October 18th, 2009
by Jan
in
Beer Festivals, Beer News, Beer Reviews, Maine |
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This is a very good time for Cask Ale lovers in Portland. Next weekend, beginning on Friday, Oct 23, Novare Res in conjunction with NERAX is presenting a cask ale festival in the Old Port.
This is the first NERAX festival in Maine, and quite possibly the first cask ale festival ever in Maine. We will have 30 cask ales, 10 British, 10 German, and 10 American. Well, maybe a few more American…
We’ve been a long time putting this together, not without challenges, but we think this will be a spectacular experience and perhaps the beginning of a long term relationship between cask ale and beer lovers in Maine. Sorry for the pomposity, but we’re really excited about this event.
Novare Res opens at 3:00pm on Friday. Entry is $10 which buys a festival pint glass and your first pint.
The bounty of cask ale doesn’t end there. Sebago Brewing is launching a cask program at their Portland pub on November 2. They plan to offer 5 cask ales. Their intent is to offer cask ale on an ongoing basis at their pubs. This is good news indeed!
October 18th, 2009
by Jan
in
Beer Events, Beer Festivals, General |
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It’s been a while, but let’s get right into what’s happening in beer around here.
Yesterday, Saturday night, October 17 was the time to be in Belfast, Maine. On offer was the second annual Marshall Wharf Beer and Pemaquid Mussel Festival. They served Mussels prepared four different ways, Morse’s of Maine’s sausage and sauerkraut, and 22 Marshall Wharf beers on tap. It might get different, but it can’t get better.
Of special interest were the three bourbon barrel aged beers… MacFindlay Scotch, Old #55, and Cant Dog IPA. In my opinion these beers saw too much whisky barrel, and the beer characteristics faded from the picture. This was a first try, and I have no doubt the next will be well worth considering.
The regular range of Marshall Wharf beers was superb as always. It’s very special, but also very dangerous, to be able to enjoy all of them in the same night. It was fun to taste 40 Cream Ale again, but the old favorites were spectacular as always.
July 23rd, 2009
by Jason
in
Beer Events, Watering Holes |
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The Great Lost Bear in Portland hosts their annual Christmas in July tonight. This year, in addition to the usual holiday ales from Maine, they’re featuring Delirium Noel and St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. All of the locals, Sebago Slick Nick Winter Ale, Shipyard Prelude, Gritty McDuff’s Christmas Ale, and Allagash Grand Cru (my favorite for the bunch), will set you back only $2.75 a pint. The stronger Belgian’s will run you $3.50 for a 13.5 oz tulip. If you’re looking for a way to beat the rainy day blues, celebrating Christmas a little early should do the trick.
June 5th, 2009
by Jan
in
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
in
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
in
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
in
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.
