malt takes over and rounds off the aroma. The flavor of this beer is quite nice, a slightly sharp hop bitterness hits the tongue first then comes some nice smooth malt flavor that has a slight fruit hint of sweetness finishing with some more hop flavor but very smooth. Coming in at 5% ABV this is a very drinkable beer with a nice light mouthfeel but still very full flavored. The more I drink this beer the more interesting flavors I find and the more curious and encouraged I am to try more beers of this style. Will definitely be buying this beer again even though I tend to prefer a hoppier the different flavors in this beer are great. If you like an amber brew but want something different that is smooth but does not have a massive malt profile you will likely enjoy this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 12th, 2008 beckel
I had seen this beer taunting me from the shelf wondering what the hell it was a number of times, so I finally decided to pick one up and read the bottle only to discover it is made by the wonderful Rogue Brewery out of Newport, Oregon. The Morimoto Black Obi Soba is one of three beers launched as a collaboration with Masaharu Morimoto an award winning chef who you may know from the show Iron Chef. These beers are made with Soba, also known as buckwheat which is actually not a wheat but part of the rhubarb family and a staple in Japanese cuisine because of its impressive nutritional properties. This particular beer is dedicated to Rogues Japanese distributor Phred Kaufmann and apparently is a remake of their original Phred’s Black Soba Ale. Now onto the good part. This beer pours with close to an inch of marvelously brown tinted head that is quite frothy and stays for quite a while. Color is black with deep red colors sneaking in while in the light. Aroma is interesting and hard to place, I mostly get malty sweetness, almost fruity like cherry. The flavor of this beer even more interesting, a dull fruit flavor hits the palate first that reminds me of cherry but is nowhere near as sweet which is finished by a malt like flavor that makes this beer very smooth, presumably from the soba. Overall this beer is somewhat flat in most of its flavors, though this is not that uncommon in a porter this is a different one, obviously the grains used in this beer contribute a lot. Not a bad beer, a bit sour in the initial flavor but a relatively smooth dark ale in the finish. RateBeer refers to this beer as a fruit ale, and Beeradvocate as a porter and I must say I agree with both. If you like a dark, not particularly malty beer with some sour but not artificial fruit flavor this will do you right. The ABV of this beer is not listed but the original Phred’s Black Soba Ale is rated at 5% and I would be inclined to believe this one is about the same. Anyone who is curious about how irregular ingredients effect a beer will likely appreciate this one. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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August 12th, 2008 beckel
Gotta clear out the fridge so here’s to another Tyranena Ale. This time around we have the Stone Tepee Pale Ale coming in at 5.75% ABV. This beer pours a very nice filtered looking copper color that fades from light reds to golden yellows in the light. Head is a good inch and change and fades rather quickly but is a bit more firm than the Three Beaches. Aroma is largely of lightly caramelized malt but slight hop bitterness is notable on the nose. This is a pretty good pale ale, a nice hop bitterness hits the tongue first, then some nice citrus rounded off by some malty sweetness. This is a very drinkable beer with a relatively light mouthfeel. I often find many pale ales boring but this one is rather creative, nothing too complex but certainly full of flavor. Probably wouldn’t buy it often but it’s definitely a beer that anyone can enjoy and down a number easily. If you like a pale ale with some citrus and not too much bitterness but still want a flavorful beer this is a good choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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