June 5th, 2009
by Jan
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Beer Reviews, Maine |
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The other day I stopped by RSVP to pick up some provisions for the ‘western outpost’.
The first news is they are blowing out Winter beers. $7.99 for twelve packs of Geary’s Winter or Shipyard Brewers Choice Brown Ale. These are respectable beers. The prices are unbeatable. I hauled off several cases.
I also came away with three beers to try, the Guiness 250 Anniversary, the Sierra Nevada Harvest 2009, and the Geary Imperial IPA, which I’ve never had in bottle.
The Guiness was a big downer. Apparently it’s a special brew to celebrate their anniversary, so I was expecting a blow-out stout. This beer is very, very smooth, with a warm mouthfeel. There is not much finish, and not much roasted burn. It is very smooth, very soft. It’s actually a very pleasant dark beer.
The Sierra Nevada Harvest 2009 also surprised me, but quite pleasantly. They advertise their use of New Zealand hops, which reminded me of a pleasant drive through the hop growing region of Tasmania. Having said that, I have no idea whether the terroir matters in Hop viticulture.
The Harvest 2009 is a very pleasing drink, soft and flavorful. Yes it’s hoppy, but this is another comfy beer.
Finally, the Geary’s Imperial IPA. I’ve had this before, but not in bottle. This is a good beer. It’s smooth up front and quite malty. It’s 8.2%, another of those beers that pat you on the head while you’re drinking them, then come back and whack you on the head with a cask mallet.
June 4th, 2009
by Jason
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Breweries, Watering Holes |
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Great Lost Bear and Allagash have a long history together. GLB was among the first bars to feature Rob Tod’s fledgling brewery and its now iconic White. Since its humble beginnings in Portland 14 years ago, Allagash has grown to national recognition for its White and many other Belgian offerings.
The Great Lost Bear, of course, is one of the best known beer destinations in the northeast, if not the country. Celebrating its 30th “annibearsary” this year, it seems only natural that one of Great Lost Bear’s weekly Thursday night showcases should feature Allagash. Of course, GLB has an entire tap section known as Allagash Alley, so they’re stepping up their game this week to make it a “showcase.”
Along with the Allagash White (GLB’s number one selling beer), they will be pouring Burnham Road, Confluence, Dubbel, Tripel, Hugh Malone, and some casked Curieux. For any fan of Allagash or Belgian-style beers in general, this is enough reason to head to Forest Ave. this evening.
But just in case that doesn’t do it for you, there’s one other special treat (and no, I’m not talking about the moules et frites, which will be served). Four years ago, Rob and company brewed a 10th Anniversary Ale, a blend of two different batches of their White Ale. So what, you say? That was four years ago.
Well, apparently they kept one barrel of the stuff. Four years ago, they filled a single American oak Bourbon barrel with the 10th Anniversary Ale, and they’re pouring it tonight as GLB’s 30th Anniversary Ale. According to Allagash’s Jason Perkins, “[t]he deep malty character is complimented by flavors of sherry and port as well as a tart finish.” This sucker weighs in at a hefty 11% a.b.v., so I’m sure the pours will not be overly generous, but I’m excited to try one nonetheless. I’ll need to make a pre-volleyball pit stop this evening.
June 1st, 2009
by Jan
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Beer Reviews, Breweries, General |
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Last Thursday in Portland was a good day for fans of David Carlson and Marshall Wharf Brewing Company.
The Great Lost Bear featured Marshall Wharf in the weekly Microbrew Showcase. On offer were the Cant Dog IPA, the Brown Ale, Illegal Ale-ien, and the Hefeweizen, all at the usual bargain prices. This was a wonderful line-up of beers - on this evening I thought the Hefeweizen got the special nod. Kudos to The Great Lost Bear… after all these years The Bear remains the place to be on Thursday night.
At the close of festivities a small party adjourned to Novare Res where Eric Michaud tapped a keg of the Marshall Wharf Barley Wine, T2R9. The beer is named after a territory near Belfast… There is a reason for that, but after drinking Marshall Wharf beers all night, who remembers?
