Potable - and Some Potent - Porters

SHERMAN ON THE MOUNT
BY RICK SHERMAN

HARD SOFT DRINKS 
TREND OR  OXYMORONIC FAD?

I've heard craft beer referred to at times as a fad. This opinion is usually expressed by someone who drinks only mega-brew beers. But it got me thinking about fads vs. trends. A fad is a kind of flash-in-the-pan. Something that becomes wildly popular for a short period of time but then dies out just as quickly. Think: Pet Rocks, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pac-Man, Hula Hoops, Beanie Babies, Zoot Suits, Donald Trump - you get the idea. A trend, on the other hand, is a general movement in a particular direction that gradually gains momentum. Think: Craft Beer. A trend tends to have staying power, a fad not so much so. The Mega-brewers ignored craft beer for quite a while, assuming it was a fad and
would quickly fade. But as more and more Americans discovered the joy of real beer and the sale of the mega-brews began to decrease while the sale of craft beer increased (by the way creating jobs not only at the ever-increasing number of breweries but with the burgeoning growth of hop farms now that there were American beers that actually used hops) the big boys started to get nervous and began exploring ways of cashing in on the Craft Beer Movement. A-B InBev opted to bash craft beer with obnoxious ads painting craft beer drinkers as sissified elitists while Bud drinkers are real men and real Americans (I believe I may have mentioned in the past the fact that Bud is owned by a foreign conglomerate while craft breweries are wholly American-owned, making this claim spurious at best) while surreptitiously creating faux craft breweries which produced faux craft beer and buying up actual craft breweries (the latest being Devil's Backbone out of Virginia). All of this mega-brew angst merely confirms the fact that craft beer is not a fad but the future of American beer.

On the heels of this comes a curious new approach to "adult" beverages - hard soft drinks. Beginning with Not Your Father's Root Beer there has been a sudden explosion of soft drinks turned hard with the infusion of alcohol. On the market now are several hard root beers, plus hard ginger ales, hard orange sodas, hard ginger beers, even a spiked cranberry soda. This begs the question: who is the target audience? It is, after all, soda pop with alcohol. I have tried Not Your Father's Root Beer as well as Coney Island Brewing Company's Hard Ginger Ale. The root beer I thought tasted like very good root beer. We here at BOTB actually compared it to a high end root beer and found it perhaps somewhat superior. On the other hand, the ginger ale I found to be, well, awful. I rather like good ginger ale (Schweppe's for example) and this did not taste like good ginger ale. I felt it had a kind of overly sweet taste you don't really want in ginger ale.

Be that as it may, my point here is, I guess, that while some are comparing this explosion of hard soft drinks to the craft beer revolution, to me it has all the earmarks of a fad. It blew up suddenly, out of nowhere and for now is burning bright. But will it last?

My biggest issue with this, other than the creepy feeling that it targets kids, is that in supermarkets that already allot a minuscule amount of space for craft beer, these alcohol-fueled soda pops are fighting for the same space, reducing the craft beer choices to only the most popular (or to those which A-B/InBev now owns).  Our local Tops Market for example hasn't had a huge craft beer section - like most chain stores 80% - 90% of the beer shelf space is reserved for mega-brews - but it had slowly begun to expand their choices. lately, however, I've noticed the hard soft drinks are seriously impinging on the craft beers.

Shelf space at Tops dominated by hard soft drinks

Hard soft drinks are hot now, but will they last? Anyone remember these:

Boone Farm Wines

Ripple Wine

Zima Malt Beverage

Billy Beer

 All burned bright and flew off the shelves - until they didn't.

PORTERS - BOTH POTABLE AND POTENT

We here at BOTB love hops. We make no bones about that. We're seven Guys who worship the ground hops grow in. If we held Communion we would serve an IPA (and beer bread). But we do like to mix things up a bit here and explore other styles so as to gain an appreciation of the many different types of beers. We do have a few caveats. While we are wary of fruit beers, there have been a number of grapefruit IPAs lately that are quite tasty, and occasionally we'll stumble upon a beer with just a hint of some fruit that creates a pleasing experience. The key here is that these beers retain their basic "beer-ness."  They still taste like beer and not soda pop with alcohol. Our other proviso is we avoid bland beers at all costs. The late, great Michael Jackson (the beer connoisseur, not the singer) draws a distinction between bland beers (code for mega-brews such as Budweiser) and complex beers.

