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Christmas Comes Early at GLB

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.

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GLB Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Allagash Treats

For those of you who haven’t wandered down the little alley off Exchange Street in Portland yet, Eric Michaud offers yet another reason to take the plunge. For the next three weeks, starting on Friday, May 1, Novare Res is hosting a Belgian Bier Fest. Never one to put on a small event, Novare Res’s Belgian Fest will feature some 100 different biers. That’s a whole lot of beer to work through, so please mark your calenders to head down to Portland and help out.

On the tap list are such favorites as Cantillon, De Stuise, and Petrus, as well as a whole host of others, including De la Senne, La Rulles, Des Rocs, St. Bernardus, Caracole, Bosteels, Van Steenberg, De Struise, De Ranke, Geants, Chimay, Koningshoeven, Witkap, and more. Plenty more. I know where I’ll be tomorrow after work. Hope to see you there…

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Belgian Bier Fest on Tap at Novare Res

I’ve had both of the Ola Dubhs that I knew existed, the 12 and 16 year vintages. Eric is, of course, upping the ante here. In addition to the 12 and 18 (apparently they do both a 16 and an 18), he’s got 30- and 40-year-old casks to sample. I did not even know these beers existed, but I’m certainly hoping there’s still some left on Friday when I get down there to try some. $35 will score you all four (8 oz.) pours, plus a dram of Highland Park 15 Year to round out the tasting experience. If you’re one of the first 50 people to partake, you get to keep the Ola Dubh glass, too. Damn my Thursday night volleyball league!

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Novare Res Offers Unique Tasting Opportunity on April 2

Buffy’s features Banks beer in glass bottles. Also several kinds of rum. It’s not the sort of place where one asks for a beer glass. Both management and the punters are friendly; everyone is knowledgeable about Cricket. We were the only tourists – it was fun trying to understand the accents of our new friends.

The Sticky Wicket is much more up market, and is a pretty good basic restaurant, located near the Silver Sands beach area. The place is popular with British tourists staying at the nearby Silver Sands resort, and features Banks, Heinekin and Guinness, all in glass bottles.

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Bridgetown, Barbados: Buffy’s Bar, and The Sticky Wicket

[a] beautiful orange-ish copper color, totally clear, just like all Harpoon brews. Big ‘ol carbonation, with tiny bubbles wildly swirling around to create a rather healthy looking, thick, frosty off-white head…The aroma is really inviting, with a big whiff of sweet, yet smokey Vermont Maple syrup. The spicy, herbal wheat balance is very good, with the wheat, hops and heat really adding to the nose complexity.

The BA folks outdid themselves with that description, but it sure sounds tasty. I really need to see if I can find some of this at the RSVP, as my Thursday night volleyball league prevents me from getting some straight from the tap. For those not similarly engaged, stop on down to Forest Ave’s beer block and grab a pint! Oh, and that Leviathan Series page lists a Quad as their newest offering. I will hunt this one down–it sounds wonderful.

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Harpoon Featured at GLB Tonight

Today I had a “Basement Bitter” on Cask, and it was beautiful. A session beer at 4.0%, it was copper colored, bright, with a lovely head. Slightly hoppy up front, it had a finish that softly echoed the hops long after the liquid was gone. I understand this one is almost gone, so don’t waste time in getting over there to try it.

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Cask Bitter at Run Of The Mill

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GLB Hosts Run of the Mill Tonight

The Brewery started up in 1982, owns four pubs in Burton, and brews traditional ales ranging from a golden to a stout. They supply about 300 pubs across Britain.

The flagship beer, Burton Bridge Best Bitter, is to me everything an English bitter should be. It’s beautifully balanced, noticeably hoppy, with a crisp and clear mouthfeel. At 4.2% it’s not really a session beer, but one can drink it all night and it never gets tiresome.

The brewery tap pub is one of the great places in the world to enjoy an English ale. This is the epitome of a local pub. Both management and customers are welcoming and gracious. If you visit the odds are high you’ll be the only foreigner. Drink quietly for a while, greet others with a smile, and soon you’ll be deep in conversation.

This last visit I got to see the local skittles league in action. They meet upstairs in a room that has seen many uses over the years. The skittles alley is about 50 feet long, surfaced in rough wood. Skittles pins are like New England candlepins; there are nine of them, placed wider than our bowling pins. The center pin is bigger than the others and is worth two points. The skittles ball is hardwood, a bit bigger than a softball, without finger holes, and in this case very worn and rough.

The pins are surrounded by rough boards and netting. This is all manual pinspotting. It’s quite possible to bowl a ball, miss all the pins, and have the ball rebound from the back wall and miss the pins again. A player gets three balls. After that he walks down the alley, collects the balls, and sets up the pins for the next player.

The alley is heated by two coal fireplaces. The fires were lighted before the league meeting, but the first of three matches was noteably chillier than the second and third matches. I enjoyed watching with a pint in my hand and my rear centered in front of an open coal fire.

As you can imagine, there was lots of beer and repartee involved in the matches. Bruce Wilkinson, one of the founders of Burton Bridge Brewery and head brewer, was a participant. Thankfully, his brewing skills significantly exceed his skills at skittles.

Locally in Portland, Maine, Burton Bridge beers are available in bottle on occasion, particularly the Empire IPA. Better yet, Eric Michaud at Novare Res has a firkin of Burton Bridge Best Bitter and expects to put it on soon. Do not miss this fabulous cask ale!

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Burton on Trent – The Burton Bridge Brewery

The Coop is a small pub by our standards, and is a free house. It fearures beautifully cared for beers and a creative rotation of guest beers. The rear bar makes the Coop unique. Most ales are on gravity dispense. The firkins are on a shelf, and are served through gravity taps. Hand pumps are emblematic of cask ale, but gravity dispense is gentler and better for the beer!

Stillage at The Coopers Tavern

Seating in the rear bar is unique: cramped, with a limited number of seats, some of which are on an elevated platform. Drink here and you will unavoidably be involved in conversation with the bar tender and other punters. Daunting to a first time visitor, but well worth the effort.

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Burton on Trent – Coopers Tavern