Beer news breaks everywhere in late November, it seems. From Cleveland to Dublin to Westvleteren, some ale is pouring in the public consciousness. Follow for highlighted text for some beer unpleasantness - in some way, each story revolves around someone not receiving a healthy dose of ale.
The Wall Street Journal pursues the rare Belgian Trappist ales from the St. Sixtus Abbey - and only ones I've not sampled - and explains why its monk producers refuse to cave into demand.
Thanks to various beer rating sites labeling Westvleteren 12 as the best beer in the world, everyone who's ever visited a brewpub wants a bottle. That has made the beer, available only at the monastery gates, a commodity, going for as much as $20 a bottle.
How does someone steal 450 kegs of Guinness from inside St. James' Gate? In our fear-fueled world, apparently no one thought to lock it.A crafty thief drove right up and hitched his truck to a trailer ready to distribute them around Dublin. It's a record theft in the brewery's nearly 250-year run, and Irish eyes won't be smiling in those pubs waiting for their share of stout.
As for that Great Lakes Christmas Ale I greedily downed while in Columbus, The Plain Dealer warns me not to expect it when I'm back for New Year's Eve.
No other winter warmer balances spices so delicately and produces a beer that would not feel out of place anytime during the year. No other $10 six-pack helps me forget its price tag so quickly. The ginger, honey and cinnamon mix so effortless that most other holiday seasonals taste excessively spiced or mundane by comparison.
Great Lakes increased production by 30 percent this year, yet the Christmas Ale has grown immensely popular - buy it now if you want it warming you on Christmas Eve.
Due to the American honey shortage, the brewers were concerned they might have not enough to brew the Christmas Ale. They pulled through, and within weeks there will be empty shelves where the six-packs once sat.
As always, beer lovers must be thankful for the time they've had with Great Lakes Christmas Ale, not the time demand has denied them.
Friday, November 30, 2007
A Southern Tier Imperial Triumvirate
This little brewery pours massive beers in Western New York along the Southern Tier Expressway, and deserves admiration far from the shores of Chautauqua Lake.
I grabbed three of its high-octane craft brews on my last northern journey. Only their brewery - and high quality - binds them. All three own alcohol contents that plead the drinker to take care with them (Heavy Weizen is lightest at 8 percent) and there's not a clunker in the bunch. All come in 22 oz. bomber bottles, and I sampled the trio on Sunday, Nov. 25 at lengthy intervals to ensure a clean palette and a clear head.
Drink cautiously but joyfully. This is fine-tuned beer experimentation.
Big Red Imperial Red Ale
All red, all the time - surprisingly, that is fine, because Southern Tier produced a smooth complex ale that avoids the trappings of "extreme" American brews.
It signals "red" on all fronts - cherries, apple, oak tones emerge in the nose that's amiably perfume-like. A host of red fruit flavors pop up, with a bitter grapefruit taking the reins immediately, then tapering into a slightly sour finish. Big Red certainly doesn't go down like an ale with 9.5 percent ABV.
There might be copyright trouble if a certain chewing gum maker ever gets wind of this beer's name, but Southern Tier never struggles to back up that name. Not my regular pour, but a pleasantly strong take on an overlooked style.
Rating: 7.5/10
Heavy Weizen Imperal Wheat Ale
Heavy Weizen tempted me to knock off points because its brewers recommend a lemon wedge when served, but this wheat has no need for accompaniment.
The nose erupts with orange, but passion fruit quickly tempers it - mango, strawberry, and bananas march in, with vanilla and peppermint oil flavors on the finish. Heavy Weizen sometimes taste more like a fruity wine than a wheat ale; its alcohol content creeps in early and hangs out for the duration.
Incredibly sweet but not obtrusively so, Heavy Weizen curls innocently from all those strong flavors into the finish's well-matched malts, where the clove taste isn't over the top.
Drank on the same day as Pyramid's Imperial Hefe Weizen, I'm comfortable saying Southern Tier has a strong wheat success on its hands and not everyone can churn out one of the same quality.
Rating: 8/10
"Unearthly" Delights
Hopheads love the Imperial India Pale Ale designation and so do I - but not for the extreme beer reasons usually offered. To my taste buds, they're similar to barley wine yet more flowery, complex and subtly strong. Southern Tier's Unearthly Imperial IPA is among the more stellar examples.
Reddish-brown in color, From the initial floweriness comes the flesh of apples, plums, then a massive wave of alcohol content; you can only hide 11 percent ABV for so long.
It's almost shocking that a beer this strong retains its drinkable nature. I don't get to make paint thinner analogies, but that's a bearable trade-off. It eschews the orangier directions of many Imperial IPAs, staking out firm ground in red fruit territory. Unearthly ventures into parts unknown to most craft brewers, and those who imbibe will be thankful for the ride.