"A bland beer is boring and not appetizing. A complex beer is satisfying without necessarily being satiating. Nor is it just a question of flavor. A great beer begins with aroma, then comes the texture and flavor, and finally the 'finish' (a more elegant word for 'aftertaste').

"Bland beers have no finish. Drinkers are left wondering whether they just had a beer or simply breathed some wet air (this phrase was coined by Native American writer William Least Heat Moon to describe the experience of drinking 'light' beer)."

The above quote is from the introduction in his Great Beer Guide book which details 500 great beers from around the world (amazingly, Budweiser didn't make the cut).

So we try to avoid bland beers at all costs. I mean, what's the point? If you're using beer as merely a delivery system for alcohol, there are much more efficient methods. But if you drink beer because you enjoy the aroma, taste and finish of a good beer, why waste your time with bland beer?

Oh yeah, the terms "light" or "lite" are strictly taboo.

This month we delve into the dark delights of Porters. You may ask, "What's the difference between a Porter and a Stout?" Most beer enthusiasts have wondered that very thing at one time or another. They are both dark, both share similar taste profiles (malty, nutty, chocolate, coffee to varying degrees), and both originated in Great Britain. The simplest answer is that "Stout" was merely a beer term for strong, and stronger Porters were called Stout Porters. Eventually the name was shortened to Stout. The confusing thing today is that there are Porters that are stronger than many Stouts. There are Imperial Porters and Baltic Porters, Cream Porters and Coffee Porters. There are Imperial Stouts and Russian Imperial Stouts, Milk Stouts, Coffee Stouts and Oatmeal Stouts. All are in varying strengths. So really, much of it comes down to the discretion of the brewer. Even different beer festivals can't agree on what makes a beer a Stout and what make a beer a Porter. Some festivals might insist that a Porter must be brewed with chocolate malt and a Stout with Patent Malt. Or not.

Anyway, our only qualification was that it said "Porter" somewhere on the label.

Here then are this month's selection of pleasing Porters.

NIGHT OWL CREAM PORTER

CUSTOM BREWCRAFTERS

The Beer Facts: BREWER: CustomBrewcrafters, Honeoye Falls, NY; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 5.0%; IBUs: 20; MALTS: Chocolate, Dark Crystal; HOPS: Galena, Fuggle

What the Brewer Says: "Try one and any misconception about dark beers being heavy or harsh will fade away quicker than the beer in your glass. Night Owl Porter  is everything the name conjures up in your mind...a beer with a very creamy, almost silky texture."

Color: Black

Pour: Just shy of "decent" head

Aroma: Malty, molasses

Body: Medium

Taste: Creamy, smooth with strong malt and undertones of caramel

Overall Impression: A bit better than "I Could Drink This!"

Comments: "Like a good introductory Porter; Not over-the-top in any area - not a huge malt or chocolate taste; Those notes are there, but subtle; I could drink a bunch of these; A little more carbonated than I'd expect from a Porter, to me it sort of detracts from the overall enjoyment; Nice, mild aroma; Kind of a surprise from CustomBrewcrafters - usually their beers are more in-your-face big; Oily or silky feel on the tongue."

PLUFF MUD PORTER

HOLY CITY BREWERY

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Holy City Brewery, Charlestown, SC; STYLE: American Porter; ABV: 5.5%; IBUs: 21; MALTS: Pale, Crystal 20, Crystal 60, Munich II, Carafa II; HOPS: Northern Brewer; INTERESTING BEER FACT RE. THE NAME: Pluff mud is "a mixtrue of dirt and water indigenous to the marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, with a distinct odor that's endearing to locals, but off-putting to tourists and redcoats."

What the Brewer Says: "Our second flagship beer was an effort to bring the American Porter style to the Charleston market proper, while also making a beer that stays appealing as the mercury rises. We think we've succeeded in Pluff Mud Porter. It presents (and smells) like a classic porter, with subtle chocolate notes and a silky finish, but the medium body and tame ABV keep it refreshing at all times. Enjoy this throughout the year, in or out of the marsh."

Color: Rich mahogany

Pour: Guinness class head on the pour which dissipates quickly.

Aroma: Roasted malt and chocolate

Body: Medium

Taste: Lightly sweet malty taste with notes of  mocha and yeast

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This!