The T2R9 is a very special beer. At 11.5% one expects a monster; it is anything but that. Like all of the Marshall Wharf beers this one is beautifully balanced, and drinks well below the alcohol level. The malt and hops are present for sure, but there is no aggressive flavor attack, no awkwardness at all.The impact is huge, smooth mouth feel and soft, luscious flavors. There are no elbows to this beer, it’s all curved and rounded.
There won’t be much of this beer around, so try it any chance you get. I doubt there is any left at Novare Res, but it’s worth inquiring after. This beer alone would justify a trip to Three Tides Inn in Belfast.
May 28th, 2009
by Jason
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Beer News, Home Brewing |
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I just caught wind of this report from Charlie Papazian. Severe thunderstorms and hail ravaged Europe earlier this week, and the Hallertauer area, famous for its Hallertauer Hallertau hops, was severely damaged. For lovers of many traditional German beer styles, this is not good news.
One [Brewers Association] member from the Netherlands reports, “Staff of Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephaner [where the German brewing school resides], who live throughout the area, have all reported the complete destruction of hop fields in the region.” Other reports indicate that the damage was local in some areas and effected about only 25% of the region.
Also effected are several Sam Adams beers, including their flagship Boston Lager. According to Papazian’s article, it can take up to two years for a newly planted hop vine to yield a full harvest, so production may be effected for a couple years. Other Hallertau growing regions around the world may be able to fill some of the demand, but while their bitterness is similar, varieties grown elsewhere tend to have a floral note that Hallertauer-grown hops lack.
Let’s hope that the damage is not too widespread, especially if you homebrew with Hallertauer-grown hops. I have to imagine that Jim Koch would be able to get his hands on hops before your local homebrew shop would.
May 7th, 2009
by Jason
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Beer News, Breweries, Maine |
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Portland’s Shipyard Brewery has announced its newest addition to the Pugsley’s Signature Series. Calling it “XXXX IPA,” the new brew is a big (9.25% ABV) American IPA. From the Shipyard press release,
XXXX IPA is a non-traditional American IPA with a brilliant copper color and the classic citrus nose of Cascade Hops. This beer demonstrates a unique balance of malt-inspired, delicate red grapefruit sweetness and lingering hop dryness. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body to balance the harmony of distinct flavors. Cascade, Warrior, Summit and Glacier Hops are used for bittering and Cascade Hops are added for dry hopping after fermentation. This hop blend is well balanced with Malted Wheat, Pale Ale, Crystal, and CaraMalt Malts.
The XXXX IPA will be available in 22 oz. foiled bottles by mid-May. Shipyard was nice enough to provide me with a sample bottle. When I was at the brewery store picking it up, I noticed that the 4-X is already available there, though I thoughtlessly neglected to notice the price.
I chilled my bottle to the suggested 55° and poured it into a nice NERAX tasting glass. I was greeted by some citrus hops and a huge, pillowy off-white head. On a smooth pour down the center of the glass, I was able to pour out maybe 12 ounces into my 20 ounce glass. The head subsided somewhat slowly and left little or no trace of itself on the sides of the glass. The color, as promised, was a very appealing copper. It’s noticeably darker than Shipyard’s Export and Pale Ale, but still perfectly bright. This is a very good looking beer.
The first sip yielded lots of hops balanced nicely by the malts. It was quite dry, but not in an off-putting way. Whereas something like a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is quite the hop bomb, this beer is hopped less aggressively and yields, in my opinion, a slightly more drinkable beer. The taste is coppery and has some nice citrus or pine notes to it. The mouthfeel is smooth and the malts give it a nice fullness. Most interesting to me is that, while I’m sure it was used, the telltale Ringwood taste of most Shipyard beers was absent, or at least well-masked, in this beer. The finish is clean and dry.