Rating 9.5/10
I grabbed three of its high-octane craft brews on my last northern journey. Only their brewery - and high quality - binds them. All three own alcohol contents that plead the drinker to take care with them (Heavy Weizen is lightest at 8 percent) and there's not a clunker in the bunch. All come in 22 oz. bomber bottles, and I sampled the trio on Sunday, Nov. 25 at lengthy intervals to ensure a clean palette and a clear head.
Drink cautiously but joyfully. This is fine-tuned beer experimentation.
Big Red Imperial Red Ale
All red, all the time - surprisingly, that is fine, because Southern Tier produced a smooth complex ale that avoids the trappings of "extreme" American brews.
It signals "red" on all fronts - cherries, apple, oak tones emerge in the nose that's amiably perfume-like. A host of red fruit flavors pop up, with a bitter grapefruit taking the reins immediately, then tapering into a slightly sour finish. Big Red certainly doesn't go down like an ale with 9.5 percent ABV.
There might be copyright trouble if a certain chewing gum maker ever gets wind of this beer's name, but Southern Tier never struggles to back up that name. Not my regular pour, but a pleasantly strong take on an overlooked style.
Rating: 7.5/10
Heavy Weizen Imperal Wheat Ale
Heavy Weizen tempted me to knock off points because its brewers recommend a lemon wedge when served, but this wheat has no need for accompaniment.
The nose erupts with orange, but passion fruit quickly tempers it - mango, strawberry, and bananas march in, with vanilla and peppermint oil flavors on the finish. Heavy Weizen sometimes taste more like a fruity wine than a wheat ale; its alcohol content creeps in early and hangs out for the duration.
Incredibly sweet but not obtrusively so, Heavy Weizen curls innocently from all those strong flavors into the finish's well-matched malts, where the clove taste isn't over the top.
Drank on the same day as Pyramid's Imperial Hefe Weizen, I'm comfortable saying Southern Tier has a strong wheat success on its hands and not everyone can churn out one of the same quality.
Rating: 8/10
"Unearthly" Delights
Hopheads love the Imperial India Pale Ale designation and so do I - but not for the extreme beer reasons usually offered. To my taste buds, they're similar to barley wine yet more flowery, complex and subtly strong. Southern Tier's Unearthly Imperial IPA is among the more stellar examples.
Reddish-brown in color, From the initial floweriness comes the flesh of apples, plums, then a massive wave of alcohol content; you can only hide 11 percent ABV for so long.
It's almost shocking that a beer this strong retains its drinkable nature. I don't get to make paint thinner analogies, but that's a bearable trade-off. It eschews the orangier directions of many Imperial IPAs, staking out firm ground in red fruit territory. Unearthly ventures into parts unknown to most craft brewers, and those who imbibe will be thankful for the ride.
Rating 9.5/10
Monday, November 12, 2007
A Belgian Quadruple by Any Other Name ...
Sampled: November 11, 2007
All the Triple expectations - burnt orange body, champagne effervescence and alcohol bouquet - vanished upon pouring this brownish-black beauty into a chalice-style glass.
This is an elderly bottle, its "Best Before" date stamped for 2008, and its nuances agrees its well-aged. Chocolate, toffee and roasted nuts mix with a dominant molasses flavor below a slightly bitter, foamy head.
The dark fruits so often associated with this style never arrive, but the floweriness of a younger bottle wasn't expected anyway.
The Triple Imperiale is a decidedly wine-like affair, not in taste, but in bearing. At 10 percent alcohol upon bottling, it has easily gone up a few percentage points and risen in potency.
It also owes something to Scotch whiskey - a younger bottle would present more diverse flavors, but as with Scotch, one flavor grows in prominence as the alcohol ages. In this case, the molasses takes over, holding court until it dovetails into a smooth raisin finish that pardons most of its flaws.
Brasserie des Rocs Triple Imperiale isn't on par with the giants of the style, St. Bernardus Abt 12 or Chimay Grand Reserve. But it stands only a few short steps behind.
Rating: 8/10
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Hoggin' it with Avery
For a style not far removed from paint thinner and industrial solvents in strength, a well-balanced can hit the same impressive notes as other high-alcohol beers.\
Never subtle, Avery Brewing Company's Hog Heaven (billed as a barleywine-style ale) attacks with a sharply sweet nose that the intense alcohol bouquet tempers. It's also rather flowery, and not dissimilar from an Imperial IPA in tone, although Hog Heaven's hops smooth out the everpresent malted barley. It's a beauty in a tulip glass, ruby-colored with enough burgundy highlights to be mistaken for true wine.
The malt produces flavors across a broad spectrum - a plug of tobacco, molasses, raisins and a citrus undercurrent not really attributable to the hops (I'm guessing - it isn't a typical high alcohol beer citrus flavor).