Comments: "Big nose; Silky smooth finish; Grows on you; Better when it is allowed to warm a bit, more of the flavor comes through; Again the initial carbonation takes away from the taste - it is better after it sits a minute; Probably even better in a snifter; As it warms, a little hops, caramel and cinnamon starts to come through; Very nice beer."

HARD WIRED NITRO COFFEE PORTER

LEFT HAND BREWING

The Beer Facts:BREWER: Left Hand Brewing, Longmont, CO; STYLE: Porter with coffee; ABV: 6.0%; IBUs: 33; MALT: 2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Crystal, Carafa; HOPS: Centennial, Cascade; OTHER: Coffee

What the Brewer Says: "Innately predisposed to be smooth when Poured Hard, this nitro coffee porter builds a pillowy, toffee-sweet head. Coffee and flavors of caramelized sugar, cacao and hints of blueberry lead to a light, smokey finish."

Color: Black

Pour: Near Guinness class head

Aroma: Coffee, roasted grain, whiff of chocolate

Body: Medium

Taste: Coffee, toffee, with a nice smoothness from the nitro, a bit of chocolate and somewhat nutty

Overall Impression: Leaning toward "Can't Get Enough"  between that and "I Could Drink This."

Comments: "Breakfast beer; Bitter on the end; I like this - smooth, velvety, wonderful coffee-mocha taste; Tastes clean; I could drink a lot of this; More flavor - a nice example of not over-carbonating - sorry if I seem obsessed with this today, just felt the first two could use less and this one bears me out."

PEATY PORTER

WOLF HOLLOW BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Wolf Hollow Brewing, Glenville, NY; STYLE: Peat Smoked Porter; ABV; 6%

What the Brewer Says: "Wolf Hollow Brewing Company creates true, local, craft beer, captured on draught for peak freshness, and enjoyed in our tasting room or home by the local community."

Color: Black

Pour: Guinness Class head

Aroma: Smoky malt

Body: Bit more than medium

Taste: Smoky malt dominates with hints of coffee and chocolate

Overall Impression: Very near "Can't Get Enough!"

Comments: "Hoppier than the others so far; Pleasing; Peat smoked malt gives it an interesting taste; Closer to a Rauchbier; Distinct; Roasted malt taste; Lingering taste; Really nice beer - I love it!"

BALTIKA #6

BALTIKA BREWERY

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Baltika Brewery, St. Petersburg, Russia; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 7.0%; MALT: Pale Barley Malt, Caramelized barley malt, Black barley malt

What the Brewer Says: "Since April 2008 premium Baltika varieties - Baltika #6 and Baltika #8 Wheat - have been united into the Baltika Selected series. The Baltika Selected is a new image combined with the original but familiar content and invariable quality. Brewed with added high-quality ingredients and having a racy flavor these varieties are meant for unhurried drinking in sedate and relaxed surroundings."

Color: Pitch black

Pour: Just shy of "Decent" head

Aroma: Sweet molasses

Body: Between Medium and Full but leaning toward Full

Taste: Sweet malty with strong tastes of molasses and toffee

Overall Impression: Just shy of "I Could Drink This"

Comments: "Horehound taste; Sharp sweet taste right off the bat; Like a sticky-bun; Could put this stuff on ice cream, pancakes etc.; Wouldn't want 3 or 4 of these; Nice looking bottle - good size; Sweety but enjoyable; A dessert snifter beer for sure."

FRAMINGHAMMER BALTIC PORTER 

(BOURBON BARREL AGED)

JACK'S ABBY

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Jack's Abby, Framingham, MA; STYLE: Bourbon Barrel Aged Baltic Porter; ABV: 10%; IBUs: 55

What the Brewer Says: "Big, bold, black, and aged in bourbon barrels. This unusual lager style has many similarities to Imperial Stouts. A lengthy conditioning period creates a silky smooth chocolatey mouth feel enhanced by the use of oats  and brown sugar. Noticeable sweetness gets balanced by roasted malt and hop bitterness. Additional flavors include bourbon, vanilla and oak."

Color: Black

Pour: Guinness-class head

Aroma: Mellow malty

Body: Full bodied

Taste: Dark chocolate, vanilla with bourbon undertones and roasted malt. Bit of a nice hop bite to this one as well.

Overall Impression: A qualified "Can't Get Enough!" As in "I could drink a lot if not for the 10% ABV!"