I paired it with a spicy chili. The bottle recommends Cajun food or barbecue, and chili was close enough. The assertive hops stand up well to spicy food, and the malty fullness helped to calm to habenero peppers I included in this batch. Overall, I would call this a very satisfying beer that is worth seeking out. At over 9% ABV, it’s no session beer, but for the occasional treat, it will find its way into my refrigerator again.
My Verdict: Seek This One Out. When this one shows up on the shelves of your local beer shop, grab a couple and invite some beer loving friends over to share. If it doesn’t show up by June, Portland is lovely by then, and you should definitely consider a visit to Newbury St. to grab some.
May 4th, 2009
by Jan
in
Beer Events, Beer Festivals, Beer Reviews, Breweries |
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In April, Boston experienced a delightful one-night echo of NERAX 2009.
The Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) held their national Craft Brewers Conference in Boston during the last week in April. On Thursday evening, April 23, Harpoon Brewery hosted a cask ale night open only to conference attendees and guests. This was organized by the District New England chapter of MBAA and was staffed by folks from NERAX.
The Craft Brewers Conference is a meeting of brewers from across America. The objectives of Cask Night were to promote cask ale, and to give New England brewers a chance to strut their stuff. Using the NERAX festival equipment, the District New England offered 62 cask ales from brewers in every state of New England.
The beers were superb, in great shape, and the event was an enormous success. Many attending brewers had never seen so many cask ales in one place, and there was a lot of photographing of the bar and stillage. We ended up serving about 1200 brewers and guests from across the country. It was a triumph for New England brewers!
The NERAX guys were pleased with how easily this event went together, and then how easily it broke down. The event was in the (big) tent Harpoon uses for events, in their parking lot. Set-up of the beers took about four hours. We’re getting better at set-up, but our equipment is also getting better after years of investment and volunteer work to construct lines and related gear. The cooling system now goes together quickly and requires a lot less de-bugging. Breakdown the morning after took about two hours, a new record. Put that down to having a lot of volunteer labor on hand.
Tending bar at this event was easy. Everything was free, so there was no money to handle. At that price no-one was too fussed about exact measures, so pouring was easy. We moved a lot of beer very fast!
Maine was very well represented by Sebago Brewing, Gritty’s Portland and Freeport, Allagash, Shipyard and Kennebunk Brewing. Maine beers remain something we can be proud of in any gathering or context.
My favorite of the night was an IPA from Cambridge House Brewpub in Torrington, Ct. Who are these guys, anyway?
May 3rd, 2009
by Jan
in
Beer Reviews |
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The book ’100 Belgian Beers To Try Before You Die’ by Tim Webb and Joris Pattyn is one of the better new books on Belgian beer. It is published by CAMRA, available through their website. Both authors are acquaintances of mine, but the book is still pretty good. The concept makes me cringe a bit, the whole thing about lists and must-dos is a bit over worked, but I think you’ll find that the execution of this book is superb. The book is a great read, and not a bad shopping list.
Last Sunday, April 26, Novare Res offered an opportunity to try four of the “100″ beers on draught in Portland. In addition, Eric had both the brewers and the importer on hand all day Sunday to chat about the beers. It was a truly notable event…
Cantillon was represented by head brewer JeanVan Roy. Of the “100″ Eric offered the Iris, the Framboise, and the Vigneronne. He threw in the Kriek and the St Lamvinus for good measure. My favorite in this group was the Iris, an incredibly subtle and complex lambic beer. The Framboise was a stunner: bold, brash, massive nose, tart, and truly an impact beer.
The Brasserie de la Senne was represented by owners Yvan de Baets and Bernard LeBoucq. Their “100″ beer was of course the Taras Boulba. Eric also poured the Equinox, a delicious Winter beer. The Taras is an incredibly tasty and complex beer at about 4.5%.
Also present were Jean and Nassim from Moeder Lambic, one of the more interesting beer bars in Brussels.
On hand as Guide and Den Mother for this crew were Dan and Tessa Shelton, importers and zealous proponents of Belgian beer. One tends to remember conversations with both of these wonderful people.
Many thanks go to Eric Michaud for putting this day together.