Unless you're a masochist, serve it slightly chilled; without a little fridge for this massive ale, it will steamroll any seasoned drinker, and make them wish for a glass of paint thinner instead. Not for everyone, Hog Heaven rewards those who stick with it.
Rating: 7/10
Never subtle, Avery Brewing Company's Hog Heaven (billed as a barleywine-style ale) attacks with a sharply sweet nose that the intense alcohol bouquet tempers. It's also rather flowery, and not dissimilar from an Imperial IPA in tone, although Hog Heaven's hops smooth out the everpresent malted barley. It's a beauty in a tulip glass, ruby-colored with enough burgundy highlights to be mistaken for true wine.
The malt produces flavors across a broad spectrum - a plug of tobacco, molasses, raisins and a citrus undercurrent not really attributable to the hops (I'm guessing - it isn't a typical high alcohol beer citrus flavor).
Unless you're a masochist, serve it slightly chilled; without a little fridge for this massive ale, it will steamroll any seasoned drinker, and make them wish for a glass of paint thinner instead. Not for everyone, Hog Heaven rewards those who stick with it.
Rating: 7/10
Monday, November 05, 2007
Hail, Hail the Harvest
Autumn's undisputed beer celebration, Oktoberfest, overshadows the reason for the season. But for all the foreigners that clog Munich's beer halls, workers elsewhere cull bushels of hops that make the beer world turn.
The beers below have little in common aside from the harvest angle - aside from quality and spotlight on fresh hops.
Sierra Nevada Harvest 2007 Fresh Hop Ale
Compare cooking with fresh herbs to dried ones, and the cook's choice will determine the taste. By nature, Sierra Nevada Harvest is an impermanent beer, relegated to the harvest season. Now in its 11th year (this is my first sampling), it once again proves that craft brewing can open avenues beyond doubling hops or tripling malt recipes.
Fresh hops radiate a nose foreign even to the beer snob - grassy, highly herbal and an oiliness rare for beer. Harvest recalls passion fruit with a gentle woodiness and a little wild berry. While the bullish malty aftertaste endemic to all Sierra Nevada brews closes out the Harvest, its aromas stand in stark opposition to most beers. Sierra Nevada created a powerful, earthy ale certain to confound beer lovers with its once-a-year availability. Rating: 9/10
Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner
On February's Munich vacation, we drove through the Hallertau region, where only the wire and metal harnesses indicated hops grew here in balmier seasons. Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch travels there at peak time, and this lager results from the love affair with Hallertau's famous crop.
What a nose - a brisk yet well-rounded citrus bouquet erupts from the glass. The thin yet creamy head gives little ground, while grainy scent emerges (With all those hops involved? Really?). In scent and taste, the citrus flavors run from orange to mild lemon to a grapefruit tartness on the back end. Near the finish the high alcohol content (8.8 percent ABV) unveils itself, as does a burnt spiciness and a final chalky malted shove of flavor. Purposely overhopped, this mighty lager never wavers in its balancing act.
Imperial pilsners are on the move in the American craft brewing industry, and as usual, Koch and company brew ahead of the curve.
Rating: 8/10
The beers below have little in common aside from the harvest angle - aside from quality and spotlight on fresh hops.
Sierra Nevada Harvest 2007 Fresh Hop Ale
Compare cooking with fresh herbs to dried ones, and the cook's choice will determine the taste. By nature, Sierra Nevada Harvest is an impermanent beer, relegated to the harvest season. Now in its 11th year (this is my first sampling), it once again proves that craft brewing can open avenues beyond doubling hops or tripling malt recipes.
Fresh hops radiate a nose foreign even to the beer snob - grassy, highly herbal and an oiliness rare for beer. Harvest recalls passion fruit with a gentle woodiness and a little wild berry. While the bullish malty aftertaste endemic to all Sierra Nevada brews closes out the Harvest, its aromas stand in stark opposition to most beers. Sierra Nevada created a powerful, earthy ale certain to confound beer lovers with its once-a-year availability. Rating: 9/10
Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner
On February's Munich vacation, we drove through the Hallertau region, where only the wire and metal harnesses indicated hops grew here in balmier seasons. Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch travels there at peak time, and this lager results from the love affair with Hallertau's famous crop.
What a nose - a brisk yet well-rounded citrus bouquet erupts from the glass. The thin yet creamy head gives little ground, while grainy scent emerges (With all those hops involved? Really?). In scent and taste, the citrus flavors run from orange to mild lemon to a grapefruit tartness on the back end. Near the finish the high alcohol content (8.8 percent ABV) unveils itself, as does a burnt spiciness and a final chalky malted shove of flavor. Purposely overhopped, this mighty lager never wavers in its balancing act.
Imperial pilsners are on the move in the American craft brewing industry, and as usual, Koch and company brew ahead of the curve.
Rating: 8/10
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