Comments: "Not as sweet as some of the others; Unfiltered; Clean on the finish; Clean, bold and black; More chocolate than coffee; Doesn't taste as big as it is; Not cloying - has a nice dark chocolate bitterness; Fills the mouth; Smooth, tongue-coating sensation; Nice lingering after-taste; It would be easy to over-indulge because this is so smooth."

AND THE WINNER IS...

In descending order, here's where this bunch of fine Porters scored with us.

1. Framinghammer Baltic Porter - Jack's Abby - A really terrific Porter. A big, bold taste redolent of dark chocolate and roasted malt with a wonderful hint of bourbon. It's a big beer that isn't cloyingly sweet like some can be.

2. Wolf Hollow Peaty Porter - Wolf Hollow Brewing - A wonderful Porter with a really unique flavor thanks to the peat smoked malt. Nice coffee and chocolate undertones you expect from a Porter. A bit more hop presence than the others which may have helped sway us.

3. Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter - Left Hand Brewing  -  Complex mix of coffee and toffee, chocolate and nut. Nitro is becoming a big trend in craft brewing and this is a fine example. A terrific, full-flavored brew.

4. Night Owl Porter - CB Craft Brewers - A bit more subtle flavors than the top three, malt and molasses flavors hit you right off with some hints of chocolate and coffee. Somewhat overly carbonated which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the beer.

5. Pluff Mud Porter - Holy City Brewing - Another enjoyable Porter with roasted malt and chocolate the dominant flavors. As it sat and warmed, a bit more flavor emerged. Again a little less carbonation would improve the beer.

6. Baltika # 6 - Baltika Breweries - We sort of saw this as more of a dessert beer than anything else. A bit too sweet but not bad in small doses.

-SHOUT OUTS-

Our own Mike Watkins brought along one of his terrific home brews - West Coast Style IPA. After all
those Porters, as good as they were, we welcomed some hops, and this beer delivered with a nice spicey, peppery flavor we rated unanimously "Can't Get Enough!"

We also had as a delicious palate cleanser Mayflower Brewing's Limited Edition Alden Double IPA.  It is a terrific beer, full, complex and just plain tasty. Hard to get outside of Massachusetts, but worth the hunt.

Next Month: ESBs

Wonder what we thought about a particular beer? Get our down and dirty quick reference at BOTB Tested Beers

And for even more BOTB chicanery peruse Gerry's Beer Book

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys

Raquette River Brewery

Raquette River Brewing - Small Batches, Big Beers

Deep in the heart of Central New York snow country is a little oasis of warmth known as Raquette River Brewing. Mark Jessie and Joe Hockey of Tupper Lake turned a home-brewing hobby into a thriving business. Established in 2013 but officially opened in March of 2015, Raquette River Brewing is garnering a reputation among New York State beer geeks as a hidden gem. More nano than micro, Raquette River sports 8 taps but is rapidly expanding. 

This month we here at BOTB zeroed in on five of Raquette River's brews: Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Double IPA, Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Red Ale. While the brewery won no points for clever or unique names for their beers, we quickly forgave them this transgression as we found the beers themselves offered a uniqueness to the palette by adhering to the foundations of each style while simultaneously creating their own singular spin on that style. Not an easy feat.

Without further ado, here's what we thought of some of Raquette River's brews using our usual format of objective description followed by where we would place it on our Overall Impression Scale from "Leave It On The Shelf" to "I Could Drink This" to "Can't Get Enough!" We end each review with a sort of collective stream-of-consciousness off-the-cuff comments faithfully recorded at the time of tasting to preserve their freshness. 

PALE ALE

RAQUETTE RIVER BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Raquette River Brewing, Tupper Lake, NY; STYLE: Pale Ale; ABV: 5.3; IBUs: 37; HOPS: Cascade

What the Brewer Says: "A light but hoppy flavorful beer. A good summer session beer."

Color: Unfiltered clover honey

Pour: Somewhat less than Decent white lacy head.

Aroma: Initially strong pine, grapefruit hop aroma that dissipates quickly.

Body: Medium

Taste: Citrus hop flavor comes through strongly, nice bitter piney bite with some pale malt behind it.

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "More hops in the taste than in the aroma; Nice dry finish; Great Pale Ale; A really good beer!; Clean taste - not overdone; Better than a lot of pales; Has more American Pale Ale flavor than British; This is what I want a Pale Ale to taste like, full of flavor, nicely balanced with a good solid hop presence."

INDIA PALE ALE

RAQUETTE RIVER BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Raquette River Brewing, Tupper Lake, NY; STYLE: IPA; ABV: 6.8%; IBUs: 65; HOPS: Columbia, Cascade, Centennial. Northern Brewer.

What the Brewer Says: "Full body, balanced, hoppy, but not filling."

Color: Golden

Pour: Better than Decent head

Aroma: Started hoppy - very distinctly - then dissipated quickly to a sweeter,maltier aroma

Body: Medium

Taste: Nice citrus hop flavor with strong toffee, nutty undertones

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "More malty than hoppy, but tasty; Aftertaste lingers; Nice mix of sweet and bitter; Terrific beer - would love to see it out on the market more - increase availability; It's got that malty / toffee / biscuit-y taste that compliments the hops giving a little different spin to an IPA; "

DOUBLE IPA

RAQUETTE RIVER BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Raquette River brewing, Tupper Lake, NY; STYLE: Double IPA; ABV: 8.8%

Color: Dark Amber / orange

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Floral, perfume-like

Body: Between Medium and Full

Taste: Nicely bitter, floral hops with toffee, caramel and butterscotch notes

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "Strong alcohol taste to this; Distinctive flavor; A really nice beer; So unique - I have to keep tasting it; A snifter beer; Sip and savor beer; Complex flavor; Sweet and herbal aftertaste - maybe even some hint of mint?; Intriguing - an air of mystique; More of that nice toffee malt taste."

IMPERIAL PUMPKIN ALE

RAQUETTE RIVER BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Raquette River Brewing, Tupper Lake, NY; STYLE: Imperial Pumpkin Ale; ABV: 9.0%

What the Brewer Says: "The beer ages very well. Put a case in your basement and let it age a year. Delicious!"

Color: Dark copper, unfiltered

Pour: A bit under Decent

Aroma: Nutmeg and cinnamon / pumpkin pie spices

Body: Toward Full

Taste: Sweet, with flavors of allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon

Overall Impression: Divided opinions on this one. Falls below "I could drink this, but not "Leave it on the shelf" status.

Comments: "I'm not a huge pumpkin beer fan, but I like this one; A good Thanksgiving beer; Could sneak up on you; The spices are not overpowering so it still tastes like beer; A dessert beer, for sure; This is one of those styles of beer that is very divisive - very popular with some people while others just don't care for it: I'm not a fan, I just don't like this style."

RED ALE

RAQUETTE RIVER BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Raquette River Brewing, Tupper Lake, NY; STYLE: Red Ale; ABV: 5.8%; IBUs: 23; HOPS: US Golding;

What the Brewer Says: "Very unique, Earthy. Hints of toasted goodness."

Color: Red, auburn

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Bready, roasted malt

Body: Medium

Taste: Bready, malty with a bit of nut

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "A great Red; Fills the mouth nicely; So much better than expected; Held up even after a Pale, an IPA and a Double; Not big and hoppy, but tasty; Good first-course beer; Nice roasty, rich flavor; I really like that roasted malt taste; It's kind of the taste I always hope for in a Red, but don't always get."

THE BOTTOM LINE

Four out of five ain't bad! Surprisingly we gave Raquette River's Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, and Red Ale our top rating. I say "surprisingly" because it is rare that we can grab five beers from any given brewery and give four of them our top score. There were no disagreements on where those four should be placed on our Overall Impression sliding scale. Considering the fact that none of these were in-your-face hop-bombs (which tend to garner the coveted Can't Get Enough rating) and one of them - Red Ale - weighed in at a mere 23 IBUs, this says a lot about the complexity of flavor found in these beers. We were all impressed with the IPA - it really did have a somewhat unique taste for an IPA while maintaining its basic IPA-ness.

Imperial Pumpkin Ale was the only beer on which we had no real consensus. A few of us rated it I Could Drink This while others said Leave It On The Shelf. Pumpkin Ales are always divisive with us. But as this style goes, we felt that Raquette River's take is done the way it should be, keeping the pumpkin spices subtle in support of the beer rather than overpowering it.

Our favorite? Probably a toss-up between IPA  and Double IPA. No surprise, coming from a bunch of hop lovers. 

Wonder If we've reviewed a particular beer? For our in-depth analysis just type the name of the beer into the search window at the top of the page. For a quick look at our Overall Impression go to the link below. Every BOTB tested beer is listed alphabetically by brewery with a four-star rating system.

BOTB Tested Beers

For more beer-related info, opinions, and off-the-wall commentary, check out our link to Gerry's Beer Book. It's an often zany yet always informative look at beer throughout the years. Get it for free now before it hits the New York Times bestseller list and you'd have to pay ten times as much.

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The BOTB Guys

Vermont Comes to Central New York

A TASTE OF VERMONT

I happened upon an online article from USA Today. It was one of those "top 10" type articles and they listed their top 10 states for craft beer. It includes the states you would expect - California, Washington State, Oregon - but missing from the list is one I expected to see: Vermont. Vermont was one of the early adapters to craft beer. You could get good beer in Vermont while some of those   other states were still stuck in the Mega-brew malaise that had overtaken the country. Then I realized the list was based on the number of craft breweries in each state, from #1 California's 268 to #10 Illinois' 54 (New York came in a respectable #8, by the way, with 72 and growing). Vermont has, according to the Vermont Brewer's Association, 38 craft breweries. But look at the size of Vermont compared to the size of, say, California or Oregon.

Being our neighbor to the East (and having a BOTB member whose two sons reside in that state and regularly supply us with Vermont brews) we have become quite familiar with Vermont's wealth of good beer. I began to tick off the Vermont breweries whose wares we have had the opportunity to sample: The Alchemist, Burlington, Crop Bistro, Fiddlehead, Harpoon, Hill Farmstead, Long Trail, Magic Hat, Northshire, Otter Creek, Lawson, Norwich Inn, Switchback, Rock Art, Wolaver's, Zero Gravity. So I dug a little deeper and found that as of 2011 Vermont had the greatest number of breweries per capita of any state in the Union. That was more like it! To paraphrase Huck Finn, you can't swing a dead cat in Vermont without hitting a brewery.

This month the BOTB guys had the opportunity to sample Vermont beers from Long Trail, Otter Creek, The Shed and Wolaver's. Some strayed from our hop-centric wheelhouse, meaning they aren't our mug of beer, but they might be yours. As usual, we give you an objective look at five aspects of the beer (Color, Pour, Aroma, Body, and Taste). We then give our Overall Impression which ranges from "Leave it on the shelf" (not one we'd buy) to "I Could Drink That" (a good, solid brew) to "Can't Get Enough" (Excellent beer we would actively seek out). Our last section is our Comments where we fire off-the-cuff and sometimes off-topic and occasionally off-color opinions in a sort of stream of consciousness (perhaps approaching unconsciousness) free-for-all.

And remember, our opinions are filtered through the taste buds of Guys who love hoppy beers.

Here's what we found:

WILDFLOWER WHEAT

WOLAVER'S FINE ORGANIC ALES

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Wolaver's, Middlebury, VT; STYLE: Pale Wheat Ale; ABV: 4.25%; IBUs: 15; HOPS: NA; MALT: NA; SPECIAL INGREDIENTS: Honey and Chamomile flowers 

What the Brewer Says: "Wildflower Wheat is a delicious, unfiltered wheat ale brewed with organic chamomile flowers and a hint of pure, organic honey."

Color: Golden

Pour: Slight head with some lacing

Aroma: Not a strong aroma, slight floral and a bit of wheat

Body: Light

Taste: Zesty. Slightly sweet, with a bit of lemon and honey.

Overall Impression: Alas, we would Leave it on the Shelf.

Comments: "Light tasting; Can taste the honey in it; A nice picnic beer; Would rather drink this than a Shandy; Crisp finish; The honey gives it an interesting taste that kind of separates it; Not really a wheat fan, and 15 IBUs is a bit light weight for my taste; A summery, easy to drink kind of beer should be served cold on a hot day."

SUMMER ALE 

LONG TRAIL BREWING CO.

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Long Trail Brewing Co., Bridgewater Corners, VT; STYLE: Session Ale; ABV: 4.3%; IBUs: 32; MALTS: Pilsner; HOPS: Citra

What the Brewer Says: "An unfiltered golden ale made to chill out summer's hottest days. Remarkably light on the palate, with a soft Pilsner malt character and a distinct citrus hop aroma deriving from dry-hopped additions of Citra hops. Each sip finishes with a refreshing bitterness that invites another. At 4.3% ABV, this golden beauty is a truly quaffable drinking experience."

Color: Straw

Pour: Decent head with sustained lacing

Aroma: Floral

Body: Somewhat light

Taste: Citrus, with hints of lemon after a light malt opening

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This!

Comments: "Nice bitterness to it; One of the better summer ales I've ever had; A lot to be said for a session beer in the summer; In a lawn chair, ice cold...nice; Comes through at the right time; If you weren't yet into craft beer this would be a good 'gateway' beer; I would actually take this to a summer party; It's nice to see a summer ale with a little bite to it;  A good, easy-drinking beer, well done Long Trail."

OVER EASY

OTTER CREEK

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Otter Creek, Middlebury, VT; ABV: 4.6%; IBUs: 40; HOPS AND MALT: NA

What the Brewer Says: "A brand new addition to Otter Creek's year-round lineup... Look for it in six-packs and 12 packs."

Color: Straw

Pour: Somewhat better than Decent head

Aroma: Sweet grapefruit, citrus 

Body: A bit more than Light

Taste: Nice bitter hoppy edge, with strong grapefruit/citrus notes

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This!

Comments: "Bitter finish; Certainly nothing objectionable here; Tasty; Better than many of the session IPAs I've had; Nice kind of grapefruit/orange taste to it with a great IPA bitter bite; I'm a fan; It's a session so not complex, but really good sort of more-than-one-beer beer."

MOSTLY CLOUDY

 4.7LONG TRAIL

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Long Trail Brewing Co., Bridgewater Corners, VT; STYLE: Belgian Witbier; ABV:4.7%; IBUs: 12; MALT AND HOPS: NA 

What the Brewer Says: "A mostly cloudy body is capped with a light, fluffy head that reveals soft notes of  citrus and spices. Whether you prefer partly sunny or mostly cloudy, this brew will happily keep your glass half full." 

Color: Unfiltered gold

Pour: Big, Guinness class head

Aroma: Spicy, soap

Body: Light

Taste: A bit sweet and citrusy, hints of lemon

Overall Impression: Leave it on the shelf

Comments: "This is one of those tough ones, I don't really care for Belgian Witbiers, and this is solidly in that taste profile, so if you favor those, I suppose you'd like this. I'm not a fan; Champagne effervescence; Faint coriander taste; Has to be icy cold to drink; Watery mouthfeel; Typical of Belgian Witbiers."  

LONG TRAIL ALE

LONG TRAIL BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Long Trail Brewing Co., Bridgewater Corners, VT; STYLE: Amber Ale - German Style Altbier; ABV: 5.0%; IBUs: 28

What the Brewer Says: "First brewed in 1989, Long Trail Ale is a full-bodied amber ale brewed with our top fermenting house yeast that yields a complex, clean flavor."

Color: Copper

Pour: Decent, bubbly head

Aroma: Caramel, malt, nutty

Body: Light to Medium

Taste: Roasted malt, caramel, nutty

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This!

Comments: "This is one of those beers I remember having in the early years of craft beer; It's one of the beers that got me into craft beers; Nice, nutty, malty flavor; A comfort beer; Kind of reminds me of some good Oktoberfest beers."

FRESH SLICE

OTTER CREEK BREWING CO.

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, VT; STYLE: Belgian Style White IPA; ABV: 5.5%; IBUs: 45 

What the Brewer Says: "A summer sipper built for lawn chairs, lawn games and lawn mowing, Fresh Slice  features the spicy, estery flavor profile of Belgian yeast laced with the juicy hop flavors and aromas of American hops."

Color: Hazy orange

Pour: Slight head with some lacing

Aroma: A little spicy and citrusy

Body: Light

Taste: Orange, grapefruit, citrus and strong coriander

Overall Impression: A divisive lean toward Leave it on the Shelf

Comments: "One of those beers some will love some will not, I didn't particularly care for it; Strong Belgian yeast taste; Doesn't have the hop presence for an IPA; Too much coriander; Not my first choice; I'm not getting the coriander as strongly as you guys, I thought it was okay; I'd take this over Magic Hat #9; If you're a Belgian fan, you'd like this."

BACKSEAT BERNER

OTTER CREEK

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, VT; STYLE: American India Pale Ale; ABV: 7.0%; IBUs: 68 

What the Brewer Says: "The first year-round IPA in Otter Creek history, Backseat Berner is an American beauty that's loaded with juicy hops. Like Oslo, Brewmaster Mike's 150 pound Bernese mountain dog that adorns the label, Backseat Berner is your everday companion for life's adventures."

Color: Hazy orange

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Grassy

Body: Medium

Taste: Grapefuit and grass, with hints of toffee, caramel, butterscotch

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!!

Comments: "Delicious!; Perhaps the best Otter Creek beer I've ever had; Real nice mouthfeel; Nice, pleasing beer; I'd buy this in a heartbeat - in fact I'm going to be looking for it; I'd put it on my front burner."

MOUNTAIN ALE

THE SHED

The Beer Facts: BREWER: The Shed Brewery, Middlebury, VT; STYLE: English Strong Ale; ABV: 7.4%; IBUs: 35; HOPS: Mt. Hood, Northern Brewer 

What the Brewer Says: "This unfiltered English Strong Ale is a medium to full-bodied ale, with pronounced caramel and toffee notes, followed by a roasted finish."

Color: Amber

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Caramel

Body: Between Medium and Full

Taste: Malty with hints of toffee and caramel. Nice bit of hop to it.

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "Really nice brown ale; Reminiscent of British style beers; Like Newcastle on steroids; Toffee/caramel backbone with slight hop presence; Malty presence that just stays in the mouth; Not an IPA, but we love it; Sweet beer that would appeal to people who don't want a hoppy beer, but want a beer with flavor."

LIMBO IPA

LONG TRAIL BREWING CO.

The Beer Facts: BREWER: Long Trail Brewing Co.,Bridgewater Corners, VT;STYLE: Double IPA; ABV: 7.4%; IBUs: 80

What the Brewer Says: "A big mouth-watering IPA brimming with all the flavors and aromas of the new breed of hops coming from Australia and the Pacific Northwest."

Color: Orange/Amber

Pour: Decent Head with lingering lace

Aroma: Straw, grass, tropical fruit, some pine 

Body: Approaching full

Taste: Balanced with a nice bitter bite, a hoppy finish with hints of bread. A warm alcohol presence.

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!!

Comments: "I really like this beer; It's been in my fridge since they came out with it; Absolutely delicious; Nice name, too; Long Trail's finest!; I like it better than their regular IPA, and I like that; Terrific; It's got a nice complexity that you just can't get in some of the session IPAs; You also gotta' love that it is reasonably priced, I've had some double IPAs that cost a lot more that weren't half as good."

THE RESULTS

If you've been following us at all, you probably could have guessed the results, but here's a quick breakdown from favorite to least.

1. LIMBO IPA - This was an absolute winner. It's a terrific, full-flavored IPA - strong enough to have a bit of an alcohol warming without being so strong that you can't have a second one. 

2. BACKSEAT BERNER - It was a tough call between this and Limbo.  Both are right in our wheelhouse. Like Limbo it is a complex beer with a solid malt foundation supporting tasty citrus/hop notes. Our favorite Otter Creek.

3. MOUNTAIN ALE - This one surprised us as it isn't an IPA and it isn't extremely hoppy, but we all were taken with its big malty flavor highlighted by toffee and caramel notes. Classically British, but bigger than most Brit beers. Having said that, there was also enough of a hop presence to set it apart from other brown ales. A delightful beer.

4. OVER EASY - We found this to be a very pleasant, easy-drinking Session Ale, as hoppy as many session IPAs we've tried. At 4.6% we saw this as an excellent summer golf cart/lawn mower/boat beer.

5. LONG TRAIL ALE -  Many of us remember this beer fondly as one of our early craft beer experiences. A solid balanced Amber Ale.

6. LONG TRAIL SUMMER ALE - This is a summer ale with a surprising amount of hop presence. One of the better summer ales we've had.

7. FRESH SLICE - The strong coriander presence in this beer was a bit of a turn-off for us. We wouldn't seek it out but it is representative of the White IPA style.

8. WILDFLOWER WHEAT - The honey gave this a unique taste, still a bit of a lightweight for our tastes.

9. MOSTLY CLOUDY - Loved the name, but not so much the beer. Again, strictly a question of personal taste here. If you like Belgian-style, low IBU beers often served with a lemon or orange slice, you'll like this. But as unapologetic hopheads, this just wasn't what we look for in a beer.

Up Next:
The BOTB Guys look close to home as we check out some of the latest New York State brews.

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys